When can we find out what PCIe SSD

[Cape Dave]

Apple has used in the new mini? I want details and I want them now! Come on Ifixit!

The 512GB is way way too expensive. Way.

Still, since I do mostly browsing, email and light photoshop, I am curious if the i7 dual core 512GB would be good for me?

 

[Cape Dave]

Is no one else even curious about this? Is it a cheapo EVO? Is it a PRO Samsung???

 

[deconstruct60]

Apple has used in the new mini? I want details and I want them now! Come on Ifixit!

The 512GB is way way too expensive. Way.

Extremely likely this the same ( or very minor physical tweak ) the same PCI-e SSD that Apple already uses in the laptops. The Mini has a set of MBA/rMBP 13" CPUs. It isn't going to be a huge jump to use MBP PCI-e SSDs. Same stuff bought in larger numbers.


As of yet there are few (if any) 3rd party options since Apple tweaked the M.2 connector format for their SSDs. On top of that there are limited vendors for flash controllers that will work with this variation on the standards and Apple's particular drivers.

 

[Cape Dave]

Yeah, I forgot it was most likely a tweak of something. Why do they do that? The thing obviously works before they tweak it. Wouldn't that mean more testing, etc? Why?

Any further input on actual brand /model number would be appreciated.

Let's see how fast iFixit does a teardown on this

 

[garbage-barge]

It's a bunch of DDR2 modules leftover from the previous gen iPod Touch and held together with scotch tape

 

[Cape Dave]

It's a bunch of DDR2 modules leftover from the previous gen iPod Touch and held together with scotch tape

Not even Gorilla tape?

 

[Cape Dave]

OK, the teardown of the new imac says SanDisk SSD. So, it may be OK to at least assume that possibility in the new mini.

 

[VTECaddict]

They are proprietary PCIe SSDs made for Apple with either SanDisk or Samsung memory chips and a proprietary connector. They're used in all the latest Macs that can be configured with PCIe SSD. There is nothing you can compare them to on the retail market.

 

[KenAFSPC]

They are proprietary PCIe SSDs made for Apple with either SanDisk or Samsung memory chips and a proprietary connector. They're used in all the latest Macs that can be configured with PCIe SSD. There is nothing you can compare them to on the retail market.

No, the drives do not use a proprietary connector. They use a standard M.2 PCIe interface that you can find on all new PC motherboards.

The Samsung XP941 featured in the MacBook Pros and many PC laptops is a popular upgrade for PC users, although you can't find it at retail (it is available new online in PC OEM packaging). The Sandisk is less popular because it is based on older, slower technology and uses 2-lane (X2) PCIe rather than 4-lane (X4) PCIe. Ideally, the new iMac would include a 4-lane PCIe M.2 PCIe slot, as found on the latest PC motherboards, so we could upgrade to a newer, faster SSD.

For the non-techies, the storage hierarchy is as follows:

(1) M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 (up to 32Gbps theoretical or 3.2GBps real world max)
(2) M.2 PCIe 2.0 X2 (up to 10Gbps theoretical or 1.0GBps real world max)
(2) SATA Express (up to 10Gbps theoretical or 1.0GBps real world max)
(3) SATA 3 (up to 6Gbps theoretical or 600MBps real world max)
(3) M.2 SATA 3 up to 6Gbps theoretical or 600MBps real world max)
(4) M.2 PCIe 2.0 X1 (up to 5Gbps theoretical or 500-550MBps real world max)

The Sandisk 256GB SSD in the iMac 5K is an older M.2 PCIe 2.0 X2 (X2 = 2 lane) device. The theoretical max for that interface is 1Gbps, although the Sandisk drive uses older technology so its actual throughput is 600-700Mbps.

You must have both a motherboard and a SSD that supports the same interface to achieve a given level of performance. If you stick a M.2 PCIe 2.0 X1 SSD into a M.2 PCIe 3.0 X3 slot, then you will get a max of 500-550MBps, not 3.2GBps. Similarly, if your motherboard only has a M.2 PCIe 2.0 X2 slot, then you will never achieve more than ~1.0GBps no matter what drive you use.

Samsung just released ithe successor to the XP941 PCIe SSD found in the newest MacBooks. This device, called the SM951, is a M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 SSD with NVMe that delivers 1600MBps throughput (assuming a motherboard with a a M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 slot) with much lower latency, or nearly 2.5X the real world performance of the 256GB SSD in the new iMac.

 

[mikeboss]

No, the drives do not use a proprietary connector. They use a standard M.2 PCIe interface that you can find on all new PC motherboards.

wrong. Apple uses its own, proprietary connector. it's electrically compatible though, but an Apple PCIe SSD will not work in a M.2/NGFF slot and an M.2 SSD will not work in an Apple computer. if you want to know more about this, just visit this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1685821/

 

[Cape Dave]

If the new mac mini had this:

(1) M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 (up to 32Gbps theoretical or 3.2GBps real world max)

I would get it.

Or even if I could get this:

Samsung just released ithe successor to the XP941 PCIe SSD found in the newest MacBooks. This device, called the SM951, is a M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 SSD with NVMe that delivers 1600MBps throughput (assuming a motherboard with a a M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 slot) with much lower latency, or nearly 2.5X the real world performance of the 256GB SSD in the new iMac.

for it on Amazon I would do that