How to add SSD to late-2012 model?

[treekram]

I need high Sierra. Isn't high Sierra compatibel with a random SSD? Crucial and Samsung and owc are thé most likely candidates. Do you need to remove thé logic boarding if you leave thé HDD in? Hence adding thé SSD

There are two slots for SATA drives in the 2012 Mini. I have not done this myself (I have removed the logic board) but people say that you can remove and add a drive to the "Lower Bay" without removing the logic board. If your hard drive is in the "Upper Bay", you can add the SSD to the lower bay and you wan't have to remove the logic board. But if your hard drive is in the lower bay and you want to keep it in the machine, you have to remove the logic board to either put the SSD in the upper bay or move the hard drive to the upper bay.

I don't know what problem the person who had problems with High Sierra and the 860 Evo had. If you like Samsung, just make sure you can return the SSD if you have problems. You can try to get the 850 Evo which this person says did not have the same problems. Both the 860 Evo and Crucial MX500 are new and in looking at the Amazon (US) reviews, both seem to have the same amount of people reporting initial problems. That may because they're new or because most times with SSD's, you typically have people reporting problems when they first get the SSD. There's no advantage to OWC SSD's unless you can get them much cheaper than a Samsung or Crucial (or WD/Sandisk, Toshiba/OCZ).

 

[eljanitor]

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I need high Sierra. Isn't high Sierra compatibel with a random SSD? Crucial and Samsung and owc are thé most likely candidates. Do you need to remove thé logic boarding if you leave thé HDD in? Hence adding thé SSD

Why do you need High Sierra?

 

[grandM]

There are two slots for SATA drives in the 2012 Mini. I have not done this myself (I have removed the logic board) but people say that you can remove and add a drive to the "Lower Bay" without removing the logic board. If your hard drive is in the "Upper Bay", you can add the SSD to the lower bay and you wan't have to remove the logic board. But if your hard drive is in the lower bay and you want to keep it in the machine, you have to remove the logic board to either put the SSD in the upper bay or move the hard drive to the upper bay.

I don't know what problem the person who had problems with High Sierra and the 860 Evo had. If you like Samsung, just make sure you can return the SSD if you have problems. You can try to get the 850 Evo which this person says did not have the same problems. Both the 860 Evo and Crucial MX500 are new and in looking at the Amazon (US) reviews, both seem to have the same amount of people reporting initial problems. That may because they're new or because most times with SSD's, you typically have people reporting problems when they first get the SSD. There's no advantage to OWC SSD's unless you can get them much cheaper than a Samsung or Crucial (or WD/Sandisk, Toshiba/OCZ).

If I read you properly it should be possible to never remove the logic board in the mini as long as I'm willing to sacrifice the initial HDD?

I do not have any preference concerning SSD drives. I just want to make sure the device works when I've put the components together. The difference in speed or money isn't worth the hassle of tearing everything apart again. The reason I talked about crucial and Samsung where that these ssd turned up on amazon.
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Why do you need High Sierra?

I need the latest Xcode installed... If I remember properly it forced me to upgrade to high Sierra. Not sure though.

 

[Neodym]

If you don’t want to open up your mini, go for an external drive with Thunderbolt or USB3. Plug in, install OSX and define it as standard boot medium in settings: Done. No hassle.

 

[macstatic]

I'm the OP and have successfully installed the SSD and replaced the stock 4GB RAM with 16GB (two 8GB memory sticks). So far I'm very impressed with what will be my wife's new computer (replacing a 2008 iMac) when I'm done transferring everything.

Here's a summary of the upgrade and my experiences...
I bought a 250GB Samsung 860 EVO SSD for use as the OSX/apps drive and finding the Apple factory-installed hard drive being in the "lower" bay (Disk utility gives this information), which apparently is the most common setup I also ordered the OWC "lower" bay kit (OWCDIYIMM11D2) which contains the cable, screws etc. and tools needed to make this possible.
For those reading who have the upper bay populated with the hard drive you need to buy a different kit from OWC called the "upper" bay kit (OWCDIYIMM11D2B).

