Mac Mini SSD upgrade

[Fetseun]

Hi All,

New to the forum and very new to opening up my mini!

I know there are a ton of threads on this but I really just want to make sure I am ordering the right stuff.

I have a late 2012 model that is very slow. I run an online store and do some web design, video edits etc. So I don't need it to be massively fast, but Im struggling with the current configuration.

I was going to get this SSD :

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/samsung-850-evo-250gb-ssd-mz-75e500/

and this Ram

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/crucia...X7m6WYI9CSq83eK_B8Jp3AlW0qKxwcP0aAtBDEALw_wcB

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[MarkJames68]

Can’t go wrong with either but if you are going through the trouble of opening it all up why not go bigger on the SSD?

 

[Fetseun]

I just realised I linked to the 250. Meant to be 500.

Not sure what size is ideal?

 

[Trusteft]

I just realised I linked to the 250. Meant to be 500.

Not sure what size is ideal?

What type of video editing?
If we are talking about complicated and/or large files, you might want to invest in either an additional internal or external SSD. You will see some improvement in speed by having two drives.
Otherwise, 500GB is plenty enough for most people. Just remember to have a portion of the SSD blank (ie not full), for the garbage collection to work properly. 10-20%.

 

[Fetseun]

Thanks, I only do Go Pro edits for Social Media, nothing to sophisticated.

Just remember to have a portion of the SSD blank (ie not full), for the garbage collection to work properly. 10-20%.

Do I need to actually make a partition or just pay attention and make sure 10-20% is always available?

Thanks

 

[Trusteft]

Thanks, I only do Go Pro edits for Social Media, nothing to sophisticated.



Do I need to actually make a partition or just pay attention and make sure 10-20% is always available?

Thanks

Just make sure it is available.

 

[xylitol]

20% is quite a bit, considering there's already over-provisioning:

https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/tech-insights/ssd-over-provisioning-benefits-master-ti/

 

[GuilleA]

Can't go wrong with the EVO. That and the RAM and you'll have a completely new machine.

 

[Jayhawk Raven]

Unless you are very experienced with the inner workings of the Mac Mini I would suggest having a professional do the SSD install. It should cost less than $100 to have a pro do the install.

There are several fragile connectors that need to be removed and later reattached to install the SSD. If you make a mistake it will cost you.

Here are some old threads that talk about it.

IR Sensor can break

Thermal Sensor

 

[Fetseun]

Thanks guys, Ill let you know what happens when it all arrives. Im sure Ill have more questions about how to copy/clone etc.

Thanks Jayhawk Raven, I would gladly get someone else to do it, but the cheapest quote Ive found just to instal the SSD is $840 AUD thats about $660 US. I just ordered a 1TB and a big hammer. I guess there is only one to to learn.

 

[GuilleA]

Thanks guys, Ill let you know what happens when it all arrives. Im sure Ill have more questions about how to copy/clone etc.

Thanks Jayhawk Raven, I would gladly get someone else to do it, but the cheapest quote Ive found just to instal the SSD is $840 AUD thats about $660 US. I just ordered a 1TB and a big hammer. I guess there is only one to to learn.

It really isn't that complicated. With the proper tools and a bit of patience you can do it yourself. Taking it apart, installing the SSD and putting everything back together should take about 30 min. I have dissasembled my mini several times, it gets easier overtime.

 

[Fetseun]

Thanks Guillea, Im looking forward to getting started!

 

[Fetseun]

So its taken nearly two weeks but my SSD has finally arrived.

I understand I need to clone my hard drive and I was wandering what the best procedure was?

I have a 1 TB WD external hard drive that I was hoping to use via usb, would that but after watching countless youtube vids they all suggest using a specific housings or SATA cables. I have neither.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[MarkJames68]

So its taken nearly two weeks but my SSD has finally arrived.

I understand I need to clone my hard drive and I was wandering what the best procedure was?

I have a 1 TB WD external hard drive that I was hoping to use via usb, would that but after watching countless youtube vids they all suggest using a specific housings or SATA cables. I have neither.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

I use Carbon Copy Cloner, and clone either by USB or TB2->FireWire. The interface doesn’t matter.

 

[Trusteft]

So its taken nearly two weeks but my SSD has finally arrived.

I understand I need to clone my hard drive and I was wandering what the best procedure was?

I have a 1 TB WD external hard drive that I was hoping to use via usb, would that but after watching countless youtube vids they all suggest using a specific housings or SATA cables. I have neither.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

You don't need to clone anything. You can just have a fresh installation.