800-862-5965 sales@macminivault.com

Well, it finally happened – after a little over 4 years, Apple has announced new Mac minis. We are now stocking the 2018 Mac minis and have posted a tear down and benchmark blog post. The new minis can now be ordered directly on our website. We stock various models along with memory upgrades. This post answers some common questions that customers have asked.

You can send in a Mac mini for colocation or purchase/Rent2Own one from us for colocation here.

Dedicated 2018 Mac minis can be rented here. Additional dedicated Mac mini options are available here.

QUESTION: Can older versions of macOS be installed on the 2018 minis?
ANSWER: We can only install macOS 10.14+.

QUESTION: Can alternative operating systems be installed on the 2018 mac minis?
ANSWER: As of now, ESXi, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Windows operating systems are not compatible. We will continue to test and provide additional information as these software vendors release new versions and drivers that support the new Mac mini hardware. We can still install alternate operating systems on our 2012/2014 dedicated minis.

QUESTION: Can the internal SSD be upgraded at a later date?
ANSWER: The new 2018 minis have a soldered on flash drive that cannot be upgraded.

QUESTION: What are the memory upgrade options for purchased/Rent2Own minis?
ANSWER: By default all of the 2018 minis we stock for purchase/Rent2Own come with 8GB of DDR4 memory. Since the memory is field replaceable we are stocking 16GB and 32GB memory kits. We have tested and confirmed that they are compatible. The 64GB memory kits will be available soon (manufacturers are beginning to ship the 64GB kits in the coming weeks).

QUESTION: What are the memory upgrade options for dedicated minis?
ANSWER: By default all of the 2018 dedicated minis we stock come with 16GB of DDR4 memory. Since the memory is field replaceable we are also stocking 32GB memory kits. We have tested and confirmed that they are compatible. The 64GB memory kits will be available soon (manufacturers are beginning to ship the 64GB kits in the coming weeks).

QUESTION: Since ESXi isn’t currently supported, what virtualization options are recommended?
ANSWER: We recommend VMware Fusion (paid) and Oracle VirtualBox (free).

QUESTION: What external backup options are available?
ANSWER: We have 2TB and 4TB external hard drives available that can connect over USB-C. We also have various other Storage Vault options available.