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MAC MINI PRICE HISTORY
Every Mac Mini generation since Apple Silicon — base MSRP tracked monthly, with specs for local AI.
2021 → 2026LIVE DATA
CURRENT BASE PRICE
$599
M4 (16GB, 256GB)
PEAK BASE PRICE
$799
Intel Mac Mini 2018
PRICE SINCE M1
↓ $100
$699 → $599
BEST VALUE CONFIG
M4 Pro 48GB
~$1,799 · 70B models
BASE PRICE — MONTHLY MSRP
Base MSRP only — lowest configuration per generation. Dots mark launch dates. Source: Apple, MacRumors, refurb.me.
KEY EVENTS
NOV 2020
M1 Mac Mini
Apple Silicon debut. $699 base — $100 cheaper than Intel predecessor.
JAN 2023
M2 + M2 Pro
M2 drops to $599. First Mac Mini with Pro chip ($1,299). Big leap for LLM users.
NOV 2024
M4 redesign
Smallest Mac Mini ever. Base now ships with 16GB RAM. $599 entry price maintained.
FEB 2026
US production
Apple announces Mac Mini production moving to Houston, TX (Foxconn facility).
MODELS — LOCAL AI BREAKDOWN
Mac Mini M4
Late 2024StrongCURRENTApple M4 · 16GB–32GB · 256GB–2TB
$599
base MSRP · up to $1399
MEMORY BW
120 GB/s
LLM SPEED
28–35 tok/s
MAX PRACTICAL MODEL
Gemma 3 27B / Llama 3 8B fast
RELEASE
2024-11
DISCONTINUED
Still sold
Redesigned chassis — smallest Mac Mini ever. Base is now 16GB (vs 8GB before). $599 with 16GB is exceptional value. 120 GB/s bandwidth handles 8B models at speed.
🤖 AI note: 16GB base is a game-changer. Best value AI box at $599.
FULL COMPARISON
| MODEL | YEAR | CHIP | RAM | BASE PRICE | MAX PRICE | MEM BW | LLM SPEED | MAX MODEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Mini M1 | Late 2020 | Apple M1 | 8GB–16GB | $699 | $1099 | 68 GB/s | 18–22 tok/s | Llama 3 8B (Q4) |
| Mac Mini M2 | Early 2023 | Apple M2 | 8GB–24GB | $599 | $1299 | 100 GB/s | 22–28 tok/s | Mistral 7B / Llama 3 8B |
| Mac Mini M2 Pro | Early 2023 | Apple M2 Pro | 16GB–32GB | $1299 | $1899 | 200 GB/s | 30–45 tok/s | Llama 3 70B (Q4) |
| Mac Mini M4 | Late 2024 | Apple M4 | 16GB–32GB | $599 | $1399 | 120 GB/s | 28–35 tok/s | Gemma 3 27B / Llama 3 8B fast |
| Mac Mini M4 Pro | Late 2024 | Apple M4 Pro | 24GB–64GB | $1399 | $2199 | 273 GB/s | 45–65 tok/s | Llama 3 70B (Q4) / Qwen 2.5 32B fast |
WHICH ONE TO BUY FOR LOCAL AI
JUST GETTING STARTED
M4 Mac Mini — 16GB base ($599)
Runs Llama 3 8B and Mistral 7B at comfortable speed. The 16GB base is now good enough. Best value AI box you can buy.
SERIOUS LOCAL AI
M4 Mac Mini — 32GB ($799)
32GB gives you headroom for 13B models, longer context, and running multiple models. The sweet spot for most power users.
RUN 70B MODELS
M4 Pro — 48GB ($1,799)
273 GB/s memory bandwidth is the key metric. 48GB + M4 Pro is the minimum spec to run Llama 3 70B quantised at practical speeds.
BEST BANG FOR USED
M2 Pro 32GB (refurb ~$700)
Used M2 Pro 32GB units hit ~$700 on eBay and Back Market. 200 GB/s bandwidth. Runs 30B+ models. Serious value for builders on a budget.
Data sourced from Apple MSRP announcements, MacRumors, refurb.me, and macprices.net. Token speeds are approximate for Q4_K_M quantisation via Ollama.