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scottsjack

macrumors 68000
Aug 25, 2010
1,906
311
Arizona
I'm curious about why more people don't stick the SSD in an external Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, or even USB3 enclosure? I've seen Firewire 800 with extra ports for daisy chaining for around $50, so only a little north of the data doubler cost. I understand that it's a tad slower than the internal interface, but SO much easier to install. It's my understanding that you can even do the fusion drive with the external if you really wanted to (though this would make ME very nervous). Booting via Firewire 800 is no problem.

FW is too slow, might as well get a hard drive. TB and USB have too few ports. Since there is an empty drive bay inside why not use it?
 

opinio

macrumors 65816
Mar 23, 2013
1,171
7
I think it is more than a tad slower on FireWire. More like significantly slower if you're talking SSD.

I wouldn't even bother using an SSD on FireWire. You would gain little over a good 7200rpm HDD.

Also if you are like me and prefer the minimalist approach, I don't like key part of the system such as the OS connected via external wires. Particularly with kids around.
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
I'm curious about why more people don't stick the SSD in an external Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, or even USB3 enclosure? I've seen Firewire 800 with extra ports for daisy chaining for around $50, so only a little north of the data doubler cost. I understand that it's a tad slower than the internal interface, but SO much easier to install. It's my understanding that you can even do the fusion drive with the external if you really wanted to (though this would make ME very nervous). Booting via Firewire 800 is no problem.

I've had a 2011 Mini with the only upgrade being 8Gb of ram and it's worked perfectly over the last 30 months as I've used the 500GB standard HD for processing conversions etc and then a WD 3TB FW800 aluminium book to store 1.5TB of HD movies and 1GB of tv box sets.

I was going to put an SSD in as it's perfumed so well on MBP 13 but as the Mini is really only a media centre and never uses any intense apps I thought it would be prudent to put the whole library on the two new 2TB drives and then use the WD 3TB as a back up as I've spent three years ripping DVDs and tagging in flicks so if the WD 3TB were ever to fail it would almost be irreplaceable.

It is nice to have the whole Mini in one self contained unit now with a further 1.5TB free.
 

808?

macrumors 6502a
Aug 4, 2011
583
24
Hong Kong
Mac Mini 2010 4,1 - adding 2nd hard drive

Am I right to assume that I can't use the optical cable that attaches to the optical drive caddy for an additional hard drive if I remove the optical drive?

I swapped the original internal for an SSD years ago, but now my old external FW800 drive that stores my home folder is dying and I thought it would be best to bring it all internally since I never use the CD drive these days.

Do I have to get an Upper Bay cable <821-1500-A> or will the optical cable do the job?

I was planning to add a 2.5" 2TB drive in place of the optical.
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
Am I right to assume that I can't use the optical cable that attaches to the optical drive caddy for an additional hard drive if I remove the optical drive?

I swapped the original internal for an SSD years ago, but now my old external FW800 drive that stores my home folder is dying and I thought it would be best to bring it all internally since I never use the CD drive these days.

Do I have to get an Upper Bay cable <821-1500-A> or will the optical cable do the job?

I was planning to add a 2.5" 2TB drive in place of the optical.

I'm not sure to be honest as I've never done a Mini with a DVD drive but I would imagine it's the same as the DVD in my Macbook Pro 13.

I put in the optibay and now have 2TB in it with Samsung 256GB 6gb/sec SSD.

if you got the kit below $50 for optibay and $29 for the enclosure for old DVD drive(I found this great for my MBP when you do occasionally need a dvd player and for the sake of $29 better not to let it go to waste)

http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/...Code=OBSXGB-MINIS&Category_Code=STORHDOPTIBAY

you could put a Samsung 2TB in the optibay and your Mini should be superb
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
Well it was all going so well...

I have the 2011 Mini with two 2TB samsung drives running fine for the last week nearly and I started copying over folders, started with 300GB of Blu Ray rips.

Came back to mini this evening and it had stopped at 90Gb and the warning message "disk not ejected properly" was in top right hand corner and the second 2TB drive was nowhere to be seen.

Had to open it up and disconnect and then reconnect the ribbon and then thankfully the drive was back on the desktop.

Second attempt to copy files failed within minutes and same erro message.

Could it be that when the drive is spinning it's some how moving a loose connection?
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
Well it was all going so well...

I have the 2011 Mini with two 2TB samsung drives running fine for the last week nearly and I started copying over folders, started with 300GB of Blu Ray rips.

