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Is a 2012 Mini desirable? Sell it or what can I use it for?

iMas70

iMas70

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 4, 2012
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I have a 2012 Mac Mini (2.3 GHz, i7, 16GB) connected to a Thunderbolt Display that I haven't been using. I remember some of these from that period were more desirable than others. Overall the Minis aren't really expensive so I'm wondering if it's worth selling this or I'll get more out of the combo using it for something else. If so, it's probably something I haven't thought of. I stream movies and music so I wouldn't need it to keep a library. I don't think I'd have a warm, fuzzy feeling if I sold it all for $300. I also know this stuff is a number of years old.

Thoughts?
 
Mini 2012 is upgradable, isn’t it? That might offer several opportunities for extra use.
 
Quad-core 2012s were desirable (past tense) because their 2014 dual core replacements felt like a downgrade to many. Now that quad/6-core 2018 minis are available used demand for old 2012 quads has dropped off. It might be worth more in sentimental value to keep it.

Do you need a dedicated legacy machine to run legacy 32-bit mac applications?
 
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It might be worth it to just keep it around as "a spare" Mac.
Even if you keep it packed up in the closet for now.

What other Mac(s) do you use now?
Would the thunderbolt display work with them?
 
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That macMini has a nice graphic card and still is worth more than a 2014 mini.
according to OWC
I really miss mine and wished that did not bite the dust this year.

I say keep,
since you won't get what it is worth.
 
I just researched the Plex Server. Might be an option. I currently backup to a TimeCapsule.

My main computer is a 27" 2017 iMac. I used to do drone photography. Editing videos was the most intensive work it would see. I haven't done that in a few years so it just receives basic use. I bought a 15" MacBook Air a few weeks ago so I have something that is portable for things I can'd do on my iPad. I really don't have a use for the Thunderbolt Display other than being connected to the Mini.
 
+1 for keep it as a spare. Those are pretty sweet specs. I've got an 8GB/1TB 2011 Mac Mini that I use to back-up all my iOS devices rather than take-up limited storage on my M1. Assuming yours has (or you install) a SSD drive it will very happily run MacOS Sonoma under OCLP.
 
I have the top spec 2012 quad Mini (like yours but the 2.6ghz CPU) and it was a great machine in its day. It's a headless fileserver now, connected to four 5-tb hard drives that I already had. I use it as a time machine destination and also hosting legacy files I rarely need.

You won't get much if you sell it today. For example, MacSales (aka OWC) sells your model with a limited warranty for $180, so I'd expect much less from a private sale. No idea what a Thunderbolt display is worth today, I wanted one myself "back in the day" but it was just too expensive!
 
Install Snow Leopard on it (I think it was the last generation that could run it) and that will get you Rosetta 1 so you can run apps from up to way, way back. I have one for a couple of essential/important apps that never made the leap to Intel and another that could not run on something beyond Snow Leopard.
 
I have similar thoughts. the 2012 Mac Mini was a good machine for the time. The day the 2014 came out, I ran to the store to pick up the 2012 model when I found out the specs of the 2014, especially with just 2-core and there was one left. I needed a mac mini and was waiting at the time.

I upgrade it and maxed it out (turn it into a server with 2x SSDs) and it still runs well. I had to re-do the thermal paste twice since I bought it. I had a thunderbolt monitor attached for the longest time (still use the thunderbolt monitor).

With Apple Silicon now, these intel machines quickly depreciate in value by the day, so like others have said, it is better to probably keep it as a spare (unless you want to just get rid of it). I am in the boat about either getting rid of it or try to find a use for it. I have three intel macs that are still decent (and like), but have no use for them since I now have Apple Silicon macs. Tried Open Patcher on it, but sometimes has issues.
 
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iMas70 said:
I just researched the Plex Server. Might be an option. I currently backup to a TimeCapsule.

