Can a Mac mini replace my MacBook Pro effectively?

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro that I am considering replacing with a Mac Mini. The current MacBook Pro is pointed at my Synology NAS for extra storage, but even so, the 1TB drive is about 75% full. I am primarily thinking of the Mini to do double duty - replace my MacBook Pro for normal use, and it will become my Plex server. Although I am theoretically retired, I still use my computer pretty extensively. So, should I be looking at a Mac Mini M4 with at least 1 TB of disk space?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: What size mini should I buy,

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Oct 4, 2025 8:17 AM

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

20,931 points

Posted on Oct 5, 2025 5:37 AM

FWIW, I have a 512GB internal drive and keep all my data on external drives and only put applications on my internal.

Locating things like Music, Photos, Movies libraries on external drives is very easy and can reduce internal storage drastically.

For example, in my case, I have 105 apps installed (not including Apple utilities), and I do a lot of photography work. I keep all data, photos, and Apple app libraries on external drives and I use only 250GB of a 512 GB drive. I have a single high speed SSD for work in progress projects and the rest of the data is on slower storage.

Also, for things like movie streaming and music and basic archiving, you don't even need SSDs as 7200 RPM, 3.5" hard drives deliver more than fast enough speeds for these and in a lot of cases 5400RPM drives will suffice. You can get ton's more storage for much lower cost than SSD for these uses. Considering even quality 4K video streams at 30-40 Mbits/sec, a hard disk drive is more than easy enough. I mean BluRay drives deliver very high quality video and they are much slower than any hard disk drive.

I will say 512GB is about as low as you may want to go unless you want to closely manage a 256GB drive and all the app caches, libraries, etc.

On the flip side, I will say spend your money instead on as much RAM as you can afford. Apps and operating systems will only get more and more RAM hungry as time goes on.

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17 replies

Camping Doc Author

Level 1

30 points

Oct 6, 2025 8:03 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

This is a very helpful response. I tried as an experiment hooking my MacBook Pro to my Synology server (SMB), and it worked fine, except that when I had to restart the MBP, the SMB connection went away. That’s not a huge disaster in most cases, because it is easy enough to create, but for Plex it could be problem. So, it seems that your idea of using an attached external hard drive is the best idea. I am still a bit nervous about 256 Meg. According to the info on my Mac, the apps I use take up about 65 Meg., I’m not a professional photographer, and I seldom do video, but I do take a lot of photos, and I do write (Pages) a fair amount. So, assuming I store everything on the external HD (and just use the server for more long-term storage), are you saying that using your Mini the way you do, 256 meg gives you enough room for cache files, necessary files to run, etc? Because if that is the case, you may have just sold me on this idea. Oh, and one more thing. If I get a regular keyboard and mouse (not the Mac version), so find that not being able to use biometrics is a problem for you? This Mini will be for me, as I assume it is for you, my primary computer, with my MBP being relegated to backup/secondary use.

Camping Doc Author

Level 1

30 points

Oct 7, 2025 8:47 AM in response to woodmeister50

All of these responses are helpful, especially since the Apple website doesn’t give a lot of information, just pretty pictures. So, realistically, if I buy a Mac Mini M4 of whatever size (I’m still considering all the views of the proper SSD size), what peripherals will I actually need? Obviously, a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Likely an external HD or two. What else? I frequently use the voice control feature on my MBP, and I occasionally make Zoom calls, so I will need a microphone - unless it is built in or is not useful (the Apple website doesn’t say). I will need a camera for the Zoom calls. What else? What am I missing?

Can a Mac mini replace my MacBook Pro effectively?