What are the differences between the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" and the Mac mini models they replaced?

Please note that all systems mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Early 2009/NVIDIA" Mac mini models were replaced by the "Late 2009" Mac mini line on October 20, 2009.

The differences between the two Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 (Early 2009/NVIDIA) configurations are quite modest but the differences between the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" model and the ones that proceeded it are far more substantial than it appears at first glance.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

Like their predecessors, the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" Mac mini models have their internal components enclosed in a tiny and elegant 2.9 lb, 6.5 inch square, two inch tall case.

Externally, the "Early 2009/NVIDIA"and the "Mid-2007" Mac mini models look identical from the front, but the connectivity on the back has been changed quite a bit. Most significantly, the "Mid-2007" Mac mini models have a single DVI port and the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" models have dual video ports -- Mini-DVI and Mini DisplayPort -- and both ports can be used to simultaneously drive two displays, the first time that the Mac mini series has supported dual displays.

Additionally, the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" models have 5 USB 2.0 ports and a Firewire "800" port compared to 4 USB 2.0 ports and a Firewire "400" port on the earlier Intel-based models. The remaining ports -- Gigabit Ethernet, a combined "optical digital audio input/audio line in minijack", and a "optical digital audio output/headphone out minijack" are the same. The "Early 2009/NVIDIA" models support 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and the "Mid-2007" models support 802.11g and and the earlier Bluetooth 2.0+EDR standard.

Internally, the "Early 2009/NVIDIA" Mac mini models also use a faster architecture than the "Mid-2007" models. The "Early 2009/NVIDIA" line up has a newer processor (albeit with a smaller L2 cache than the higher-end "Mid-2007" model), a faster system bus (1066 MHz up from 667 MHz), faster memory (1066 MHz DDR3 compared to 667 MHz DDR2), and faster integrated graphics (a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M compared to a Intel GMA 950).

By default, "Early 2009" Mac mini models also are configured by default with a faster "SuperDrive" and the high-end configuration is configured with more memory and a larger hard drive.

The major differences between the "Early 2009" and "Mid-2007" models are summarized below:

	"Mid-2007" Mac mini	"Early 2009" Mac mini
Processor Type:	Core 2 Duo (T5600, T7200)	Core 2 Duo (P7350)
Processor Speed:	1.83 GHz, 2.0 GHz	2.0 GHz
L2 Cache:	2 MB, 4 MB	3 MB
Bus Speed:	667 MHz	1066 MHz
RAM Type:	PC2-5300 DDR2	PC3-8500 DDR3
Standard RAM:	1 GB	1 GB, 2 GB
Hard Drive:	80 GB, 120 GB	120 GB, 320 GB
Optical Drive:	2.4X DL "SuperDrive"	8X DL "SuperDrive"
Video Type:	Intel GMA 950	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Integrated VRAM:	64 MB	128 MB, 256 MB
AirPort:	802.11a/b/g	802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth:	2.0+EDR	2.1+EDR
Apple Order No:	MB138LL/A, MB139LL/A	MB463LL/A, MB464LL/A
Price:	US$599, US$799	US$599, US$799

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Please refer to the Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any Mac mini model to any other G3 or later Mac.