Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - Mac mini M4 | Minisforum - UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Thunderbolt | true | false |
| Volume | 0.34 L | 0.75 L |
Between the Mac mini M4 and UM790 Pro, the Mac mini M4 comes out ahead in thunderbolt / volume, while the UM790 Pro wins on storage / ram. Overall, the Mac mini M4 scores 64.1 and the UM790 Pro scores 71.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The UM790 Pro edges ahead on the Mars Score (64.1 vs 71.8), but the 7.7-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Mac mini M4 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 — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
Both ship with comparable tdp, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the UM790 Pro is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Which should you buy: Apple - Mac mini M4 or Minisforum - UM790 Pro?
Minisforum - UM790 Pro leads the current Mars Score by 7.7 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 if…
Apple - Mac mini M4 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 wins
- ▲Has Thunderbolt.
- ▲Volume — 0.41 L less. 0.34 vs 0.75.
Why Minisforum - UM790 Pro wins
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
Spec comparison
Core
Form & I/O
| Spec | Apple - Mac mini M4 | Minisforum - UM790 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 0.34 Llead | 0.75 L |
| Weight | 0.67 kg | 0.66 kglead |
| TDPⓘ | 65 W | 65 W |
| USB ports | 5 | 5 |
| Thunderboltⓘ | truelead | false |