New Mac Mini Has Modular Storage, 256GB Model Will Have Faster SSD

[cynicalcitizen]

Dosdude1 seems to have figured out a way to upgrade the Mac Studio. The chips look the same. I reached other to the makers to see if they plan one for the new M4 Mac mini.

You can check out his video here.

 

[Mousse]

Has hell frozen over?

According to Dante's Inferno Canto 32-34, yes, Hell has frozen over. At lease the Ninth Circle of Hell.

Thereupon I turn'd,
And saw before and underneath my feet
A lake, whose frozen surface liker seem'd
To glass than water.

Or if you're into video games.🤗

 

[AndiG]

We've had years of Apple Studio and still no adapters. A proprietary Apple chip controller is on the board, it looks like it can't be bypassed. You can reball the NAND chips though, which is still a good thing when compared to the previous mini.



I think the richest company in the world can do more things at once

Didn‘t NVidia take over today?

 

[cicalinarrot]

OKay let me say it again in this one. The removable part is not an SSD and does not work as the SSD. It is the NAND part of the SSD and the nvme controller in inside the M4 SoC itself, which means it is technically impossible to make an adapter to use normal nvme ssd at all.

What you say makes sense and it's most likely true.
Now, I used to have a Wii that could run games from USB with a soft-mod and for a few years, people said it was "technically impossible " to run GameCube games from USB because the GC side of the console just didn't have hardware capabilities for that. People who made the previous mods said that. They got really angry when noobs asked. Than one dude came and did it.
Now, am I saying it's gonna happen here? Not really but ultimately I learn that you never know. Have I ever said it's just like old adapters for Intel Macs? Not at all. But considering we talk about adding hardware, it would be less surprising than what I have experienced with a software mod.

 

[tomtad]

Sure it's modular, but best of luck upgrading it

 

[Gnattu]

But considering we talk about adding hardware, it would be less surprising than what I have experienced with a software mod.

This is what it needs to be done if you really want to do it:

- Reverse engineer the Apple's wire protocol
- Make a Small IC to translate normal NAND protocol to this Apple specific one, or basically a simper SSD controller
- And make the module still small enough and make sure the total power consumption does not exceed Apples' limit

So yes, if you insist there is a way, there is always a way. The problem is just that nobody want to do that if you can just buy recycled iPhone NANDs cheap

 

[Radeon85]

Apples prices are obscene. $1200 for 4TB of storage? wtf is that price? I can get a 4TB gen 5 NVMe for less than half of that or even a gen 4 for half of that again!. Apple has truly lost it.

 

[BenTrovato]

It would be really interesting to see Apple's metrics to justify the pricing model. I get why the 256gb option exists as an entry level but as the price scales higher for storage are they really reaping the profits vs. charging less?

For a desktop product, you'd have to think the majority will buy external storage.

 

[thebart]

As Mr Wolf says, let's not start s***ing each other's **** just yet. The SSD is still paired with the machine. All this does it make it easier for Apple to swap the SSD with the same capacity should it fail, leaving you with a door stop.

It doesn't mean YOU can swap out the SSD, much less upgrade it

Tim Apple still undefeated

 

[Adam-Jobs]

Can someone tell me. I have a MacBook Pro 2015 with 256gb memory. It always seems to be out of memory due to system files I’m assuming.

I’m someone who likes to back my devices up physically instead of iCloud. If I was to get a Mac mini and purchase external storage. With Mac OS does it allow you to back up your iOS devices to an external storage unit instead of internal?

Thanks in advance.

Mac newb.

 

[Kevin2055]

I will not tear down my new computer completely just to upgrade the disk.

 

[Chuckeee]

Guys...you're not able to upgrade or change the storage here, despite it using a socket

There's no reason to be excited about it honestly

While the module is removable, it's not just a proprietary connector that an adapter might be able to convert. The module itself may be missing the controller (part of the CPU SoC) so literally nothing we currently know of that exists today will "convert".

The removable part is not an SSD and does not work as the SSD. It is the NAND part of the SSD and the nvme controller in inside the M4 SoC itself, which means it is technically impossible to make an adapter to use normal nvme ssd at all

Well, at least on a positive note it now means that SSD failures (Which are exceedingly rare events, anyhow) Can be repaired [by Apple], And don’t require a whole new motherboard.

