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Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini Q&A
Published November 9, 2012
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What are all the differences between the "Late 2012" Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini models and the "Mid-2011" models replaced?
Please note that the "Mid-2011" and "Late 2012" Mac mini models have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and can be quite helpful for anyone buying or selling one of these systems on the used market.
With even a detailed evaluation of the "Late 2012" Aluminum Mac mini models -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5, "Core i7" 2.3, "Core i7" 2.6, "Core i7" 2.3 (Server), and "Core i7" 2.6 (Server) -- and the also Aluminum "Mid-2011" Mac mini models -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.3, "Core i5" 2.5, "Core i7" 2.7, and "Core i7" 2.0 Server -- one would note that there are essentially no external physical differences.
However, there are significant internal and identification differences, and it can be quite useful to evaluate these aspects in particular.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Front - Mid-2011 and Late 2012 Mac mini)
External Differences
All of the "Late 2012" and "Mid-2011" Mac mini models use the same general compact "cuboid" aluminum case design -- just 7.7 inches across and deep and a miniscule 1.4 inches tall -- and have a "spin off" black plastic base on the bottom that can be removed quickly to access the RAM slots. Please note that although the cases are essentially the same for the purpose of this comparison, it does not mean that all internal parts can be swapped between them.
Connectivity Differences
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Rear - Mid-2011 & Late 2012 Mac mini)
Connectivity is almost identical between the "Late 2012" and "Mid-2011" lines, but there is one important difference, too.
Both lines share 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a single Firewire "800" port, an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt port (capable of supporting an external display at 2560x1600 while passing an audio signal or alternately supporting Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals), a single "audio line in (digital/analog)" minijack, a single "audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)" minijack, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, and an SDXC-capable SD card slot. All support IR for a remote, too.
However, the "Mid-2011" Mac mini models have four USB 2.0 ports and the "Late 2012" Mac mini models have four significantly faster USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. As a result, USB 2.0 peripherals will work with USB 3.0 ports, but they will run at the maximum speed that USB 2.0 provides rather than the faster standard.
Identification Differences
Externally, both the "Late 2012" and "Mid-2011" Mac mini lines share the same A1347 Model Number, as do other Aluminum Mac mini models. As a result, it is not convenient to use the Model Number for identification. However, these lines can be identified externally by EMC Number -- visible upon removing the bottom "spin off" panel to the right of the memory slots (with the ports pointing toward you) -- and EveryMac.com has diligently hand recorded these differences accordingly. The "Late 2012" Mac mini models are EMC Number 2570 whereas the "Mid-2011" Mac mini models are EMC Number 2442.
In software, the entry-level Core i5-powered "Late 2012" configuration can be identified by the Macmini6,1 Model Identifier whereas the all of the "Late 2012" Core i7-powered configurations -- including the Server options -- can be identified by the shared Macmini6,2 Model Identifier.
On the other hand, the "Mid-2011" Mac mini models are a bit more complex to identify by Model Identifier, but also more precise. The entry-level 2.3 GHz model is Model Identifier Macmini5,1, the mid-level 2.5 GHz and 2.7 GHz Core i7 BTO models are Model Identifier Macmini5,2, and the Server is Macmini5,3.
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature additionally can uniquely identify these models by their Serial Numbers.
Internal Differences
Both the "Late 2012" and "Mid-2011" Mac mini models support dual 6 Gb/s Serial ATA hard drives or SSDs, but otherwise are quite different internally. These lines use different processors, architectures, memory, and graphics.
The older "Mid-2011" models have "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 or Core i7 processors, support 1333 MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM, and have either integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 or dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics.
By contrast, the "Late 2012" Mac mini models have dual core Core i5 or even quad core Core i7 "Ivy Bridge" processors (the "Mid-2011" Server configuration has a Quad Core processor, but the "Late 2012" Mac mini line is the first time a non-Server Mac mini has packed a Quad Core chip). Additionally, the "Late 2012" models support much faster 1600 MHz PC3-12800 DDR3L SO-DIMMs. However, in an odd "downgrade," all "Late 2012" models only have integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. As a result, the "Late 2012" Mac mini models actually are slower performing many graphics-related tasks than "Mid-2011" models equipped with dedicated graphics.
Additionally, the non-server "Late 2012" configurations can be configured with a "Fusion Drive" that combines a 128 GB SSD and a 1 TB hard drive with software that "automatically and dynamically moves frequently used files to flash for quicker access." The earlier "Mid-2011" models do not offer this feature, but it is possible that third-parties will offer a similar product if demand dictates.
Comparison Charts
The specific differences between processors, architectures, configurations and price for the "Late 2012" and "Mid-2011" models are summarized below.
