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Mac Mini Primo 2009 SSD upgrade?

Sverkel

Sverkel

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 3, 2007
139
3
Denmark
Hi. My in-laws owns a Mac Mini Primo 2009 and they complain about it being very slow. I have already upgraded the machine from 2GB RAM og 4GB RAM and from the default 5400RPM HDD to an 7200RPM HDD. The machine has been formatted and reinstalled with the newest OS available but it is still slow.

I was wondering if they will benefit from upgrading the HDD to an SSD option. I don't know a lot about harddrives so i'm worried that the SATAII will slow the SSD down to a point that it's not running faster than the 7200RPM that's in the machine now?

What do you guys think?
 
SSD will make a world of difference. Don't worry about it being SATA II. It won't make much of a difference. It will also be considerably quicker than their 7200RPM drive.
 
keysofanxiety said:
SSD will make a world of difference. Don't worry about it being SATA II. It won't make much of a difference. It will also be considerably quicker than their 7200RPM drive.
Click to expand...

In Denmark I can almost only buy SSDs with SATA III (SATA600). Does what you say still apply if I put in fx. the Samsung EVO 750/850 SSD?
 
Sverkel said:
In Denmark I can almost only buy SSDs with SATA III (SATA600). Does what you say still apply if I put in fx. the Samsung EVO 750/850 SSD?
Click to expand...

SATA III is backwards compatible, so it'll work fine.

I wouldn't go for an EVO, though. Too expensive and the SATA II/CPU bottleneck of the Mac Mini would mean you won't notice any performance benefit. You're just wasting your money.

Get a cheaper Crucial, or Kingston. They're all good, really. Go for the cheapest.
 
keysofanxiety said:
SATA III is backwards compatible, so it'll work fine.

I wouldn't go for an EVO, though. Too expensive and the SATA II/CPU bottleneck of the Mac Mini would mean you won't notice any performance benefit. You're just wasting your money.

Get a cheaper Crucial, or Kingston. They're all good, really. Go for the cheapest.
Click to expand...

But what is the difference from Samsung to Crucial or Kingston if they are all SATA III (SATA-600)? As I said, I can't buy SATAII (SATA-300) SSD where I live.
 
Sverkel said:
But what is the difference from Samsung to Crucial or Kingston if they are all SATA III (SATA-600)? As I said, I can't buy SATAII (SATA-300) SSD where I live.
Click to expand...

You can't buy any SATA II SSDs; they're all SATA III. Again, it doesn't matter. SATA III is backwards compatible. That means a SATA III SSD will work on SATA I, or SATA II.

The only difference is that SATA II is 3Gb/s, so it can only transfer a theoretical maximum of about 300MB/s worth of data. SATA III is 6Gb/s, which gives it about 660MB/s maximum.

As the SATA II interface will be saturated long before it hits the maximum speed of an SSD, there's no point in buying an expensive SSD. Almost all modern SSDs will have read/write of 350MB/s or higher. So buy the cheapest SSD you can find, as you won't see any real-world benefit from an expensive one.
 
keysofanxiety said:
You can't buy any SATA II SSDs; they're all SATA III. Again, it doesn't matter. SATA III is backwards compatible. That means a SATA III SSD will work on SATA I, or SATA II.

The only difference is that SATA II is 3Gb/s, so it can only transfer a theoretical maximum of about 300MB/s worth of data. SATA III is 6Gb/s, which gives it about 660MB/s maximum.

As the SATA II interface will be saturated long before it hits the maximum speed of an SSD, there's no point in buying an expensive SSD. Almost all modern SSDs will have read/write of 350MB/s or higher. So buy the cheapest SSD you can find, as you won't see any real-world benefit from an expensive one.
Click to expand...

Oh you mean I won't notice any difference from the Samsung SSD to the Crucial SSD so I might as well go for the cheap model?
 
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Sverkel said:
Oh you mean I won't notice any difference from the Samsung SSD to the Crucial SSD so I might as well go for the cheap model?
Click to expand...

Exactly! On a machine that old, there's no point in going for the quicker/more expensive SSD, as there'll be no performance benefit. So save some cash. :)

Sorry for the confusion; in retrospect, my comments weren't too clear.
 
keysofanxiety said:
Exactly! On a machine that old, there's no point in going for the quicker/more expensive SSD, as there'll be no performance benefit. So save some cash. :)

Sorry for the confusion; in retrospect, my comments weren't too clear.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply, I'm very glad for your help :)
 
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Sverkel said:
Thank you for the reply, I'm very glad for your help :)
Click to expand...

