Between the Z2 Mini G1a and Mac mini M4, the Z2 Mini G1a comes out ahead in ram and storage, while the Mac mini M4 wins on tdp and volume. Overall, the Z2 Mini G1a scores 60.1 and the Mac mini M4 scores 64.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Mac mini M4 edges ahead on the Mars Score (60.1 vs 64.1), but the 4.0-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Z2 Mini G1a 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 ram, storage.
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: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why HP - Z2 Mini G1a wins
- ▲RAM — 300.00% more. 64 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
Why Apple - Mac mini M4 wins
- ▲TDP — 55.00 W less. 65 vs 120.
- ▲Volume — 2.36 L less. 0.34 vs 2.7.
Spec comparison
Core
Form & I/O
| Spec | HP - Z2 Mini G1a | Apple - Mac mini M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 2.7 L | 0.34 Llead |
| Weight | 1.99 kg | 0.67 kglead |
| TDPⓘ | 120 W | 65 Wlead |
| USB ports | 6lead | 5 |
| Thunderboltⓘ | true | true |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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