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Apple Silicon Mac mini Q&A
Published December 15, 2020
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How fast is the "2020 M1" Mac mini compared to earlier Mac mini models? How fast is it compared to the Mac Pro?
Please note that the "2020 M1" Mac mini has been discontinued. However, this Q&A can be quite helpful for anyone considering this model on the used market.
In the press release for the initial Apple Silicon Mac mini -- the Mac mini "M1" 8-Core 3.2 (2020) -- Apple boasts that the system's performance is "staggering" and backs it up with actual claims.
Specifically, compared to the entry-level Mac mini it replaced -- the Mac mini "Core i3" 3.6 (Late 2018) -- Apple notes that the "2020 M1" Mac mini can:
- Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
- Play a graphics-intensive game like "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" with up to 4x higher frame rates.
- Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
- Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
- Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
- Utilize ML [Machine Language] frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.
With detailed performance info, it is clear that the "2020 M1" Mac mini is faster than its exact predecessor.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Apple Silicon Mac mini)
However, Apple's performance claim is between the "2020 M1" Mac mini and the entry-level model it replaced rather than the higher performance "Late 2018" Mac mini models -- the Mac mini "Core i5" 3.0 (Late 2018) and Mac mini "Core i7" 3.2 (Late 2018) -- that the company still sells as new. Apple does not compare the "2020 M1" Mac mini to the much more expensive and expandable "2019" Mac Pro models, either.
Accordingly, it is quite useful to also know how the performance of the "2020 M1" Mac mini fares compared to Mac mini and Mac Pro models sold at the same time. It also is worthwhile to know how the "2020 M1" Mac mini compares to even earlier Mac mini models.
General Performance Overview
For a helpful overview of the performance difference between the "2020 M1" Apple Silicon Mac mini and other Macs, EveryMac.com's own Ultimate Mac Comparison makes it quick to compare side-by-side 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench benchmark averages with all other G3 and later Macs for thousands of possible performance comparisons.
This Q&A combines Geekbench 5 benchmarks with our own independent evaluation for a deeper dive into the performance of these Macs.
Late 2018 Mac mini vs. 2020 M1 Mac mini
The "2020 M1" Mac mini trounces not only the entry-level "Late 2018" Mac mini it replaced, but also the higher-end "Late 2018" Mac mini models still sold as new at the time it was released:
| Intel Mac mini | M1 Mac mini | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i3" 3.6 (2018) | "M1" 3.2 (2020) | +85% | +46% |
| "Core i5" 3.0 (2018) | +66% | +55% | |
| "Core i7" 3.2 (2018) | +51% | +32% |
It is worth noting that the "Late 2018" Mac mini models have RAM that can be upgraded after purchase to 64 GB and twice as many as Thunderbolt ports as the "2020 M1" Mac mini, so these older models do have distinct advantages, but the less expensive "2020 M1" Mac mini clearly is faster.
Late 2014 Mac mini vs. 2020 M1 Mac mini
As you would expect given the above performance, the "2020 M1" Mac mini beats the earlier "Late 2014" Mac mini models by even greater margins:
| Intel Mac mini | M1 Mac mini | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i5" 1.4 (2014) | "M1" 3.2 (2020) | +181% |
+505% |
| "Core i5" 2.6 (2014) | +143% |
+393% |
|
| "Core i5" 2.8 (2014) | +123% |
+353% |
The "Late 2014" Mac mini has the advantage of upgradable internal storage, but the "2020 M1" Mac mini definitely is much faster.
2019 Mac Pro vs. 2020 M1 Mac mini
Remarkably, the "2020 M1" Mac mini even demolishes the much more expensive "2019" Mac Pro models in single core tasks, but it gets smashed by the Mac Pro in multicore tasks:
| Intel Mac Pro | M1 Mac mini | Single Core | Multicore |
| "8-Core" 3.5 (2019) | "M1" 3.2 (2020) | +64% | -8% |
| "12-Core" 3.3 (2019) | +50% | -37% | |
| "16-Core" 3.2 (2019) | +50% | -49% | |
| "24-Core" 2.7 (2019) | +50% | -58% | |
| "28-Core" 2.5 (2019) | +49% | -61% |
The "2020 M1" Mac mini and entry-level "2019" Mac Pro both have eight cores, so it is worthwhile to see that Apple's M1 is only 8% slower than Intel's Xeon W in multicore tasks with the same number of cores. The M1's single core performance is particularly impressive. Of course, higher-end Mac Pro models are not only much faster in multicore tasks, but much more expandable, too.
Performance Summary
Ultimately, the "2020 M1" Mac mini provides an impressive performance boost over earlier Mac mini models and even can be quite competitive with the much more expensive Mac Pro.
Of course, all of these earlier models are more expandable, which is of great importance to many users, but when it comes to performance, the "2020 M1" Mac mini is quite fast.
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