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Upgrading M4 Mac Mini SSD: Pre-Soldered 2TB Chip Options

gaule said:
Hi mate,
May I know how you able to see the temperature of WD SN770 drive? thanks
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Yes, i have bought iStat Menus for that, with the one problem, you have to Switch between Languages after re mount to get actual Temps and i have reported that Error to the Developers.

Bildschirmfoto 2025-01-18 um 08.54.43.jpg

Temps after TM Backup... but after time it is going 32-39 regular use / also as boot drive and 49 Max.
Now i just do not need it as boot drive, but regularly update and boot from it as to file sync from my internal to it.
 
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@genexx thanks for the reply. I also installed the trial version but could not see the Health and Temperature status of external drives connected to Mac mini M4. I could only see Used and Free space of external drives where internal SSD shows all info. BTW, I am using Ugreen 10gbps NVME enclosure. Maybe your nvme enclosure has temp sensor. Can you please share me what enclosure and how did you manage to get this info ?
 

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gaule said:
@genexx thanks for the reply. I also installed the trial version but could not see the Health and Temperature status of external drives connected to Mac mini M4. I could only see Used and Free space of external drives where internal SSD shows all info. BTW, I am using Ugreen 10gbps NVME enclosure. Maybe your nvme enclosure has temp sensor. Can you please share me what enclosure and how did you manage to get this info ?
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Well, i am very sure that any USB3 Case will not show your NVME Temps.
The Reason is, a Thunderbolt Connector has beside Display Port something like a PCIe Device connection to the NVME so that the Temps will be showed as it would be an internal NVME.

It works with JHL7440 Chipset based enclosures like the Acasis TBU405 Air, this one is much cheaper, but cannot be connected to USB3 but the more expensive one without AIR can.

The newer and faster USB 4 Enclosures with the ASMEDIA ASM2464 Chipset can do the same and are also sometimes cheap to get.
I prefer the still Fast TB3/4 enclosure because the Temps are normally lower.
 
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Once you have initialized these new internal SSDs using another Mac, can you reformat them again to use them in a different Mac Mini M4, or are they then restricted to a specific machine?
 
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@genexx thanks for the information. I have ordered the enclosure with ASM2464PD chip. I hope to see the external drive temp.
 
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jacklivehere said:
Any one came across SSD Upgrade kit for M4 Pro Mac mini? , all the listing says support M4 Mac mini only.
I am thinking of upgrading my m4 pro Mac mini to 4tb ssd
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I haven't. Supply and demand issue. Same reason you have not seen an upgrade module for the Mac Studio, despite its having been out for quite a time now. The consumer segment most focused on cost is that one buying the base Mac Mini M4. No surprise that the vendors have concentrated their efforts on that.
 
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Actually the description is so poorly written it could be a 2tb sandisk as mentioned, or a blank PCB is still a possibility.
 
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Ok - I'm in for one

Would love to eschew my external NVMe setup if possible as I've been traveling around with my Mini a bit.
 
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I went Sandisk just due to cost -- folks going Toshiba for any reason?

I can't find a compelling reason to go that route for more money
 
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HootheMac said:
So I got the SSD in the mail today. It came with a torx screwdriver and a small plastic wedge to remove the plastic cover on the bottom of the Mac Mini.

First the bad
I paid 1299 RMB for a SSD with Toshiba (Kioxia) nand chips. I noticed right away that they sent me a SSD with Sandisk nands chips. The Sandisk nands are noticeably bigger and the model number starts with SD. I know from a little research that the Kioxia nands start with K6B2. I also watched the Dosdude video when he changed the nand chips on the OEM ssd board and he also used nands that started with K6B2. So after tax, shipping and a small foreign exchange fee, I paid $216 in total. It would have been cheaper if I paid for the Sandisk nands. Unfortunately I paid for Toshiba and I got Sandisk. I sent a message to the seller to see if I can get a refund of the difference in price.

Now the good
The installation was not hard especially because they provided all the tools with the SSD. One thing I noted is that the ssd does not tilt upwards as much as a standard M.2 ssd. You have to pull it straight back and then it can be removed.
I didn't have a second "legitimate" Mac to restore my Mac Mini but surprisingly I was able to restore it with a Dell Optiplex Hackintosh that I had. So I guess you don't need an Apple silicon Mac to restore an Apple silicon mac after all. The middle port on the rear with the thunderbolt symbol is the port that works for restoring the Mac Mini.

So far it appears to be working fine however I've only been using it for a few hours. I did a 1gb speed test on blackmagic and I got 4584 mb write and 2956 mb read. I thought it would be faster at reading but it's the opposite.

I will update if anything significant happens. I attached a pic of the aftermarket ssd vs the OEM. The nand is noticeably bigger. I am assuming the Kioxia nands would be the same size as OEM. The OEM 128gb nand also starts with a K.
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Chiming in saying my 2TB upgrade worked fine as well. Installation was pretty easy. It's helpful to get the mutli-tipped T screwdriver with the kit. I didn't have a T3.

I followed along with this video - helpful with color coded visual aids on the screws:

Blackmagic speeds were about 3TB/3TB for 5GB and 4.5TB/3TB for 1GB files.

The replacement board the nands sit on is much thinner than the apple board. Not sure if that will matter in the long run, but so far, so good! The M4 in a mac is very snappy. Those speed bumps are always nice.

1737669529270.png


Now to run a bunch of scripts to set it up to be useful.
 
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dgdosen said:
Chiming in saying my 2TB upgrade worked fine as well. Installation was pretty easy. It's helpful to get the mutli-tipped T screwdriver with the kit. I didn't have a T3.

I followed along with this video - helpful with color coded visual aids on the screws:

Blackmagic speeds were about 3TB/3TB for 5GB and 4.5TB/3TB for 1GB files.

The replacement board the nands sit on is much thinner than the apple board. Not sure if that will matter in the long run, but so far, so good! The M4 in a mac is very snappy. Those speed bumps are always nice.

View attachment 2475273

Now to run a bunch of scripts to set it up to be useful.
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Will any Mac work for the DFU restore or does it have to be an Apple Silicon Mac?
 
turbine wrote:
"Looks like any Mac will do as long as it's on Sonoma or later"

I believe the host Mac (the one being used to run Apple Configurator) needs to have a t2 chip it, as well as running Sonoma. Also it needs USBc ports.

I could be wrong.

Something else to look into:
IF you're using an m-series Mac for Apple Configurator, I think there's a piece of software out there called "DFU Blaster" (on github?), that makes putting the target Mac into DFU mode MUCH easier...
 
Fishrrman said:
turbine wrote:
"Looks like any Mac will do as long as it's on Sonoma or later"

I believe the host Mac (the one being used to run Apple Configurator) needs to have a t2 chip it, as well as running Sonoma. Also it needs USBc ports.

I could be wrong.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link?

The Apple link for doing DFU restore that I posted above talks about T2 elsewhere on the page, but seems to specifically and only say you need "Another Mac of any model using macOS Sonoma 14 or later. You will use this Mac to revive or restore the affected Mac."

It really seems like they'd mention it needs to be ASi and/or have a T2 -- unless it's really poorly written (always possible!)
 
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