The OWC kit appears to be quality throughout and contains everything you need including extensive step-by-step instructions (a paper booklet). I chose to read through this a couple of times first, then watch the installation video while actually performing the upgrade, taking it slow and pausing in between each step. A lot of connectors and other things are quite flimsy and care needs to be taken not to damage stuff.

The OWC kit also now also includes Bluetooth shielding foil, but you need to watch a separate video for that. So be sure to watch it and install the shielding as soon as you've removed the main board from the Mac mini enclosure so you don't forget all about it!

I had an anti-static wrist-strap attached to ground while upgrading, just to ensure any static electricity wouldn't damage things. All went quite smoothly except the part of sliding the main board out. It looked so simple in the video (just pull it out with the stiff wire insertion tool) but mine was completely stuck. After wiggling the board carefully in different directions it finally came loose and I was able to pull it out as in the video. Other than that it all went fine.

One thing I noticed was a BR-2032 coin-cell battery mounted on the main board. I assume it's for keeping the clock time when powered off, and I thought now would be a good time to replace it (I'm not too keen on disassembling the computer in a couple of months) but had to leave it in as I couldn't find that particular battery (online info tells me that the "BR" type can withstand higher temperatures than the commonly available "CR" type, so I'll have to order it from an electronics dealer or something when time comes for doing that). But unlike myself you're hereby informed prior to upgrading so you now have the opportunity to order and do it all in one go.

That's about it.
All that's left to do is transfer everything over from the old iMac (I'm having a little trouble with Migration assistant -one of them being that it appears not to transfer a user folder over to a separate drive from the boot drive, so I'll have to do most of it manually).

 

[treekram]

If I read you properly it should be possible to never remove the logic board in the mini as long as I'm willing to sacrifice the initial HDD?

I do not have any preference concerning SSD drives. I just want to make sure the device works when I've put the components together. The difference in speed or money isn't worth the hassle of tearing everything apart again. The reason I talked about crucial and Samsung where that these ssd turned up on amazon.

I need the latest Xcode installed... If I remember properly it forced me to upgrade to high Sierra. Not sure though.

Xcode 9.X does require High Sierra.

The current SATA 2.5" SSD's from the major manufacturers, in most cases, should work. However, the SSD you receive may have problems that slipped pass the quality control tests. Or there may be some unusual circumstance with your specific computer where there's some incompatibility issue. There can never be 100% assurance that the SSD you actually receive will work in your computer and that's why you should buy from a retailer that has a good return policy. Between the 860 Evo and Crucial MX500, the Crucial is a little cheaper and both have 5-year warranties. I would feel comfortable with either SSD's. As I mentioned earlier, it doesn't make sense to me to buy the SSD from either iFixit or OWC.

If you feel uncomfortable about opening up the Mini and working with it, as mentioned in post #29 - you can always use a external SSD. There are some things to know if you want to go that route so ask if you're interested.

 

[grandM]

I'm the OP and have successfully installed the SSD and replaced the stock 4GB RAM with 16GB (two 8GB memory sticks). So far I'm very impressed with what will be my wife's new computer (replacing a 2008 iMac) when I'm done transferring everything.

Here's a summary of the upgrade and my experiences...
I bought a 250GB Samsung 860 EVO SSD for use as the OSX/apps drive and finding the Apple factory-installed hard drive being in the "lower" bay (Disk utility gives this information), which apparently is the most common setup I also ordered the OWC "lower" bay kit (OWCDIYIMM11D2) which contains the cable, screws etc. and tools needed to make this possible.
For those reading who have the upper bay populated with the hard drive you need to buy a different kit from OWC called the "upper" bay kit (OWCDIYIMM11D2B).

The OWC kit appears to be quality throughout and contains everything you need including extensive step-by-step instructions (a paper booklet). I chose to read through this a couple of times first, then watch the installation video while actually performing the upgrade, taking it slow and pausing in between each step. A lot of connectors and other things are quite flimsy and care needs to be taken not to damage stuff.

The OWC kit also now also includes Bluetooth shielding foil, but you need to watch a separate video for that. So be sure to watch it and install the shielding as soon as you've removed the main board from the Mac mini enclosure so you don't forget all about it!

