Best/fastest macOS for 1.4gHz 2014 mac mini

[RedRaven571]

Hey Everyone!

The title pretty much says it all. I bought a used 2014 mac mini, the basic configuration 1.4gHz core i5, 500GB HDD and 4GB RAM. It came to me with High Sierra and I wiped the HDD and did a clean install of High Sierra. I will be using this as an entertainment center in the family room but am looking to make it as speedy as possible (until, someday, I will update the HDD to a SSD), so, will an older OS X run more quickly on this machine? According to the spec sheet online for its serial number, it looks like it was built in the latter half of 2016 (apparently, it still has original Apple warranty until May 2018, as well).

So, opinions on what OS to eek out the most speed?

 

[leon771]

Without an SSD this model of mini is painfully slow no matter what OS is on it.

 

[opeter]

As leon771 wrote: swap the HDD for an SSD and than you can install whatever you want.

For 4 GB RAM, maybe El Capitan (because this version doesn't have the crap called Siri and such things). Off course you can shut it down, but why would it take your precious storage space?

Anyway some say, that High Sierra is even faster, than the old MacOS systems. But not sure for so little memory.

 

[Fishrrman]

Leon771 is right in post 2 above.
If you want it to run faster, your only realistic choice is to equip it with an SSD.

Put one inside if you wish -- but be careful not to break anything while doing so.

Fastest, cheapest, easiest way to boost that speed -- add an external USB3 SSD and set it up to be an external booter.
Something like this would do the job and do it right:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00ZTRY532?tag=delt-20

 

[RedRaven571]

So, I wiped it clean and installed El Cap and, it may be just a bit quicker, but not leaps and bounds. I'm going to run this way for a bit and, if I change my mind, I can always update to High Sierra.

Thanks for your input, and I may have to try the external SSD and see how it goes. Online, some folks have talked about a external Thunderbolt SSD but, I'm trying to do this as economically as possible. As I said, it doesn't have to be blazingly fast for my purpose, I just don't want it to be frustratingly slow. I think my problem is I've replaced the HDD in my MBP with SSD and I'm spoiled....

 

[Boyd01]

I have the same base 2014 Mini and use it for an iTunes server. It is still running el Capitan which is what it came with. It ain't no speed demon. I agree, this is just a very slow machine and I doubt that a different version of MacOS will help much.

You don't need a thunderbolt SSD, a USB 3 SSD will work just fine and should make a very noticeable difference. But depending on how you use the Mini, the 4gb RAM will also be an issue.

 

[dogslobber]

I wouldn’t use a spinner with anything newer than Mavericks.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I wouldn’t use a spinner with anything newer than Mavericks."

Actually, it was Mavericks that introduced the "new paradigm" in memory management (where all free RAM is now appropriated by the OS at bootup). This puts a lot more work onto the hard drive.

10.8 Mountain Lion was the last OS to "do it the old way" (RAM only loaded by OS when needed).

10.8 was -the last- version of the OS I'd recommend for a platter-based HDD.

 

[Boyd01]

10.8 was -the last- version of the OS I'd recommend for a platter-based HDD.

That's interesting. The 2014 Mini running El Capitan that I described above replaced a 2012 base model Mini running Mountain Lion. The 2012 really felt faster and didn't "beachball" for 20 seconds every time I started an app. Have always wondered whether El Capitan could have been part of the problem.

Can you run 10.8 on a 2014 Mini?

 

[opeter]

No, you can't. You can try with 10.10 Yosemite trough.

Look here:
https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility