Tech & Gadgets · Head-to-head
Apple Mac mini (M4) vs Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370)
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Mini PCs: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Mac mini (M4) wins for most people: it is fast, effectively silent, efficient, and the best value once you accept fixed memory and macOS. The Beelink SER9 Pro is the pick for anyone who needs top Windows performance and the strongest integrated graphics in a quiet box.
Apple Mac mini (M4)
Buy itThe most polished, near-silent, efficient mini PC you can put on a desk today.
- Reviewers consistently rank its single-thread speed and efficiency at the top of the class
- Runs effectively silent even under sustained load, per owner reports
- Compact aluminium build with fast Thunderbolt ports and a strong resale record
- Memory and storage are soldered, so you buy your final capacity up front
- Apple's paid memory and SSD upgrades are steep relative to open-market parts
- macOS is a poor fit if you need Windows-only software or an external GPU
Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370)
Buy itThe fastest Windows mini PC here, with the strongest integrated graphics and a whisper-quiet chassis.
- Independent testing places its Radeon 890M integrated graphics at the front of the mini-PC pack
- Twelve-core Zen 5 CPU gives it the best multi-thread output in this comparison
- Owners note low idle power draw and quiet operation despite the performance
- Priced at a clear premium over most Windows mini PCs
- Memory is soldered LPDDR5X, so you cannot add RAM later
Side by side
The 7 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Apple Mac mini (M4) Our pick | Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Home and office users who want a quiet, fast, low-maintenance machine and are comfortable in macOS. | Windows users who want the most CPU and iGPU muscle in a small, quiet box and will pay for it. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$$ · premium |
| CPU performance | Class-leading single-thread, very efficient | Best multi-thread here (12-core Zen 5) |
| Integrated graphics | 10-core GPU, great for creative apps | Radeon 890M, best iGPU in test |
| Noise & thermals | Near-silent | Quiet, low idle |
| Upgradeability | None (soldered RAM & SSD) | SSD yes, RAM soldered |
| Connectivity | Thunderbolt, 5x USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet | USB4, HDMI + DP, 2.5GbE |
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 |
| Idle power draw | Very low | Low |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Apple Mac mini (M4) if
home and office users who want a quiet, fast, low-maintenance machine and are comfortable in macOS.
Know before buying: memory and storage are soldered, so you buy your final capacity up front.
Pick the Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) if
windows users who want the most CPU and iGPU muscle in a small, quiet box and will pay for it.
Know before buying: priced at a clear premium over most Windows mini PCs.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Apple Mac mini (M4) - The most polished, near-silent, efficient mini PC you can put on a desk today. Choose the Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) instead if windows users who want the most CPU and iGPU muscle in a small, quiet box and will pay for it.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Mini PCs: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).