I had an anti-static wrist-strap attached to ground while upgrading, just to ensure any static electricity wouldn't damage things. All went quite smoothly except the part of sliding the main board out. It looked so simple in the video (just pull it out with the stiff wire insertion tool) but mine was completely stuck. After wiggling the board carefully in different directions it finally came loose and I was able to pull it out as in the video. Other than that it all went fine.

One thing I noticed was a BR-2032 coin-cell battery mounted on the main board. I assume it's for keeping the clock time when powered off, and I thought now would be a good time to replace it (I'm not too keen on disassembling the computer in a couple of months) but had to leave it in as I couldn't find that particular battery (online info tells me that the "BR" type can withstand higher temperatures than the commonly available "CR" type, so I'll have to order it from an electronics dealer or something when time comes for doing that). But unlike myself you're hereby informed prior to upgrading so you now have the opportunity to order and do it all in one go.

That's about it.
All that's left to do is transfer everything over from the old iMac (I'm having a little trouble with Migration assistant -one of them being that it appears not to transfer a user folder over to a separate drive from the boot drive, so I'll have to do most of it manually).

could you have a look if my disk is in the lower/upper bay?

 

[macstatic]

That's strange... I couldn't find that info anywhere in your screenshots (I don't know Dutch, but it's close enough to my language to get a general understanding). I'm not familiar with the later OSX versions, so perhaps that kind of info is more hidden than in OSX 10.9.5 which we're using (each newer OSX version has a tendency to "dumb down" the features in comparison to the previous version IMHO.

On my Mac Pro (also OSX 10.9.5) it's shown in Disk utility like this (click once on the (physical) drive in question as you see here:

And if you then clock on the blue "Info" icon on the top row you will get this:

Which OSX version are you using?
Maybe your final solution will be to use the OSX Terminal. Do the following:

1) start Terminal (it should be found in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder)

2) based on your screenshots, write the following and press RETURN:

diskutil info disk0s2

3) if this doesn't work, perhaps I've used the wrong disk ID ("disk0s2"). You can get a list of all the drives and IDs like this (again, press the RETURN key at the end):

diskutil list

Then just use the same command as in step 2, but with the correct drive ID number.

 

[grandM]

That's strange... I couldn't find that info anywhere in your screenshots (I don't know Dutch, but it's close enough to my language to get a general understanding). I'm not familiar with the later OSX versions, so perhaps that kind of info is more hidden than in OSX 10.9.5 which we're using (each newer OSX version has a tendency to "dumb down" the features in comparison to the previous version IMHO.

On my Mac Pro (also OSX 10.9.5) it's shown in Disk utility like this (click once on the (physical) drive in question as you see here:

View attachment 757458


And if you then clock on the blue "Info" icon on the top row you will get this:

View attachment 757457


Which OSX version are you using?
Maybe your final solution will be to use the OSX Terminal. Do the following:

1) start Terminal (it should be found in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder)

2) based on your screenshots, write the following and press RETURN:

diskutil info disk0s2

3) if this doesn't work, perhaps I've used the wrong disk ID ("disk0s2"). You can get a list of all the drives and IDs like this (again, press the RETURN key at the end):

diskutil list

Then just use the same command as in step 2, but with the correct drive ID number.

high sierra
the commands worked out!
Device Identifier: disk0s2

Device Node: /dev/disk0s2

Whole: No

Part of Whole: disk0


Volume Name: Macintosh HD

Mounted: Yes

Mount Point: /


Partition Type: Apple_HFS

File System Personality: Journaled HFS+

Type (Bundle): hfs

Name (User Visible): Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Journal: Journal size 81920 KB at offset 0x1b218000

Owners: Enabled


OS Can Be Installed: Yes

Booter Disk: disk0s3

Recovery Disk: disk0s3

Media Type: Generic

Protocol: SATA

SMART Status: Verified

Volume UUID: F1CA6DD0-A19A-34D2-80D8-8E477E3618AD

Disk / Partition UUID: 0000269E-3DE7-0000-2B11-0000B5310000

Partition Offset: 209735680 Bytes (409640 512-Byte-Device-Blocks)


