Paul Haddad 
I just remembered that Apple shipped an Intel Mac Mini 2020, it was literally identical to the 2018 with just the base SSD being 256GB instead of 128GB. Is Apple really supporting one but not the other? I'm pretty sure I have a 2020 somewhere…
Jun 15, 2025 at 1:44pmWeb
Show threadPaul Haddad Jun 15, 2025

Bah looks like Apple never marketed the March 2020 Mac Mini bump as 2020 (I swear I remember seeing it somewhere). And also unfortunately it refuses to upgrade mine to Tahoe.

Pretty lame since it leaves me with no Intel Tahoe test devices and no way I'm buying a 2019 Mac Pro at its current price.

Show threadAndrewJun 15, 2025

@paul thats quite funny

aren't there... unauthorized ways of getting new macOS not these machines? or does that make them invalid as a test device

Show threadJake  Jul 17, 2025
@cinebox there’s opencore legacy patcher, but they need to uodate the patcher for every major macOS version because apple breaks things with every major version
Show threadJoseph DuffyJun 15, 2025
@paul OpenCore is shockingly easy to setup now. I don't think I configured anything. Hardest part was making the installer USB.
Show threadQuarterSwedeJun 15, 2025
@paul I mean, this is the last year Intel will be supported so not sure it matters much.
Show threadorkodenJun 15, 2025
@paul OpenCore Legacy Patcher is your friend for running current macOS on deprecated hardware.
Show threadJonathan GulbrandsenJun 15, 2025
@paul they only doubled the base storage in March 2020. Not really a spec bump.
Show threadNoah Mittman Jun 15, 2025
@paul Yeah, that really confused me after the fact when I was looking up stuff. tbh if I knew didn't consider them 2020 machines in 2020 when I got it, I probably would have waited longer
Show threadJim LutherJun 15, 2025
@paul It looks like the 2020 Air (Intel) I purchased on my last day isn’t supported either. I think it was the last MacBook that shipped with Intel.
Show threadNigel Wadsworth 🇦🇺Jun 15, 2025

@jimluther @paul I’m just waiting patiently to see if the Dortania crew can update Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) for Tahoe. That’s the only way I’m keeping up with my 2009 and 2013 Mac Pros :)

I’m not holding my breath…

Show threadMax GallagherJun 15, 2025
@paul At work we use 2018 iMacs as registers, they’re painful to use at this point even though all it ever does is run a single chrome tab. Even the System Settings app takes a full minute to load, supporting them is awful. Granted our have the base HDD but still, I can’t imagine how slow Tahoe would be on these, even with an SSD.
Show threadChancerubbageJun 15, 2025

@xadrav @paul

A user might want to keep one around for older application compatibility. A current developer might want one around as a test bed of worst case in compatible user base

Show threadPaul Haddad Jun 15, 2025
@Chancerubbage @xadrav correct.
Show threadJonathan IsomJun 15, 2025
@xadrav I upgraded an HP AiO that had a hdd to an ssd and it was like a totally new computer. Felt at least twice as fast.
Show threadMax GallagherJun 15, 2025
@jeisom upgrading to SSD would definitely help, but those unibody iMacs are a pain to open and I’d have to do 90 of them 🥴
Show threadJeffJun 15, 2025
@paul What model identifier?
Show threadAndrew DouglassJun 15, 2025
@paul I forgot they released the first 16” pro in late 2019 despite also releasing a new 15” pro in early 2019.
Show threadBryan Hooper 💫Jun 15, 2025
@paul I have a 2018. Works fine. Don’t need an upgrade. Maybe I can get it to work….
Show threadWayne DixonJun 15, 2025

@paul I don’t think there was an Intel Mac mini in 2020, at least not according to Apple’s “Identify your Mac mini” page, https://support.apple.com/en-us/102852

The only Mac mini in 2020 was the M1, as far as I recall., but I could be entirely wrong.

Identify your Mac mini model - Apple Support

Learn all the ways to identify your Mac mini model.

Apple Support
Show threadWayne DixonJun 15, 2025
@paul I think they might have dropped the 128GB option and started with 256GB, because they did sell both intel and Apple Silicon for a while.
Show threadPeter CohenJun 15, 2025
@waynedixon @paul The Intel Mac minis Apple sold in 2020 were still the 2018 revision, just refreshed with more storage.
Show threadjburkaJun 15, 2025
@paul the 2018 mini was available with a Fusion Drive. If the 2020 wasn’t, that might explain the disparity.
Show threadRick BaumhauerJun 15, 2025
@jburka @paul There was no Fusion Drive option on the 2018 mini - it was SSD-only.
Show threadjburkaJun 15, 2025
@rick_baumhauer @paul thanks for the correction! I thought I'd had one with a fusion drive but apparently not! My 2014, still in service, definitely has a fusion drive. <digs through receipts> Yeah, apparently I sprung for a 1tb ssd in my 2018! So...I got nothin'. The 2018 should get Tahoe if the 2020 does!
Show threadRick BaumhauerJun 15, 2025
@jburka @paul As someone else mentioned, there wasn’t really a 2020 Intel model - they upped the storage in 2020, but it was still considered a 2018 model. The only official 2020 mini was the M1. I’m not sure why Apple didn’t just say “M1 or later” for the mini.
Show threadjburkaJun 15, 2025
@rick_baumhauer @paul good thing they’re not making this confusing. Sigh.
Show threadTom MoorsJun 15, 2025
@paul i bought one in 2022 from Amazon, but apparently it’s the 2018 model 😢
Show threadPierreJun 15, 2025

@paul apparently they are quite different. Also I "love" how they call the 2020 "disposable" 🥲

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/mac-mini-silicon-faq/differences-between-2020-aluminum-m1-mac-mini-models.html

Show threadRachel GreenhamJun 15, 2025
@paul meanwhile my 2019 iMac drops off the end. I’d already put Ubuntu on it anyway so ner, apple…
Show threadowlboy Jun 15, 2025
@paul If an Intel Mac mini can work. Then my iMac Pro still should too.
Show threadPaul Haddad Jun 15, 2025
@owlboy agreed, iMac Pro should've been supported through the end of Intel.
Show threadJake  Jul 17, 2025
@paul yeah, and they never should’ve discontinued it. they are currently lacking a high-end all-in-one computer, and you’re forced to either get a mac studio or an imac that doesn’t have enough power for what you need to do