Picking a small desktop computer used to mean choosing between a Mac and a bulky Windows tower. That’s no longer true. Apple’s Mac mini M4 and Beelink’s SER9 are both compact boxes capable of serious desktop work, but they solve the ‘small computer’ problem differently: one runs macOS on Apple silicon, the other runs Windows 11 Pro on an AMD chip with a far more open upgrade path.
This guide sets ecosystem preference aside and compares the actual numbers — processor cores, memory ceilings, storage slots, ports, dimensions, and price — pulled from each company’s published spec sheets. If you already know which platform you want, this won’t change your mind. But if you’re deciding on capability per dollar, the spec sheet tells a clearer story than either homepage does.
Short answer: the Mac mini M4 (from $599) offers stronger single-core performance and a far smaller footprint at 12.7 x 12.7 x 5 cm, while the Beelink SER9 (around $999) offers user-upgradable storage, more total ports, and a stronger integrated GPU on its higher-end chip option. Neither wins every category — the right pick depends on which specs matter for your workload.
Quick Facts
| Spec | Mac mini M4 (base) | Beelink SER9 (HX 370 config) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4, 10-core (4P+6E) | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 12-core/24-thread |
| GPU | 10-core Apple GPU | AMD Radeon 890M integrated |
| Memory (max) | 32GB unified (fixed at purchase) | 32GB LPDDR5X-7500 (soldered, not upgradable) |
| Storage (max) | 2TB SSD (fixed at purchase) | 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slots, up to 8TB total |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 12.7 x 5 cm | ~113 x 113 x 40.6 mm |
| Weight | 0.67 kg | ~0.59 kg |
| Starting price | $599 (16GB/256GB) | ~$999 (32GB/1TB, single config) |
| OS | macOS | Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed) |
Source note: Apple figures are from Apple’s published tech-spec pages and online configurator. Beelink figures are per Beelink’s published spec sheet for the SER9. Confirm current retailer pricing before buying.
Design and Build
Both machines are designed to disappear on a desk, but they take different approaches to the same goal.
The Mac mini M4 is Apple’s smallest desktop yet, at 12.7 cm wide and deep and just 5 cm tall — roughly the footprint of a paperback standing on its side, but flat. Apple lists the weight at 0.67 kg (1.48 lb) for the M4 configuration and 0.73 kg (1.6 lb) for the M4 Pro configuration, which starts at $1,399. The case is a single aluminum unibody with a fixed bottom plate; Apple does not publish a user-serviceable access panel for RAM or storage on this generation, since both are set at the time of purchase.
The Beelink SER9 measures roughly 113 x 113 x 40.6 mm per Beelink’s spec sheet — a slightly smaller footprint on paper than the Mac mini’s 12.7 cm square, and also slightly thinner, at 40.6 mm versus 5 cm. Beelink’s chassis is a plastic-and-metal hybrid with a bottom access panel that a buyer can remove with a screwdriver to reach both M.2 SSD slots (the 32GB of LPDDR5X memory is soldered to the board and cannot be replaced). That access panel is the single biggest practical difference in “build” between these two machines: one is sealed, one is designed to be opened by the owner.
Processor and Performance
The Mac mini M4 ships with Apple’s M4 chip: a 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, paired with a 10-core GPU. A step-up M4 Pro configuration is available with a larger CPU/GPU core count and Thunderbolt 5 support. Apple has not published raw clock speeds for these chips, which is consistent with its practice since Apple silicon launched — spec comparisons for Apple chips rely on Apple’s own relative performance claims rather than a published GHz figure.
