hard.bargains

A Mac mini ships with a power cord. Here is what the desk costs

Apple's in-box list is the computer and a power cord. Most buyers already own a screen, a keyboard and a pointer, so the honest total for them is $0. Here is what the rest costs, row by row.

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In this guide: 6 sections
  1. The short answer
  2. Subtract what you already own
  3. Line by line
  4. Three desks, added up
  5. What this settles
  6. Before you buy

The short answer

Apple’s in-box list for the 2024 and 2026 Mac minis is the computer and a power cord. Everything else on the desk is yours to supply, and most people setting up a mini already own a screen, a keyboard and a pointer. For them the correct total is $0, or $8.98 if a wired keyboard needs an adapter.

Starting from nothing, the thrifty desk in three desks comes to $289.98 at the maker prices below, and the screen is the largest row at $259.99. The screen is the largest row on both starting-from-nothing desks; the only bigger single desk row on this page is a 2TB backup drive at $549.99, which a 512GB or 1TB mini needs.

Subtract what you already own

Five questions decide the total. Answer them in order and the $0 branch comes first every time.

Five questions that decide what a Mac mini desk costs A five-step checklist, each step showing the free branch before the paid one. Step 1, a screen with an HDMI or USB-C input: if you already own one, including a TV, the cost is $0, because every Apple silicon Mac mini has an HDMI port; if not, a 27-inch 1440p Dell S2725DC was $259.99 on Dell’s U.S. store. Step 2, a keyboard and a pointer: if you own them, $0; if not, Logitech’s MK250 Compact Bluetooth Wireless Combo was $29.99 on Logitech’s U.S. store. Step 3, a cable: if the cable in the monitor’s box fits a rear port on the mini, $0; if not, buy one cable that matches the monitor’s input. Step 4, wired USB-A devices: $0 if your keyboard and mouse use Bluetooth, or if the mini is an M1, M2 or M2 Pro, which have two USB-A ports; on an M4, M4 Pro, M6 or M5 Pro, an Anker USB-C to USB 3.0 adapter two-pack was $8.98 and the Anker 332 USB-C hub was $24.99 on Anker’s U.S. store. Step 5, a backup drive: $0 if you own a spare drive holding at least twice the mini’s storage; if not, a 1TB Samsung T7 was $274.99 on Samsung’s U.S. store. A desk you already have totals $0, or $8.98 with an adapter. Starting from nothing, the thrifty desk totals $289.98. All prices are makers’ own U.S. store prices from Sept. 15, 2026, before tax and shipping. 1. A screen with an HDMI or USB-C input? 2. A keyboard and a pointer? 3. A cable that fits it and a rear port? 4. Wired USB-A devices on an M4 or later? 5. A spare drive twice the mini’s storage? Yes, incl. a TV you own: $0 No: 27-in. 1440p Dell, $259.99 Yes: $0, Bluetooth or wired No: Logitech combo, $29.99 Yes, the monitor’s box cable: $0 No: one cable that fits the input No, or M1/M2/M2 Pro: $0 Yes: adapter $8.98, hub $24.99 Yes: $0, give it to Time Machine No: 1TB Samsung T7, $274.99 Desk you already have: $0, or $8.98 Starting from nothing, thrifty: $289.98 Maker store prices, Sept. 15, 2026.

Line by line

What it is Do you need it The free route What we would pay, and where Source and date
A screen Yes. The mini has none, and Apple’s in-box list is the computer and a power cord A monitor or TV you already own; every Apple silicon mini has an HDMI port $259.99 for the 27-inch 1440p Dell S2725DC, or $349.99 for the 27-inch 4K S2725QC, at Dell, which listed both with limited stock Dell U.S. store, Sept. 15, carried from our monitor guide
A keyboard and a pointer Yes Any Bluetooth or wired set you already own $29.99 for Logitech’s MK250 Compact Bluetooth Wireless Combo or MK270, or $59.99 for the Pebble 2 Combo for Mac, at Logitech Logitech U.S. store, Sept. 15
A video cable Only if the cable in the monitor’s box doesn’t fit The cable in the monitor’s box, into a rear port One cable matching the monitor’s input, bought only if the box cable doesn’t fit Apple’s display guide, via our desk setup guide
A USB-C adapter or hub Only for wired USB-A devices on an M4, M4 Pro, M6 or M5 Pro Bluetooth devices, or an M1, M2 or M2 Pro, which have two USB-A ports $8.98 for the Anker USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter two-pack, or $24.99 for the Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), at Anker Anker U.S. store, Sept. 15
A backup drive Not on the first day, but before you rely on the mini A spare drive holding at least twice the mini’s storage $274.99 for the 1TB Samsung T7, or $549.99 at 2TB, at Samsung Samsung U.S. store, Sept. 15, carried from our backup guide

On the keyboard row. Logitech’s store lists the Pebble 2 Combo for Mac as macOS compatible and Bluetooth; check macOS support for the two $29.99 combos on Logitech’s page. A combo that connects through a USB-A receiver also needs the adapter on an M4 or later mini, which turns a $29.99 purchase into a $38.97 one. A Bluetooth set needs no port on any model.

