https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4185504?tstart=0
So the last MacMini with a fully fledged honest-to-goodness 100% compatibility Firewire800 port is the 2012 Ivy Bridge one.
The most powerful compact (= not a MacPro) alternative is a 2012 15" Ivy Bridge Macbook Pro with i7 3820QM quad core and nvidia GT650M 1GB.
The most recently available alternative is a dual core 2012 13" IvyBridge MBP but that's worse than a quad core 2012 Mini.
As fare as iMacs are concerned, 2011 sandy bridge are the last ones with full FW800 ports.
Make of that what you want.
So the last MacMini with a fully fledged honest-to-goodness 100% compatibility Firewire800 port is the 2012 Ivy Bridge one.
The most powerful compact (= not a MacPro) alternative is a 2012 15" Ivy Bridge Macbook Pro with i7 3820QM quad core and nvidia GT650M 1GB.
The most recently available alternative is a dual core 2012 13" IvyBridge MBP but that's worse than a quad core 2012 Mini.
As fare as iMacs are concerned, 2011 sandy bridge are the last ones with full FW800 ports.
Make of that what you want.