5 Cheaper Alternatives To The M6 Mac Mini

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Apple refreshed its Mac mini in August 2026, adding the new M6 SoC (system on a chip), which includes a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU. The chip is paired with either 16 GB or 32 GB of unified memory. With the M6 powering the new Mac mini, it came with several promises on the performance front: up to 40% faster CPU performance, twice the graphics performance, and up to four times better performance in AI tasks. While Apple compares these figures to the M4 Mac mini, the M6 chip is also faster than the M5. 

In fact, different reviewers have praised the M6 Mac mini for its incredible performance. Sadly, it doesn't come cheap, at least compared to previous Mac mini models. It starts at a whopping $899, $300 more than the M4, which launched at $599. So, while it's powerful, the M6 Mac mini is no longer considered cheap, at least when compared to the previous iterations. 

If you really want to get your hands on a mini computer like the M6 Mac mini, but don't have the budget for it, or are simply looking to save some cash, there are various alternatives that you should consider. But considering how powerful the M6 Mac mini is, these alternatives don't offer a similar level of performance. We've only selected the ones that offer good enough performance for someone who wants a cheaper alternative.

Of course, the first cheaper alternative to the M6 Mac Mini is its predecessor — the M4 Mac mini. Sure, you don't get identical performance figures, as the M6 Mac mini is faster than the M4 variant. However, if you're focused on saving money, it's by far the best cheap alternative to the M6 Mac mini, as it gives you access to macOS and, most importantly, also comes with unified memory, which provides a single pool of memory that can be accessed by the CPU, GPU, and NPU for speedy performance. Also, the M4 chip has two fewer CPU and GPU cores than the M6. 

That chip is paired with 16 GB or 32 GB of unified memory, and either 256 GB or 512 GB of SSD storage. The M4 Mac mini offers several ports for connectivity, including two USB-C ports and a headphone jack at the front, followed by a single Gigabit Ethernet port (upgradable to 10 Gigabit), full-size HDMI, and three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. After Apple raised the prices across most of its gadgets, the base model of the M4 Mac mini saw a $200 price bump to $799. Despite that, it's still $100 cheaper than the M6 Mac mini's $899 base price.

GMKtec makes some of the best mini PCs, and its M6 Ultra Gaming Mini PC happens to be a bit cheaper than the M6 Mac mini. For context, the GMKtec M6 Ultra mini PC has a retail price of $799.99 on Amazon. For that price, you're getting a machine that's configured with a Ryzen 7640HS chip alongside 32 GB of DDR5 memory (upgradeable to 128 GB) and a 1 TB SSD (upgradeable to 8 TB). Unfortunately, you don't get unified memory here, unlike on the M6 Mac mini, which means there's a performance hit, as a unified setup makes the memory much more accessible, thus making the system more efficient. When the memory is spread out separately, like it is in conventional PCs, you lose that advantage.

Regardless, the Ryzen 5 7640HS isn't as powerful as the M4, let alone the M6. The Ryzen 5 7640HS sits in the upper mid-range of AMD's Phoenix CPU lineup, featuring six Zen 4 cores, as well as an integrated Radeon 760M GPU. The GMKtec M6 Ultra supports up to three 4K displays simultaneously, along with Wi-Fi 6. The port selection is quite generous here — two 2.5 Gigabit LAN ports, DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0, four USB-A ports, one USB Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Another cheaper alternative to the M6 Mac mini worth considering is the Acemagic X3 Mini Gaming PC. On Amazon, this system has a list price of $638.99, although there are various cheaper configurations you can select depending on how tight your budget is. For the money, you're getting a system with a Ryzen 7 H 255 CPU with eight cores, and clock speeds of up to 4.9 GHz, paired with an integrated Radeon 780M GPU. That CPU and GPU configuration is paired with 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory and 1 TB of SSD storage. The memory is soldered on the system, so it's not upgradeable, which might be a dealbreaker to some. 

However, you can upgrade the storage up to 4 TB if you feel the 1 TB isn't enough for your needs. The Acemagic X3 offers a variety of ports for connecting external devices and accessories, including a single USB Type-C port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, and six USB Type-A ports. The sole USB-C port available supports DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery (up to 100 W input and 15 W output).

Minisforum's Venus UM790 Pro runs on AMD's Ryzen 9 7940HS, a high-end chip in the Phoenix family of advanced processing units (APUs). The chip features eight cores, 16 threads, and clock speeds of up to 5.2 GHz. This system costs $879 on Amazon as of this writing, making it cheaper than the $899 M6 Mac mini by only $20. 

While it isn't a huge difference, nonetheless, it makes the Venus UM790 Pro a cheaper mini PC. However, considering the price difference, you're better off adding the $20 and getting the M6 Mac mini, unless you're dead set on Windows. The Ryzen 9 7940HS chip is paired with the Radeon 780M GPU, which we've seen on other cheaper M6 Mac mini alternatives on this list. 

This mini PC offers 32 GB of DDR5 memory as standard, and it is upgradeable to 64 GB. Storage is plentiful as well, with 1 TB coming as standard. For wired connectivity, it offers four USB-A ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port. According to the company, you can hook up this system to up to four displays, making it attractive for those who need to connect more screens than what the M6 Mac mini is capable of. The Venus UM790 Pro offers Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E for wireless connectivity.

The Geekom IT13 MAX AI Mini PC will set you back $799, making it $100 cheaper than the M6 Mac mini. Under the hood of is an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, which sits at the top of the American silicon maker's Meteor Lake CPU family. The chip has 16 cores in total, with six performance cores and 10 efficiency ones. 

Graphics are handled by an Intel Arc GPU with 24 GB of memory. Elsewhere, it offers 24 GB of LPDDR5 memory that you can upgrade to 64 GB, along with a 500 GB SSD as standard, with up to 4 TB available. The Geekom IT13 has a compact design, measuring 5.35 inches by 5.20 inches by 1.97 inches. One interesting feature of the Geekom IT13 is that it offers two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports. 

Aside from the two, the IT13 MAX offers plenty of ports, far more than what's available on the M6 Mac mini. The ports available include six USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a full-size SD Ccrd reader. Thanks to the USB4 Type-C ports with DP-Alt mode support and dual HDMI ports, you can hook up this mini PC to four different displays.