Apple Mac mini (2018) vs Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)

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Mac mini (2018) compared with Mac mini (Late 2014)

	AppleMac mini (2018)	AppleMac mini (Late 2014)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2018	October 2014
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3-8100B, Intel Core i5-8500B or Intel Core i7-8700B	Intel Core i5-4260U, Intel Core i5-4278U, Intel Core i5-4308U or Intel Core i7-4578U
CPU cores
CPU cores	4 or 6	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4, 6 or 12	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630	Intel HD Graphics 5000 or Intel Iris Graphics 5100
Memory
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 2 TB	256 GB to 2 TB
CPU
CPU	3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 with 6 MB shared L3 cache; 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz and 9 MB cache; configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz and 12 MB cache	1.4 GHz dual-core Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz), 2.6 GHz dual-core Core i5 (up to 3.1 GHz), or 2.8 GHz dual-core Core i5 (up to 3.3 GHz). The two higher models can be configured with a 3.0 GHz dual-core Core i7 (up to 3.5 GHz). Exact processor identities are recorded by Geekbench; Ars Technica tested the Core i5-4278U and Macworld tested the Core i5-4308U.
GPU
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 630; exact i3-8100B model identified by Tom’s Guide; i5-8500B and i7-8700B identified in Apple’s Common Criteria security target	Intel HD Graphics 5000 in the 1.4 GHz model; Intel Iris Graphics 5100 in the 2.6 GHz, 2.8 GHz and optional Core i7 models
Memory type
Memory type	2666 MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM; 8 GB, configurable to 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB	1600 MHz LPDDR3 soldered to the logic board; 4 GB configurable to 8 GB or 16 GB on the 1.4 GHz model, and 8 GB configurable to 16 GB on the higher models. Memory cannot be upgraded after purchase (Ars Technica).
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based SSD; launch Core i3 starts at 128 GB and Core i5 at 256 GB; configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; 128 GB Core i7 combinations omitted because their configure-to-order availability is not independently verified	1.4 GHz model has a 500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive or 1 TB Fusion Drive. The 2.6 GHz model has a 1 TB hard drive, 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD. The 2.8 GHz model has a 1 TB Fusion Drive, later 2 TB Fusion Drive option, or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB SSD. Core i7 configurations retain the storage choices of their original base model; deduplicated configurations combine these supported choices. Macworld reports the 2 TB Fusion Drive option was added after launch; it is included in Apple's current specification.
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × Thunderbolt 3, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, HDMI, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 3 (better)	Up to 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	4.0
Back ports
Back ports	Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; two USB-A ports up to 5 Gb/s; HDMI 2.0; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10 Gb Ethernet with 1/2.5/5/10 Gb support; 3.5 mm headphone jack	Two Thunderbolt 2 ports up to 20 Gb/s each, four USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, HDMI, SDXC slot, Gigabit Ethernet, separate digital/analogue audio input and headphone/line output; IR receiver
External displays
External displays	Two displays up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one up to 4096 × 2160 at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0; alternatively, one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 × 2160 display at 60 Hz over HDMI 2.0	Up to two displays at 2560 × 1600; native Mini DisplayPort output over Thunderbolt. HDMI supports 1080p at up to 60 Hz, 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz or 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require the appropriate adapter.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; HDMI 2.0 supports multichannel audio output	Built-in speaker; HDMI supports multichannel audio; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	–	Power lead; monitor, keyboard and mouse sold separately
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	Compact
Weight
Weight	1.3 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	197 × 197 × 36 mm	197 × 197 × 36 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	197 × 197 × 36 mm; 1.19 kg for the 1.4 GHz model, 1.20 kg for the 2.6 GHz model and 1.22 kg for the 2.8 GHz model. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no common weight is assigned.
Power supply
Power supply	Built-in; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 150 W	Integrated power supply; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 85 W
Noise
Noise	–	Apple specifies 12 dBA sound pressure at idle; its acoustic test configuration is the 2.8 GHz Core i5 with 8 GB memory and 1 TB Fusion Drive
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free with regional power-lead exceptions
Colours
Colours	Space Grey	–
In the box
In the box	Mac mini, power cord	Mac mini and power lead; shipped with OS X Yosemite at launch. The current support sheet's macOS Mojave wording reflects a later software update.