MacMini 2012 (i7 QC 2.6 Ghz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD) vs. 2018 (i7 SC, 3.2 Ghz, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) - Are the 200-300.- Upgrade worth it?

[NagasakiGG]

Hello

A few days ago I had the change to purchase an old MacMini 2012 with a Quadcore i7, 16GB RAM and 128+1TB Fusiondrive. Now I see that at some local retailer they are having a clearance sale of a refurbished MacMini 2018 with Six core i7 (8700B), 32GB RAM and 1TB "real" SSD for roughly 400€.

My question is, as I think that I can re-sell the 2012 one for roughly 150€, is it worth it to 'Upgrade' the MacMini? I don't use it as work device, more like for Programs with require old macOS / Windows or are not compatible even with Parallels or Rosetta 2.

 

[Fishrrman]

The 2018 Mini is a big, BIG "jump upwards" from the 2012.

(I have both)

 

[jackerin]

That model for 400e sounds like a steal to me. I got it a bit after launch and it's still chugging along on Mojave (upgraded to 64GB RAM but 32GB should be fine for a long time). If you had the old Mac mini on an older OS you could try installing Mojave on another partition and check that all apps work.