Disk Size: 999.3 GB (999345127424 Bytes) (exactly 1951845952 512-Byte-Units)

Device Block Size: 512 Bytes


Volume Total Space: 999.3 GB (999345127424 Bytes) (exactly 1951845952 512-Byte-Units)

Volume Used Space: 937.5 GB (937492795392 Bytes) (exactly 1831040616 512-Byte-Units) (93.8%)

Volume Free Space: 61.9 GB (61852332032 Bytes) (exactly 120805336 512-Byte-Units) (6.2%)

Allocation Block Size: 4096 Bytes


Read-Only Media: No

Read-Only Volume: No


Device Location: Internal

Removable Media: Fixed


Solid State: No

Hardware AES Support: No

Device Location: "Upper"

 

[macstatic]

Device Location: Internal
Removable Media: Fixed
Solid State: No
Hardware AES Support: No
Device Location: "Upper"

Great to hear it worked out!
So your existing Apple factory installed hard drive is installed into the upper bay (unlike in our case).

I'm not sure how much you need to open you Mac mini (you'd better watch the OWC "upper" kit installation video for that), but I think the lower factory installed hard drive which was present in my wife's Mac could be removed/exchanged without removing much (meaning I might have been able to exchange the hard drive with another one (or an SSD) in the same bay without having to disassemble any further), but with the opposite drive factory installed I'm guessing you might have to disassemble everything in any case, so it should make no difference in the amount of work for replacing the existing drive or adding a second drive (the only difference being if you need to buy the OWC cable kit or not).

Disassembly isn't such a big deal -it just takes a little time (work slowly so you don't do anything silly), and if I were you I'd buy the OWC cable kit, install everything, then install the drive of your choice in the upper location. Then later, if you want to add a second drive you might be able to just do some basic disassembly in order to put a second drive in the lower bay location. Or put in two drives all in one go now

If I've gotten the details wrong, please someone correct me. All this upper/lower business has me confused

 

[grandM]

Great to hear it worked out!
So your existing Apple factory installed hard drive is installed into the upper bay (unlike in our case).

I'm not sure how much you need to open you Mac mini (you'd better watch the OWC "upper" kit installation video for that), but I think the lower factory installed hard drive which was present in my wife's Mac could be removed/exchanged without removing much (meaning I might have been able to exchange the hard drive with another one (or an SSD) in the same bay without having to disassemble any further), but with the opposite drive factory installed I'm guessing you might have to disassemble everything in any case, so it should make no difference in the amount of work for replacing the existing drive or adding a second drive (the only difference being if you need to buy the OWC cable kit or not).

Disassembly isn't such a big deal -it just takes a little time (work slowly so you don't do anything silly), and if I were you I'd buy the OWC cable kit, install everything, then install the drive of your choice in the upper location. Then later, if you want to add a second drive you might be able to just do some basic disassembly in order to put a second drive in the lower bay location. Or put in two drives all in one go now

If I've gotten the details wrong, please someone correct me. All this upper/lower business has me confused

can't I shove the ssd in the lower bay?

 

[macstatic]

Yes, you can put any drive type (SSD or hard drive) in any bay location.
But for using the lower bay you need to buy that OWC cable kit first.

 

[treekram]

can't I shove the ssd in the lower bay?

You should be able to put the SSD in the lower bay without removing the logic board. Just buy the OWC "Upper Bay" kit. This is meant for Mini's where the existing drive is in the Upper Bay (it has the cable for the new drive to be put in the Lower Bay).

 

[grandM]

You should be able to put the SSD in the lower bay without removing the logic board. Just buy the OWC "Upper Bay" kit. This is meant for Mini's where the existing drive is in the Upper Bay (it has the cable for the new drive to be put in the Lower Bay).

I just watched the upgrade movie. It seems a lot can go wrong. Is the performance much worse with an external ssd? Can an external ssd serve as boot (because my external back drive gets continuously lost by macOS).