My main computer is a 27" 2017 iMac. I used to do drone photography. Editing videos was the most intensive work it would see. I haven't done that in a few years so it just receives basic use. I bought a 15" MacBook Air a few weeks ago so I have something that is portable for things I can'd do on my iPad. I really don't have a use for the Thunderbolt Display other than being connected to the Mini.
Click to expand...
As I recall I looked into using it as a Plex server and found it was underpowered for my uses, which include transcoding 4K & HDR. So you should keep your eye on that.
 
Boyd01 said:
Can that really be done on the 2012 mini we're discussing here? AFAIK, the 2012 Mini originally shipped with Mountain Lion (10.8) and Snow Leopard is 10.6. According to EveryMac, you'd have to go back to the 2010 Mini for Snow Leopard compatibility.
Click to expand...
I’m practically certain that I have the 2012 running Snow Leopard. I’m 100% on Snow Leopard but only about 80% certain on 2012.

Update: just checked and see abundant posts that 2012 cannot run Snow Leopard. So since I have it running, my Mini must be slightly older unless Rosetta 1 held on for a generation or two beyond Snow Leopard.
 
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iMas70 said:
I just researched the Plex Server. Might be an option.
Click to expand...
Plex server for mine, too. What's nice is that it has both HDMI and digital optical audio output. My LG TV does not support DTS passthrough, so the optical comes in handy (though limited to 5.1) running Plex on the mini. The other nice thing about the 2012 min is that it has the IR receiver so the white and silver Apple remotes work with it. Of course, Remote Buddy is almost essential for configuring its use with Plex.
 
Boyd01 said:
Can that really be done on the 2012 mini we're discussing here? AFAIK, the 2012 Mini originally shipped with Mountain Lion (10.8) and Snow Leopard is 10.6. According to EveryMac, you'd have to go back to the 2010 Mini for Snow Leopard compatibility.
Click to expand...

You can install Snow leopard on Mac Mini 2011 with some tricks:


I read that you can install Snow leopard on Mac Mini 2012, but it won't be a fully functional system. It doesn't make any sense.
 
What's the best OS for a 2012 Mini, considering Mountain Lion as the base and your getting a sluggish machine if you go "too far" up the OS revision line, even if you've upgraded to an SSD...... That seems the best question unless you've got a specific OS version requirement.
 
Running Catalina on my 2012 2.6ghz quad-core with 16gb RAM and original Apple internal SSD. No problems. It runs 24/7 but is only a fileserver with no real interactive use. Before that, I kept it on Mountain Lion for a little while but upgraded to (low) Sierra and kept it there until I turned it into a server. Always seemed very fast and stable. Don't know what would be "best" today, all of these are long out of support now.
 
My 2012 Mini now sits "on the back table" (replaced by a 2018).
Its "regular" OS is 10.12 "low" Sierra.

But... using dosdude1's "Mojave patcher", I installed a copy of Mojave onto a partition on an old 7200rpm hard drive sitting in a USB2/SATA docking station.

In spite of all the "limitations", it still runs very well, seems to be as fast as Sierra.
I reckon it would run considerably better if installed on an SSD attached via USB3.
That's on my "to do" list...
 
I have two 2012 Mac minis.
One is 2.3GHz quad core i7, with SSD and 16GB RAM, and I use as a backup for my main computer (2018 Mac mini). It runs Mojave nicely.
Other one is lower spec model, dual core 2.5GHz i5 with SSD running Sierra with Server.app. Main use for this mini is running controller software for network devices in my home (UniFi) and some other stuff (DNS and VPN). Its modest power draw (approx 10W at idle) surprised me.
 
My Mini is a 2012 i5 with 8Gb of Ram (and a fast Samsung SSD) actually runs on OCLP Ventura (I have tested Catalina/Monterey/actually Ventura/and Sonoma on it). IMHO I think Monterey is the best compromise on the most recent OSes, but Catalina is the way to go, if you do not need software that is outdated on this 'old' macOS, and it is supported natively without OCLP methods.
 
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Late 2012 i5 2.5/16/512 and 2TB Samsung ssd. External hdd 8TB USB3.
File server with Debian. Backup with rclone to cubbit ds3. No Time Machine for all Mac.
A little gem.
 
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