Came back to mini this evening and it had stopped at 90Gb and the warning message "disk not ejected properly" was in top right hand corner and the second 2TB drive was nowhere to be seen.

Had to open it up and disconnect and then reconnect the ribbon and then thankfully the drive was back on the desktop.

Second attempt to copy files failed within minutes and same erro message.

Could it be that when the drive is spinning it's some how moving a loose connection?

took the second 2tb drive out just now, I'm trying to copy 1.2TB of movies on to it via data usb adaptor, 60gb so far no problems.

This would point to the folded cable from ifixit that might be the issue?

my first thought was that maybe the black plastic cover might need to be on this drive but then maybe its needed more on the drive next to wireless antenna.

on one hand I hope the drive is not faulty as the other two are fine and if the 1.2TB is copied over tonight it would appear that it isn't

so if I re install it should I insist that ifixit send a new ribbon cable first?

thanks
 

keema

macrumors member
Oct 26, 2011
59
0
ifix it dual HDD kit..

I just want to know if the sata cable that is supplied when purchasing the dual HDD kit from Ifix-it will be okay whether the stock hardisk in my late 2012 i7 2.3ghz mac mini is in the "lower" (connection ID)?

Because I've read on some threads here that the cable length is different from the "upper" or "lower" sata connections on the mini.
 

thedeske

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2013
963
58
Thought I'd add to the thread. Updated a stock entry level 2012 Mini with a Samsung Evo 250 and 16G Ram (Crucial)

My Mini had the stock drive in the Upper position, So I chose to place the SSD in that position (recommended by many) and move the stock 500gb to the Lower position.

Before, it was sluggish to say the least. Now, it performs extremely well. Restarts in aprox 15 seconds. Cold Boot about 17. Not bad for such a low powered machine. Lightroom Boots in 2 seconds. Speed test is in the high 400s, but not to worry, It's more about getting a 550.00 machine to play nice with 10.9.1

I don't use Fusion for this machine & prefer to put large media/downloads/etc on the slow 500 Spinpoint that came with the Mini.

I used an budget cable kit from Amazon that was 20 bucks with a few tools.

Total cost of the SSD and Sata Cable Kit was 180 (should have around 165 but Amazon is suddenly hitting me with Tax) The Ram was in stock here.

No doubt the i7 would get slightly better results, but the entry i5 is darn good with a few adjustments.

Best To All
 
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Elho

macrumors regular
Oct 22, 2013
135
0
Belgium
Thought I'd add to the thread. Updated a stock entry level 2012 Mini with a Samsung Evo 250 and 16G Ram (Crucial)

My Mini had the stock drive in the Upper position, So I chose to place the SSD in that position (recommended by many) and move the stock 500gb to the Lower position.

Before, it was sluggish to say the least. Now, it performs extremely well. Restarts in aprox 15 seconds. Cold Boot about 17. Not bad for such a low powered machine. Lightroom Boots in 2 seconds. Speed test is in the high 400s, but not to worry, It's more about getting a 550.00 machine to play nice with 10.9.1

I don't use Fusion for this machine & prefer to put large media/downloads/etc on the slow 500 Spinpoint that came with the Mini.

I used an budget cable kit from Amazon that was 20 bucks with a few tools.

Total cost of the SSD and Sata Cable Kit was 180 (should have around 165 but Amazon is suddenly hitting me with Tax) The Ram was in stock here.

No doubt the i7 would get slightly better results, but the entry i5 is darn good with a few adjustments.

Best To All

Can you provide the link to that cable on Amazon and the link to the instruction video that you used.

Why didnt you use the fusion drive option?
 

thedeske

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2013
963
58
Can you provide the link to that cable on Amazon and the link to the instruction video that you used.

Why didnt you use the fusion drive option?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C1XZOYQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I prefer to keep the system/apps and a few files on SSD and not have it go past 65-70% full. The stock drive will be easy to replace if I want something larger. Also gave 10 bucks to the Dev of Trim Enabler this time. I used his software in the past & thought he deserved the money for the new version.

This PDF seemed to be the best for my procedure.

https://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/manuals/OWCMANMACMINI11.pdf
 

scottsjack

macrumors 68000
Aug 25, 2010
1,906
311
Arizona
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C1XZOYQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I prefer to keep the system/apps and a few files on SSD and not have it go past 65-70% full. The stock drive will be easy to replace if I want something larger.

