Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) vs Apple Mac mini (Mid 2010)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Mac mini (Late 2014) compared with Mac mini (Mid 2010)

	AppleMac mini (Late 2014)	AppleMac mini (Mid 2010)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	June 2010
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-4260U, Intel Core i5-4278U, Intel Core i5-4308U or Intel Core i7-4578U	Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 or Intel Core 2 Duo P8800
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 5000 or Intel Iris Graphics 5100	NVIDIA GeForce 320M (shared memory)
Memory
Memory	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB (better)	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	320 GB to 1 TB
CPU
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.	Consumer model has a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo P8600, configurable to 2.66 GHz P8800. Server model has a 2.66 GHz P8800. Both have two physical cores, 3 MB shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz frontside bus; exact identities are cross-checked with EveryMac. Individual current Intel pages were unavailable, so optional chip launch dates and thread figures are omitted.
GPU
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	NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics with at least 256 MB DDR3 memory shared with main memory
Memory type
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).	Two SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM. Consumer configuration has 2 GB, configurable to 4 or 8 GB; server has 4 GB and supports up to 8 GB. Removable bottom cover provides memory access.
Storage type
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.	Consumer models offer a 320 or 500 GB Serial ATA hard drive and an 8x slot-loading SuperDrive supporting double-layer DVD writing. Server has two 500 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drives (1000 GB total in configurations) and no internal optical drive. No unsupported storage/processor cross-pairings with the server are listed.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	No internal PCI Express expansion slots; bottom cover permits memory access
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, HDMI, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2	Up to 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	2.1 + EDR
Back ports
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	One Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, four USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, one FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, SD card slot, Gigabit Ethernet with jumbo frames and separate digital/analogue audio input and output minijacks. The main DisplayPort count represents Mini DisplayPort; FireWire and line input are described here because the main port list has no fields for them.
External displays
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.	Extended desktop and mirroring across Mini DisplayPort and HDMI; Mini DisplayPort up to 2560 × 1600, HDMI up to 1920 × 1200. HDMI to DVI adapter included; Mini DisplayPort VGA/DVI adapters optional.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; HDMI supports multichannel audio; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Digital/analogue headphone output, multichannel audio over HDMI and support for an Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Power lead; monitor, keyboard and mouse sold separately	Display, keyboard and mouse purchased separately; Apple Remote optional
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	Compact
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.	Consumer model weighs 1.37 kg; server page gives 1.29 kg. Actual weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; a shared weight is omitted.
Power supply
Power supply	Integrated power supply; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 85 W	Internal power supply; AC input 100–240 V, 50–60 Hz single phase; 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	Consumer page's headline gives 14 dBA idle, while its model-specific table gives 13 dB for 2.4 GHz and 15 dB for 2.66 GHz at idle, 14/15 dB during hard-drive access and 20 dB during optical access on the 2.4 GHz model. The server page gives 15 dBA idle. No single value is selected across configurations.
Materials
Materials	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free with regional power-lead exceptions	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free internal cables. Server page says external cables are PVC-free in North America only.
In the box
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, HDMI to DVI adapter, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Consumer includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife; server includes Snow Leopard Server with an unlimited-client licence.