Mac Mini for Parents (photo editing)

Hello all and thank you in advance.
My parents (for reference in their mid 60s) have finally decided to come to the mac universe.  They are asking for assistance in buying a computer. I was thinking of getting them a mac mini.
In regards to their needs, they are pretty light computer users.  They like to facetime, make photo collages, web surf, email, etc.  Though I should mention my dad needs to have a virtual PC to log into the VA (was going to use VirtualBox). Also they would like to start doing some photo editing, note that they are very much an amateurs and will not being running super complicated workflows (he has a Nikon D700 (12MP full frame) with a ton of RAW files he has never yet bothered with). In terms of photo software, I was thinking either Aperture or the upcoming Photos app and possibly Pixelmator.
Cost is a consideration, but if the performance increase is great enough it will also be weighted justly.
I am debating between a 2014 version vs a 2012 that I would upgrade myself (add a SDD to make a fusion drive and max out the ram). If I did go with a 2012, would the cost difference to get a i7 quad core be worth it, or would the dual core i5 be more than sufficient?
thanks!

Various points:
1. You can't really diy a fusion drive. You can build a logical volume that spans two physical drives, and HDD and SSD, but that doesn't make a fusion drive, so you don't get all the benefits. Also, be aware of the issues with TRIM on Yosemite with 3rd part SSDs (short version: Yosemite doesn't allow Trim Enabler etc to load the system extensions they need to work - Apple might change this in future, but who knows)
2. For software, I recommend Aperture (even though it's being replaced by Photos). It has two big benefits: it handles storing the pictures, with all kinds of tagging and search options so you can find them again; and it does non-destructive editing - if you make a change to a picture, you retain the original in case you change your mind or want a different version. Pixelmator is fantastic value too.
3. You can run a virtual machine fine on a 2013 mini (I do it - Windows 7 via Parallels). If all it is is some light online stuff, no issue. But it's true that the newer minis are somewhat slicker.
4. In general, provided you have the RAM (8GB), any mini will do - assuming they have a decent monitor with the right connections. If they want to get serious with photos, they absolutely need a decent monitor.

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