Apple today announced the first Mac mini update in nearly two years. The new Mac mini keeps the same compact design, but delivers a major performance boost with the new M6 and M5 Pro configurations. The new Mac mini lineup is available to pre-order today.

The previous generation Mac mini was powered by the M4 and M4 Pro chips. Apple has taken a different strategy this time, opting to use the all-new M6 chip for the base configuration. The next tier, meanwhile, is powered by the M5 Pro, which first debuted in the MacBook Pro earlier this year.

The M6 chip in Mac mini is Apple’s first 2nm processor. It features a 12-core CPU, which is two more cores than M4 and M5. Apple touts that it offers “the world’s fastest single-threaded performance.” M6 is Apple’s first chip to use all three of its CPU core types: 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores.

Super cores prioritize maximum single-threaded performance, performance cores are optimized for multithreaded workloads, and efficiency cores handle lighter and background tasks. Apple says that combination delivers up to 40% faster multithreaded performance than M4. You get a 12-core GPU, which is also two more cores than before.

Apple is also bringing its Neural Accelerators to the base Mac mini for the first time, resulting in up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics than M4. M6 also has the new dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says is up to 2x faster than the previous generation. The M6 Mac mini starts with 16GB of unified memory and is configurable up to 32GB.

It also offers faster memory bandwidth at 170GB/s, up from 153GB/s on the M5 chip and 120GB/s on the M4. The M5 Pro Mac mini offers up to an 18-core CPU paired with up to a 20-core GPU. The GPU has Neural Accelerators in every core, an enhanced shader core, and third-generation ray tracing.

The Mac mini with M5 Pro supports up to 64GB unified memory with 307GB/s bandwidth. More Mac mini specs include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, thanks to Apple’s N1 chip. 2.5Gb Ethernet is now standard, with 10Gb available as an upgrade. Both models have storage that’s up to 2x faster.

Genlock support over USB-C for precise synchronization between a display and professional camera capture. M6 Mac mini: Three Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back, along with HDMI and Ethernet. Two USB-C ports with USB 3 support and a headphone jack on the front.

M5 Pro Mac mini: Three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back, along with HDMI and Ethernet. Two USB-C ports with USB 3 support and a headphone jack on the front. New Mac mini pricing and availability: The new Mac mini is available for pre-order today and will start arriving for customers on September 22.

Pricing starts at $899 for the base configuration with the M6 chip, 256GB of storage, and 16GB of unified memory. Mac mini with M5 Pro starts at $1,699. Pre-order the new Mac mini at Apple: Mac mini with M6: from $899 (or $799 for education).

Mac mini with M5 Pro: from $1,699 (or $1,599 for education).