Apple introduced a brand new model of the Mac Studio, its high-powered desktop mini PC that’s historically competed with computer systems many occasions bigger. The brand new Mac Studio has the M4 Max chip that’s presently discovered within the MacBook Professional, and a brand new M3 Extremely chip that Apple says shall be practically twice as quick because the M4 Max variations. The mini PC will in any other case be outfitted with USB-C ports licensed for Thunderbolt 5, an upcoming evolution of Thunderbolt 4 that may obtain speeds as much as 120 Gigabits per second (in comparison with Thunderbolt 4’s 40 Gigabits per second most).
The M4 Max model of the Mac Studio begins at $2,000, and comes with 36 GB of unified reminiscence, which acts as reminiscence for each the pc’s CPU and GPU, and it may be configured with as much as 96 GB of reminiscence. The M4 Max geared up Mac Studio begins with 512 GB of inner storage, which may be upgraded as much as 8 TB, although shopping for the utmost quantity does add $2,400 to the worth tag. It’s going to assist as much as 5 exterior shows, with 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports on its again, and two slower 10 Gigabit per second USB-C ports on the entrance.
The M3 Extremely model begins at $4,000 and comes with 96 GB of unified reminiscence, however may be configured with as much as 512 GB for these with extremely demanding AI workloads or cinema-level 3D rendering. It may possibly additionally maintain as much as 16TB of inner storage, although that configuration does value about $10,000 on Apple’s web site. It helps as much as eight exterior shows, with 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports on its again and two on its entrance.
The Mac Studios shall be obtainable March 12, and we’ll replace this information shortly after with our assessment. Moreover, we’ll be testing a brand new batch of mini PCs from smaller producers, together with the Aoostar GEM12 Pro Max, Beelink GTi14 Ultra, Beelink SER8, Khadas Mind 2, Minisforum AI370, and the Minisforum AI X1 Pro.
We additionally noticed a slew of latest mini PCs on the CES 2025 tech commerce present, simply in time for our newest spherical of testing.
Asus acquired Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) enterprise in 2023, and has 4 totally different mini PCs we’re involved in testing. The NUC 14 Pro AI+ is constructed round Intel’s newest Core Extremely Collection 2 processors, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a fingerprint reader. The 14 Professional AI+ additionally has an E Ink display on its prime with customizable graphics, however we will’t inform whether or not you possibly can have the show present helpful stats like inner temperatures. It’s a Copilot+ PC, that means it meets Microsoft’s requirements to assist native generative AI fashions. The NUC 15 Pro is a extra streamlined mini PC with Intel Core Extremely Collection 2 processors, however not one of the Copilot branding or further buttons. It has Thunderbolt 4 ports, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, however in a extra refined case than the 14 Professional AI. The NUC 15 Pro+ is almost an identical to the bottom NUC 15, however it’s barely bigger and has entry to the Intel Core Extremely 9 285H processor, fairly than simply the Core Extremely 7 lineup. It’s presupposed to have higher cooling than the 15 Professional as properly.
Asus’s ExpertCenter PN54 pivots away from Intel with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 APU, which is a CPU with a built-in graphics processor. It has the identical Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, however has twin 2.5 gigabit ethernet ports. It additionally has a Copilot button along with its energy button.
The Asus NUCs we noticed in particular person all appeared simply upgradeable, with straightforward latches to take away the underside panel to entry inner parts. All of those mini PCs even have two USB-A ports and a USB-C on their entrance, which provides easy accessibility to the ports almost definitely for use by equipment. We don’t have precise pricing or a launch timeline for these NUCs, however we count on to see them someday within the first quarter of this yr.
Acer introduced a mini PC known as the Revo Box AI, additionally constructed across the Intel Core Extremely Collection 2 processors. It is going to be configurable with as much as 32 GB of RAM, comes with Wi-Fi 6E, and has twin 2.5 gigabit ethernet jacks. It’s going to begin at $800 and launch in Q2 2025.
We really useful an older model of the HP Z2 Mini G1i, and are wanting ahead to seeing HP’s latest mannequin. It’s bigger than most mini PCs we take a look at, however homes a strong Ryzen AI Max+ Professional 395 processor and as much as 128 GB of unified reminiscence. This AMD structure may very well be very aggressive with Apple’s M4 Professional chips, particularly for many who do a variety of media enhancing and will use a bigger pool of quick reminiscence. We don’t have pricing or availability but.
The Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini x can come geared up with both a Qualcomm Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus processor, as much as 32 GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. It appears a bit extra pared down than the competitors, with one USB-A and one USB-C port on its entrance. It is going to be obtainable in April beginning at $660.
We’re seeking to take a look at mini PCs from smaller producers, and shall be evaluating the Minisforum EliteMini AI370 and the Minisforum AI X1 Pro. Each these mini PCs use the highly effective AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, which additionally powers the Asus ProArt P16, certainly one of our top picks for video editing, so we’re involved in how the processors will carry out in a distinct cooling construction. The AI X1 Professional goes on sale on the finish of January, and the $1,099 EliteMini AI370 is on sale now. We’ll be testing each within the coming weeks.
Lastly, MSI is making a mini PC known as the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2M. Like our earlier prime decide, the HP Pro Mini 400, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M may be powered immediately over USB-C by a monitor that may output 100W. This implies your desk setup may run on simply two cables: one energy cable to your monitor, and one cable connecting your monitor to your PC. We actually reside sooner or later—or may be as soon as MSI releases pricing and availability for this mini PC.
