The new mac mini will be much faster than an older model. I recently bought a mac mini late 2012 server model i think and then bought a samsung evo 850 ssd to install. After running the operating system on an external firewire 800 drive for a while, i decided to get this kit 250 gb internal ssd with parts for installing dual drives in the mac mini. Upgrade nearly any apple computer for faster speeds and more flash storage. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install an owc data doubler in the apple mac mini 2012 with model id. My question is can i buy an external ssd and boot the mini from that. Hi, my 2014 mini mac is slowing down, so i first thought of buying a new 2018 model. The mac mini originally came with a 500 gb hard drive which failed. Nov 19, 2014 i recently bought a mac mini late 2012 server model i think and then bought a samsung evo 850 ssd to install. The tools worked to take everything apart and get access to the bracket to install my ssd. Mac mini upgrade ssd external ssd upgrade for final cut pro x.
I plan on using the internal drive only for programs, and then putting working files, dropbox, etc on the external. Once connected, open up disk utility located in the utilities folder within the applications folder. There are five different lines of aluminum unibody mac mini systems the mid2010, mid2011, late 2012. Can an external ssd match the mac minis pricey inbuilt storage. Can an external ssd match the mac minis pricey inbuilt. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives. Today i share with you how you can speed up and gain performance from your mac mini computer. Mac mini late 2012 hard drivessd installation video. Replacement parts for your mac mini model a47 late 2012 model to fix your broken computer. Now the mac mini is working great again, faster than ever. How to speed up your mac with a solid state ssd drive.
I think any intel mac can be booted from an external. Get everything you need to upgrade your 2012 mac mini server ssd for a total system performance and capacity boost. Apple mac mini intel core i3 8gb memory 128gb solidstate. Unlike previous models, you cannot upgrade the internal hard drive. Get everything you need to upgrade your 2012 mac mini ssd for a total system performance and capacity boost. Install the apple ssd into the owc envoy external case.
May 16, 2019 the 2012 mac mini was always considered to be the best mac mini you can buy although now the 2018 model is considerably more powerful, however it lowers the cost of the 2012 mac mini. The 2011 and 2012 non server mac mini models mac minis can have a second drive installed. Just need to be sure that the external enclosure has the latest drivers not all usb3 enclosures are the same in performance. How to upgrade aluminum mac mini hard drives or ssds. Apple introduced a new model of the mac mini in late. I have a mac mini 2012 i716 gb ram1tb hd and i want to upgrade it. On more recent models, users have been able to upgrade some bits, such as the ram in the 2018 release, but in the 2012 model. Drive thats on the top when the mini is turned upside down to open it. The 2012 model remains to this day apples last, properly upgradeable mac mini. How to give your 2012 or 2014 mac mini a performance boost by replacing the hard drive with an ssd by malcolm owen thursday, january 31, 2019, 12.
If the answers are yes, any suggestions and recommendations in regard to model. Both lines could be configured with a hybrid drive which combines a traditional hard drive and an ssd together to offer the capacity of a hard drive with performance closer to an ssd but it became a default on the late 2014 mac mini core i5 2. Aug 21, 20 owcs stepbystep video of how to install a hard drive in the apple mac mini 2012 with model id. Apple mac mini a47 desktop md387lla october, 2012 for. How to set up a mac and macos to take advantage of an ssd. Upgrade the 2012 base model mac mini with 16gb ram and 120gb sata ii ssd. If you have a 2012 model, you will want to determine the configuration of your mac mini. How to speed up your mac with a solid state ssd drive hardware, advanced, macbook, performance, ssd, trim add comments this article was originally written in 2015 but it is still relevant.
When internal surgery of a mac isnt in the cards, an external ssd. Hard drive cable 8211501a 8211500a upgrade kit ssd fit for mac mini a47 2012. Careers licensing external links disclosure accessibility statement. May 09, 2019 the best external hard drives for mac in 2020. Though i have a pair of external samsung ssds, i also upgraded my stock mac internal drive to a pair of samsung 1tb internal ssds i have my os on one internal drive and track to the 2nd, and only use my externals for backup. Im not a computer expert but i did extensive research on the topic about the best ssd for macbook pro and actually upgraded it by myself diy. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install a ssd in the apple imac 21. I have some very expensive legacy software that i dont use a lot, but still need from time to time. In theory, just about any hard drive or ssd that meets the minimum requirements should work in the mac mini. How to give your 2012 or 2014 mac mini a performance boost by.
