Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) vs Apple Mac Pro (Late 2013)

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Mac mini (Late 2014) compared with Mac Pro (Late 2013)

	AppleMac mini (Late 2014)	AppleMac Pro (Late 2013)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	December 2013
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-4260U, Intel Core i5-4278U, Intel Core i5-4308U or Intel Core i7-4578U	Intel Xeon E5-1620 v2, Intel Xeon E5-1650 v2, Intel Xeon E5-1680 v2 or Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4, 6, 8 or 12
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	8, 12, 16 or 24
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 5000 or Intel Iris Graphics 5100	Dual AMD FirePro D300 (2 GB GDDR5 each), Dual AMD FirePro D500 (3 GB GDDR5 each) or Dual AMD FirePro D700 (6 GB GDDR5 each)
Memory
Memory	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB	12 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	256 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.	3.7 GHz quad-core, 3.5 GHz six-core, 3.0 GHz eight-core or 2.7 GHz twelve-core Intel Xeon E5. Exact identities are E5-1620 v2, E5-1650 v2, E5-1680 v2 and E5-2697 v2, cross-checked against Geekbench device records and Ars hardware testing; Intel specifications supply thread counts and maximum Turbo frequencies.
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	Dual AMD FirePro D300 with 2 GB GDDR5 per GPU, D500 with 3 GB per GPU, or D700 with 6 GB per GPU. Memory is specified separately for each GPU, rather than pooled. All graphics options are available by upgrading the original quad-core base configuration.
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).	Four user-accessible slots for 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC memory; 12 GB (three 4 GB modules), 16 GB (four 4 GB), 32 GB (four 8 GB) or 64 GB (four 16 GB)
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.	PCIe-based SSD; 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. No internal hard-drive bays or optical drive.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	No internal PCIe card slots; peripherals and compatible external expansion chassis connect through Thunderbolt
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	4 × USB-A, 6 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × Ethernet, HDMI, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2	Up to 6 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
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	Four USB 3 USB-A ports, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 1.4 Ultra HD, 3.5 mm headphone jack with headset support, and a separate combined optical digital audio output/analogue line-out minijack. Thunderbolt ports are divided across three controllers, as explained in Macworld and Ars reviews.
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.	Apple's current support specifications allow six Thunderbolt displays or three dual-cable 5K displays. The launch announcement specified support for three 4K displays; the later 5K statement should not be read as launch-day capability.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; HDMI supports multichannel audio; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Built-in speaker; HDMI supports multichannel audio output
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Power lead; monitor, keyboard and mouse sold separately	Keyboard, mouse and display sold separately
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	Compact
Weight
Weight	–	5 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	197 × 197 × 36 mm	167 × 167 × 251 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.	Cylindrical enclosure; 251 mm high and 167 mm in diameter, with 5 kg weight from Apple's Japanese specification sheet. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
Power supply	Integrated power supply; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum continuous power 85 W	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 450 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	Apple's overview reports 12 dBA operator-position sound pressure at idle, while the acoustic table reports 14 dB at idle and 14.5 dB during wireless web. These are conflicting maker statements; no single noise value is selected.
Materials
Materials	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free with regional power-lead exceptions	Highly recyclable enclosure; BFR-free and PVC-free, with regional exceptions for the power lead
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 Pro and power lead. Launched with OS X Mavericks; the current support page describes the later macOS Mojave release. Original standard configurations were quad-core with 12 GB memory and D300 graphics, and six-core with 16 GB and D500. The current support sheet also lists an eight-core standard configuration with 16 GB and D700. Configurations below include independent processor, memory, graphics and storage upgrades of the original quad-core base, so 12 GB or D300 with a higher-core processor represents a customised base model.