Memory is not user upgradable.
SSD is user extendable, either within the box or external addition.
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frontpageyoungliu posted May 06, 2025 01:19 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
frontpageyoungliu posted May 06, 2025 01:19 PM
Select Stores: Apple Mac Mini Desktop w/ M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
+ Free Store Pickup$450
$600
25% offMicro Center
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Great buy though- excellent value. Very pleased with mine from last time - which serves as a very capable 'desktop replacement' - and uses only 2-4.5W of power consumption during real-world use, driving two large format displays (at/near 4K). I barely even use my desktop PC anymore because it uses ~100W to do the same thing, and it's no faster or smoother than the M4 Mini for general use.
1 - It has "only" 256gb of storage. Yes, it sucks. USB4/Thunderbolt external NVMe/SSD will be a cheap addition, or get the aftermarket internal chip upgrade.
2 - It's still expensive. Ok, provide a link to machine that has comparable performance and capabilities in a similar form factor for this price.
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Edit: "best" in this case is fastest for cheapest.
This is a great machine for $450 if you want a desktop machine for web/productivity/photo/video editing/content creation or consumption. But, if you haven't used MacOS before and aren't sure if it's for you, it's a bit of a gamble.
The SSD controller on the Mini is built into the Apple Silicon SoC (System on Chip), so that eliminates it as a factor.
The actual module you buy in essence is just the NAND chips soldered onto a board. Since the controller on the SoC is designed for certain NAND chip specifications, they will most likely be sourced from the same manufacturer that Apple uses. This eliminates the NAND chips as a factor.
The only differentiator would then be the PC board design/manufacturing (which shouldn't be that complex) and a handful of passive component on the board (which are already cheap commodities).
Those aftermarket chips are sketchy AF, and require you to literally SNAP the machine cover with a bunch of ribbon cables everywhere. It's not meant for the faint of heart or a first time upgrader.
External storage? Sure you could do that. But many of those aren't rated for constant usage, and have much higher failure rates than even the most sketchy internal chips. But hey, if you don't value what you do, that's entirely your call. That's why there are so many options at so many price points.
2 - Yes, it's expensive. There are plenty of small form factor windows machines out there (such as from MINISFORUM). Ones you CAN upgrade the storage and ram. They just don't have a shiny piece of fruit on the cover. But those require a little bit more effort than "being courageous" and plopping down a credit card at a boutique store in an American Mall.
And no, it won't be a 1:1 parity with this machine for cost. Because it'll be a full-featured WINDOWS machine, not an Apple. You'll get MORE RAM and MORE STORAGE and a faster chip, all of which will draw slightly more power. So you'll get the Apple apologists crying foul....crying that it's not "comparable". Sorry, I wouldn't want to use something "comparable" to that Apple in 2025.
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You can get one stateside, at the $320 mark. For potentially $40 of difference, you could argue if it may be worth it, and if tariffs are at play for getting these in. Warranty are probably all the same, domestic or international. Just depends on how much of the $40 or $100 savings is worth to the individual.
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Thanks OP! Awesome deal (especially since I just missed the Amazon one for $490)
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- Configure the Mac Mini of your choice
- Scroll under "Select Your Store" and find one that is it in stock
- Select that store
- Copy the link
- Google search the zip code to that city
- Paste that link into your chat
- Tell your BestBuy agent the zip code you just looked up.
They will click your link and see it as in stock and your zip code matches up to that store.Then order as normal. Say you are ordering for a daughter or son in college and then pick up at your home location.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
- Configure the Mac Mini of your choice
- Scroll under "Select Your Store" and find one that is it in stock
- Select that store
- Copy the link
- Google search the zip code to that city
- Paste that link into your chat
- Tell your BestBuy agent the zip code you just looked up.
They will click your link and see it as in stock and your zip code matches up to that store.Then order as normal. Say you are ordering for a daughter or son in college and then pick up at your home location.Leave a Comment