Need a new PC? Beat the RAM crisis price hikes — Mac mini M4 with 16GB at almost 20% off could be the bargain of the year

We all know what’s happening with PC prices right now – they’re heading upwards, with RAM and storage-related hikes only predicted to get worse in 2026 (and possibly beyond) – so this deal on the Mac mini M4 from Amazon could be the smartest move you make this year if you’re looking to buy a new desktop computer.

Don’t let the tiny size of this Mac fool you. Apple has packed a lot of power into its diminutive chassis, and on the recent 21st anniversary of the launch of the first ever compact Mac, we declared that the ‘Mac mini is the best PC you can buy‘ – especially with a chunky discount.

And at $499 on Amazon in the US (as spotted by Tom’s Hardware), this mini PC with 16GB of memory is barely any more expensive than it was over the Black Friday sales period last year (just $20 more, to be precise). Which, given that the RAM crisis had barely started back at the time, is quite remarkable, given that memory-related inflation is now clearly in full swing.

Those in the UK can also pick up the same Mac mini M4 with 16GB RAM and 256GB of SSD storage at £529, which is 12% off the MSRP of £599 courtesy of Very. (Plus it’s also on Amazon UK with 8% off, knocking it down to £549, should that former offer go out of stock).

(Not in the US or UK? See today’s best Mac mini deals in your region below).

There’s a reason this computer is ranked as the top Mac in our roundup of the best overall desktop PCs currently. The Mac mini M4 can handle everything you throw at it in terms of general computing tasks, and it’ll cut through everyday workloads with ease. Don’t expect to use heavyweight apps or tackle gaming on this device, mind, although that’s self-evident, really, given the asking price.

We couldn’t have rated the Mac mini M4 more highly in our review, where we praised the PC’s even smaller size compared to its predecessor, and observed that it ran macOS Sequoia smoothly, while also handling tasks like video editing without breaking a sweat.

It’s interesting to note that the very first Mac mini launched at $499 in the US for the entry-level model, and you can get one packing the M4 chip and 16GB of RAM for the same price right now, over two decades later – in the midst of a memory pricing storm that’s causing havoc in the components market. It just goes to show there are still glimmers of hope in the overall gloom of predictions of rising prices and falling PC sales.