Apple Mac Mini (2014)

usability, price, design, reliability, size

95% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

usability, price, design, size

85% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Easily fits into existing setups ; Powerful, and with plenty of options to make it more powerful ; Very quiet

No SD card slot ; Higher-end M2 Pro models get close to Mac Studio’s price

The Apple Mac Mini (2023) remains an impressively compact yet powerful machine. It’s ideal for those who work at a desktop but want a Mac that doesn’t take up much room. Despite it’s small size, it’s got the power to get plenty of tasks done without...

Still small and quiet ; Two Thunderbolt 2 ports ; Energy efficient ; 802.11ac Wi-Fi

RAM isn't user-upgradable ; No quad-core options ; Can't run 4K at 60Hz

The Mac mini gets a new processor, upgraded Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2, but its lack of upgradability and a quad-core option may be a deal-breaker for some.

Now cheaper, graphics updates, design is still strong for the most part

Rear SD card slot inconvenient, no quad-core options, no user upgradability after purchase

The Mac mini has been changed in 2014: updated, if not upgraded. There are tweaks and changes, but the thing we notice most is that the Mac mini now feels like it's been moved out of the hands of those who like to tinker. Perhaps that's just our inner...

In the end, the Mac Mini 2014 is a worthy follow-up to the older model. It’s kept what made its predecessor so good and reduced the price - at the bottom end at least. It’s a shame that upgradeability has been sacrificed but otherwise the Mac Mini 2014...

The Mac Mini is the least expensive OS X computer, and its performance is on par with Macs that cost twice as much.

Upgrades are expensive, and aftermarket upgrades are nearly impossible. Configuration options are not as extensive as previous versions of the Mac Mini, and a keyboard and mouse are not included.

While its sealed-case limitations will turn off power users, Apple's least expensive Mac delivers a solid OS X experience in a compact box with similar performance to the entry-level MacBook Air and iMac models.

Improved Fusion Drive with PCIe flash ; Improved 11ac Wi-Fi ; Two Thunderbolt 2 ports

Top Mac mini has less than half the processor performance of previous model ; Soldered memory blocks user upgrades ; Expensive compared to previous 2012 model, with price increasing again in late 2016

For power users that need that extra processing headroom, the quad-core Mac mini is already sorely missed. For single-threaded applications, the processor performance is little changed, even though we expected the 0.2 GHz advantage to give this model...

Compact desktop design; Lower price and stronger performance than previous models; Thunderbolt 2.0

RAM now soldered onto motherboard; Prices exclude monitor, keyboard and mouse

The lack of user-upgrades is a step backwards and may deter IT admins from deploying the Mac Mini.

Latest Mac mini gains extra Thunderbolt 2 port ; 802.11ac Wi-Fi ; PCIe-attached flash drive option

Up to 50 percent slower than before ; no quad-core processor ; loses option to upgrade memory ; loses FireWire 800

While the entry-level Mac mini (Late 2014) is priced attractively at £399, it would benefit from a memory upgrade at least to 8 GB, especially since this upgrade will never be possible later. By then comparing this upgraded cheapest model at £479 to...

Cheapest Mac, even without serious upgrades ; Small, quiet and still very powerful ; Perfect for schools and kids

Not upgradeable ; iMac better choice if you need a display

The Mac mini is the most inexpensive Mac you can buy that’s also very powerful and portable.