How do you upgrade the storage in the aluminum unibody mac mini models. I kept the old drive inside the mac mini and use it for both backups and os x beta testing. Switching to a solidstate drive means that the ssd pro is now the smallest model in the rugged range, measuring just 98mm long, 65mm wide and 17mm thick. Apple introduced a new model of the mac mini in late 2018, bringing the. Not a wise choice when there is room for adding a drive to the inside of a mac mini. I have the 2014 base model with a 500gb sata hard drive which i am going to be sharing. Though i have a pair of external samsung ssds, i also upgraded my stock mac internal drive to a pair of samsung 1tb internal ssds i have my. Here are the best external drive enclosures for your new. Jun 18, 2019 mac mini models are organized by the year they were introduced, starting with the most recent. I run an external samsung ssd using usb3 and get 425450 mb s on my 2012 mini. How to upgrade the 2012 mac mini for use in 2020 imore. Crucial memory and ssd upgrades 100% compatibility guaranteed for apple mac mini late 2012 free us delivery. How to give your 2012 or 2014 mac mini a performance boost.
Its starting to run a little slower than i would like even after i backed it up and started fresh reinstalling the os. How to give your 2012 or 2014 mac mini a performance boost by replacing the hard drive with an ssd. Mac mini models are organised by the year they were introduced, starting with the most recent. So the best you can do is grab a 16gb kit made up of a pair of 8gb sticks. I consider installing mavericks on an external ssd drive connected via thunderbolt to my mac mini late 2012 and booting macos x from it. I have not done this myself i have removed the logic board but people say that you can remove and add a drive to the lower bay. Among the late 2012 mac mini models, the entrylevel mac mini core i5 2. But, given the highspeed thunderbolt 3 interface on both of the new. Its worth pointing out that macbook pros from 20, 2014, and 2015 have very few ssd upgrade options. Sep 29, 2017 while the 2010 mac mini limits you to firewire 800 or usb 2. On more recent models, users have been able to upgrade some bits, such as the ram in the 2018 release, but in the 2012 model, you can go ahead and get really crazy. Thunderbolt started at 10gbps, with a throughput of 700mbps to 800mbps, and todays thunderbolt 3 is specified for up to 40gbps or 5,000mbps of bandwidth.
Oct 24, 20 thanx for the article, really, really helpful. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. Differences between late 2012 and late 2014 mac mini. Click the model name for detailed technical specifications. Following an installation procedure similar to ifixit s for adding a second drive i had only one issue very slow boot.
This video provides a detailed step by step instructions on how to replace the hdd by a ssd in mac mini late 2012 model. Use an external ssd to make an old mac feel new without cracking. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install a hard drive in the apple mac mini 2012 with model id. While the 2010 mac mini limits you to firewire 800 or usb 2.
Select a category above or browse all compatible parts for your mac mini. The machine was configured to boot from the external ssd and only used. But thanks to the usbc interface on the new mac mini, an external ssd drive is now a good option. Attach the enclosure or cableconnected ssd to the mac mini, via usb. I swapped one of the hdd and installed a crucial ssd. This compares with the same internal that gets 500 mb. Cheaper, can be installed in 3040 minutes with tools and instruction videos provided by the vendor. After resetting the pram the new configuration worked fine. It is running yosemite perfectly, it is not in a fusion array. Sep 27, 2019 after years of neglecting the mac mini, apple gave its compact desktop a powerful upgrade to intels 8thgeneration processors and ample of configuration options. Turn your current hard drive into an external drive with this part. Upgrade your mac mini to up to 8x more capacity and 92x faster speeds than with the apple factory drive. In my case it was a mac mini late 2012 model, with the original drive being in the lower position ie. The tools worked to take everything apart and get access to the bracket to install my ssd in the upper position.