This is a significant improvement in the repairability for the Mac mini. It’s just not an improvement in its upgrade ability

 

[cicalinarrot]

This is what it needs to be done if you really want to do it:

- Reverse engineer the Apple's wire protocol
- Make a Small IC to translate normal NAND protocol to this Apple specific one, or basically a simper SSD controller
- And make the module still small enough and make sure the total power consumption does not exceed Apples' limit

So yes, if you insist there is a way, there is always a way. The problem is just that nobody want to do that if you can just buy recycled iPhone NANDs cheap

See? Can I hope? 😬
(Yeah, I know, I know, I shouldn't...)

Anyway, not sure the NANDs that would make it a decent upgrade would be cheap enough to make that plausible either, but I'm gonna hope for that too.

 

[redheeler]

I can't remember another base model Mac where nearly every piece of news about it was good. New design, more RAM, faster and socketed SSD. There's nothing to latch on to except the power button placement which is a non-issue IMO, and maybe the removal of USB-A ports which is a little bit annoying but not a dealbreaker.

Could this finally be a return to where Apple was in the late 2000s/early 2010s where people could actually recommend getting the base models?

 

[Agent007]

I wonder if they'll ever start doing this in laptops. I wish they would.

 

[Marx55]

Why the article does not explain such critical limitations? Lots of people have been misled…

 

[ItWasNotMe]

As it's not soldered, won't it fall out when you turn the mini upside down to power it up?

/End sarcasm

 

[vtrautia]

Dosdude upgraded M1 Max Mac Studio with 512 GB to 8 TB. Since this have same type of SSD it should be possible to upgrade the SSD after purchase.

 

[Alameda]

View attachment 2448562Just finished setting up my base M4 Mac Mini and ran AmorphousDiskMark.

That's... not good at all.

I just downloaded it an ran it on my M1 MacBook Pro:

The top-line numbers were 7005 and 4932. The numbers you have are worse than my external Thunderbolt SSD. I ran the SSD drive twice: Once directly attached to the Mac, and once attached to my OWC Thunderbolt hub.

 

[theluggage]

If a random nobody can make something this elegant of a solution then Apple isn’t spending enough RnD on their products for consumer benefits.

There’s no R&D needed - all the tech is in place, has been since the M1 Mac Studio came out. Apple just chooses to suppress it for all but like-for-like replacements.

People on YouTube have claimed successful upgrades (the links have already been posted in this thread) - you just need to track down someone making carrier boards in their back room, a source for suitable blank flash chips, the ability & confidence to do your own surface mount soldering, a second Mac, the configurator software… Good luck.

Most users would only be interested if they could take their Mac to an Apple-approved dealer and get it done for a reasonable price - or at least get a DIY kit with reasonable confidence that it will work.

 

[JosephAW]

Even if no one ever comes out with any replaceable modules the base unit is completely useless at 256 GB, external storage is required. That’s currently how I’m running my M2.
I would like to see an option for no storage since I will be using my external drive. And since the Apple tax on storage is like $200 for doubling it should be $200 cheaper without the 256 GB.

 

[lewchenko]

Imagine how much better the mini could have been if only it had taken an M2 style SSD That you could swap out easily.
It’s a great little machine but it’s ultimately form over function to not let you swap out the SSD easily.
Apple love their rip off upgrade pricing and crazy view that smaller is always better.

 

[mectojic]

Honestly I'm ready to sell my maxxed out M2 Pro Mini for a base model. I just don't need the power nor internal storage, and would prefer raytracing.

 

[hans1972]

That's all I want too

Do whatever shenanigans they want with boot drive, but add an NVMe slot a user can fill on their own, for the desktop computers at least

It's only so you can save money.

I'm happy with Apple's solution since it keeps the base model cheaper over time when it can be indirectly subsidised by those buying the higher configurations.

 

[hans1972]

Never going to happen. It’s been 12 years of socketed proprietary SSDs in the MacBook Pro. Everyone here should be used to how Apple is selling storage and plan accordingly in their budget.

Lot's of people here at Macrumors are into fiction, since they can't face reality.