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Confirmed: Adding a 2nd Hard Drive to Non-Server Minis
- Thread starter slyseekr
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There is a new thinner version of that drive but New Egg doesn't carry it for some reason.
Just be VERY careful when disconnecting the fan and IR board cables from the motherboard. In my case they were not at all easy to remove and I slightly damaged the IR connector. I believe it'll still work, and I'm not going to use an Apple remote on this thing anyway, but nonetheless be very careful. Damage the fan connector and you're screwed.
Yes, this is very good advice. I ran into the same issue with my IR connector last night.
Thanks for the info in this thread, most useful.
Managed to get mine done last night with just an additional 1TB drive (Samsung)
I found this video most
helpful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvUGLF8NPs
Managed to get mine done last night with just an additional 1TB drive (Samsung)
I found this video most
helpful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvUGLF8NPs
Yes. But you'll need to buy the second SATA flex cable (only the server models have them attached to the motherboard and second drive). Lots of links earlier in this thread.
can somebody be so kind and post here the measurement of this 2 x 2 rubber-hdd parts (grommets) in the ifixit-kit ?!
(outside/inside/thickness)
seems to be, that every model-shop (cars/airplane, etc) has them for just "nothing" ..
(outside/inside/thickness)
seems to be, that every model-shop (cars/airplane, etc) has them for just "nothing" ..
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I've the second drive install using the full tear down method so many times I no longer need the guide. It's actually much less frustrating then trying squeeze the drive in.
I used 15" MBP hard drive screws with grommets from macpartsonline. However, they are tight.
I've the second drive install using the full tear down method so many times I no longer need the guide. It's actually much less frustrating then trying squeeze the drive in.
I used 15" MBP hard drive screws with grommets from macpartsonline. However, they are tight.
So for my mac mini - i pulled the orginal 500gb drive and put in a 120gb ssd - and i already had a 750gb wd black drive that i wanted to add as a second. I used standard hardware grommets in 1/4" size - swapped the original grommets to the lower bay and the original bolts to the 750gb drive. Added my 1/4" grommets to the other side of the 750gb drive and installed using m3-0.5 bolts (i think they are cd/dvd drive bolts).
That made the lower 750gb drive very secure and still isolated from spinning vibrations. Then I put the 1/4" grommets in the upper bay and used 2 more of the m3 bolts on the ssd - the heads of the bolts don't fit all the way inside the grommet but the contour lets it just rest in the grommet. No moving parts on ssd anyways so not a big deal.
Sealed it back up and everything works great.
That made the lower 750gb drive very secure and still isolated from spinning vibrations. Then I put the 1/4" grommets in the upper bay and used 2 more of the m3 bolts on the ssd - the heads of the bolts don't fit all the way inside the grommet but the contour lets it just rest in the grommet. No moving parts on ssd anyways so not a big deal.
Sealed it back up and everything works great.
@arctic-k20: thank you !
i have one more question: my mini is complete open as i will install 2 ssd's, where should/must be the system-ssd, in the place of the original hdd or in the extra space ?
thank for exact advice and why !
i have one more question: my mini is complete open as i will install 2 ssd's, where should/must be the system-ssd, in the place of the original hdd or in the extra space ?
thank for exact advice and why !
i just asked my apple-dealer/support; usually they can order whatever they want.
so if your's negotiate ask another.
the part came from apple netherlands and i payed € 28.00, vat. included (here in austria 20%, came in 2 days and i picked it off ..)
this is expensive enough for such a small cable ..
all other prices are from "dreamworld"
when you disable the mini pay attention on the wlan cable connector this has to be lift-off, it's like a micro small tv-connection.
so if your's negotiate ask another.
the part came from apple netherlands and i payed € 28.00, vat. included (here in austria 20%, came in 2 days and i picked it off ..)
this is expensive enough for such a small cable ..
all other prices are from "dreamworld"
when you disable the mini pay attention on the wlan cable connector this has to be lift-off, it's like a micro small tv-connection.
Just share some through of upgrading,
1: there are no hard disk sensors to unplug
2: it will work with any brand of SSD sata II or III you can find in the market. (Best result is SSD sata IIIII fast read and write ones)
3: get some correct crews and tools that you saw on ifixit.com
The Teardown Guide could be found here
4: Becareful you disconnect and connect back all sata cable and wireless cable. (as there might some connecters loose if you do not plug it back correctly)
5: All 3th parties SSD will not support TRIM except the from Apple stock SSD most likely the case, (Please let me know if you found a solution or 3th parties SSD does support TRIM, please correct me if i am wrong.
Lastly just share this picture that what a 3th party local
repair shop had upgraded for me.
1: there are no hard disk sensors to unplug
2: it will work with any brand of SSD sata II or III you can find in the market. (Best result is SSD sata IIIII fast read and write ones)
3: get some correct crews and tools that you saw on ifixit.com
The Teardown Guide could be found here
4: Becareful you disconnect and connect back all sata cable and wireless cable. (as there might some connecters loose if you do not plug it back correctly)
5: All 3th parties SSD will not support TRIM except the from Apple stock SSD most likely the case, (Please let me know if you found a solution or 3th parties SSD does support TRIM, please correct me if i am wrong.