Adding an ssd to the new 2018 mac mini macintosh how to. Mac mini models from 2012 and newer can run the latest version of macos. The hard drives in the new 2018 mac mini are pcie which means they are very fast, but also expensive. Hi i have a mac mini 2,3 ghz 2102 with 2 ssd wd 250 gb in raid and 16gb of. Interested in using these videos on your site view our video usage policy. Mac mini upgrade ssd external ssd upgrade for final cut pro x pny elite portable ssd. A small number of 2012 units were shipped with the drive mounted in the upper drive bay rather than the more typical lower bay shown in this video. External drives add clutter to the desktop and introduces multiple possible failure points. External ssd for mac mini i have a 2018 mini, and i intentionally bought the 512gb ssd with the thought of getting an external drive later on. If you have an old 2012 mac mini laying around gathering dust, or perhaps youre. I bought this unit to replace an older mac mini whose ssd fried. Select the ssdexternal drive as your boot drive and continue. Upgrade the storage and improve boot time and readwrite speed in your mac mini unibody with this ssd. Will this new mac mini with intel i3 perform substantially better than my current mac mini to justify all this money.
I only use it to check emails or make amazon purchases or occasionally use microsoft word. Question mac mini late 2012 resolution with mini dp to hdmi. There are two slots for sata drives in the 2012 mini. An ssd connected over thunderbolt seemed like overkill, and i was already powering one display with the built. Then i thought an external ssd drive would be sufficient. Feb 29, 2020 besides adding an ssd, the next best thing to do to give your old mac mini some additional legs for presentday computing is to add more ram.
When internal surgery of a mac isnt in the cards, an external ssd can rejuvenate a slow machine. You havent mentioned the model of mini that you have, but i have put an ssd in my 2011. Select the external drive in the lefthand column, right click, and select erase. Mirroring the unibody style of enclosure, this model is shorter, wider, and encased in aluminum.
I have the mac mini 2012 model with a ssd and normal drive on. The move to a pcie solid state drive ssd for storage doesnt just make the mac mini faster. The 2012 mac mini uses 1600mhz ddr3 sodimm modules and can accept up to 16gb across two slots. Data doubler and hard drive kit for mac mini 20112012. A reallife throughput of around 2,750mbps makes it potentially faster than most internal ssds, and not far short of the 1tb ssd in the 2018 mac mini. Has anyone yet tried adding an ssd to a late 2012 mac mini, i tried last night my dual drive kit isnt here yet and it would not boot from any device. Whether or not apples flash storage pricing on the new macbook air and mac mini is worth it, is an exercise for the reader. How to set up a mac and macos to take advantage of an ssd and external storage setup. Introduced in june 2010, the mac mini model a47 was a complete design overhaul.
Owcs stepbystep video of how to upgrade the ssd in an 11 apple macbook air mid 2012. Oct 29, 2012 i removed the original 1tb hard drive from a new midrange 2012 mac mini and added two 256gb samsung 830 drives. How to add a fast new ssd to your old mac or macbook for only. Not only is this one of the most mac centric models you can buy, its among the toughest, too. Apple mac mini ssd solid state drive 2012 apple desktops. All of our replacement parts are tested to rigorous standards and backed by our industryleading warranty. I moved the hdd as is to the upper bay and put an sdd in the lower bay. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. Differences between late 2012 aluminum mac mini models. The last few years of mini models have hard drives locked away like an. Works great to add a secondary drive to a mac mini. How to upgrade your mac mini with an ssd 2019 updated. I am just curious how future macos updates via app store will be installed. Willhom 8211500a 8211501a hard drive cable upgrade kit ssd replacement for mac mini a47 2012.
I have just purchased another mac mini server late 2012, this time a 2. Mar 14, 2019 can an external ssd match the mac mini s pricey inbuilt storage. What type of hard drives or ssd s do they each support. Ssd upgrade kits include all tools needed to safely upgrade your mac.
It is a very fast little machine, i use it primarily with final cut pro x. Mac mini speed up base model ssd upgrade performance. The 2014 model also had a sata option, please see our notes on upgrading. David wants a new mac mini but doesnt want to pay apples eyewatering price for a 2tb ssd.
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