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is 2014 with a fusion drive really not good enough these days? I have one ordered and might have to cancel it otherwise.

It can’t output 4K properly (60Hz). That would be the biggest reason I’d stay away from the 2014 Mini personally.
 
I have been watching the US refurb store for the past few weeks, waiting for the configuration I want. Not in any rush. There have been quite a lot of them passing through the store, with new ones appearing mostly at the beginning of the week and selling out by the end. Last week a whole lot of them moved through, while one strange configuration (an i3 with 64gb and 2tb) sat there for about two weeks.

That one sold over the weekend, then there was nothing until this afternoon when a bunch appeared, then disappeared. More were added, then sold. There was only one left earlier this evening. But right now there are 4 different models ranging from $679 to $1779. So, it has been a busy place today. Congratulations on snagging one for yourself @Reaper0bot0 !

[edit] In the time it took to write this, two more have appeared in the refurb store and now there are 6. :)
 
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Ha, I saw that i3 too and wondered what the story was behind that config. Watching the refurb Minis (and iPad 11s) move is quite fun, which is why I check daily. Who else but other MR members would understand the sport in it?
 
I’ve got a gaming rig for the heavy lifting, but I’m about to start sharing that with my almost six year old who wants to play Portal with mods (which the XBox One cannot do). As my needs are modest for this machine, I figured the base Mini would do. I’ve previously had a 2009 Mac Pro I’d done up.

This seems simpler.
 
Ha, I saw that i3 too and wondered what the story was behind that config. Watching the refurb Minis (and iPad 11s) move is quite fun, which is why I check daily. Who else but other MR members would understand the sport in it?

Sport indeed, as I can't stop checking even though I got mine last month. I was delighted to finally find the model I wanted after checking several times a day for about a week.
 
Sport indeed, as I can't stop checking even though I got mine last month. I was delighted to finally find the model I wanted after checking several times a day for about a week.
Only a week? That's great. It's hard to explain why it's fun to see what's going on in the refurb store. Glad I'm in good company ;)
 
Going through a dry spell at the moment. I think the last time a Mini dropped in the refurb store was May 28 and the next day, there were none. There have been no Mini's in the US store for over a week now.
 
They pop up in the UK refurb store from time to time - been a few relatively high spec models recently and they still sell well. There's been a couple of UK third party retailers selling off pre-storage bump 2018 machines at cheap prices too but the refurbs represent good value.
 
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Going through a dry spell at the moment. I think the last time a Mini dropped in the refurb store was May 28 and the next day, there were none. There have been no Mini's in the US store for over a week now.

The i3 with upgraded RAM in the US store today is the first I’ve seen since then. I’m dense and finally figured out why models with big RAM upgrades sell slower: most power users scouring the refurbished store want to upgrade their own for significant savings. Makes perfect sense.
 
The i3 with upgraded RAM in the US store today is the first I’ve seen since then.

You need to check more often, LOL. 😂 I have been checking a lot, and there were two weeks with no Mini's in the US refurb store. Then, on Wednesday afternoon there was a huge drop, I counted 22 of them at the peak, the cheapest was about $760 and the most expensive was about $2000. They went very quickly, and a few hours later there were only three, then just one, and finally, none. A few have come and gone since then, there were none when I checked early this morning, then there was the one you mentioned.

Still waiting on the one that is "just right" for me, and that's fine. Not in any hurry as long as my old computers still work and it's actually a good thing for me to put off a big purchase right now.
 
I have never had much luck with the refurbished store. Seems like a lot of the returns that show up there are people who bought big memory upgrades and then realized how stupid that was. There is an i3 out there now for 1200 with 32Gb of memory.

What I do have success with is Best Buy "open boxed" which still has the full manufacturers warranty. Got my current 2018 i5/256 for $896 there a year ago. Just bought my wife an i3/256 for $695 a month ago.
 
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Wow... 27 Mini's just popped up in the refurb store. They *almost* had the conifuration I wanted, but not quite... :)

Prices from $599 (i3 8gb/128gb ) to $2209 (your choice... i7 32gb/2tb or i7 64gb/1tb).
 
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So, here we are four hours later, and there are only 3 Mini's left at the refurb store. That should give you some idea of how popular refurbs are - Apple is selling one every 10 minutes! :)
 
So, here we are four hours later, and there are only 3 Mini's left at the refurb store. That should give you some idea of how popular refurbs are - Apple is selling one every 10 minutes! :)

They do sell quickly... but just checked... there are currently 8 different models in the refurb store...

Screen Shot 2020-06-12 at 3.48.01 PM.png
 
two nights ago, a bunch of Mac mini's popped up on the Refurb store. I was viewing through my computer, and the config I wanted was the i5, 256GB SSD, 8GB Ram for $750. I didn't see that particular config there, so bit the bullet and ordered the i7, 256, 8GB Ram for $930.

Then I hopped on the Refurb store with my iPhone. ...and the i5 config I wanted was there - just not viewable from my iMac Safari browser. So I cancelled my i7 order, and ordered the i5 option through my iPhone. ...sure enough - it shipped the next day.

Talk about a weird anomaly. ...or it's done on purpose. Check the Refurb Store using both a desktop computer and a mobile device (iPhone/iPad). You might find what you're looking for.

The Mac mini's sell out quickly. The Mac Pros and iMac Pros? Not so much.
 
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Two low-spec Mini refurbs appeared on Monday morning and were soon gone. Had just about given up on seeing any more this week, when all of a sudden 13 Mini's just appeared.... including the configuration I have been waiting three weeks for. Hesitated for a moment (it's a lot of $), but finally pulled the trigger - they make this just too easy with Apple Pay. 😂

The site currently shows two i3, three i5 and eight i7 Mini's. Interesting that the configuration I just bought still shows, so either they have more than one or the site takes awhile to update.
 
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Really wanted to grab one of these Mini (I had one as my work horse from 2009, lasted me many years). However, my surplus bought 2009 Mac Pro is still running great (despite not being able to enjoy many of the more modern feature thew newer OS has to offer). Decision decisions....
 
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The US Refurb Store has 4 2020 minis right now from $679 i3/8GB/256 to $1779 for a i7/32GB/1TB. (There's also 25 iMacs ... and 2020 MBAs!!)
 
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