Lastly just share this picture that what a 3th party local
repair shop had upgraded for me.
i have 2 ssd's inside and trim works with this:
http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/comment-page-3/#comment-2341
http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/comment-page-3/#comment-2341
Got mine running
Running mine with a 1tb Scorpuo blue from WD and a ocw 240 SSD along with 8 GB of RAM. works like a charm.
but i mounted it without pairing the bluetooth keyboard so i had to replace to the original drive to pair them up before using internet recovery.
on the second time around i couldn't seem to get the antenna plate to fit properly, went at it for a while but it just didn't get into place. so i just left one side of it screwed in and saved the screws for a later attempt, has anyone else had this problem ? any idea of whats making it fit wrong ?
also the rubber grommets in the antenna plate broke off fairly easily and are unusable on the 2nd tear down. no idea why.
another thing i found is that theres a small screw that runs across the lower part of the fan (its one of the screws your supposed to remove under the fan) , its somewhere between torx 5 and 6 so that neither one was able to unscrew it properly, needed to use a pair of small pliers to undo the screw, other than that everything went fine, pretty easy to work with it once you get over the OMG I'm going to fck up feeling.
pretty nice machine !
Running mine with a 1tb Scorpuo blue from WD and a ocw 240 SSD along with 8 GB of RAM. works like a charm.
but i mounted it without pairing the bluetooth keyboard so i had to replace to the original drive to pair them up before using internet recovery.
on the second time around i couldn't seem to get the antenna plate to fit properly, went at it for a while but it just didn't get into place. so i just left one side of it screwed in and saved the screws for a later attempt, has anyone else had this problem ? any idea of whats making it fit wrong ?
also the rubber grommets in the antenna plate broke off fairly easily and are unusable on the 2nd tear down. no idea why.
another thing i found is that theres a small screw that runs across the lower part of the fan (its one of the screws your supposed to remove under the fan) , its somewhere between torx 5 and 6 so that neither one was able to unscrew it properly, needed to use a pair of small pliers to undo the screw, other than that everything went fine, pretty easy to work with it once you get over the OMG I'm going to fck up feeling.
pretty nice machine !
Had the same issue at first with the Wifi antenna plate.. turned out it was how i had the SSD mounted in there.. my first attempt, rather than sliding out the logic board, I just put the drive in there... was a little skewed and the wifi plate wouldn't reseat correctly.. reinstalled the drive properly and it worked like a champ.
I had the same issue with one of the grommets.
My problem now is I cannot get my Crucial M4 SSD to work inside my chassis.. works fine as an external drive.. but it will not partition when connected to the logic board via the ribbon cable.. went through two M4s.. same result.. not sure if my unit has an issue or just really bad luck with crucial drives.
Cheers man, guess ill take another crack at it tomorrow, sucks that i don't have any place that i know off that sells grommets like that, else id replace mine.
mac mini mid-2011, Vertex 3 120GB in Lion OS...
Is necessary enable "noatime" or is just "atime" disable and it is not necessary?
Thank you (I've opened a new threat with this question, sorry).
To enable TRIM in unofficial SSD (3rd parts), just go to: http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/ and follow the steps.
Is necessary enable "noatime" or is just "atime" disable and it is not necessary?
Thank you (I've opened a new threat with this question, sorry).
To enable TRIM in unofficial SSD (3rd parts), just go to: http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/ and follow the steps.
I need help with a broken fan. I broke the plastic plug off the fan and need help making sure i connect the wire to the correct blade. If someone is feeling really nice could you unscrew the fan, flip it over, and with the text on the sticker facing right side up tell me where each line connects. the top being number 1, below that being number 2 and so one. The connections on the logic board.... the closest to the ram being 1 the next being 2 and so on. I know this is a lot to ask, but it will be a huge help. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to take the time to do this.
Thank you for this link - it clearly shows that the logic board does not need to be removed if all you are doing is replacing the HDD with a SSD. Adding a second disk is a tight fit however....
Err this happened to me over the weekend. I installed Lion onto an SSD via USB through Lion recovery and plugged it into the other port, thinking that i can simply format the HDD once i boot off the SSD.
What do i do now to fix this? I'm new to
and OS X in general :/How do i start fresh? What is supposed to be plugged into which port?
It looks like the system will only boot off the sata port closest to the right, it's extremely slow when i plug in the ssd but works fine if i plug in the original hard drive? Nothing happens if i plug in the drives into the sata port closest to the left, at all, disk utility doesnt even see anything on that sata port no matter what i plug into it, is that right?
Please help, all answers much appreciated
Err this happened to me over the weekend. I installed Lion onto an SSD via USB through Lion recovery and plugged it into the other port, thinking that i can simply format the HDD once i boot off the SSD.
What do i do now to fix this? I'm new to
How do i start fresh? What is supposed to be plugged into which port?
