Apple's new M6 Mac mini costs $900 and handles everyday creative work well, but Engadget says NVIDIA graphics cards are far stronger for gaming.
Apple has launched its M6 chip in a new Mac mini, and Engadget says it cannot match most NVIDIA graphics cards for gaming and other real-time graphics. The Mini is much cheaper than a comparable gaming PC, though. For many people, that trade may be worth it.
The M6 is Apple's sixth generation of Mac processors. It is an all-in-one chip with 12 CPU cores and 12 graphics cores. In Engadget's review testing, the Mini handled everything from photo editing to 4K video conversion without trouble. Still, the outlet says most NVIDIA graphics cards (called GPUs) will beat it badly in games.
Comparing Macs and PCs is tricky, because they use different graphics tools and PC parts vary widely. Engadget points to a workaround reported by MacRumors. The Mini's other chip option, the M5 Ultra, scores roughly like NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4080 on one test. That card dates to 2022.
Engadget doubts the M6 will keep up with newer games by then.
The picture is not all bad. Engadget measured an average of 55 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 at default Mac quality settings, which it calls plenty smooth. Many games demand less. For tasks like video conversion, any gap with a comparable NVIDIA PC should be small or nonexistent. Most people will not care if a video exports a few seconds faster.
Cost is where the M6 wins. The new Mini is $900, which is $300 more than the previous generation. Even so, an RTX 5060 card alone costs more than $450, before you buy the rest of a PC. An RTX 5080 goes for over $2,000, which Engadget notes is enough to buy a MacBook Pro.
The Mini does not come with a display or input devices, so those cost extra. Engadget also says buying an M6 Mini now and its follow-up two years later could still cost less than some NVIDIA-powered gaming laptops.
Photo and video editors, and casual gamers who do not need maximum detail, may be well served by the Mini. Serious gamers face another hurdle, because most games are built for PCs first. Engadget's writer says that for gaming, Valve's $1,050 Steam Machine would be the better pick. It runs most modern games with console-like simplicity and uses custom AMD hardware.
For editing and casual play, the $900 M6 Mac mini may be enough, but serious gamers are better served by a PC with a dedicated graphics card.
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