While I am sure there are performance differences, I picked up 128GB of DDR4 a few months ago for ~$200. That is some wild margin.

The differences actually are quite huge. As far as I know, the M series chips all use LPDDR5 RAM, which is indeed more expensive than the DIMM/SO-DIMM modules you would add to your diy build.

Still, you can easily get a good kit of DDR5 DIMMs for 110€/32GB from a retailer. So while LPDDR5 RAM is more expensive, it is most certainly not expensive enough to justify a 230€/8GB price as being driven by BOM costs

Also, the 256 uses 2x128 drives while the 512 uses a single drive, so you even get slightly slower storage with the upgrade. The base model is a great deal.

Do you have a source on that? It's not what I've read elsewhere, but I'm having trouble finding anything specific.

I had to look it up, and I had gotten that slightly wrong. The 256 did switch to 2x128 NAND while the previous model used 1x256, but the 512 is also multiple. https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/08/m4-mac-mini-modular-sto...

This is true for the Mac Studio but not for the M4 Mac Mini -- they all have a single storage slot and the only difference between the 256 and 512 models is the model of the NAND chips.

You're right thanks. The change was to 2x128 NAND for the 256 drive from the previous generation, not 2xSSD.

I think you have it the wrong way round? Ram is 400 (200/8GB) storage is 200

Oh do I? Well somehow that seems more insane to me.