Apple Mac mini (2018) vs Apple Mac mini (M1)

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Mac mini (2018) compared with Mac mini (M1)

	AppleMac mini (2018)	AppleMac mini (M1)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2018	November 2020
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3-8100B, Intel Core i5-8500B or Intel Core i7-8700B	Apple M1
CPU cores
CPU cores	4 or 6	8
CPU threads
CPU threads	4, 6 or 12	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630	8-core GPU
Memory
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)	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	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
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	8-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Memory type
Memory type	2666 MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM; 8 GB, configurable to 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB	–
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	SSD, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × Thunderbolt 3, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, 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	Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
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 / USB 4 ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 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; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10 Gb Ethernet; 3.5 mm headphone jack
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	One display up to 6K 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one up to 4K 60 Hz over HDMI, simultaneously
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; HDMI 2.0 supports multichannel audio output	Built-in speaker; HDMI multichannel audio output
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	Compact
Weight
Weight	1.3 kg	1.2 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	197 × 197 × 36 mm	197 × 197 × 36 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Power supply
Power supply	Built-in; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 150 W	Built-in; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 150 W
Noise
Noise	–	5 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position)
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure	100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Space Grey	Silver
In the box
In the box	Mac mini, power cord	Mac mini, power cord