Mac Mini Form Factoe Hard Drives/Enclosures?

[Bazzy]

Hi All

The one thing that I find annoying about non Mac peripherals is that many just do not aesthetically match or compliment Mac products! I will soon be looking for a number of large capacity HD's so I can store many hundreds of movies & other data.

Are there any third party brands out there who offer 2010 Mac Mini form factor external HD's or even just enclosures which allow one to install their own HD?

Many Thanks,

Bazzy!

 

[Fishrrman]

"The one thing that I find annoying about non Mac peripherals is that many just do not aesthetically match or compliment Mac products! I will soon be looking for a number of large capacity HD's so I can store many hundreds of movies & other data."

Other World Computing had a line of drives/eclosures that matched the older mini "form factor". However, some users have complained that there were problems with them over time.

I suggest that you get over the need to find something that "looks like" the mini, and rather concentrate on a product that will better suit your _needs_, regardless of visual appeal.

Since you mention you may need more than a single hard drive to store your data, have you considered something like this:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer Technology/FWU2ESHDK/

It has a variety of connection schemes, including Firewire400, Firewire800, and eSATA.

One of these, used in conjunction with as many "bare drives" as you buy, might be the best way to store "hundreds" of movies, etc.

And if those files are precious to you, better consider having a backup of each drive, as well!

 

[gwerhart0800]

Other World Computing had a line of drives/eclosures that matched the older mini "form factor". However, some users have complained that there were problems with them over time.

I own two of the miniStack V3 models from Other World Computing. I will state that the first one was extremely noisy because the cooling fan was touching some plastic. I used a pair of diagonal cutters to remove the offending obstruction and that fixed the loud noise issue. I have been through a number of different models of external hd enclosures and will replace my others with miniStack v3's when they eventually fail. I am going with the miniStacks because of the temperature sensor based fan cooling. I have had several models of passively cooled aluminum enclosures and I have had disks cook to death in them or the enclosure failed because of heat. I have also tried ones with full time fans and they are way too noisy in general. The miniStack fans ARE very noticeable when they run, but for my purposes, they hold my media library and that does not seem to make them hot enough to spin the fans too often. I am using WD 2T Green drives and they seem to be much cooler than some of the others I have tried.

My last comment is that I have 1/2" square wood spacers between the miniStack drives because when they are directly on top of each other, the bottom one tends to get warm enough to run the fan if the top drive is working hard. The temperature sensor mounts to the top of the drive with tape and there is only a plastic cover between the sensor and anything stacked on top. Since the bottom of the miniStack is a heatsink attached to the bottom of the drive, the heat transfer is enough to make the lower drive heat sensor unhappy. It would be better if the drives all had internal heat sensors that were directly readable by the enclosure electronics.

In terms of style, they are a good match to my 2007 era mini. I do wonder if OWC will make one for the new style mini.

Best of luck with your quest.

 

[Bazzy]

"The one thing that I find annoying about non Mac peripherals is that many just do not aesthetically match or compliment Mac products! I will soon be looking for a number of large capacity HD's so I can store many hundreds of movies & other data."

Other World Computing had a line of drives/eclosures that matched the older mini "form factor". However, some users have complained that there were problems with them over time.

I suggest that you get over the need to find something that "looks like" the mini, and rather concentrate on a product that will better suit your _needs_, regardless of visual appeal.

Since you mention you may need more than a single hard drive to store your data, have you considered something like this:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer Technology/FWU2ESHDK/

It has a variety of connection schemes, including Firewire400, Firewire800, and eSATA.

One of these, used in conjunction with as many "bare drives" as you buy, might be the best way to store "hundreds" of movies, etc.

And if those files are precious to you, better consider having a backup of each drive, as well!

Hi,

Thanks for the link, I will look into such options if nothing else is an option - of course, I am limited in terms of products that match well with Apple products but I do admire & prefer, the simple, uncluttered look as it does not stick out like a sore thumb & was just wondering if the preference could n=be accommodated!

Bazzy!

 

[Bazzy]

I own two of the miniStack V3 models from Other World Computing. I will state that the first one was extremely noisy because the cooling fan was touching some plastic. I used a pair of diagonal cutters to remove the offending obstruction and that fixed the loud noise issue. I have been through a number of different models of external hd enclosures and will replace my others with miniStack v3's when they eventually fail. I am going with the miniStacks because of the temperature sensor based fan cooling. I have had several models of passively cooled aluminum enclosures and I have had disks cook to death in them or the enclosure failed because of heat. I have also tried ones with full time fans and they are way too noisy in general. The miniStack fans ARE very noticeable when they run, but for my purposes, they hold my media library and that does not seem to make them hot enough to spin the fans too often. I am using WD 2T Green drives and they seem to be much cooler than some of the others I have tried.

My last comment is that I have 1/2" square wood spacers between the miniStack drives because when they are directly on top of each other, the bottom one tends to get warm enough to run the fan if the top drive is working hard. The temperature sensor mounts to the top of the drive with tape and there is only a plastic cover between the sensor and anything stacked on top. Since the bottom of the miniStack is a heatsink attached to the bottom of the drive, the heat transfer is enough to make the lower drive heat sensor unhappy. It would be better if the drives all had internal heat sensors that were directly readable by the enclosure electronics.

In terms of style, they are a good match to my 2007 era mini. I do wonder if OWC will make one for the new style mini.

Best of luck with your quest.

Hi,

Many thanks for the input! I am based in the UK so options are even more limited than you folks across the pond! There is one company that offers an older style mac mini form factor HD - called iOmega. They do a "Minimax" external HD But I have read some not so happy customer reviews about not only the product but also the after sales service! Sadly, I can find nothing anywhere like the 2010 Mac-Mini - I would have thought that like so many other things, there would have been a ton of companies from China making such products by now but not so it seems - guess I will wait while exploring other options! I was hoping there might be something in the US that I could order from!

Bazzy!