It looks like the system will only boot off the sata port closest to the right, it's extremely slow when i plug in the ssd but works fine if i plug in the original hard drive? Nothing happens if i plug in the drives into the sata port closest to the left, at all, disk utility doesnt even see anything on that sata port no matter what i plug into it, is that right?
Please help, all answers much appreciated
The port should not be a problem. A PRAM and SMC reset should restore the boot speed. If Disk Utilities is not seeing the SSD you likely will have to remove it and format using a USB or FW adapter (I really like the Seagate GoFlex cables for this purpose). If you have another Mac you can put the Mini is Target Disk Mode and format the drives using disk utilities on the 2nd Mac, this is my preferred method with Thunderbolt.
What is held down when trying to get to these resets? When i try to boot off into recovery with the SSD plugged in, it does not recognize that the SSD is there.
Can you tell me which port the SSD with a fresh copy of Lion is supposed to be plugged into? (furthest to the right?) and then do PRAM/SMC?
The OP mentioned reinstalling a fresh copy of lion if you moved the drive to different ports that why i'm confused on whether i need to do resets or reinstall Lion for things to work.
Also, is there something special that needs to be done to get the HDD recognized on the port closest to the left? Neither the SSD or the HDD boots from that port, i get the blinking question mark in a box.
Thanks in advance! i'm a huge Mac noob.
Sourcing components & personal experience
I thought I would chip in with my positive personal experience of installing a second drive into a non-server 2011 Mac Mini.
The job is undoubtedly fiddly, and must be approached with due care and attention, and the patience of Job. But it is not difficult. The iFixit teardown photos are a very useful guide to the exercise, and the procedure outlined by iFixit should be followed to the letter.
Being based in the UK, I sourced the SATA adapter from www.applemacparts.co.uk (VIS Ltd), and paid £25 + VAT +postage for part #076-1391. The other commonly referenced cable is identical, though for some inexplicable reason VIS recommend 076-1391. It took the best part of two weeks for the cable to arrive through the post.
Information on screws and grommets was harder to come by, but I soon learned that any 6.3mm (1/4 inch) M3 screws would do, though possibly with a little filing of the heads. From Maplin I bought a packet of 50 for a couple of quid. The code number for the screws is "A13BJ". For the grommets, I bought (also from Maplin) a small packet of "Open grommets", the code number for which is "QT92A".
There is no need to purchase the iFixit kit at great experience, and possibly incur import taxes if bought from outside the US. If using the above-referenced screws, two of them will need to have their heads filed down a little. These are the ones that will sit against the outer wall of the Mac Mini case. File away as much as possible, while leaving enough of a cross so that the screwdriver will still engage.
The installation went without a hitch, and the result is a 2.5GHz (Radeon) Mac Mini with a 160GB Intel SSD as the primary drive, and a 750GB, 7200rpm WD Scorpio Black as the secondary, used for Time Machine backups and general storage.
However, after all this, I've decided that the Mac Mini is not for me, and will therefore sell it. I've yet to decide whether to advertise it as a modified machine (though without the SSD, and with the original 5400rpm HD back in place), or strip out the extra drive and SATA cable, and sell these separately. This post is not a for-sale advert, but you are welcome to PM me and discuss the matter. I am based in London, UK.
I thought I would chip in with my positive personal experience of installing a second drive into a non-server 2011 Mac Mini.
The job is undoubtedly fiddly, and must be approached with due care and attention, and the patience of Job. But it is not difficult. The iFixit teardown photos are a very useful guide to the exercise, and the procedure outlined by iFixit should be followed to the letter.
Being based in the UK, I sourced the SATA adapter from www.applemacparts.co.uk (VIS Ltd), and paid £25 + VAT +postage for part #076-1391. The other commonly referenced cable is identical, though for some inexplicable reason VIS recommend 076-1391. It took the best part of two weeks for the cable to arrive through the post.
Information on screws and grommets was harder to come by, but I soon learned that any 6.3mm (1/4 inch) M3 screws would do, though possibly with a little filing of the heads. From Maplin I bought a packet of 50 for a couple of quid. The code number for the screws is "A13BJ". For the grommets, I bought (also from Maplin) a small packet of "Open grommets", the code number for which is "QT92A".
There is no need to purchase the iFixit kit at great experience, and possibly incur import taxes if bought from outside the US. If using the above-referenced screws, two of them will need to have their heads filed down a little. These are the ones that will sit against the outer wall of the Mac Mini case. File away as much as possible, while leaving enough of a cross so that the screwdriver will still engage.
The installation went without a hitch, and the result is a 2.5GHz (Radeon) Mac Mini with a 160GB Intel SSD as the primary drive, and a 750GB, 7200rpm WD Scorpio Black as the secondary, used for Time Machine backups and general storage.
However, after all this, I've decided that the Mac Mini is not for me, and will therefore sell it. I've yet to decide whether to advertise it as a modified machine (though without the SSD, and with the original 5400rpm HD back in place), or strip out the extra drive and SATA cable, and sell these separately. This post is not a for-sale advert, but you are welcome to PM me and discuss the matter. I am based in London, UK.