Mac mini 2012 SSD boot drive help plz

[Flinty_14]

Hey guys,

I've decided to get an OWC data doubler for my Mac mini 2012 and add a Samsung 860 EVO internal SSD for start up and a few important apps, mainly Logic Pro X & Adobe suite.

My question is, would it be better to get say a 500GB ssd devoted to just start up and these aforementioned apps, or could I go for say a 2TB ssd and use it for more than just these few functions?

The other drive I intend to keep in there alongside the new ssd is a 1TB SATA disk drive, pretty slow now for intensive tasks.

Any help or advice would be welcome as I'm a bit of a tech noob really, trying to learn.

Peace

 

[Boyd01]

If you really want to keep it simple, just get an external USB 3.0 SSD. I boot my 2012 quad Mini Server from a 1TB Samsung T3 and it works great with Logic, Final Cut Pro and other demanding apps. My Mini has an original Apple 256gb internal SSD, and that is a little faster, but I really don't notice much "real world" difference in performance. This is the external SSD.

And this is the internal SSD

Now, it's certainly possible to install your own internal SSD, but there are plenty of threads here from people who have damaged their computer in the process. And personally, I don't like the idea of messing around inside an 8 year old computer that was never intended to be user-serviceable.

 

[bigfatipod]

Two years ago, I slapped in two 2TB SSDs to replace a dying fusion drive and its been awesome. Today, I would probably just recommend using the drive externally and bypassing the effort. Unless, you like to tinker.
My recommendation is based on, perhaps inaccurately, the chance that you may upgrade to a new Mac in a few years. It's less of a pain to simply drag the external SSD over to a new Mac instead of going inside and pulling it out.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Hey guys,

I've decided to get an OWC data doubler for my Mac mini 2012 and add a Samsung 860 EVO internal SSD for start up and a few important apps, mainly Logic Pro X & Adobe suite.

My question is, would it be better to get say a 500GB ssd devoted to just start up and these aforementioned apps, or could I go for say a 2TB ssd and use it for more than just these few functions?

The other drive I intend to keep in there alongside the new ssd is a 1TB SATA disk drive, pretty slow now for intensive tasks.

Any help or advice would be welcome as I'm a bit of a tech noob really, trying to learn.

Peace

2TB ssd certainly gives you more breathing room than 500Gb when it comes to working with Logic ProX and Adobe suite as this gives you the ability to work on your projects on the fly. A larger sized SSD will be faster than a smaller size SSD in terms of xfer rate as the cache size is larger especially if you are going to be using a Samsung EVO. You can always back up your files to an external USB 3 platter drive by cloning your larger boot drive. I have this arrangement now with my Mini 2011 which uses a large SSD drive as boot so I can work with Audacity and Protools with ease and speed and back up my work to a USB RAID 5 server.

Installing a OWC doubler isn't that difficult and in fact a good idea, because it gives you the excuse to clean the fan of dust and the internals as well. It gets very dusty quickly.

 

[McTinker]

I like to tinker, hence my nick. I also got a Mac Mini 2012. I've replaced the hdd with a SSD, then placed a second SSD. Really fun to do! You have to be careful bit it's not that difficult.
The sad part is that a RAID setup of both disks isn't supported as boot disk any more since High Sierra. I even tried to make a Fusion disk of both SSD's, but Apple said na-ah, since High Sierra one of the drive must be a HDD.
So, one SSD is enough, and if you need space it's better to use an external drive; faster and more flexible.
My next project is to image Catalina and clone it back on a RAID 0 set. Not supported, but maximum speed

 

[Tesla1856]

Mac mini 2012 and add a Samsung 860 EVO internal SSD for start up and a few important apps, mainly Logic Pro X & Adobe suite.

Any help or advice would be welcome as I'm a bit of a tech noob really, trying to learn.

Back when I first got my MacMini, I just swapped the Apple spinning HDD for a Kingston-SSD. Just the one drive inside for me (no OWC DataDoubler here). The Apple 500gb HDD I moved to a 2.5inch USB-3 enclosure and I keep it attached always (mostly used for backups).

Been working fine all these years. Be very careful inside MacMini and I suggest you watch some videos first. Hope that helps.