Hey audio lovers!

Is there anyone out there using the base model Mac mini M4 who could run a quick stress test?

I'm considering switching my ecosystem over to macOS, and the new Mac mini looks like a great option apparently. However, I was looking for a CPU comparisson in between this model and a Windows PC computer with Ableton Live with no luck. So I'm not sure if it can outperform my current setup: an Acer Predator Helios 300 (Intel i7-11800H, 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, 512GB SSD). My current laptop is super noisy, overheats a lot and it's been sluggish on every program with a GUI which I believe it is a problem with its internal graphic card so I'm eager to upgrade anytime soon.

If there is a hero out there that can run this .als and share the CPU consuptiom, I would be really appreciated.

On this image you will find the CPU % Ussage on different stress situations on different buffer samples.

.ALS File (Ableton Live 12 set)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/9s2d64l5904tbl8/CPU_TEST_Project.zip/file

 

Last edited: May 18, 2025

Additionally the audio interface I'm using is a Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen running on ASIO

 

This small set is made of stock patch presets and Serum 2

 

Focusrite Scarlett will not use an ASIO driver on Mac. Here is a gpt comparison of the two, running Ableton 12. Ask it to do the comparison yourself if the formatting is confusing when pasted here. Maybe someone can give you a benchmark test results for comparison, but there are enough factors involved I'm not sure that will give you a very clear picture of what you are getting into.

Spoiler

Great—comparing Ableton Live 12 performance between:

• Base model Mac mini M4 (likely has 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, unified memory, no fan or very low-noise cooling)
  vs.
  
  
• Acer Predator Helios 300 (e.g., Intel i7-12700H/i7-13700HX, RTX 3060/4060, 16–32GB DDR5 RAM)
  

Here’s a realistic breakdown specific to Ableton 12:

️ DAW Real-Time Audio Performance (Live 12)
Test Type Mac mini M4 (Base) Helios 300 (i7/RTX) Notes
Plugin Load (real-time CPU) ✅ ~15% more efficient Powerful but louder Mac's unified memory & low latency give it an edge

Track Count (MIDI + FX) ✅ Slightly higher Similar, less efficient Both solid, but Mac handles buffer underruns better

Sample Library Streaming ✅ Faster (unified RAM) ✅ Good (fast NVMe SSD) Comparable if Windows is tuned well

Thermal/Noise Performance ✅ Silent/low-heat ❌ Can get hot/loud Helios has gaming thermals, less ideal for studios

Plugin Compatibility ⚠️ VST3/AU only ✅ Full VST2/VST3 Mac lacks VST2, some plugins need workarounds

GPU Acceleration (video plugins) Minimal difference Minimal difference Live doesn't rely heavily on GPU
Estimated Plugin Instances (Live 12, 128-buffer)
Plugin Example Mac mini M4 Helios 300 (i7-12700H)
Serum (basic patch) ~90–110 ~80–100
Diva (divine mode) ~25–35 ~30–40
FabFilter Pro-Q 3 ~500+ ~400–450
Kontakt Libraries Excellent Excellent
(Mac handles small buffer sizes better; Helios has raw core count advantage at high buffer sizes.)

Verdict: Mac mini M4 (base) vs Helios 300 in Ableton 12

• Mac mini M4 (base):
  
  • ✅ Better for real-time performance, silent operation, tight audio timing
    
    
  • ⚠️ Limited to AU/VST3, no fan = may throttle in extreme sessions
    
    
  • Great for producers using mostly UAD, Arturia, Native Instruments, FabFilter, Serum, etc.
    
• Acer Helios 300:
  
  • ✅ More flexible for legacy plugins, heavier multitasking, or dual-use for gaming
    
    
  • ❌ Louder, more power-hungry, not as stable at low buffer sizes without tuning
    

Choose Mac mini M4 if you want quiet, smooth production with native Apple-optimized plugins.
Choose Helios 300 if you rely on older VSTs, Windows-only tools, or do heavy multitasking/gaming.

 

TY, I haven't used GPT yet, good stuff. Will look into it

 

Just playing with ChatGPT, it's actually using this forum as one of the sources for some DAW benchmarks, cool.

 

Project file links are dead. Repost or send me the project files directly. I'll do it. I have M4 Base Model Mac Mini with 512 GB Storage that I bought just a month ago.

 

Oh wow, that's great!

Here you have an alternative link for the liveset:

https://mega.nz/file/9WB2zCTC#SAvKOPXr1eCT_PSyMVh2GMhyMEkUhuLoKaQyZ7YJQmk

 

anytime you put something on mediafire free hosting and try to link it here, that happens with your file. It usually says it has been removed for terms of service. Really, you just have to copy the link and paste it directly into your browser. If it adds /file at the end of the link, delete that part.

 

Macmini no-stress test:



Part 1: 13%
Part 2: 15%
Part 3: 18%
Part 4: 30%

Macmini M4Pro 24GB ram,
Ableton buffer size: 32 samples

 

The M4 has significantly higher single core performance than the i7-11800H plus higher memory bandwidth but you will only really profit from this if your other plugins are built with native support for M4's ARM architecture. Whenever Intel emulation kicks in, that might make it slower than your 11800H.
Also, I prefer finding the "crackle limit" in larger projects over comparing cpu load measurements at lower loads.

I mention this because depending on what other plugins you're going to use, this simple test might not show the full picture.

 

Image:

Video:

Project File:

Tested in Ableton 12.
MODEL: Mac Mini M4 Base Model 16 GB Ram, 512 GB Storage
OS: MacOS 15 Sequoia

Edit: Only the LAST Section of 32 samples test gave some audio clicks. From beginning to entire 3rd section, there was no clicks or pops in audio. Only in Last section.
Everything else ran smoothly.

Mac Mini just got a bit warm. Like very little. And No Fan noise at all. Never heard the fan during this test.

I used my Scarlett Solo Audio Interface for Input & Output. If you select mac mini in the input & output, The performance improves like 10-20%.

 

Last edited: May 19, 2025

It would be interesting if some powerful PC guy also runs this ableton test project on his system. We can compare the performance with Latest Windows PC & Latest Apple M4.

 

Great to see this going, @blinkitspenguin you used 48KHz sample rate, so guess numbers will go slightly down on 44.1KHz which was used by OP, impressive performance still.

 

My bad, I forgot to switch to 44.1kHz, by default I use 48kHz for all my projects. Definitely, The Performance would've been better in 44.1kHz.

 

Wow, that's really impressive, I got crackles on last section @256 buffer with base M1 with meter jumping from 89-102%.

 

Impressive

Insane performance to be honest. I'm seeing some plugins are disabled, pretty sure it is Serum 2 but nevertheless even without it, the 11800h is having a very bad time in comparisson with the M4.

Thank you king

 

Indeed pal! Just the raw performance of it is just nuts! No fan noise is just cherry on top. Glad I could help!

 

That M4 Pro is an absolute beast, pretty much x2 the base M4 computing power, the thing is this beast also doubles the price lol. Thank you for sharing this one

 

@altair033 on which buffer and section you get first crackles?