The Beelink SER9 is sold in at least two CPU configurations, per Beelink’s published listings: a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (12 cores, 24 threads, AMD’s Zen 5 / Zen 5c hybrid design) and a lower-tier Ryzen 9 8945HS option. AMD specifies the HX 370 with a configurable TDP (cTDP) range of roughly 15W to 54W, meaning two mini PCs built around the exact same chip can deliver noticeably different sustained performance depending on the power limit and cooling the vendor chooses — Beelink’s published spec sheet does not state which cTDP value the SER9 ships at, so the 12-core/24-thread spec should be treated as a ceiling rather than a guarantee of matching AMD’s reference performance. The HX 370 variant also includes AMD’s XDNA 2 NPU, which AMD rates at up to 50 TOPS for on-device AI acceleration — compared with the 38 TOPS Apple publishes for the M4’s 16-core Neural Engine.
| Spec | Mac mini M4 | Mac mini M4 Pro | Beelink SER9 (HX 370) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU cores | 10 (4P+6E) | 12 or 14 (config-dependent) | 12 cores / 24 threads |
| GPU cores | 10-core Apple GPU | 16 or 20-core Apple GPU | Radeon 890M (integrated) |
| NPU | 16-core Neural Engine (38 TOPS, Apple claim) | 16-core Neural Engine (38 TOPS, Apple claim) | XDNA 2 NPU, up to 50 TOPS (AMD claim) |
| Architecture | Apple silicon (ARM-based) | Apple silicon (ARM-based) | x86-64 (AMD Zen 5 / Zen 5c) |
What this means for desktop use: single-threaded tasks like general app responsiveness, web browsing, and most office software tend to favor the Mac mini’s per-core efficiency, based on Apple’s own published performance positioning of the M4 line. Multi-core and multi-threaded workloads — video export queues, heavier multitasking, background compile jobs — have more raw thread count to draw on with the SER9’s 24-thread AMD chip. Neither company publishes directly comparable third-party benchmark numbers on the same page, so treat any specific benchmark score as a manufacturer claim rather than an independent measurement unless it comes from a review outlet that ran its own tests.
Memory and Storage
This is the category with the starkest practical difference for a desktop buyer planning to keep a machine for several years.
Apple’s Mac mini M4 uses unified memory that is fixed at the time of configuration — 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB on the base M4; 24GB, 48GB, or 64GB on the M4 Pro, per Apple’s online configurator. There is no published path to add or swap memory after purchase. Storage works the same way: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB on the M4; 512GB up to 8TB on the M4 Pro. Whatever you select at checkout is what you have for the life of the machine.
The Beelink SER9’s 32GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory is soldered to the board and cannot be upgraded or replaced, so buyers should plan around 32GB for the life of the machine. Expansion is limited to storage: two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 slots supporting up to 8TB total, so a buyer can add a second drive later or swap a slower drive for a faster one using standard off-the-shelf parts.
| Spec | Mac mini M4 | Mac mini M4 Pro | Beelink SER9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory type | Unified, fixed at purchase | Unified, fixed at purchase | LPDDR5X, soldered (not upgradable) |
| Memory options | 16GB / 24GB / 32GB | 24GB / 48GB / 64GB | 32GB LPDDR5X-7500 (soldered, single config) |
| Storage type | Fixed SSD, build-to-order only | Fixed SSD, build-to-order only | 2x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0, swappable |
| Storage options | 256GB–2TB | 512GB–8TB | Up to 8TB total across 2x M.2 |
Ports and Connectivity
Port layout is where the SER9’s mini-PC roots show most clearly, since Beelink can pack in more physical connectors than Apple’s unibody design allows.
The Mac mini M4 (base) includes 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps each), one HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone jack, and Gigabit Ethernet (with 10 Gigabit Ethernet available as a build-to-order option), per Apple’s tech specs. Step up to the M4 Pro and those three ports become Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gbps), roughly doubling peak bandwidth for external displays and fast external storage. The base M4 supports up to three external displays — two up to 6K over Thunderbolt plus one up to 5K over Thunderbolt or 4K over HDMI — and the M4 Pro can drive three 6K displays.
