My Easy-peasy SSD upgrade experience

[CrazyNurse]

Been waiting to do this upgrade on my 2012 MM for about a year. I have read several articles and watched videos on how to do this but have been waiting for a good deal on an SSD and picked one up this Black Friday. It's a 500g EVO.

I only switched to Macs in 2006, so I have previous experience upgrading and building PCs for myself and at work. I have had my share of broken pins, bricking motherboards, setting dip switches, etc. Suffice it to say, I have been hesitant to do this job myself because I have had no experience upgrading Mac hardware outside of swapping ram modules.

IT WAS SO EASY! Took 20 min tops. If you're on the fence, go for it.

My tips:
-Take your time
-Have the right tools (T6, T8, Precision flathead, precision needle nose pliers, and mini Allen wrench)
-Watch helpful videos like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkbekb8yKhc

*When securing the screws into the bottom of the new HD, use a precision flathead to keep the drive elevated while you put the two screws in (through the WiFi antenna mesh). My EVO was thinner than the oem hitachi and wanted to sag on the side nearest the motherboard and SATA connector even though it was properly seated.

 

[blanka]

Great! Good video! We should stop linking OWC and iFixit video's that are complicating stuff way too much.

If you have 2mm hex, use that for the 2 silver screws in the grill cause that's what they are: 2mm hex and not T8. They never put them in kits though as the T8 will fit, but not as a screw should fit.

The guy in the video happened to have an old-style 2012. The new ones are even easier, you don't need to lift the SSD there, as the HD is in the other bay, and the SSD will rest on top. If the SSD is too thin, put in the spacer between the cable and the SSD. Then it stay in place even without the screws re-applied.

 

[fhall1]

For those that have done this already I have a question about this video...when he removes the three screws to allow him to flip the grate up and away (the wire I believe was for the wifi connection) - he removes the two from the grate itself (actually one had already fallen out) and then the third from the rim of the mini down below where the fan was (far left in the video). Did he really have to remove that third screw? It doesn't look like it holds anything that would get in the way of replacing the drive.

 

[corvus32]

Did he really have to remove that third screw?

No, but you should remove it to slide the motherboard out.

Even though it only threads into the aluminum housing, on my Mini, it stuck passed that just enough to touch the CPU cooler beneath. I shorten the screw a bit with a fine tooth file and can now leave it in place.