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Advice Please: What To Do With Mac Mini mid2011???

BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
My current Mac Mini mid2011 with 8GB of RAM still gives me more than enough performance so I don't need more hardware grunt, but I'm very nervous about there being some spyware/malicious App installed on a Mac from the Apple refurbished store...
Click to expand...

You only want official Apple OS releases because of security - I can get that - but you then don't trust Apple's own refurbished machines, which are wiped? And even if you somehow didn't trust Apple, you could always wipe the hard drive yourself and reinstall the OS.
 
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Seems to me like all the possible options have been covered in this thread, but you do not wish to accept any of them.
The fact of the matter is, you will not receive any further updates beyond Apple's specified date. No-one can change this and give you a magic solution so you start receiving updates - its not going to happen.
If you do not wish to replace the machine (which is completely understandable) then continue as you are, albeit without updates, or replace the OS.
Personally, I'd install Windows 10 and use that instead...
 
I am typing this reply on a Mid-2011 Mac Mini (MacOS 10.13.6 / 2.3GHz i5 / 8GB RAM / 1TB SSD / 27" Apple LED Cinema Display). Yes it's nearly a decade old, but this is still an excellent computer for day-to-day use. Not sure why you'd want to do *anything* with it other than just use it. I installed DosDude1's Catalina patcher on this same unit several months ago and used it for a bit but it just didn't "feel" right to me so I went back to High Sierra. I myself don't worry at all about security updates; I use a NAT Router to connect to the internet and I avoid "sketchy" websites as much as possible. I keep System Integrity Protection on and I only install apps from developers I trust. And of course I back-up regularly and store my most important stuff securely in the cloud. YMMV of course, and you may run more demanding apps than I do, but I expect to happily continue using this Mac Mini in its current configuration for several more years yet.
 
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BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
What do the experts here think about installing "dual internal 2.5" HDD's" into my Mac Mini mid2011?
Click to expand...

I did it for my 2012. I put in a 2TB spinner to augment my 250GB SSD as a Fusion drive.

You’ll completely gut your Mac in the process but I found it a fun exercise. Be careful with that fan cable. Breaking the connector will brick your Mac.

A tip: if you want to add a traditional HDD, get a portable model and remove it from the case. The portables seem to be about $20 cheaper than a bare hard drive for some reason.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
What do the experts here think about installing "dual internal 2.5" HDD's" into my Mac Mini mid2011?

I've been reading this guide here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Mid+2011+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/6634
Click to expand...

I did this will my 2011 mini, I removed the stock 500GB spinning drives and put it SSDs (Samsung EVOs). The process is not hard, just take you time and you will be fine.

I concur with @steve217 , it is a complete gut job, but it was empowering and fun!
 
steve217 said:
A tip: if you want to add a traditional HDD, get a portable model and remove it from the case. The portables seem to be about $20 cheaper than a bare hard drive for some reason.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply Steve217, but I'm not sure what you mean by "portable HDD's?"

EDIT:
Is this the best guide for me to follow to install one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011?
Link: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Mid+2011+Hard+Drive+Replacement/6422

EDIT2:
I'm thinking of just installing one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011 as the dual HDD solution seems very complicated...

I'd appreciate any feedback about installing one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011!
 
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Kaida said:
wow steve, have you opened up a wd drive? the hdd inside is direct USB and no SATA interface..
Click to expand...

Ha! Obviously not! I've never heard of such a thing - a hard drive with "direct USB and no SATA interface". Usually there's a USB connector over the SATA mount on the hard drive.

I added my second HDD about five years ago so maybe my info is way out of date. When I updated, the portables were ~$20 cheaper than a bare drive, plus I had an case after I transplanted the hard drive.
😊
 
steve217 said:
I meant something like this.
www.newegg.com

WD 2TB Elements Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Black - Newegg.com

Buy WD 2TB Elements Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Model WDBU6Y0020BBK-WESN Black with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
Click to expand...
Kaida said:
wow steve, have you opened up a wd drive? the hdd inside is direct USB and no SATA interface..
Click to expand...

With Seagate drives, this is still possible, but as @Kaida says, WD are not. Haven't been for a couple of years (at least).
 
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dwfaust said:
With Seagate drives, this is still possible, but as @Kaida says, WD are not. Haven't been for a couple of years (at least).
Click to expand...

