Mac Mini M4 over M1 for Software Development Engineers

A great machine for software development engineers, too

The new Mac Mini M4 is generating a lot of buzz, with numerous introductions and reviews available online. I published an article titled “M4 Mac Mini: A Perfect Build Machine for E2E Test Automation Labs” to share my excitement following its announcement on October 30, 2024. But it was just a prediction based on the specs.

My daughter preordered one and did a benchmark test for E2E Testing (automated, of course). She then analyzed the results in an article. The set-up part (and raw timings) might be of some interest to test automation engineers.

In this short article, I'll conduct a quick benchmark to compare code compilation times between the Mac Mini M1 and M4.

Also, the benchmark Mac Mac M4 as a database and app server.

Code Compilation

Code compilation is likely the most common task that software engineers wish could be faster.

I will use compiling my TestWise IDE app (C++ in Xcode) as the benchmark.

M1 Mac Mini:

M4 Mac Mini:

Saved over 41% of the time. I was hoping for a bit more, but I’m still quite satisfied.