Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro | Minisforum - UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB |
| RAM | 24 GB | 32 GB |
| Thunderbolt | true | false |
| Volume | 0.34 L | 0.75 L |
Between the Mac mini M4 Pro and UM790 Pro, the Mac mini M4 Pro comes out ahead in thunderbolt / volume, while the UM790 Pro wins on storage / ram. Overall, the Mac mini M4 Pro scores 69.1 and the UM790 Pro scores 71.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (69.1 vs 71.8). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the Mac mini M4 Pro if you care most about thunderbolt / volume. The biggest gaps in its favor are thunderbolt, volume. The single most decisive one: Has Thunderbolt.
Pick the UM790 Pro if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are storage, ram. The single most decisive one: Storage — 100.00% more. 1024 GB vs 512 GB.
Both ship with comparable tdp, so those specs do not 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 says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro or Minisforum - UM790 Pro?
Minisforum - UM790 Pro leads the current Mars Score by 2.7 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare ram, storage, volume against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro if…
Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro has the measurable edge on has thunderbolt, volume l.
Choose Minisforum - UM790 Pro if…
Minisforum - UM790 Pro has the measurable edge on storage gb, ram gb.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro wins
- ▲Has Thunderbolt.
- ▲Volume — 0.41 L less. 0.34 vs 0.75.
Why Minisforum - UM790 Pro wins
- ▲Storage — 100.00% more. 1024 GB vs 512 GB.
- ▲RAM — 33.33% more. 32 GB vs 24 GB.
Spec comparison
Core
Form & I/O
| Spec | Apple - Mac mini M4 Pro | Minisforum - UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 0.34 Llead | 0.75 L |
| Weight | 0.73 kg | 0.66 kglead |
| TDPⓘ | 65 W | 65 W |
| USB ports | 5 | 5 |
| Thunderboltⓘ | truelead | false |