Several people had your same issue a while back with an error message while updating to Ventura on unsupported Macs.. There were various fixes.. this is what worked for me: macOS 13 Ventura on Unsupported Macs Thread
I solved the issue in a very strange way, by installing a clean Monterey via USB with Open Core Legacy, then just upgrading directly from Monterey, no USB, to Ventura, via Software Update, and is working, very strange.
Does your Ventura install work 100% correctly by upgrading Monterey using Software Update? Just wondering if this is a viable path for my 2012 Mac mini. Thanks
Does your Ventura install work 100% correctly by upgrading Monterey using Software Update? Just wondering if this is a viable path for my 2012 Mac mini. Thanks
Couple of suggestions that worked when I was installing on my 2012 Mini. 1. Make sure you build your Open Core to the right hardware. It uses specific ktexts for each machine. 2. When you have your usb ready, make sure to completely wipe your 2012 drive for a clean install from your usb. I didn't run into any issues installing Ventura, yes, it was slow, but no issues with hardware.
Hi, I just wanted to provide an update on my 2012 quad-core i7 Mac mini. I used OCLP to upgrade from Catalina to Monterey, then went through the whole process again to upgrade from Monterey to Ventura. I am very happy with Ventura on this Mac. Cannot find anything that does not work as intended. I bought the Mac mini last week for $75 with 8GB ram and 1TB HDD. I upgraded to two new SSDs (250GB boot drive, and 500GB data drive, and bought the additional SATA cable). All in cost for this computer including shipping was $141.16. The computer itself had never been opened and is in near perfect cosmetic condition and has the original Apple ram. I am thrilled at the performance with this price point. I will be setting it up as a file server on my home network.