Apple Mac mini MRTR2LL/A Space Grey

A generous 2TB SSD and 32GB RAM can't hide that this 2018 Intel Mac mini is a slowpoke by today's standards. Save yourself the headache and grab an Apple Silicon mini instead.

Here's the short version: this refurbished 2018 Mac mini is a parts-bin special with a big 2TB SSD and 32GB of RAM, but the Intel Core i7 under the hood belongs in a museum. It was a fine office machine five years ago. Now it's mostly a reminder of how far Apple Silicon has come. The compact design still holds up, and macOS runs reliably enough for basic tasks, but anything beyond that pushes the aging CPU and weak integrated graphics to their limits. If you're eyeing this for a budget Mac, you're probably looking at the wrong model.

Two things surprised us. First, the 2TB SSD is genuinely impressive, it lands in the 84th percentile for storage and makes this feel snappy when opening files or launching apps. Second, the CPU is a slug. Ranking in the bottom 11th percentile among all desktops, that 3.2GHz 6-core i7 gets humiliated by a base M1 Mac mini that costs less. The integrated Intel graphics are even worse: they sit in the 32nd percentile, so forget about gaming or even smooth 4K video exports. It'll handle email and spreadsheets without complaint, but try anything ambitious and you'll feel every year of its age.

At $548 to $900, you're paying for that 2TB SSD and 32GB RAM combo, but the rest of the hardware doesn't justify the price. A brand-new M1 Mac mini starts around $699 and runs circles around this Intel relic in every metric except raw storage. Even a used M1 with a smaller SSD and less RAM will feel faster and last longer. If you must have Intel for legacy software, opt for a cheaper used model; otherwise, this is poor value unless you stumble on the absolute low end of that price spread, and even then, it's a tough sell.

The real competition isn't the chunky gaming towers in our database; nobody cross-shops a Mac mini with a Lenovo Legion. The only two products that matter are a refurbished M1 Mac mini and a new M2 Mac mini. The M1 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage can be found for under $600 and offers dramatically better CPU, GPU, and future macOS support. The M2, for a bit more, adds even more speed and extra ports. Both leave this Intel model in the dust. Only consider this if you absolutely need 32GB of RAM and 2TB of internal storage on a Mac, and even then, a base M2 mini with an external SSD is a smarter long-term bet.

If you're looking for a fast, future-proof desktop for anything more than web browsing and email, this isn't it. Go grab a refurbished M1 Mac mini instead. You'll trade some storage capacity for speed that actually feels modern.

Don't buy it unless you have a very specific, unchangeable need for 32GB of RAM and a built-in 2TB drive in macOS, and you're willing to live with a CPU that chokes on anything beyond basic office tasks. For everyone else, pick up a refurbished M1 or M2 Mac mini. You'll get a machine that actually feels modern and will run newer versions of macOS for years, not months.