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PCIe SSD on base 2014 Mac Mini?
- Thread starter miatadan
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It is very likely that if the Mini is purchased without an SSD then no connector to the bus is installed. The same would likely apply if only an SSD is purchased no SATA cable would be present for a HDD.
If it isn't purchased and present, the connectors are not included and would have to be found via 3rd party.
If it isn't purchased and present, the connectors are not included and would have to be found via 3rd party.
Cable is not present , (connectors, on the board are there) I will be adding a SSD to my 2014 2.6 1TB HDD in the next day or two , to create a fusion drive.. I'll try and post a write up..
handheldgames
macrumors 68000
If you give up internal Bluetooth/wifi, there is a PCIe connector that's identical to the nMP PCIe flash slot and is very accessible.
Hi, how did you get on with that. Im planning to do very much the same thing but with a 2TB spinner and a 1TB PCIe SSD to make a 3TB fusion. Jonny
Not had a go yet, been busy on less interesting stuff, hope to get some time tonight/tomorrow..
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I went the cable route, as I did not want to lose Handoff / Continuity, my Wireless Keyboard/mouse/trackpad etc. However has anyone confirmed this works and the channels are the same speed ?
Jambalaya
macrumors 6502a
s0nicpr0s
macrumors regular
Would it actually work like that? I was under the impression that the fusion was the size of the HDD, and the SSD was there to have a faster copy of the data you use most. Could be mistaken, but that's why I'm here double-checking.
Thats how it works , I'm running a 1TB spinner and a 128GB SSD , and it reports as 1.12 TB , Apple advertise it as 1TB for some reason ? Perhaps 128 is reserved for swap ?
Yeah so it looks like the fusions total volume is the SSD and the HDD capacities added together ? perhaps someone trying this with a bigger SSD can confirm, i.e. 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD should = 1.25TB~.
Stated this on another thread , but my ordered cable turned out to not include the cable 🙁 .. .
"I got around to opening my parcel of the PCIe SSD flex cable to do my own upgrade. it had been unopened and was from Apple Distribution with the part number 076-00018 on it (should of comprised the Cable, 2 screws and the plate) .. It only had 1 screw and the plate inside... (devastated) , the company I had ordered it from , (whom I will not name) tried to re-order the part and I am told apple informed them they would not supply the said part and where putting a hold on part orders ?!? , I have attempted to procure from elsewhere , and it hopefully should be on its way.."
"I got around to opening my parcel of the PCIe SSD flex cable to do my own upgrade. it had been unopened and was from Apple Distribution with the part number 076-00018 on it (should of comprised the Cable, 2 screws and the plate) .. It only had 1 screw and the plate inside... (devastated) , the company I had ordered it from , (whom I will not name) tried to re-order the part and I am told apple informed them they would not supply the said part and where putting a hold on part orders ?!? , I have attempted to procure from elsewhere , and it hopefully should be on its way.."
So in other words, if you're feeling adventuresome with a 2014 and want to use a PCIE SSD with a mechanical HDD, you're basically stuck with getting a mid-grade with a 256gb SSD and getting a 2012 HDD upgrade kit (apparently the 2014/2012 share the same SATA connector)
I have the part on its way, for a second time from another supplier, so it may be possible , but not easy at the moment, until the cables become more "available" or copied by third parties (I have had a number of chinese companies offer to make them, given a sample or a diagram/pin map) but in the short term, your idea would probably be the quickest route.
However I believe the PCIE cable and PCie SSD can be installed just by popping the bottom off. no need to remove logic board / PSU as you will to replace/fit a spinner..
I know it's a bit more expensive, but you could also order it with the fusion drive, then upgrade the PCIe SSD with one bought off eBay. That would give you maximum capacity/performance, you could even change out the HDD for a 1TB SSD.
Yes it is well known that the Fusion drive is always the SSD + Mechanical drive for space. Apple just lists it as a 1TB fusion drive and not 1.1. Same with the 3TB Fusion really should be a 3.1TB. It's probably just easier to list as 1 and 3 rather than 1.1 and 3.1TB. No one is going to complain if they have an extra .1TB. 4GB of the SSD is held back as Cache for writing.
