The Mac Mini M4 is without a doubt one of the most interesting computers Apple has launched in recent years. It remains at the top of the sales list for 'mini PCs', and at one point reached 499 dollars across the pond. Even so, its weak point is storage, and Cupertino wants an exorbitant premium for its official expansions. Fortunately, there are two alternatives: on one hand, the market already offers generic modules, and on the other, there is always the DIY route…
Last week I read in one of my feeds that the Apple Mac Mini M4 had dropped to 499 dollars. It is the basic model with 16 GB of unified memory and 256 GB of solid-state storage, more than enough for any user who needs a general, silent, and low-maintenance computer. However, many enthusiasts out there see those 256 GB as a trap to make the public pay the classic 'Apple tax' and jump to a higher bracket.
Expanding the capacity of a Mac Mini M4: The DIY route
Some comments on the Web suggest that replacing the chips of the official module with higher-capacity ones is not an impossible task, and one of the first to accept that challenge was none other than dosdude1, whom we remember for his custom SSDs and his RAM expansions for consoles. A couple of months ago he published a video explaining all the details and drawbacks that any user deciding to follow this path must face. In fact, dosdude1 suffered a bit because the 1 TB chips he had installed didn't work, and he was forced to install two 512 GB chips, for a total of 1 TB. The final cost? If we ignore time and skill... 90 dollars.
Ready-to-use modules
Obviously, dosdude1 is an artist when it comes to soldering, and even Jeff Geerling recognizes it. When buying his Mac Mini, Jeff grudgingly paid the Apple tax, but it didn't take long for him to discover two alternative 2 TB modules, distributed by ExpandMacMini.com and M4-SSD.com. At the time of publishing his video, the modules had a price of 250 dollars, however, today they average 320 dollars. They aren't cheap... but they don't demand 800 dollars / 1,000 euros for a simple storage expansion either.
