Disappointed with Mac mini M6 256 GB SSD speeds (~3,200 MB/s)
This is my first Mac. I bought the Mac mini M6, configured with 32 GB of unified memory and the base 256 GB drive. My plan was simple: max out the non-upgradeable RAM and skip Apple's storage markup, since heavy data would live on fast external drives anyway. The machine ended up costing nearly €1,400.
Running benchmarks, the internal SSD consistently hits a ceiling around 3,200 MB/s. It's functional for everyday desktop use, but let's be honest: this is PCIe 3.0 performance from 2018. I'm well aware of Apple's upsell tactics. But it wasn't until launch day teardowns exposed the NAND configuration that this bandwidth penalty became clear. Apple conveniently avoids listing these speed differences across tiers on their store.
Discovering that a brand-new, nearly €1,400 desktop in 2026 is bottlenecked by single-NAND speeds from eight years ago leaves a sour taste.
Right now, I am debating whether it's actually worth returning the machine, going through the order/shipping wait all over again, and paying an extra €220 to get the 512 GB drive and proper modern speeds or if I should just live with it since mass storage will be external anyway...
Posted Sep 23, 2026, 8:34 AM UTC