Why I Switched Back to Mac: My Experience with the Mac Mini M4 Pro

I recently upgraded my computer to an Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro. It’s easily the best computer I’ve ever owned—both in terms of size and performance. Below, I share my experience upgrading, the challenges I faced, and my overall thoughts after using it daily for the past four months.

Time to Upgrade

I’ve been an Apple user for decades, but I’m also comfortable using a PC for its flexibility. I like being able to customize and upgrade components for my specific needs—something you can’t do on a Mac. Still, I’ve always had some Apple product in the mix: a MacBook Pro, iPad, and/or iPhone.

But after several years using a PC with Windows 11 as my main desktop computer, it became clear I needed a performance upgrade. This was most obvious during live webinars with Lightroom Classic and a webcam—something I do fairly often. It’s a bit nerve-wracking when your computer becomes unresponsive while 200+ people are watching live!

I could have upgraded the video card or CPU, but I decided instead to transition back to Apple with the Mac Mini M4 Pro. Why, you ask? A few reasons, actually.

First, I prefer the elegance and stability of macOS. And second, as I mentioned, every other device I own is an Apple product—so it’s just easier to work within the same ecosystem.

Simple things like text messaging, sharing images via iCloud, and moving between devices are far more seamless within Apple’s ecosystem. That’s by design, of course. And while I don’t always agree with Apple’s closed philosophy, the truth is—it just works 99% of the time.

Another major reason for switching: I wanted to start using Ecamm Live for webinars and livestreams. It’s arguably the best livestreaming software out there—but it’s Mac-only. OBS is solid, but I wanted something more robust and feature-rich. Ecamm is truly amazing.

While I got pretty good at juggling both systems, it eventually became tedious. Going back to Apple 100% was an easy decision—it was just a matter of choosing the right model and migrating my files.

Hardware

Apple has made huge performance improvements with their M-series Silicon chips. I had been considering the Mac Studio, but when I saw the specs of the new Mac Mini M4 Pro, I was confident it would meet my needs for years to come—and at a significantly lower cost.

The first thing I noticed was how tiny the Mac Mini is—almost comically so. It’s amazing how much power Apple has managed to pack into such a small form factor. The power button is on the bottom of the unit, which is inconvenient if you turn it off daily. But since I just put it to sleep each night, I rarely need to press it.

The M4 Pro comes with 24GB of onboard memory, which is ideal for Lightroom, and better video specs than the standard M4. The GPU plays a big role in Lightroom and video editing performance, so if you’re a photographer or do regular video work, the M4 Pro is definitely the way to go.

I went with the 512GB internal SSD—not as large as I’d like, but I have a Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) with plenty of space. The internal drive is reserved for applications, my Lightroom catalog (which runs best on an SSD), and active project files. Once I finish a project, I archive it to the NAS to free up space.

If you don’t have a NAS or external storage, I’d strongly recommend going with at least a 1TB internal drive (though that will increase the cost).

One challenge I faced is that the Mac Mini M4 Pro has only five USB-C ports total—two on the front and three on the back. That wasn’t enough for all of my peripherals, and I also needed some USB-A ports for legacy devices. I opted for a Caldigit Element 4 Thunderbolt hub, which adds four more USB-C ports and three USB-A ports.

Keep in mind that not all USB hubs are created equal—cheap ones can bottleneck your drives. A proper Thunderbolt 4 hub ensures your connected devices operate at full speed, just as if they were plugged directly into the Mac Mini.

My setup includes two 27″ monitors—a BenQ 270SW connected via USB-C, the other via the built-in HDMI port. Other ports are connected to a Rodecaster Duo, two cameras, and the USB hub, which supports a Stream Deck, keyboard, mic, SD card reader, and a wireless mouse dongle.

Software

I use Adobe Lightroom Classic for photography, and since Adobe products are cross-compatible, the move to Mac was seamless. The Lightroom catalog file is universal, so transitioning was easy. I also installed Lightroom Desktop and Photoshop, which I use occasionally.

Another key application for me is the note-taking app Obsidian, which fortunately is also available on Mac and Windows, making the switch easy as well. I use their excellent Sync service to keep everything in sync across all my devices.

I use Obsidian for much more than note-taking—it’s my second brain, a central hub for capturing ideas, researching future projects, preparing presentations, tracking books I read, and writing articles, blog posts, and newsletters.

I use a few essential Mac utilities, but my favorite by far is Raycast. It turns your keyboard into a “shortcut for everything.” I use it to launch apps, open folders, control Spotify, search YouTube or Amazon, and much more using Raycast’s vast library of extensions.

The paid version includes Raycast AI, which lets you chat with popular LLMs (like ChatGPT) right from your desktop in a streamlined interface. Once you get used to Raycast, it’s hard to imagine working without it.

Performance and Impressions

So, what has it been like after 4½ months? In a word—awesome.

The performance gains have been dramatic. Editing in Lightroom Classic is noticeably more responsive, even with 80+ megapixel RAW files. Importing and exporting are much faster, and the Enhance > Denoise function on a 50MP image now takes about 40–45 seconds—compared to 4–5 minutes on my previous system.

Opening images in Photoshop via Lightroom is snappy, and performance inside Photoshop is excellent.

Even during live streams with multiple cameras, running Lightroom and editing with AI masks, the Mac Mini barely breaks a sweat. Video editing in Final Cut Pro is also smooth and efficient. If I were doing video full-time, a Mac Studio might make more sense—but for my needs, the Mac Mini is perfect.

This is a compact, powerful little machine, and I’d recommend it to anyone who already has a monitor and wants the best value at this price point. Honestly, it outperforms many systems that cost much more.

If you’re looking for a reliable, capable, and elegant desktop, the Mac Mini M4 Pro checks all the boxes—especially if you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem.