Upgrading a Mac Mini

TaylorMatsu · Dec 6, 2012, 07:00 PM

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knows the best way (cost efficient/best hardware options) to upgrade a Mac Mini. I saw a popular tech reviewer upgrade his (new SSD, etc) but maybe someone in this community has done it differently.

Whats your current Mac Mini setup and/or how have you upgraded your Mac Mini and which parts did you choose?

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

js81 · Dec 6, 2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaylorMatsu

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knows the best way (cost efficient/best hardware options) to upgrade a Mac Mini. I saw a popular tech reviewer upgrade his (new SSD, etc) but maybe someone in this community has done it differently.

Whats your current Mac Mini setup and/or how have you upgraded your Mac Mini and which parts did you choose?

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

Mine is pretty standard, but I swapped one of the hard drives for a 60GB SSD and made a Fusion drive (500GB HDD and 60GB SSD). Planning on 8GB of RAM soon, and maybe later swap the SSD and HDD for larger ones OR (preferably) two larger SSDs; I'm thinking two 180GB or 240GB SSDs in RAID-0 would be sweet.

(I have a server for storage, so the smaller size isn't a big deal)

Which model mini are you referring to?

TaylorMatsu · Dec 6, 2012, 07:45 PM

Its whatever would be the most popular to personally upgrade (newest models of course) If its the 500Gb version + adding an SSD for a fusion drive then thats what i will do. If more people prefer upgrading other models then Id have to go with that.

Im not exactly an expert on this kind of stuff and that why im asking for advice (i need it lol)

js81 · Dec 6, 2012, 07:53 PM

Gotcha - mine is actually the old model (2009); actually a lot harder to crack open than the current style. One consideration - if you were to purchase a NEW one, you could potentially lose your Applecare by opening the case to install any drive. That being said, yes - Fusion drive does seem to have the best of both worlds benefits.

phrehdd · Dec 7, 2012, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaylorMatsu

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knows the best way (cost efficient/best hardware options) to upgrade a Mac Mini. I saw a popular tech reviewer upgrade his (new SSD, etc) but maybe someone in this community has done it differently.

Whats your current Mac Mini setup and/or how have you upgraded your Mac Mini and which parts did you choose?

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum

Most cost efficient way to upgrade would start with 16 gigs of RAM.

If you are in need of more drive space there are a few options -

1) Seagate Momentus hybrid (cheapest light weight version of "Fusion").

2) Any 7200 RPM drive vs the pathetic 5400 RPM that Apple is now using.

3) Make your own Fusion combo with SSD + native drive or replace with 7200 RPM drive.

4) Skip the mechanical drive altogether and go with direct SSD's (two).

As for me, I have the last model server edition and replaced both drives with OWC SSDs. I couldn't be happier.

FourCandles · Dec 7, 2012, 02:58 AM

I have a late 2009 Mini - 2.53GHz / 4GB / 320GB HDD.

They're a little difficult to get into, but with a well-chiselled putty knife and careful attention to the iFixit guides it's straightforward. Much easier than a 12in PowerBook IMO.

I upgraded the RAM to 8GB (Crucial) and a little later replaced the optical drive with a Crucial M4 128GB in a Nimitz caddy; leaving me with the SSD for OS X, applications and some data and the HDD for most of the data (and I left the Bootcamp partition on the HDD as I use it rarely and couldn't be bothered reinstalling on the SSD).

A huge difference in performance for both of those upgrades but for anyone with a similar model I'd suggest doing it in that order (RAM, then SSD).

jwjsr · Dec 9, 2012, 06:34 PM

What is the advantage of the server mini for a single user?

js81 · Dec 9, 2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwjsr

What is the advantage of the server mini for a single user?

Two hard drives by default.

Dec 6, 2012, 07:00 PM	#1
TaylorMatsu macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2012	Upgrading a Mac Mini Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knows the best way (cost efficient/best hardware options) to upgrade a Mac Mini. I saw a popular tech reviewer upgrade his (new SSD, etc) but maybe someone in this community has done it differently. Whats your current Mac Mini setup and/or how have you upgraded your Mac Mini and which parts did you choose? Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum __________________ 2012 15" rMBP 2.7 GHz 8GB RAM 512GB SSD --- iPad Mini 32GB[SOLD] Refurb iPad 3 64GB[SOLD] iPad 4 64GB --- iPhone 5 64GB Twitter
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Dec 6, 2012, 07:45 PM	#3
TaylorMatsu Thread Starter macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2012	Its whatever would be the most popular to personally upgrade (newest models of course) If its the 500Gb version + adding an SSD for a fusion drive then thats what i will do. If more people prefer upgrading other models then Id have to go with that. Im not exactly an expert on this kind of stuff and that why im asking for advice (i need it lol) __________________ 2012 15" rMBP 2.7 GHz 8GB RAM 512GB SSD --- iPad Mini 32GB[SOLD] Refurb iPad 3 64GB[SOLD] iPad 4 64GB --- iPhone 5 64GB Twitter
	0

Dec 6, 2012, 07:53 PM	#4
js81 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: KY	Gotcha - mine is actually the old model (2009); actually a lot harder to crack open than the current style. One consideration - if you were to purchase a NEW one, you could potentially lose your Applecare by opening the case to install any drive. That being said, yes - Fusion drive does seem to have the best of both worlds benefits. __________________ Late-09 Mac mini server
	0

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Dec 7, 2012, 02:58 AM	#6
FourCandles macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: England	I have a late 2009 Mini - 2.53GHz / 4GB / 320GB HDD. They're a little difficult to get into, but with a well-chiselled putty knife and careful attention to the iFixit guides it's straightforward. Much easier than a 12in PowerBook IMO. I upgraded the RAM to 8GB (Crucial) and a little later replaced the optical drive with a Crucial M4 128GB in a Nimitz caddy; leaving me with the SSD for OS X, applications and some data and the HDD for most of the data (and I left the Bootcamp partition on the HDD as I use it rarely and couldn't be bothered reinstalling on the SSD). A huge difference in performance for both of those upgrades but for anyone with a similar model I'd suggest doing it in that order (RAM, then SSD).
	0

Dec 9, 2012, 06:34 PM	#7
jwjsr macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fairhope, Alabama	What is the advantage of the server mini for a single user?
	0