Same here. I'm running a 960GB M500 SSD and the OEM 1TB HDD. I use the HDD for recording TV, lots of recording, lots of erasing. The OEM drive is also available if I want to move one of my W8 installs over to it. I prefer separate drives for each OS.
 

Elho

macrumors regular
Oct 22, 2013
135
0
Belgium
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C1XZOYQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I prefer to keep the system/apps and a few files on SSD and not have it go past 65-70% full. The stock drive will be easy to replace if I want something larger. Also gave 10 bucks to the Dev of Trim Enabler this time. I used his software in the past & thought he deserved the money for the new version.

This PDF seemed to be the best for my procedure.

https://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/manuals/OWCMANMACMINI11.pdf

Thanks!
 

thedeske

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2013
963
58

No Prob - The testy stuff for some of us is IR cable and the power supply cable (for me at least) I have a bunch of those plastic pry tools, so I sanded both sides down on one to get it Super Skinny, close the 1/8" wide. Really helps if you don't have small hands.
 

808?

macrumors 6502a
Aug 4, 2011
583
24
Hong Kong
I'm not sure to be honest as I've never done a Mini with a DVD drive but I would imagine it's the same as the DVD in my Macbook Pro 13.

I put in the optibay and now have 2TB in it with Samsung 256GB 6gb/sec SSD.

if you got the kit below $50 for optibay and $29 for the enclosure for old DVD drive(I found this great for my MBP when you do occasionally need a dvd player and for the sake of $29 better not to let it go to waste)

http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/...Code=OBSXGB-MINIS&Category_Code=STORHDOPTIBAY

you could put a Samsung 2TB in the optibay and your Mini should be superb

I got a Data Doubler kit from OWC and it worked like a charm. Added a 1.5Tb drive to the kit and all is well so far.

Now to add a 2nd drive to my new 2012 refurb that arrived on Friday. :D
 

thedeske

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2013
963
58
I got a Data Doubler kit from OWC and it worked like a charm. Added a 1.5Tb drive to the kit and all is well so far.

Now to add a 2nd drive to my new 2012 refurb that arrived on Friday. :D

Used OWC kits a few times. They are generally good, but I wish they'd sell the essential parts without the tools, i.e. just the sata cable. After a couple of iMacs and a couple of Minis, I'm over-run with cheap plastics from Taiwan ;)
 

rohitp

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2003
156
25
Austin, Texas
Here is my experience adding a second drive (Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB) to my Mac Mini Late 2012.

I would say two things:
  1. DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU ARE VERY EXPERIENCED. I have changed out several components such as RAM, HDDs, etc., over the years in various older MacBooks/Powerbooks and desktops but this is CHALLENGING. I followed OWCs video which is quite detailed but, unknowingly, I broke off two boots/connectors from the logic board while trying to disconnect the IR connection and the fan. It is really easy to do this without realizing what you've done. It was when reassembling the unit that I realized I actually had pried the boots right off the board. (Luckily for me, I have a friend who works on circuit boards for a living who was able to insert pins in to the logic board and solder the fan wires directly in. Could not do that for the IR connector but that was not critical).
  2. DO IT. Pay someone else to do it but get it done! It's worth the extra $$ to have someone do it. My machine is screaming FAST after the upgrade. Night and day difference! My user login times have gone from 2 minutes to literally seconds. All apps launch in seconds. It's fantastic. :cool:
Notes:
  • I ordered the installation parts right off eBay for $8.39. Search for "Dual Hard Drive SSD Flex Cable for Mac Mini A1347" - doesn't matter if it says "server."
  • I kept the original HDD in the lower bay (upper, if you have the unit upside down while working on it).
  • Once the SSD was installed, I booted up in restore mode, formatted the SSD, ran first aid on it, and then used Disk Utility to "restore" the old drive on to the new SSD. "Restore" is a menu item in Disk Utility. It cloned the drive with no issues. Of course, you then have to rename the new drive and select it as the startup disk. (I had to use disk utility again to figure out which drive was the new SSD as it completely cloned the original drive, including name and icon).
  • Once booted up, I enabled TRIM. To run trimforce, open a Terminal window and type the following command: sudo trimforce enable -- this will result in some warnings but after you accept it will perform the command and reboot the machine.

End result? The machine is running just great with no problems. I just did all this last night but if there is an issue that comes up, I will update my comments here.
 

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