Upgrade questions for 2012 Mac Mini (and perhaps MacBook Pro)

[spyrelx]

Hi, I hope some of you can provide some advice and/or a reality check on my upgrade plans for my Mini and potential related upgrade for my MacBook.

I have two Macs:

• a MacBook Pro 13 inch Mid-2012 which I use as a primary computer, and
• a Mac Mini Late 2012 which I use mostly (though not exclusively) as a music server.

Here’s the stats:

MacPro Mid 2012
Memory: 16GB. I put this in about 5 years ago, but I don’t remember the make.
HD: 512 GB Solid State SATA Drive (Crucial MX100)

MacMini Late 2012
Memory: 8GB. Not sure if these were original or if I got them from my MacPro, but either way they are “original apple”.
HD: 500 GB SATA Disc. I think this came from the MacPro. It’s not SS.

I’m finding my Mini to be slower than I’d like, particularly after a recent Catalina upgrade (some playlist problems as well, ahem). So I want to upgrade its HD to a SSD and possibly also its Memory to the full 16GB. Here’s my questions:

1. I know the SSD will make the Mini faster. I plan on getting a 500 GB SSD - probably a Samsung 860 EVO but I’m open to suggestions if you think there’s a better SSD I should be getting.

1. Whatever new SSD I get, would it be worth putting the NEW SSD in my MacBook and moving the existing MacBook SSD to the Mini? In other words, is a 2019 SSD going to be faster than my existing 5 year old Crucial SSD? If so, I’d rather have it in my Macbook.

1. I’m torn about getting more memory for the Mini. Will additional memory do anything appreciable to the Mini? I use the Mini mostly as a music server and for surfing the net. Occasionally I’ll also do some simple music or video copying/editing, but nothing too fancy.

1. If I do upgrade the Mini’s memory, I have a similar question to the one above. Would it be worth putting the new memory in my MacBook and moving the existing MacBook memory to the Mini? In other words, is a 2019 memory going to be faster than my existing 5 year old MacBook memory? If so, I’d rather have it in my Macbook.

I hope that’s clear and hope you can provide some assistance. Thanks much.

 

[Jack Neill]

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Hi, I hope some of you can provide some advice and/or a reality check on my upgrade plans for my Mini and potential related upgrade for my MacBook.

I have two Macs:

• a MacBook Pro 13 inch Mid-2012 which I use as a primary computer, and
• a Mac Mini Late 2012 which I use mostly (though not exclusively) as a music server.

Here’s the stats:

MacPro Mid 2012
Memory: 16GB. I put this in about 5 years ago, but I don’t remember the make.
HD: 512 GB Solid State SATA Drive (Crucial MX100)

MacMini Late 2012
Memory: 8GB. Not sure if these were original or if I got them from my MacPro, but either way they are “original apple”.
HD: 500 GB SATA Disc. I think this came from the MacPro. It’s not SS.

I’m finding my Mini to be slower than I’d like, particularly after a recent Catalina upgrade (some playlist problems as well, ahem). So I want to upgrade its HD to a SSD and possibly also its Memory to the full 16GB. Here’s my questions:

1. I know the SSD will make the Mini faster. I plan on getting a 500 GB SSD - probably a Samsung 860 EVO but I’m open to suggestions if you think there’s a better SSD I should be getting.

1. Whatever new SSD I get, would it be worth putting the NEW SSD in my MacBook and moving the existing MacBook SSD to the Mini? In other words, is a 2019 SSD going to be faster than my existing 5 year old Crucial SSD? If so, I’d rather have it in my Macbook.

1. I’m torn about getting more memory for the Mini. Will additional memory do anything appreciable to the Mini? I use the Mini mostly as a music server and for surfing the net. Occasionally I’ll also do some simple music or video copying/editing, but nothing too fancy.

1. If I do upgrade the Mini’s memory, I have a similar question to the one above. Would it be worth putting the new memory in my MacBook and moving the existing MacBook memory to the Mini? In other words, is a 2019 memory going to be faster than my existing 5 year old MacBook memory? If so, I’d rather have it in my Macbook.

I hope that’s clear and hope you can provide some assistance. Thanks much.

A new SSD for the mini is the way to go. 2019 parts arent going to make any difference, still just DDR3 and SATA 3 parts.

 

[mmomega]

SSD in the mini will make a much larger performance improvement more than any other upgradeable piece.
Samsung EVO is very good.
If you have to make a choice between RAM and SSD, go SSD.

As to which one is worth doing what to? That is your personal decision. You know your own usage case.
We can only advise on known data such as which part will make a noticeable difference, these things are proven. Personal opinion isn't.

If you asked a question like. I have $200 total to spend on upgrades across 2 machines, give some thought on what and why. My advise would be
$50 on 16GB RAM for the Mini https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNSKH7M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$75 for 500GB SSD for the Mini

Samsung 860 EVO 500GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76E500B/AM)

The SSD you trust: The newest edition to the world's best-selling SATA SSD series, the Samsung 860 EVO SSD is specially designed to enhance performance of mainstream PCs and laptops. With the latest V-NAND technology, this fast and reliable Solid State Drive comes in a wide range of compatible fo...

www.amazon.com

Leave the MacBook alone and keep the remaining $ and enjoy the speed bump.

 

[spyrelx]

Thanks guys. I take from the two comments above that it's not worth swapping out MacBook Pro SSD or Memory with 2019 versions and I should focus on upgrading Mini. If I've got that wrong please let me know. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Jack Neill]

Thanks guys. I take from the two comments above that it's not worth swapping out MacBook Pro SSD or Memory with 2019 versions and I should focus on upgrading Mini. If I've got that wrong please let me know. Thanks again for the advice.

I’m Jack Neill and I approve this message.