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Apple Mac mini (Early 2006) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMac mini (Early 2006)AppleMac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2006January 2023
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core Solo T1200 or Intel Core Duo T2300Apple M2 or Apple M2 Pro
CPU cores1 or 28, 10 or 12
GraphicsIntel GMA95010-core GPU, 16-core GPU or 19-core GPU
Memory512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB8 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB
Storage60 GB to 120 GB256 GB to 8 TB
CPU1.5 GHz single-core Intel Core Solo T1200 or 1.66 GHz dual-core Core Duo T2300, with 2 MB L2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus; exact identities cross-checked with EveryMacM2: 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; M2 Pro: 10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, or 12-core CPU
GPUIntel GMA950 shares 64 MB DDR2 with main memory; maker footnote specifies minimum 80 MB graphics/setup usage, leaving 432 MB available from a standard 512 MB configurationM2: 10-core GPU; M2 Pro: 16-core or 19-core GPU
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory bandwidth–M2: 100GB/s; M2 Pro: 200GB/s
Memory type512 MB standard as two modules of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); factory options 1 or 2 GB and maximum 2 GB–
Storage typeCore Solo has a 60 GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, configurable to 80, 100 or 120 GB; Core Duo has 80 GB, configurable to 100 or 120 GB. Solo Combo drive reads DVDs and burns CDs; Duo 8x SuperDrive burns DVDs with 2.4x double-layer support.SSD
Media engine–Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports4 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 4, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 1Up to 2
Wi-Fi802.11gWi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth2.0 + EDR5.3
Back portsFour USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port at 8 W, DVI output, Gigabit Ethernet, combined optical digital/analogue audio input and combined optical digital/headphone output. DVI, FireWire and audio input described here because the main port list has no fields for them; no HDMI or DisplayPort.2 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (M2 Pro), with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s); 2 × USB-A (up to 5Gb/s); HDMI with multichannel audio output; Gigabit Ethernet, configurable to 10Gb Ethernet; 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
External displaysDVI digital output up to 1920 × 1200; included VGA adapter supports up to 1920 × 1080. Optional Apple DVI to Video Adapter provides S-video/composite output.M2: up to two (one at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt, plus one at up to 5K 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K 60Hz over HDMI); M2 Pro: up to three (two at up to 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt plus one at up to 4K 60Hz over HDMI), or one at up to 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz over HDMI
SpeakersBuilt-in speakerBuilt-in speaker
Microphones–None built in
Keyboard and mouseApple Remote and DVI-to-VGA adapter; display, keyboard and mouse sold separately–
Design and power
TypeCompactCompact
Weight1.31 kg1.18 kg
Width × depth × height165.1 × 165.1 × 50.8 mm197 × 197 × 35.8 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Power supplyMaximum continuous power 110 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phaseBuilt-in; 100–240V AC; 150W (M2) or 185W (M2 Pro) maximum continuous power
Power use–M2 with 24GB and 2TB: 7W idle, 50W CPU maximum; M2 Pro with 32GB and 8TB: 7W idle, 100W CPU maximum
Noise–5 dBA sound pressure at idle (operator position)
Colours–Silver
In the boxMac mini, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X Tiger, iLife '06 and Front Row; Rosetta translates compatible PowerPC applications.Mac mini, power lead

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