Sure enough, I had bought a Seagate four years ago.
www.newegg.com

Seagate Portable Hard Drive 1.5TB HDD - External Expansion for PC Windows PS4 & Xbox - USB 2.0 & 3.0 Black (STEA1500400) - Newegg.com

Buy Seagate Portable Hard Drive 1.5TB HDD - External Expansion for PC Windows PS4 & Xbox - USB 2.0 & 3.0 Black (STEA1500400) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com


Thanks for posting, @Kaida. Learned something new.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thanks for your reply Steve217, but I'm not sure what you mean by "portable HDD's?"

EDIT:
Is this the best guide for me to follow to install one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011?
Link: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Mid+2011+Hard+Drive+Replacement/6422

EDIT2:
I'm thinking of just installing one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011 as the dual HDD solution seems very complicated...

I'd appreciate any feedback about installing one 2.5" internal HDD into my Mac Mini mid2011!
Click to expand...

The ifixit guide is the best for doing a drive swap. Be VERY careful on step 5 (removing the fan). As the comments say, it's usually safer to simply leave it connected and work around it than to remove it because the pins are fragile. For anyone working inside an older Mini, accidentally breaking the pins that connect the fan to the board is probably the number one way to ruin things. Work slow and easy with it and you'll be fine.

I highly suggest NOT installing a hard drive internally. A SSD gives a pretty dramatic benefit to a 2011 Mini, often giving it better responsiveness than a newer 2014 Mini that has a HD. A 500G or so sized SATA SSD is only around $55-$60 on Amazon, so it's cheap anymore. 1T SATA SSDs are around $100 right now

If you need more space than that, I normally recommend either an external hard drive or a NAS. Unfortunately, the usb2 ports on the 2011 Mini are not that fast, often giving external HD transfer speeds of 1/2 to 1/3 of what usb3 can do. That said, slower speeds to an external HD often isn't much of an issue with most people because most people don't access their external HD that much anyway
 
twalk said:
Unfortunately, the usb2 ports on the 2011 Mini are not that fast, often giving external HD transfer speeds of 1/2 to 1/3 of what usb3 can do.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is arguably the biggest weakness of the 2011 Mini. But the speed difference is much greater than that. I have never gotten much better than 35MB/sec with a USB 2 external disk. I get almost 400MB/sec write speed with USB 3 SSD on my 2012 Mini - more like 10x faster than USB 2. So you can use it as a system disk and have just about all the advantages of an internal SSD without ever taking the computer apart.
 
steve217 said:
I meant something like this.
www.newegg.com

WD 2TB Elements Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Black - Newegg.com

Buy WD 2TB Elements Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 Model WDBU6Y0020BBK-WESN Black with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply Steve, but my Mac Mini mid2011 only has USB 2.0 ports so I think it's too slow to use an external USB HDD... :( :( :( :(
[automerge]1595312582[/automerge]
twalk said:
The ifixit guide is the best for doing a drive swap. Be VERY careful on step 5 (removing the fan). As the comments say, it's usually safer to simply leave it connected and work around it than to remove it because the pins are fragile. For anyone working inside an older Mini, accidentally breaking the pins that connect the fan to the board is probably the number one way to ruin things. Work slow and easy with it and you'll be fine.

I highly suggest NOT installing a hard drive internally. A SSD gives a pretty dramatic benefit to a 2011 Mini, often giving it better responsiveness than a newer 2014 Mini that has a HD. A 500G or so sized SATA SSD is only around $55-$60 on Amazon, so it's cheap anymore. 1T SATA SSDs are around $100 right now

If you need more space than that, I normally recommend either an external hard drive or a NAS. Unfortunately, the usb2 ports on the 2011 Mini are not that fast, often giving external HD transfer speeds of 1/2 to 1/3 of what usb3 can do. That said, slower speeds to an external HD often isn't much of an issue with most people because most people don't access their external HD that much anyway
Click to expand...
Thank you for your detailed answered Twalk!

I've already tried plugging in an external USB HDD(not an SSD) and the Mac Mini mid2011 is wayyyyy too slow for even basic use.

Wouldn't the USB 2.0 ports make an external USB SSD slow even though the SSD is much faster than the USB HDD???
 
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BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your reply iAssimilated!

Do you think that installing the dual HDD solution for my Mac Mini mid2011 would be too dangerous for me to try?

