Best SSD for 2012 Mac Mini

[Revival Cr8tive]

Hi All,

With the 2014 Mac Mini benchmarks in, I think I'm leaning towards getting a 2012 Quad Core, maxing the RAM and adding an SSD.

I don't know anything about SSD, so could someone make a recommendation for best SSD brand and model drive for a late 2012 Mac Mini i7 Quad Core? 128-256GB should be fine in size.

I would also consider adding in a Fusion drive but am unable to find out what will be compatible with Mac OS? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[fa8362]

128 GB drives are slower than 256 GB. Test reveal it. How noticeable it will be in practice, I don't know because I've never compared them.

I bought a Crucial 256 GB MX100. It's definitely not the fastest, but I knew the chipset wouldn't be an issue with the Mini. Some other brands and models have been problematic with certain Minis in the past, so make sure you know for certain that the one you buy won't be an issue with your specific Mini.

 

[psymac]

Take a look at OWC.com

 

[Potatochobit]

the BIGGEST issue is your budget.

I recommend a Crucial MX100
it is not the very fastest, but it is HUGE at 512GB and a great price

 

[shinji]

I have a 256 GB Samsung 830 in mine. Works great.

 

[KenAFSPC]

128 GB drives are slower than 256 GB. Test reveal it. How noticeable it will be in practice, I don't know because I've never compared them.

I bought a Crucial 256 GB MX100. It's definitely not the fastest, but I knew the chipset wouldn't be an issue with the Mini. Some other brands and models have been problematic with certain Minis in the past, so make sure you know for certain that the one you buy won't be an issue with your specific Mini.

Please note that a larger size SSD does not necessarily translate into better performance. Improved performance only occurs when there are more addressable memory chips in the higher capacity model than in the lower capacity model (i.e., improved performance results from spreading the write workload across more chips). For example, a 256MB SSD with eight 32MB memory chips would perform no better than a 128MB SSD with eight 16MB memory chips, all else being equal. However, a 256MB SSD with eight 32MB chips would deliver significantly better write performance than a 128MB SSD with four 32MB memory chips.

Generally, 512MB, 256MB, and 128MB versions of the same make/model SSD are going to be use the same size memory chips, and the larger models will incorporate more memory chips, resulting in improved write performance. However, this may not always be true. Also, you've got to be careful when comparing SSDs from different manufacturers. A 256MB SSD from one manufacturer could use the same number of memory chips as a 512MB SSD from another manufacturer, and therefore deliver comparable write performance.