Max height=depth for 2.5" HDD in Mac Mini late 2014?

[j1104638]

Hi all.

I have Mac Mini late 2014 with original 512 GB PCI-E SSD and 512 GB Samsung 850 Pro 2.5" SATA SSD (don't ask how I ended up like this ) i. e. I have the SATA cable.

I want to move 2.5" SSD to MacBook and put biggest possible HDD in its place.

So here is the question: what maximum height=depth 2.5" HDD can Mac Mini late 2014 accommodate?

E. g. Western Digital has following HDDs ranging from 7 mm for 500 GB to 15 mm for 3 TB.
WD30NPRZ SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 15 mm 5400 3 TB
WD20NPVZ SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 15 mm 5400 2 TB
WD15NPVZ SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 15 mm 5400 1.5 TB
WD10JPVX SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 9.5 mm 5400 1 TB
WD7500BPVX SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 9.5 mm 5400 750 GB
WD5000LPVX SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5 Inch 7.0 mm 5400 500 GB

Samsung 850 Pro 2.5" is 9.5 mm. Can I put 15 mm HDD?

Thank you for the help!

 

[Kaida]

Just get the 7mm or 9.5mm 2tb drives
Samsung (now Seagate) M9 ST2000LM003 9.5mm 2TB
Seagate ST2000LM007 7mm 2TB

SATA 2 or 3 doesn't make a difference for HDD. I don't recall seeing any HDD going above SATA 2 (3Gbps) speed.

 

[j1104638]

@Kaida well, that's understandable. But I'd prefer 4 TB 15 mm ST4000LM016 drive if it can be installed at all. The problem is I don't know if 15 mm is ok.

Since there is only one slot, I want to maximize provided storage size in it.

 

[Kaida]

@j1104638 with a 7mm disk in, you will have about 4mm clearance to the base of the mini

and with a 9.5mm disk in, you will only have about 1.5mm left.

So even if you don't use the rubber grommet and the screws, maybe 12.5mm is ok, but definitely not 15mm. Then again, 12.5mm pretty much died at 1TB, anything higher than 2TB seems to be 15mm.

 

[j1104638]

@Kaida is this late 2014 or are they all similar?
[doublepost=1464538301][/doublepost]On iFixit.com https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+Mini+Late+2014+Hard+Drive+Replacement/32815#s76747 they show 9.5 mm 1 TB original HDD. Could you say using the picture if the bigger device could been used?

Apple offers 2 TB Fusion Drive. What height is its HDD I wonder? :/

 

[Kaida]

Similar, as you can see, with the 9.5mm inside, you have about 1.5mm clearance at the top if you don't use the screws and grommet, and a 1.5mm below so you might be able to fit a 12.5mm.

There is only Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB at 9.5mm (which is now Seagate ST2000LM003/4/6) for the longest time. The Seagate ST2000LM007/9/10 7mm only came out recently.

It seems that the next available option after 2TB is the 3.8TB $2000 SSD from Samsung
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PM863...464567364&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+3.84+tb+ssd
(non affiliated link)

 

[MrWillie]

I'd just put in a NAS drive and leave the mini as is. (Which is the set up I have).

My personal evacuation plan involves just grabbing the NAS drive, and everyone will have their data.