Entry-Level Model
The entry-level "Late 2012" model -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5 (Late 2012) -- provides a modestly faster processor, faster architecture, more and faster RAM, and faster USB 3.0 ports compared to the "Mid-2011" model -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.3 (Mid-2011):
 "Mid-2011" Mac mini |
"Late 2012" Mac mini |
|
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | Core i5 (2415M) | Core i5 (3210M) |
| Processor Cores: | 2 | 2 |
| Processor Speed: | 2.3 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| L3 Cache: | 3 MB | 3 MB |
| Std. RAM: | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| RAM Type: | 1333 MHz DDR3 | 1600 MHz DDR3L |
| Std. Hard Drive: | 500 GB | 500 GB |
| Graphics Processor: | HD Graphics 3000 | HD Graphics 4000 |
| VRAM Type: | Integrated | Integrated |
| Std. VRAM: | 288 MB (Shared) | 512 MB (Shared) |
| USB Ports: | 2.0 (4) | 3.0 (4) |
| Order Number: | MC815LL/A | MD387LL/A |
| EMC Number: | 2442 | 2570 |
| Model Identifier: | Macmini5,1 | Macmini6,1 |
| Intro Price: | US$599 | US$599 |
High-End Model
The high-end standard "Late 2012" model -- the Mac mini "Core i7" 2.3 (Late 2012) -- provides a massively faster quad core processor, a faster architecture, faster RAM, a larger hard drive, and faster USB 3.0 ports, but slower graphics, than the "Mid-2011" model replaced -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5 (Mid-2011):
"Mid-2011" Mac mini |
"Late 2012" Mac mini |
|
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | Core i5 (2520M)* | Core i7 (3615QM)** |
| Processor Cores: | 2 | 4 |
| Processor Speed: | 2.5 GHz* | 2.3 GHz** |
| L3 Cache: | 3 MB | 6 MB |
| Std. RAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| RAM Type: | 1333 MHz DDR3 | 1600 MHz DDR3L |
| Std. Hard Drive: | 500 GB | 1 TB |
| Graphics Processor: | Radeon HD 6630M | HD Graphics 4000 |
| VRAM Type: | Dedicated | Integrated |
| Standard VRAM: | 256 MB (GDDR5) | 512 MB (Shared) |
| USB Ports: | 2.0 (4) | 3.0 (4) |
| Order Number: | MC816LL/A | MD388LL/A |
| EMC Number: | 2442 | 2570 |
| Model Identifier: | Macmini5,2 | Macmini6,2 |
| Intro Price: | US$799* | US$799** |
* This "Mid-2011" model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.7 GHz "Core i7" (I7-2620M) processor for an extra US$100. As requested by readers, EveryMac.com additionally has documented this custom configuration as its own model.
** This "Late 2012" model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.6 GHz "Core i7" (I7-3720QM) processor for an extra US$100. Likewise, EveryMac.com has documented this custom configuration as its own model, too.
Server Model
The standard "Late 2012" Server -- the Mac mini "Core i7" 2.3 Server (Late 2012) -- provides a faster processor, faster memory, more storage, and faster graphics compared to the "Mid-2011" model replaced -- the Mac mini "Core i7" 2.0 Server (Mid-2011):
 "Mid-2011" mini Server |
"Late 2012" mini Server |
|
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | Core i7 (2635QM) | Core i7 (3615QM)* |
| Processor Cores: | 4 | 4 |
| Processor Speed: | 2.0 GHz | 2.3 GHz* |
| L3 Cache: | 6 MB | 6 MB |
| Std. RAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| RAM Type: | 1333 MHz DDR3 | 1600 MHz DDR3L |
| Std. Hard Drive: | 500 GB x2 | 1 TB x2 |
| Graphics Processor: | HD Graphics 3000 | HD Graphics 4000 |
| VRAM Type: | Integrated | Integrated |
| Std. VRAM: | 384 MB (Shared) | 512 MB (Shared) |
| USB Ports: | 2.0 (4) | 3.0 (4) |
| Order Number: | MC936LL/A | MD389LL/A |
| EMC Number: | 2442 | 2570 |
| Model Identifier: | Macmini5,3 | Macmini6,2 |
| Intro Price: | US$999 | US$999* |
* This "Late 2012" Server model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.6 GHz "Core i7" (I7-3720QM) processor for an extra US$100. Likewise, EveryMac.com has documented this custom configuration as its own model, too.
Comparison Summary
Ultimately, the "Late 2012" Mac mini line generally is a solid improvement compared to its predecessor. The faster processors, architecture, memory, and USB 3.0 ports all are welcomed enhancements, but the "downgrade" to slower integrated graphics across the line no doubt is a disappointment to many.
On the used market, both lines remain well worth consideration, particularly given the "downgrades" made by subsequent models in terms of upgrades.
Used Mac mini Purchase Options
There are no shortage of places to purchase a used "Mid-2011" or "Late 2012" Mac mini. However, buying from a good company with an extensive track record in the Mac market will provide the best experience and save you money and time, too.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new Mac mini models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb Mac mini models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. Finally, if you need to sell a Mac mini, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac will buy your older Mac mini with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used Mac mini models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.
In Australia, site sponsor Mac City likewise may have used Mac mini models available at low prices and with a free warranty and fast shipping across Australia.
Please refer to EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any Mac mini model to any other Mac.
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