Apple Doubles Storage Capacity of Mac Mini Desktops
by Anton Shilov on March 19, 2020 12:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Desktop
- Apple
- Mac mini
- Coffee Lake
In addition to launching its new MacBook Air and iPad Pro, Apple on Wednesday refreshed its Mac Mini lineup of ultra-compact desktops. This time around, the company doubled storage capacity on systems featuring standard configurations, so the cheapest Mac mini now features a 256 GB SSD.
Apple now offers two base configurations of its Mac mini:
- the entry-level machine featuring Intel’s 8th Generation quad-core Core i3 CPU paired with 8 GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a 256 GB SSD for $799, and
- a mid-range model with Intel’s 8th Generation six-core Core i5 processor accompanied by 8 GB of DDR4-2666 DRAM and a 512 GB SSD for $1,099.
Previously, these systems featured a 128 GB or a 256 GB soldered-down drive, respectively.
Apple’s current-generation Mac mini was originally introduced in late 2018. It is based on Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs with Intel UHD Graphics 630 as well as the Apple’s T2 security chip for encrypted storage and secure boot.
Apple decided not to upgrade the base of its entry-level systems, so the top-of-the-range configuration can be equipped with a hex-core Core i7 processor, 64 GB of DDR4-2666 memory, a 2 TB SSD, and a 10 GbE port. The highest-performing Mac mini costs $2,999.
All the latest Mac mini PCs have two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.0 header, a 3.5-mm audio connector for headsets, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect an external graphics adapter, a storage system, and an Ultra-HD display.
| Apple Mac mini Brief Specifications | ||||
| Mac mini 2018 | ||||
| CPU | Intel Core i3 4C 3.6 GHz 6 MB L3 |
Intel Core i5 6C 3.0/4.1 GHz 9 MB L3 |
Intel Core i7 6C 3.2/4.6 GHz 12 MB L3 |
|
| PCH | ? | |||
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | |||
| Memory | 8 GB DDR4-2666 Configurable to 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB DDR4-2666 |
|||
| Storage | 256 GB PCIe SSD Configuratble to 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB SSD |
|||
| Wi-Fi | IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi + BT 5 | |||
| Ethernet | 1 GbE or 10 GbE | |||
| Display Outputs | 4 × Thunderbolt 3 | |||
| Audio | 1 × 3.5mm audio out | |||
| USB | 2 × USB 3.0 Type-A (5 Gbps) 4 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (via TB3) |
|||
| Other I/O | HDMI 2.0 | |||
| Dimensions | Width | 19.7 cm | 7.7" | ||
| Height | 3.6 cm | 1.4" | |||
| Depth | 19.7 cm | 7.7" | |||
| PSU | ~ 150 W (internal) | |||
| OS | Apple MacOS | |||
The revamped Apple Mac mini systems with expanded storage are now available directly from Apple.
Related Reading:
- Apple Launches New Mac Mini: Up to 6 Cores, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, & TB3
- Apple Reveals MacBook Air 2020: 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core and Scissor Keyboard, Starting At $999
- Apple Unveils New iPad Pro: A12Z Bionic, Camera w/ Depth Sensor for AR, Keyboard w/ Trackpad
- Apple’s 2019 Mac Pro Tower Now Available: From $5,999 to $53,000
Source: Apple
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quiksilvr - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
What a lazy update. They didn't even update the CPUs to 10th gen nor the WiFi module to WiFi 6.ingwe - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I don't mind that too much. What I do mind is the price. An i5 with 16 GB of ram should start at $1000 I think. Then you could get an external GPU and have a small but powerful OS X machine at a reasonable cost. Oh well. Guess I will stick with a windows.rnalsation - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
10th Gen desktop, nice joke.pamelaajames22 - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
I have been working from home for 4 years now and I love it. I don't have a boss standing over my shoulder and I make my own hours. The tips below are very informative and anyone currently working from home or planning to in the future could use these.Make 5000 bucks every month... Start doing online computer-based work through our website... iｃash68.ｃｏMnwrigley - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I've always been a fan of the Mac mini design, but never owned one myself. Why? Too little power for too much money. Being small just isn't enough to justify the cost, but I always saw the potential for PCs to get smaller and thought we were trending in that direction.It's now been 15 years since the first mini was released (had to look that up)! It's shocking to me that things have not improved. It actually seems like it's trended towards being more expensive and lagging further behind in technology.
I don't need systems to be as small as possible, but would love to see better platforms for systems that are smaller than what I've been using my entire life.
jeremyshaw - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
First search result: Intel NUC. There, I "looked things up."star-affinity - Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - link
Speaking of thermals – The NUC seems to a master at overheating when pushing it. I have a NUC7 myself.patel21 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Exactly, Nobody would have even cared if the new mac mini was 0.5 inch taller to provide enough oomph to the coolingweb2dot0 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Unfortunately, companies build products that makes them "the most profit". But hey, what does Apple know about their customers. Those damn people have no idea how to run a business to make money.Samus - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I love how $150 memory upgrade over the stock 8GB costs $600 and a $200 SSD upgrade over the stock 512GB also costs $600...That isn't even accounting for the net savings from removing the old components...8GB is worth $30-$40 and a 512GB NVMe drive is worth $60-$70.
Considering these machines are not upgradable it's hard to justify spending over $1000 on something without future-proofing it with 32GB RAM (which is useless now for most demographics of this machine) but storage is incredibly important because of the way MacOS has sloppy management of iTunes and Photo libraries outside of the user folder (not on the system drive)
And they know it which is why they were pushing their very creative fusion drive for so long. I'm glad to see them go full solid-state but the bend-me-over pricing is absurd.