Mac Mini Late 2014 Installing External SSD

[BigMcGuire]

I just got a Mac Mini Late 2014 to be my "desktop" along side my Macbook Air 11 (2015). After watching several videos that involved upgrading the internal 5400rpm drive to an SSD but instead decided to purchase a Samsung 850 Evo 500GB in an Anker SSD 2.5' enclosure (USB 3.0) to be the "main drive". I successfully created a USB OS X install drive and installed OS X to the SSD an hour ago. Everything is PERFECT and super crazy fast. Had a period of time where WiFi wouldn't connect but then it just started working... But anyway:

The internal 5400 rpm 1TB drive (I got the 2.6 Ghz/ 8GB / 1TB model) - is it safe to wipe that out? I looked into trying to move the recovery partition but since I have a Macbook Air and I use Time Machine to an external WD Passport I should be ok without it, right?

Suggestions for it? Leave it alone as a backup OS? Use it to store iTunes libraries / backups?


Side Note: I highly recommend anyone with a non SSD Mini (2012+) to do this. I spent $160 for the SSD and $13 for the enclosure - I'm kinda new to Mac but I have a long history of IT with Microsoft. Create an OS X install boot disk and bam, either restore from Time Machine or install OS X. You have a super super fast machine.

Side Note 2: My Mac Mini hates my wireless Logitech keyboard/mouse... I have to use bluetooth keyboard (Anker)/mouse (Microsoft).

 

[BigMcGuire]

Well, I just erased the internal Macintosh HD and renamed it Storage. Everything is running fine! Guess that answers my question.

Mods feel free to delete.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Side Note 2: My Mac Mini hates my wireless Logitech keyboard/mouse..."

I've been using a Logitech wireless mouse with a WIRED MacAlly USB keyboard for many years now. I "moved this stuff over" to my late-2012 Mini, and it continues to work fine.

If you're having wifi problems with the Mini and a USB3 "external booter", try moving the drive's physical location around. Interference from the USB3 cabling (or perhaps even the drive enclosure itself) -might- have an impact on wifi.

If you used CarbonCopyCloner to clone the contents of your internal HDD to the external SSD, you would have the option to "clone over" the recovery partition, as well.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Thank you for the response - I see the causation. I have 1 USB 3.0 external SSD drive for the main drive and I have another for the TimeMachine backup. I noticed when I was doing a quick time machine backup yesterday I lost WiFi and couldn't reconnect - but as soon as it stopped it was back. I will make sure they're off to one side. Thank you very much for helping me find that out.

 

[steve217]

I just got a Mac Mini Late 2014 to be my "desktop" along side my Macbook Air 11 (2015). After watching several videos that involved upgrading the internal 5400rpm drive to an SSD but instead decided to purchase a Samsung 850 Evo 500GB in an Anker SSD 2.5' enclosure (USB 3.0) to be the "main drive". I successfully created a USB OS X install drive and installed OS X to the SSD an hour ago. Everything is PERFECT and super crazy fast.

The internal 5400 rpm 1TB drive (I got the 2.6 Ghz/ 8GB / 1TB model) - ...

Suggestions for it? Leave it alone as a backup OS? Use it to store iTunes libraries / backups?

Take the next step and fuse them!

 

[Partron22]

I keep one of my backup clones and a Time Machine partition on the internal drive.
That backup auto-updates once a week in the wee hours of the night.
iTunes Lib and movies etc. live on 7500rpm externals. There's nothing about iTunes, except perhaps start up time, that needs the speed of an SSD, and those files hog a lot of space.