Beelink’s SER9 spreads its ports across front and rear panels: USB4 ports (40Gbps, capable of driving external displays) alongside separate USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports (10Gbps) for peripherals, an HDMI 2.1 output, a DisplayPort 1.4 output, a single 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet jack, and a headphone/mic combo jack, per Beelink’s spec sheet. The Mac mini M4 lists Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.3, while the SER9 uses a Wi-Fi 6 (AX200) card with Bluetooth 5.2.
For desktop use, the practical takeaway is display flexibility: the SER9 can drive multiple external monitors simultaneously off its integrated GPU using USB4, HDMI, and DisplayPort together, while the Mac mini M4 base model supports up to three external displays, with higher-resolution combinations reserved for the M4 Pro.
Price and Value
The Mac mini M4 starts at $599 for 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD. That entry configuration is genuinely usable for browsing, office work, and light photo editing, but anyone doing video work, running large local AI models, or keeping multiple heavy apps open at once will likely want to bump memory to 24GB or 32GB, which raises the price by roughly $200–$400 depending on storage. The M4 Pro configuration starts at $1,399 and targets buyers who need more unified memory, more GPU cores, or Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth.
The Beelink SER9 lists higher — around $999 for the 32GB/1TB HX 370 configuration — and its value case is the storage upgrade path: memory is fixed at 32GB, but a buyer can add a second SSD or swap drives later for a fraction of what Apple charges to configure the same storage at checkout. That flexibility matters most if you expect your storage needs to grow over a multi-year ownership period.
Which One Should You Buy
Choose the Mac mini M4 if you want the smallest possible footprint, strong single-core performance for everyday desktop tasks, and you’re comfortable locking in your memory and storage choice at checkout. Choose the Beelink SER9 if you want a Windows machine with more total ports, a higher multi-core thread count, and the ability to open the case yourself and add RAM or storage down the line. Neither is a strictly better machine — they’re built around opposite philosophies of what a small desktop computer should let you do after you buy it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you upgrade the RAM in a Mac mini M4 after buying it?
No. Apple’s unified memory is fixed at the time of configuration and cannot be added to or swapped later, per Apple’s published specs.
Can you upgrade the RAM or storage in a Beelink SER9?
Storage only. The SER9’s 32GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory is soldered to the board and cannot be upgraded; its two M.2 2280 SSD slots (up to 8TB total) are reachable by removing the bottom panel, per Beelink’s spec sheet.
Which one is better for gaming?
Neither machine is built as a dedicated gaming PC, but the SER9’s integrated Radeon 890M graphics generally handle modern games at lower settings better than the Mac mini’s integrated GPU handles Windows-only titles — though that comparison is moot for the Mac mini, which doesn’t run Windows games natively.
Does the Beelink SER9 come with Windows installed?
Yes. The SER9 ships with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, while the Mac mini ships with macOS.
Is the Mac mini M4 or the Beelink SER9 better value for the money?
It depends on what you value: the Mac mini M4 offers a lower entry price and a smaller footprint, while the SER9 offers a more expandable machine over its lifetime. Weigh the specs that matter most for your workload against the Quick Facts table above rather than treating either as a universal ‘better value’ pick.
Which is better for a home server?
The Beelink SER9 is generally the stronger pick for a home server or NAS-style setup, since its dual M.2 slots (up to 8TB) and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet let you scale storage and networking without replacing the whole machine. The Mac mini’s fixed storage and single Ethernet port (10GbE only as a paid upgrade) make it a less flexible long-term server base.
What about noise and thermals under sustained load?
Neither company publishes independent thermal or noise-level test data, so any specific decibel or temperature figure should be treated as a manufacturer claim rather than a verified measurement. In general, the Mac mini’s larger, fanless-leaning aluminum chassis tends to run quieter at light loads, while the SER9’s smaller, fan-cooled body may spin up more audibly under sustained heavy multi-core workloads — confirm with independent reviews before assuming either is silent under load.
Reviewed and edited by Jason Paik. Spotted an error? Tell us — we verify and correct. See how we create content.