You mean they have the 2.66ghz 2009 Mac Mini? Nice machine. There actually is a real speed difference from the slower CPU's on that model.

Put in eight gigs of ram while you are at it.
 
In the About this Mac it says:

Mac Mini (Primo 2009)
Processor: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphic: NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256MB

As I know I can only put in 4GB of memory?
 
Sverkel said:
In the About this Mac it says:

Mac Mini (Primo 2009)
Processor: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphic: NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256MB

As I know I can only put in 4GB of memory?
Click to expand...


No, it's eight gigs total. I've owned about three or four of these 2009 mac minis. Eight gigs.
 
Sverkel said:
Even better! :D That should give some extra to, right?
Click to expand...

Be sure that at least one stick is 1066Mhz, if both sticks are 1333Mhz or faster, the machine attempts to clock them at 1333Mhz, but there is a known issue with the Nvidia chipsets running memory at that speed (memory errors).
 
Hello again. I'm first getting to this upgrade now. I'm looking at the RAM and acccording to everyman.com the Mac mini supports the RAM type of "PC3-8500 DDR3" but in Denmark I can only buy them with "PC3-12800" or "PC3-10600". Will that work in the machine or does it have to be "PC3-8500"?
[doublepost=1503670432][/doublepost]Oh wait... I found these... Can I use them?

http://www.edbpriser.dk/ram/corsair-mac-memory-1-x-4-gb-id-5061718.aspx
[doublepost=1503671140][/doublepost]What about this HDD? Will that work? It's the Crucial MX300. http://www.edbpriser.dk/ssd-solid-state-drive/crucial-mx300-275-gb-id-14018897.aspx
 
Maxx Power said:
Please look up possible SSD issues with Nvidia chipset-equipped Macs circa 2009-2010 before you decide. Long story short, your Nvidia-chipset equipped Mac Mini is incredibly sensitive to SSD (most SSDs tested in the last few years will not work) and RAM choices.
Click to expand...


Tried installing an Intel SSD in my mid-2010 Mac mini. Failed on reboot. Installed low-end Kingston SSD, working fine for over two years now.
 
Sverkel said:
Hello again. I'm first getting to this upgrade now. I'm looking at the RAM and acccording to everyman.com the Mac mini supports the RAM type of "PC3-8500 DDR3" but in Denmark I can only buy them with "PC3-12800" or "PC3-10600". Will that work in the machine or does it have to be "PC3-8500"?
[doublepost=1503670432][/doublepost]Oh wait... I found these... Can I use them?

http://www.edbpriser.dk/ram/corsair-mac-memory-1-x-4-gb-id-5061718.aspx
[doublepost=1503671140][/doublepost]What about this HDD? Will that work? It's the Crucial MX300. http://www.edbpriser.dk/ssd-solid-state-drive/crucial-mx300-275-gb-id-14018897.aspx
Click to expand...

People have reported that the MX300 only works at SATA1 speeds (not SATA2) with computer which have the Nvidia MCP79 chipset, which the early 2009 Mini has. I think the mid-2010 Mini had the MCP89 chipset, which was more compatible with SATA3 SSD's (so what works with the mid-2010 Mini might not work at SATA2 with the early-2009 Mini). Most people report that the Samsung 850 Evo or Pro works with the MCP79 at SATA2. For other SSD's, you should search the web for whatever brand/model you're look at and "nvidia MCP79" and see what results you get. (This was the issue mentioned in post #11.)

As for the memory, you should visit the corsair site and see if they list the memory you're thinking of buying as being compatible with the early-2009 Mini.
 
Focus on buying a SSD known for reliability if your machine is only SATA I or II. My Kingston SSD crapped out in a 2011 Mac mini (previously had it in my 2007 mini), and it's such a pain to replace that I bought a new iMac to be my new primary home computer rather than take that 2011 mini apart again. (the 2011 is running off the HDD that occupies the other drive slot and is now connected to my living room tv). Because opening a mini to replace parts can be so time consuming, it's better to spend the money on a reliable drive like a Samsung EVO.
 
I sourced a (used) Crucial M500 for my late 2009 Mac mini. Been running at SATA II for about a year now.
 
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