Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMac mini (Late 2014) | AppleMac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2014 | January 2023 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4260U, Intel Core i5-4278U, Intel Core i5-4308U or Intel Core i7-4578U | Apple M2 or Apple M2 Pro |
| CPU cores | 2 | 8, 10 or 12 |
| CPU threads | 4 | – |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 5000 or Intel Iris Graphics 5100 | 10-core GPU, 16-core GPU or 19-core GPU |
| Memory | 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better) |
| Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) |
| CPU | 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. | M2: 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 |
| GPU | 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 | M2: 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 type | 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 | 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. | SSD |
| Media engine | – | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, HDMI, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 4, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 2 | Up to 2 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 5.3 |
| Back ports | 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 | 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 displays | 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. | 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 |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; HDMI supports multichannel audio; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone | Built-in speaker |
| Microphones | – | None built in |
| Keyboard and mouse | Power lead; monitor, keyboard and mouse sold separately | – |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Compact | Compact |
| Weight | – | 1.18 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 197 × 197 × 36 mm | 197 × 197 × 35.8 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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 | Integrated power supply; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 85 W | Built-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 | 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 | 5 dBA sound pressure at idle (operator position) |
| Colours | – | Silver |
| Materials | Recyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free with regional power-lead exceptions | – |
| In the box | 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. | Mac mini, power lead |
More comparisons
- Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) vs Apple Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) vs Apple Mac mini (M6 or M5 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) vs Apple Mac mini (M4 or M4 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) vs Apple Mac mini (M4 or M4 Pro)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (M1) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (2018) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (Late 2012) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) vs Apple Mac mini (Mid 2011)
- Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) vs Apple Mac mini (Mid 2010)
- Apple Mac mini (Late 2009) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (Early 2009) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro) vs Apple Mac mini (Mid 2007)
- Apple Mac mini (Late 2006) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)
- Apple Mac mini (Early 2006) vs Apple Mac mini (M2 or M2 Pro)

