HP OMEN 45L vs Apple Mac Mini M4
Side by side comparison of two of the best desktops on the market. Same category, different priorities.
Apple Mac Mini M4
The best small desktop you can buy right now and it's not even close.
How do the HP OMEN 45L and Apple Mac Mini M4 compare, spec for spec?
| Spec | HP HP OMEN 45L | Apple Apple Mac Mini M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,499 | $599 |
| Rating | 4.5 (1,200) | 4.9 (4,200) |
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Should you buy the HP OMEN 45L or the Apple Mac Mini M4?
Both are strong picks in the desktops category. Here's how to decide:
Get the HP OMEN 45L if...
Cryo Chamber CPU cooler on top of the case keeps thermals in check under sustained load.
Get the Apple Mac Mini M4 if...
This little box is genuinely hard to argue with. At $599 you get the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and a design so compact it fits in your palm. The previous model started with 8GB. That alone is a big deal. Doubling the base memory without raising the price is exactly the kind of move that makes this worth paying attention to. Performance is legitimately impressive. Single core scores beat out machines costing two or three times as much. Everyday tasks like browsing, photo editing and video work all run without a hitch and the thing stays nearly silent doing it. Even light gaming works better than you'd expect from a machine this size at this price. It won't replace a proper gaming rig but older titles and a growing list of newer ones run just fine. The redesign is a real upgrade too. It's noticeably smaller than the old model and the two front USB-C ports plus a headphone jack finally make cable management less of a nightmare. It can drive up to three external displays which is solid for a base model desktop. If you already own a monitor, keyboard and mouse this is one of the cleanest desktop setups you can put together for under a grand. There are real trade offs though. RAM and storage upgrades cost way more than they should. There's no USB-A port which will annoy some people. The power button is on the bottom of the device which is just a weird call. And if you want to game seriously or push heavy sustained workloads, you're going to hit limits fast. But for most people doing most things, none of that matters much. This is the desktop to beat right now at this size and price.