If you use a bigger SSD, then you get more space. Simple as that. There was someone who built a Fusion setup in the older Mini's (using 2.5" drives) with a 1TB SSD and 1TB Mechanical and it was reported as 2TB as expected. Just how Fusion drives work.
Why? The 256gb SSD is the same price as a 1TB fusion setup. Since you're already potentially voiding the warranty by tearing into the mini, wouldn't it make more sense to get a $80 2TB HDD (I've done it twice already using a seagate external HDD kit and ripping the HDD out) + $20 2012 2nd HDD kit to get a 256gb SSD + 2TB combo? The 256gb Apple PCIe stick is nowhere near the price of a 256gb SATA SSD...
iZac
macrumors 68040
I'm also very interested in the prospect of a custom SSD upgrade since I'm finding reverting back to an HDD in my 2014 mini a painful experience. Like you all, I'm awaiting a convenient upgrade path to just pop the bottom off and add a blade, rather than tear my machine apart to just replace the HDD.
Not that it really matters, but is it easy enough to set up the disks as independent volumes?
Not that it really matters, but is it easy enough to set up the disks as independent volumes?
I'm only going this route, as I had a spare PCie Blade SSD lying around from a lucky upgrade on my Gf's Macbook Air.. Had it not been for this, I probably would have just stuck a 2.5" 256GB SSD in, in place of the spinner, (For apps, OS and frequesnt files)
However having the blade, I have tried to obtain the cable.. (The 2nd of which (well 3rd but its a long story) is showing dispatched, and I'm currently tracking through the postal system, (fingers crossed))
In the interim , I have created a fusion drive with the Factory 1TB spinner and a 128GB SSD in a USB3.0 UASP enclosure which has provided a very good performance increase, I'd just prefer to have it all enclosed inside the Unibody Mac..
Will keep everyone up to date, and post pics, once I am able to install the blade.
However having the blade, I have tried to obtain the cable.. (The 2nd of which (well 3rd but its a long story) is showing dispatched, and I'm currently tracking through the postal system, (fingers crossed))
In the interim , I have created a fusion drive with the Factory 1TB spinner and a 128GB SSD in a USB3.0 UASP enclosure which has provided a very good performance increase, I'd just prefer to have it all enclosed inside the Unibody Mac..
Will keep everyone up to date, and post pics, once I am able to install the blade.
Any new info on this?? I also just bought the mac mini and wants to install a SSD blade. Was it easy to set up a Fusion Drive?
If you read the thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1807145/
I posted a quide.. It's all setup and running.. I set up as a fusion drive, its super fast, working well, and I am happy 😉
RoastingPig
macrumors 68000
i have a 500gb and a 250gb blade ssd from macbook pro retinas. but do we know if they would fit in the case because we already know the connectors work but i think the ssd's are almost twice as long as the wireless card
you can install a M.2 NVME ssd to your Mac mini with a M.2 NVME to apple ssd 13-16 adaptor.
I found the adaptor in china and many people report that it works but only with specific model of ssd
e.g. Samsung EVO 960.
I am not joking.
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...Xhq3wt&id=562388724120&ns=1&abbucket=8#detail
Do you realize that the post before yours was written over 3 years ago?
Usually I don't comment when things like that happen but there is a thread that deals with the topic of putting a standard PCIe NVMe SSD in the 2014 Mini (yes, that I started) that is on the first page of current threads.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/using-a-standard-m-2-pcie-nvme-ssd-in-the-2014-mini.2118732/
If I do a search on "pcie" in this forum, the last post for this thread before yours shows up in page 23 of 25 of the results. Were you looking for the earliest posts on the topic to respond? If you're unfamiliar with how these forums works, you would typically post to one of the latest threads.
So, in the thread I reference, people are using the 960 Evo and apparently haven't had problems. There's also the "big thread" in the MacBook Pro forum where there's a lot of posts of what people have been using.