Between the NUC 14 Pro+ and Mac mini M4, the NUC 14 Pro+ comes out ahead in storage and ram, while the Mac mini M4 wins on tdp and volume. Overall, the NUC 14 Pro+ scores 72.2 and the Mac mini M4 scores 64.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The NUC 14 Pro+ is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 8.1 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the NUC 14 Pro+ if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are storage, ram.
Pick the Mac mini M4 if you care most about tdp and volume. Its strongest claims are tdp, volume.
Both ship with comparable thunderbolt, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the NUC 14 Pro+ is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why ASUS - NUC 14 Pro+ wins
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
Why Apple - Mac mini M4 wins
- ▲TDP — 20.00 W less. 65 vs 85.
- ▲Volume — 0.36 L less. 0.34 vs 0.7.
Spec comparison
Core
Form & I/O
| Spec | ASUS - NUC 14 Pro+ | Apple - Mac mini M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 0.7 L | 0.34 Llead |
| Weight | 0.65 kglead | 0.67 kg |
| TDPⓘ | 85 W | 65 Wlead |
| USB ports | 6lead | 5 |
| Thunderboltⓘ | true | true |
Spec-level deep dives
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