 

[macstatic]

The video might seem overwhelming, but it's mostly that it's just very detailed to avoid any mistakes. I would say it's not too bad if you take your time, have patience and avoid using excessive force.

Yes, you can use an external hard drive as a boot drive. Just go to the "startup disk" preference to choose it first. Someone else can probably give the performance specifications better than me, but if your particular Mac mini has USB-3 (I can't remember which model you had) you should probably go for that, or alternatively Firewire 800 or Thunderbolt (I have no experience with the latter though). USB-2 will likely be very slow. Better suited for keyboards, mice and printers.

 

[treekram]

I just watched the upgrade movie. It seems a lot can go wrong. Is the performance much worse with an external ssd? Can an external ssd serve as boot (because my external back drive gets continuously lost by macOS).

If you do not feel comfortable putting the SSD in your Mini, then you shouldn't do it.

You can look for an Apple-authorized service provider and have them install it.

You can put a SSD in an external enclosure or buy a USB3 SSD (such as the Samsung T5). Before you do this, you should try to determine why you are having problems with your external USB drive(s) disconnecting. (I think that's what you're saying.) If you connect a drive using a hub, there could be a problem with the hub. If you connect the drive directly into the Mini, it could be a problem with either the enclosure (if you bought a bare drive and put it in an enclosure) or with the drive itself.

In my 2014 Mini, I put a Crucial M500 SSD in it. Before I did that, I tested the SSD speed using an USB3 enclosure using the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. Using Blackmagic, I get 5% slower write speed and 13% slower read speed using a USB3 enclosure.

When you use an external USB3 SSD, you don't get TRIM. You can search the web for information on TRIM.

You can also use an external Thunderbolt SSD. You can get TRIM with Thunderbolt and if you can't figure out why your external drive disconnects using USB3, this may be a better option. However, external Thunderbolt SSD's are more expensive and if you are using or plan to use a monitor with a resolution higher than 1980x1200, then the Thunderbolt/Mini-Displayport port is needed for the monitor.

 

[macstatic]

Good suggestions Treekram.

I forgot to comment on your drive problems, GrandM.
This problem reminds me of someone I know who had an external USB hard drive working as a Time Machine backup but through a USB hub. I think it was shared with a printer, as the Mac didn't have enough USB connectors.
Anyway, the hard drive kept powering on and off. I think we solved it by powering up the hub (some USB hubs have a power connector in case the computer can't supply enough power directly to the hub).

Does this sound similar to the problems you've been having? If the external hard drive came with an optional power supply you could also attach it and see if that improves on things.

 

[grandM]

Good suggestions Treekram.

I forgot to comment on your drive problems, GrandM.
This problem reminds me of someone I know who had an external USB hard drive working as a Time Machine backup but through a USB hub. I think it was shared with a printer, as the Mac didn't have enough USB connectors.
Anyway, the hard drive kept powering on and off. I think we solved it by powering up the hub (some USB hubs have a power connector in case the computer can't supply enough power directly to the hub).

Does this sound similar to the problems you've been having? If the external hard drive came with an optional power supply you could also attach it and see if that improves on things.

Thanks for your help once more. Strange thing is that the LaCie external hard disk is connected to the mini itself. No hub was added.
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If you do not feel comfortable putting the SSD in your Mini, then you shouldn't do it.

You can look for an Apple-authorized service provider and have them install it.

You can put a SSD in an external enclosure or buy a USB3 SSD (such as the Samsung T5). Before you do this, you should try to determine why you are having problems with your external USB drive(s) disconnecting. (I think that's what you're saying.) If you connect a drive using a hub, there could be a problem with the hub. If you connect the drive directly into the Mini, it could be a problem with either the enclosure (if you bought a bare drive and put it in an enclosure) or with the drive itself.

In my 2014 Mini, I put a Crucial M500 SSD in it. Before I did that, I tested the SSD speed using an USB3 enclosure using the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. Using Blackmagic, I get 5% slower write speed and 13% slower read speed using a USB3 enclosure.

When you use an external USB3 SSD, you don't get TRIM. You can search the web for information on TRIM.