Link: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Mid+2011+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/6634
Click to expand...
Imho it's a bit of an overkill, but certainly do-able. I did it with my wife's late 2012 MacMini after replacing the HD for a SSD and a 2nd SSD in a caddy. A short time later I then removed that 2nd SSD to use elesewhere, repartitioned the main 500GB Samsung SSD with 80GB (more than adequate for the 5.6GB Mojave OS + future apps) and the 2nd partition with the remaining 420GB named as 'Data'.
With 8GB memory this MacMini6,1 is still a superb performer today - does everything we want it to, and of course still easily upgradeable - unlike most of the subsequent MacMini's.
 
Thank you for your reply Cooperbox!

I think I won't do the dual internal HDD solution because it seems like there's a lot that can go wrong when I'm installing it...
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your reply iAssimilated!

Do you think that installing the dual HDD solution for my Mac Mini mid2011 would be too dangerous for me to try?

Link: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Mid+2011+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/6634
Click to expand...

Yes, I think it is something you could definitely do, just take your time and be mindful of the parts you are working with. The process was not overly hard, it is just time intensive when you are being careful. My motivation for doing this was my 2011 Mac mini was the server model (MD389*/A) which came with two HDDs installed by default and I did not like the idea of replacing one drive with an SSD while the other drive was a HDD (definitely an OCD thing).

After I was done and everything was verified to be in working order I have to say I felt very good about undertaking this endeavor, but I will probably never do it again unless I absolutely have to (ie the secondary drive dies and needs to be replaced).

I researched this process a lot before I decided to do it and can remember one user who tried stating they now have a dead mini because they believed they might have scratched the motherboard when pulling it out of the case. So, if you ever do decide to do this, be very careful.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your reply Steve, but my Mac Mini mid2011 only has USB 2.0 ports so I think it's too slow to use an external USB HDD... :( :( :( :(
[automerge]1595312582[/automerge]

Thank you for your detailed answered Twalk!

I've already tried plugging in an external USB HDD(not an SSD) and the Mac Mini mid2011 is wayyyyy too slow for even basic use.

Wouldn't the USB 2.0 ports make an external USB SSD slow even though the SSD is much faster than the USB HDD???
Click to expand...

Yes, usb 2 would slow down a SSD to the same speed the HDD is slowed down to. I still highly recommend installing a SATA SSD because the jump in performance with a 2011 Mini really gives new life to it

Okay, at this point you need to look at standard questions for creating a data storage solution: 1) How much data do you have? 2) How much data do you frequently access (and therefore need faster data transfer with it)? 3) How much of your data is valuable (and therefore needs some sort of protection)?

For a more extreme example, I've got merely a 240G SATA SSD on my 2011 Mini. That works fine for practically everything I do on this machine. I then have a 500G external HDD hooked up for use with Time Machine (the slow usb2 ports are not a big deal for this). And then for large scale storage I've got roughly 85T of storage on 3 decently large NAS's. This is not a normal setup...

If you've got say 100G of data, then you could install a 240G SSD for <$30. If you've got more like 600G, a 1T SATA SSD can be had for <$100, which is very reasonable for that case

If you've got more than 1T of data, then you really need to look at how you use it. Cost effectiveness is a big thing here, since if cost is no object, then just get a new Mini... If you've got around 2-3T of data but only use like 250G of it constantly (the rest rarely), then a 500G SSD + a 4T external HDD could be a cost effective way of handling it.

If you're really using more than 1T of data frequently, then you really need to start looking at a NAS. Yes, it's another thing to figure out, but for large data amounts it's really the way to go. That's not to say that you have to spend a lot of money on one. 1 bay (WD My Cloud), 2 bay and 4 bay NAS's that are used can be bought for $50-$100 on Ebay, which is reasonable
 
I purchased my 2011 Mac Mini when it was released. Went with the 2.5Ghz instead of the 2.3. Immediately I upgraded the ram from 4tb to 16gb and the HDD to a Samsung Evo 128gb. That has since Ben upgraded to a 256gb model. Sadly the only use this gets now is being run headless as a Plex server. The USB 2.0 ports are slow so I used a Lacie thunderbolt hub that also had two FireWire ports. I have two OWC Mercury Elite ET-AL Qx2 with (4) 2tb drives in each. Running like a champ for years.
 
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It depends on how involved you want to be. Here's an idea:

Install a SSD in there, try to install Linux on it and use it as a file server on your network. You could attach external storage and store media files that you can access from any machine on your home network.

If you write code, install Linux + Gitlab or Jenkins and use it as a build machine or a repo host...
 
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