Has anyone ever tried using a PCI-E card on the 2014 Mini by adapting the SSD slot to M.2 and then using a PCI-E riser? I know M.2 to PCI-E generally works in the Windows world, even with video cards. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper than a Thunderbolt PCI-E adapter!
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Mac Mini 2014 SSD slot to PCI-E?
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Do they even make thunderbolt pcie?
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Using a Standard M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD in the 2014 Mini
In searching the web a month ago, I wasn't able to find articles on using a standard M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD in the 2014 Mini. I was going to order a Toshiba/OCZ RD400 for some yet-to-be-defined future use NOT in the 2014 Mini (it's a good PCIe SSD that Toshiba will be discontinuing and the 256GB...
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They sure do, many options have been around for years:
www.sonnettech.com
Echo Express SE I Thunderbolt 2 to PCIe Card Expansion System - Sonnet
Desktop Thunderbolt 2 adapter box with 2 slots with DisplayPort and Thunderbolt daisy chain support for audio, video, fibre, RAID and ethernet PCIe cards.
What you want to do cannot be done internally. It does not matter what you think you've read on the internet. The T2 equipped Macs use proprietary blades. The only T2 equipped Mac that lets you add internal storage is the Mac Pro 7.1. There is no workaround.
External storage, you have plenty of choices but the least expensive one is to forget about an external PCIe chassis over Thunderbolt. You're limited to 4 lanes currently so, while more storage is available if your wallet is big enough, it will be no faster than an X5.
Oh yea, you wanted to explore this to save money.
Get a Samsung X5 (500G/1T/2T). Plug it into a TB3 port. Format APFS. You're done. It's nearly as fast as the storage on a Mini using a single chip and Apple enables TRIM automatically. Though it's not as fast as the storage on Minis that use 2 chips (1TB and up), it's plenty speedy and takes advantage of all 4 lanes.
This OP is asking about a 2014 Mini which only has Thunderbolt 2. Your response appears to be about a 2018 mini.