You can also use an external Thunderbolt SSD. You can get TRIM with Thunderbolt and if you can't figure out why your external drive disconnects using USB3, this may be a better option. However, external Thunderbolt SSD's are more expensive and if you are using or plan to use a monitor with a resolution higher than 1980x1200, then the Thunderbolt/Mini-Displayport port is needed for the monitor.

I was already having second thoughts about losing ports. I certainly don't want to lose the displayPort as my dell screen is connected to my mini. Also interesting to read that TRIM can be supported if I do surgery on my mini. So surgery it is! I contacted the local OWC shop and they want to sell me this tool kit (https://macupgrade.eu/catalog/mac-mini-20112013-2nd-hdssd-flex-cable-tools-p-824.html#.Ws21tP3eBBx). They state it works for both drives and that they include screws to make this happen. I myself was initially inclined to buy this device as it clearly states it's for the upper bay (https://www.alternate.be/OWC/Data-D...Mini-inbouw-kit/html/product/1102376?lk=14690). It's more expensive though. Your thoughts?

 

[treekram]

I contacted the local OWC shop and they want to sell me this tool kit (https://macupgrade.eu/catalog/mac-mini-20112013-2nd-hdssd-flex-cable-tools-p-824.html#.Ws21tP3eBBx). They state it works for both drives and that they include screws to make this happen. I myself was initially inclined to buy this device as it clearly states it's for the upper bay (https://www.alternate.be/OWC/Data-D...Mini-inbouw-kit/html/product/1102376?lk=14690). It's more expensive though. Your thoughts?

This is my opinion. If you have two drives, the one in the upper bay has the cable routed over the top (labeled) part of the drive, the one in the lower bay has the cable routed under the bottom of the drive. Because the drive in the lower bay is much more common, the cable they will include will most likely be the one meant for the upper bay, which is routed over the top of the drive. Since you have the drive in the upper bay, this means that for the cable that they include (which again, is presumably the one meant for the upper bay) will either have to be routed over the top of the drive, which is not ideal (or may not work) because of the position of the wifi antenna assembly - or - you have to install the drive upside-down. Installing upside-down by itself will not be a problem since drives work in either position and when you work on the Mini, it's upside-down anyway and it ends up be right-side-up. But if the cable wasn't meant specifically for working in the two bays (and I don't know if it is or not), you might end up forcing it to fit correctly which is not ideal. And I think you would have to twist the cable/connector if you install it upside-down. From the web page, you don't know if they have a cable which was designed for both bays or if they expect people to just try to make it fit if you already have the drive in the upper bay. The other link you have has a price of 45 euros for the upper bay kit and at that price, you might just find out what an Apple-authorized service provider would charge to install it for you.

 

[grandM]

This is my opinion. If you have two drives, the one in the upper bay has the cable routed over the top (labeled) part of the drive, the one in the lower bay has the cable routed under the bottom of the drive. Because the drive in the lower bay is much more common, the cable they will include will most likely be the one meant for the upper bay, which is routed over the top of the drive. Since you have the drive in the upper bay, this means that for the cable that they include (which again, is presumably the one meant for the upper bay) will either have to be routed over the top of the drive, which is not ideal (or may not work) because of the position of the wifi antenna assembly - or - you have to install the drive upside-down. Installing upside-down by itself will not be a problem since drives work in either position and when you work on the Mini, it's upside-down anyway and it ends up be right-side-up. But if the cable wasn't meant specifically for working in the two bays (and I don't know if it is or not), you might end up forcing it to fit correctly which is not ideal. And I think you would have to twist the cable/connector if you install it upside-down. From the web page, you don't know if they have a cable which was designed for both bays or if they expect people to just try to make it fit if you already have the drive in the upper bay. The other link you have has a price of 45 euros for the upper bay kit and at that price, you might just find out what an Apple-authorized service provider would charge to install it for you.

Do you mean that the 45 euro option is a cheap option compared to the apple-authorised service provider?

 

[Neodym]

Regarding ports: If you look for a Thunderbolt device with two ports, you could still connect your Dell daisy-chained after the Thunderbolt drive.