On the adapter row. Anker displayed the two-pack at $8.98 against a crossed-out $12.99. A crossed-out price is a seller’s claim, not a verified discount. Anker lists the 332 hub with two USB-A ports at 5Gb/s, a USB-C data port and an HDMI port at up to 4K at 30Hz. Plug an adapter or hub into the front USB-C ports; a hub’s video output does not work from those ports on a 2024 or later mini.

On Apple’s own accessories. We quote no price for the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. Read it on Apple’s keyboards, mice and trackpads page before budgeting for them.

Do not price a plain HDMI cable. The right answer is the cable already in the monitor’s box.

Where these route

Try the screen, keyboard and pointer you already own before spending anything.

Three desks, added up

Each total is the sum of its own named rows. All exclude tax and shipping. Promo codes and crossed-out prices are claims, not verified discounts.

(a) You already have a desk. Screen $0 + keyboard and pointer $0 + cable $0 + adapter $0 + backup drive $0 = $0. If your keyboard or mouse is wired USB-A and the mini is an M4, M4 Pro, M6 or M5 Pro, add the $8.98 Anker adapter two-pack: $8.98. This is the common case, and it is why the honest answer for most readers is that the desk costs nothing.

(b) Starting from nothing, thrifty. Dell S2725DC $259.99 + Logitech MK250 Compact Bluetooth Wireless Combo $29.99 + the cable in the monitor’s box $0 + no adapter, because the combo is Bluetooth, $0 + no backup drive yet $0 = $289.98.

(c) Starting from nothing, good screen. Dell S2725QC $349.99 + Logitech Pebble 2 Combo for Mac $59.99 + Anker 332 USB-C Hub $24.99 + 1TB Samsung T7 $274.99 = $709.96. The 1TB drive is sized for a 256GB mini under Apple’s rule of at least twice the Mac’s storage; a 512GB or 1TB mini needs 2TB, which Samsung listed at $549.99 and showed out of stock.

What this settles

On Sept. 2 the median asking price for a used base M4 mini was $749 against Apple’s $899 list for a new base M6, a gap of $150. The thrifty desk above passes that gap on the screen row alone, at $259.99.

So the conclusion is not buy used or buy new. It is that the gap between the two machines is small next to the desk in front of them. A buyer starting from nothing should budget the whole desk first, because the desk, not the machine, decides what this setup costs. A buyer who already owns a screen, a keyboard and a pointer is genuinely choosing between $749 and $899, and can read that comparison on its own terms.

For the machine decision, see our used M2 Pro, M4 and M6 comparison and the used M4 price floor. For which adapter your devices need, the desk setup guide by model. For which panel to buy, the monitor comparison by pixel density. For sizing and filling the backup drive, the backup and migration guide. For a screen that packs away instead of living on the desk, the portable monitor guide.

Before you buy

  1. Try the TV or monitor you already own first. Every Apple silicon Mac mini has an HDMI port, so the cable in that screen’s box may be all you need.
  2. Check your model’s display limit before buying a second screen. Apple lists up to two displays on the M1 and M2 and up to three on the M2 Pro, M4, M4 Pro, M6 and M5 Pro.
  3. Bluetooth keyboards and pointers need no port on any model, which is the cheapest way past the missing USB-A ports on a 2024 or later mini.
  4. A hub’s video output does not work from the front USB-C ports on a 2024 or later mini. Run a screen from a rear Thunderbolt port, and remember that it still counts toward the display limit.
  5. Keep the packaging until sleep, wake and a restart all pass with the keyboard working at the login screen. A desk that needs a spare keyboard to log in is not finished.
Sources and dates
  • Apple's in-box, port and display facts are Apple's Mac mini specifications and display guide, as cited in our desk setup guide and checked Sept. 15, 2026.
  • The Dell S2725DC at $259.99 and Dell S2725QC at $349.99 are Dell U.S. store prices from Sept. 15 carried from our monitor guide, where Dell listed both with limited stock.
  • The Samsung T7 figures are Samsung U.S. store prices from Sept. 15 carried from our backup guide, where the 2TB showed out of stock.
  • Logitech combo prices were displayed on Logitech's U.S. store Sept. 15.
  • The Anker adapter and hub prices were displayed on Anker's U.S. store Sept. 15; the adapter showed a crossed-out $12.99 beside its $8.98 price, a seller's claim rather than a verified discount.
  • Apple's store displayed no price for the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad Sept. 15, so none is quoted.
  • Used and new Mac mini figures are the Sept. 2, 2026 panel from our price floor guide.
  • Prices exclude tax and shipping.