For our latest Mac mini comparison that includes 2020 M1 and 2023 M2 models, see this article.
Mac Mini Vault stocks 3 model years of dedicated Mac minis that customers can rent on a monthly basis: 2012, 2014, and 2018.
Having 3 model years and 7 models to choose from can make picking the correct mini for your workload a little overwhelming, so we’re going to break down the different model years, models, and upgrade options to make that decision a little easier.
Note: We have many customers running VMware environments, so it is important to note that the 2018 Mac mini does not yet support ESXi. Currently, the best option for a Mac mini that supports ESXi is the 2012 Quad-Core i7 Mac mini or a Mac Pro.
Model Years
| Model Year | Memory Upgradeable | Memory Speed | Hard Drive Upgradeable | macOS Compatibility | Alternative OS |
| 2012 | Yes (up to 16GB) | 1600MHz DDR3 | Yes – 2 bays | macOS 10.8+ | ESXi, Ubuntu, CentOS |
| 2014 | No | 1600MHz LPDDR3 | Yes – 1 bay (+PCIe slot) | macOS 10.10+ | ESXi, Ubuntu, CentOS |
| 2018 | Yes (up to 64GB) | 2666MHz DDR4 | No – 1 PCIe | macOS 10.14+ | macOS Only |
2012 Mac mini Details and Benchmarks
Tear Down | Full Technical Specifications
The 2012 model year has two SATA drive bays that support spinning hard drive and SSD options. Memory is upgradeable to 16GB and both of our 2012 dedicated minis come with 16GB standard. This model year supports ESXi, Ubuntu, and CentOS.
| CPU | Geekbench 1-Core | Geekbench Multi-Core | Memory |
| 2.5GHz Dual-Core Intel i5 | 2946 | 5709 | 16GB |
| 2.3GHz Quad-Core Intel i7 | 3261 | 10800 | 16GB |
2014 Mac mini Details and Benchmarks
Tear Down | Full Technical Specifications
The 2014 model year has a single SATA drive bay that supports spinning hard drive and SSD options. Memory maxes out at 16GB and is soldered onto the logic board so it cannot be upgraded. This model year supports ESXi, Ubuntu, and CentOS.
| CPU | Geekbench 1-Core | Geekbench Multi-Core | Memory |
| 1.4GHz Dual-Core Intel i5 | 3030 | 5425 | 4GB |
| 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel i7 | 3702 | 7050 | 16GB |
2018 Mac mini Details and Benchmarks
Tear Down | Full Technical Specifications
The 2018 model year has a single PCIe SSD that is soldered onto the logic board so it cannot be upgraded. Memory is upgradeable to 64GB and all three of our 2018 dedicated minis come with 16GB standard. The i3 comes with a 256GB SSD, the i5 comes with a 512GB SSD, and the i7 has options for 1TB and 2TB SSDs.
| CPU | Geekbench 1-Core | Geekbench Multi-Core | Memory |
| 3.6GHz Quad-Core i3 | 4684 | 13985 | 16-64GB |
| 3.0GHz Hex-Core i5 | 5160 | 20358 | 16-64GB |
| 3.2GHz Hex-Core i7 | 5666 | 24329 | 16-64GB |