The cost for a Thunderbolt drive have to be weighed against additional cost for internal installation (tools/cable, time (yours or service technician), risk (when doing it yourself)) and suddenly the Thunderbolt solution may not look that unattractive anymore

 

[Fishrrman]

Geez -- all these troubles are why I have -always- recommended that the fastest, easiest, cheapest and least problematic way to add an SSD to a 2012 Mini is to just plug one in via USB3 and run it that way...

 

[macstatic]

Glad to be of help GrandM
Are the Lacie drive problems similar to what I've described? Yes, it's strange that you have problems even though it's not connected via a USB hub. I have come across USB external drives which are supplied with a dual USB cable. That is, it connects to the drive at one end, and at the other end there are two USB connectors which go into two USB sockets on the computer, thereby being able to supply twice the amount of power as one USB socket can!
If the drive comes with an optional power adapter, have you tried connected it and see if it makes any difference?

Another possibility is that the drive itself is nearing its end of life. We once had a drive (interally in a Mac) with strange problems coming and going (corrupted files, saving problems, the hard drive "gone" from the computer etc.). The S.M.A.R.T. status said it was OK, and neither did Disk utility tell that the drive was faulty. Eventually we got the drive replaced under warranty and haven't had any problems since. Just goes to show that the usual testing doesn't always show when a drive is faulty!

 

[treekram]

Do you mean that the 45 euro option is a cheap option compared to the apple-authorised service provider?

No. In the US, posters report they were able to get the drive installed in the Mini for $50 by an Apple-authorized service provider. I don't know what the typical rate would be in Europe and it probably would vary from country to country. But maybe €45 would be close to the cost of doing the replacement. Now, the $50 likely did not include the cost of the cable but I don't think a European Apple-authorized service provider would charge €45 for a cable.

Regarding ports: If you look for a Thunderbolt device with two ports, you could still connect your Dell daisy-chained after the Thunderbolt drive.

I don't think daisy-chaining a Thunderbolt drive with a monitor in this case is a good idea. The 2012 Mini has Thunderbolt 1, so the throughput is 10Gb/sec. A SSD and a 2560x1440 monitor would exceed that throughput if both were communicating at their maximum so I think there would be performance degradation in one or both devices at times. Also, Thunderbolt drives that have dual Thunderbolt ports tend to be expensive, in which case I think having a service shop doing the installation would be cheaper than the extra cost of the dual-Thunderbolt port drive.

Geez -- all these troubles are why I have -always- recommended that the fastest, easiest, cheapest and least problematic way to add an SSD to a 2012 Mini is to just plug one in via USB3 and run it that way.

Geez - why don't you read the previous posts. This has been discussed - the external SSD has been suggested but grandM has problem with their current external HDD dropping the connection so grandM is reluctant to go that route with the SSD.

 

[grandM]

This is my opinion. If you have two drives, the one in the upper bay has the cable routed over the top (labeled) part of the drive, the one in the lower bay has the cable routed under the bottom of the drive. Because the drive in the lower bay is much more common, the cable they will include will most likely be the one meant for the upper bay, which is routed over the top of the drive. Since you have the drive in the upper bay, this means that for the cable that they include (which again, is presumably the one meant for the upper bay) will either have to be routed over the top of the drive, which is not ideal (or may not work) because of the position of the wifi antenna assembly - or - you have to install the drive upside-down. Installing upside-down by itself will not be a problem since drives work in either position and when you work on the Mini, it's upside-down anyway and it ends up be right-side-up. But if the cable wasn't meant specifically for working in the two bays (and I don't know if it is or not), you might end up forcing it to fit correctly which is not ideal. And I think you would have to twist the cable/connector if you install it upside-down. From the web page, you don't know if they have a cable which was designed for both bays or if they expect people to just try to make it fit if you already have the drive in the upper bay. The other link you have has a price of 45 euros for the upper bay kit and at that price, you might just find out what an Apple-authorized service provider would charge to install it for you.

Would this kit have the same problem? Or would it be the correct cable? https://eustore.ifixit.com/en/Upgrades-Kits/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit.html