What is the maximum size HDD I can put in Mac Mini 2012

[Narked Diver]

Hi,

I've just updated my 2012 Mac mini to a 256g SDD

I'm thinking of getting another cable and installing a HDD inside the mini so that I can store my iTunes library internally rather than externally

It's currently stored on an external 2TB drive so I would want a minimum of 2TB internally but I wondered if I could add a 3 or 4 TB drive (maybe partition it so the drive would have an iTunes partition, a time machine partition (only for the SDD as my iTunes library is currently backed up to another external HDD every night), and a 'general' storage partition

What is the largest HDD I could add and is there anything I need to consider?

 

[iPhil]

Hi,

I've just updated my 2012 Mac mini to a 256g SDD

I'm thinking of getting another cable and installing a HDD inside the mini so that I can store my iTunes library internally rather than externally

It's currently stored on an external 2TB drive so I would want a minimum of 2TB internally but I wondered if I could add a 3 or 4 TB drive (maybe partition it so the drive would have an iTunes partition, a time machine partition (only for the SDD as my iTunes library is currently backed up to another external HDD every night), and a 'general' storage partition

What is the largest HDD I could add and is there anything I need to consider?

From my quick amazon search Max mini HDD size is 2 TB for internal -- price wise around $90 to $200+

 

[satinsilverem2]

Currently the largest drive you can fit is the 2TB Samsung M9T drive. They are about $100 on amazon. There are technically larger drives, I think that Western Digital has a 2.5 3TB drive now but its 15mm thick ICR. Ive been using the M9T in my 2011 MBP for about a year now and haven't had an issue with it.

 

[Narked Diver]

Thanks for the info guys - if I want to go larger than 2 TB guess I'll look at either external HDDs or NAS / DAS

 

[ecschwarz]

I'm guessing that there will be bigger 2.5" drives down the road that you could use, too. In that case, if you had already purchased one, you can always remove it, put it in a cheap external enclosure, and then have the >2GB drive inside your computer.