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Mac mini (M1, 2020) vs Mac mini (Late 2014)

Mac mini (M1, 2020)1Mac mini (Late 2014)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac mini M1 against Mac mini
FigureMac mini M11Mac mini2
Price£6993launch price£3994launch price
ChipM1chipCore i51.4GHz dual-core Intel
CPU8-coreCPU2-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base4GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base500GBstorage, base
Released10 November 20206Available online; Apple gave no in-store day16 October 20147Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available8Security updates16 September 20249Security updates ended
Price
The Mac mini M1 is £699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac mini is £399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

Mac mini (M1, 2020) · 197 × 36 mm frontMac mini (Late 2014) · 197 × 36 mm front

Front faces, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Dimensions36 x 197 x 197 mm36 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.2 kg1.19 kg
ColoursSilverNot available5
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5 Gb/s), HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet port, audio in port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, IR receiver
Thunderbolt ports1022
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports24
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11Yes
Headphone jackYesYes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
ChipApple M1 chip1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.12
CPU cores82
Performance cores4Not available13
Efficiency cores4Not available13
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU14Intel HD Graphics 5000
Neural Engine cores16Not available15
Chip optionsM1 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, or 3.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB4GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB4GB, 8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)256GB500GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB500GB or 1TB hard drive, 1TB or 2TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB, 512GB or 1TB flash storage (SSD)

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Maximum continuous power150 W85 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.04.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45)
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker14Built-in speaker17

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) against Apple Mac mini (Late 2014)
SpecificationMac mini M11Mac mini2
Shipped withmacOS Big Sur18OS X Yosemite19
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate20macOS Monterey21
Model identifierMacmini9,121Macmini7,121
Model year20202014

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac mini M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications · Default for Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  8. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  9. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  10. Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac mini M1: Thunderbolt 3. Mac mini: Thunderbolt 2.

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  11. Mac mini (M1, 2020): No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Mac mini (Late 2014): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  13. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Upgrade or install memory in your Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 14 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac mini M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: memory bandwidth, storage upgradeable by user, media engine, microphones. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac, read 9 Oct 2026.

Mac mini. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, microphones. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has rows for the 2.6GHz and 3.0GHz Mac mini (Late 2014) configurations but not this 1.4GHz base chip, so no figures are shown (chart read 11 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac mini (Late 2014) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac mini model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates Mac mini, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my Mac mini M1 (2020)? · Should I upgrade my Mac mini (Late 2014)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.