The price difference is huge. With fall just around the corner, Apple surprised us with updates to two desktop computers: a new Mac mini and a Mac Studio. They don't look radically different, but they come with faster chips. Although these Macs won't hit stores until next month, you can already pre-order them. So now the question is: Which Mac desktop should you choose? Is the Mac mini enough? Or maybe you should spend more on a Mac Studio?

The Mac mini and Mac Studio are similar in many ways. But the Mac mini is a simple, compact box, while the Mac Studio is a real heavyweight that's bigger in size. Both are designed to be connected to the accessories you already own. Neither one comes with those in the box, though. You can buy all of that from Apple, but you'll pay extra, and it adds up fast.

The Mac mini is only 2 inches tall, great for tight spaces. It's optimized for low power consumption, including the M6, Apple's first chip built on 2-nanometer tech. The base model gets you a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, plus 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There's a version with the M5 Pro that should get the job done for many pros, with up to 18 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores, and up to 64GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD.

The Mac Studio is a beast. It's 3.7 inches tall and weighs more than 6 pounds. The base Mac Studio has an M5 Max chip with 18 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. If you want the best, there's the Mac Studio with the M5 Ultra, delivering up to 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, with up to 512GB of RAM and a 16TB SSD. It also has four Thunderbolt 5 ports, 10Gb Ethernet, HDMI, and two USB-A ports.

Choosing between a Mac mini and a Mac Studio comes down to the kind of work you do. The new Mac mini is more than enough for most people. Even at the higher starting price of $899, it's still a capable machine. For real power users, the Mac Studio might be worth the extra money. That price starts at $2,499. It's overkill for most of us.