Yes you can do that.
It is as easy if your HDD is on the upper bay. You just need to buy the lowerbay sata cable and slide the SSD inside without taking the whole thing apart.
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My mac Mini is becoming really slow - what to do?
- Thread starter Jim L
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It is as easy if your HDD is on the upper bay. You just need to buy the lowerbay sata cable and slide the SSD inside without taking the whole thing apart.
Install COMPLETE! Very happy with results
It didn't take that long, but there were some difficult parts. The hardest was reattaching the tiny wifi antenna cable and the fan cable.
I would say that it was easier than replacing the HD in my 2011 iMac with an SSD.
Overall I'm very pleased! Thanks everyone!
It didn't take that long, but there were some difficult parts. The hardest was reattaching the tiny wifi antenna cable and the fan cable.
I would say that it was easier than replacing the HD in my 2011 iMac with an SSD.
Overall I'm very pleased! Thanks everyone!
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I've build a Crucial MX200 in my Mac Mini 2011 recently. It flies compared to the OCW Core SSD that was in it!
Really fast boot, applications startup fast (1 bounce).
I choose the Crucial because of durability and long life. It has power loss protection, which I really need over here in Curaçao. Also some other premium features that are in the MX200 made me decide for it over Samsungs offerings.
It's amazing what Crucial puts in their consumer grade SSD's that are normally only in enterprise or pro SSD's.
Really fast boot, applications startup fast (1 bounce).
I choose the Crucial because of durability and long life. It has power loss protection, which I really need over here in Curaçao. Also some other premium features that are in the MX200 made me decide for it over Samsungs offerings.
It's amazing what Crucial puts in their consumer grade SSD's that are normally only in enterprise or pro SSD's.
BEFORE you go an spend some money, unplug your mini completely and take it outside and blow some air into all the vents and ports. You will be surprised how much DUST is in there after years of use. All that dust creates heat, and heat is the enemy of speed.
I've been having pretty much the same problem with my 2012 i7 with 1TB drive and 4GB RAM. It's mostly just used as an iTunes server now so it just sits there. I turn it off when I leave for work and it's on the rest of the time.
Now that I have a mid 2015 MBP, I have no reason to use the Mac Mini for anything other than it being the iTunes server. After about a week of running, it starts running slow if I try to use it for anything. Last night, it took about five minutes for the display to come on and about ten minutes for Safari to become active for me to do anything. I rebooted the Mini by turning off the power button because I didn't have the patience to sit there and wait another twenty minutes to get the Apple menu.
I've only owned it since September and it still has 750GB free on the HD.
Not really interested in upgrading the RAM yet although that may help a little bit.
As far as my drive goes, the OS saying my drive is installed in the upper bay so it will be more difficult to replace. Not sure if I feel confident to do that.
Now that I have a mid 2015 MBP, I have no reason to use the Mac Mini for anything other than it being the iTunes server. After about a week of running, it starts running slow if I try to use it for anything. Last night, it took about five minutes for the display to come on and about ten minutes for Safari to become active for me to do anything. I rebooted the Mini by turning off the power button because I didn't have the patience to sit there and wait another twenty minutes to get the Apple menu.
I've only owned it since September and it still has 750GB free on the HD.
Not really interested in upgrading the RAM yet although that may help a little bit.
As far as my drive goes, the OS saying my drive is installed in the upper bay so it will be more difficult to replace. Not sure if I feel confident to do that.
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Try an external SSD first. If you hate the aesthetics or really need that USB port you can always do the surgery later.
I would like to "second" what Steve wrote above.
If you (or anyone else reading this) have a late-2012 Mini with only an internal HDD, and you "need more speed", just add an external SSD first. This is going to give you 85-90% of the performance increase you'd get by installing the SSD internally, BUT, without the risk of something going wrong during the "Mini surgery".
The best course of action is to use USB3 -- cheap and easy.
DON'T worry that you don't have TRIM enabled -- will make no noticeable difference in speeds (at least in my personal experience using Intel and Crucial SSD's).
If you choose to buy a "bare" SSD, look for an enclosure (or a USB3/SATA dock) that specifically supports "UASP" (USB attached SCSI protocol). You need this capability in order to get the full speed that USB3 is capable of giving you.
Again, "going external" first entails little risk, and you may find yourself quite satisfied just to leave it at that.
If at some point in the future you want to open up the Mini and swap drives, you've lost nothing by using an external booter first.
If you (or anyone else reading this) have a late-2012 Mini with only an internal HDD, and you "need more speed", just add an external SSD first. This is going to give you 85-90% of the performance increase you'd get by installing the SSD internally, BUT, without the risk of something going wrong during the "Mini surgery".
The best course of action is to use USB3 -- cheap and easy.
DON'T worry that you don't have TRIM enabled -- will make no noticeable difference in speeds (at least in my personal experience using Intel and Crucial SSD's).
If you choose to buy a "bare" SSD, look for an enclosure (or a USB3/SATA dock) that specifically supports "UASP" (USB attached SCSI protocol). You need this capability in order to get the full speed that USB3 is capable of giving you.
Again, "going external" first entails little risk, and you may find yourself quite satisfied just to leave it at that.
If at some point in the future you want to open up the Mini and swap drives, you've lost nothing by using an external booter first.
Are there any SSD manufacturers who sell SSDs already installed in an enclosure?
I looked at BestBuy and didn't see anything. I don't care about costs, I'm looking for convenience more than anything now.
I looked at BestBuy and didn't see anything. I don't care about costs, I'm looking for convenience more than anything now.
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Thanks! I should have thought of Lacie first.
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Samsung also does the same thing, with the Samsung T1 (850 Evo based). Transcend also does the same thing with the JetDrive. LaCie is pretty overpriced.
Jackie wrote above:
"Are there any SSD manufacturers who sell SSDs already installed in an enclosure?
I looked at BestBuy and didn't see anything. I don't care about costs, I'm looking for convenience more than anything now."
I'd suggest the Samsung T1:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Portable-500GB-External-MU-PS500B/dp/B00RWXVMRS
However, don't get hung up about "convenience".
ANYONE can put together a "bare" SSD and external enclosure, and have it ready to go in about 2 minutes (or less).
All you need is a screwdriver.
Some enclosures don't even need screws (just flip open, insert drive, flip closed, done).
Then, initialize it with Disk Utility and it's ready for use.
"Are there any SSD manufacturers who sell SSDs already installed in an enclosure?
I looked at BestBuy and didn't see anything. I don't care about costs, I'm looking for convenience more than anything now."
I'd suggest the Samsung T1:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Portable-500GB-External-MU-PS500B/dp/B00RWXVMRS
However, don't get hung up about "convenience".
ANYONE can put together a "bare" SSD and external enclosure, and have it ready to go in about 2 minutes (or less).
All you need is a screwdriver.
Some enclosures don't even need screws (just flip open, insert drive, flip closed, done).
Then, initialize it with Disk Utility and it's ready for use.
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Externals are easy.
My Thermaltake Silver River 3.5" USB 3.0 enclosure even came with a screwdriver in the kit!
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To anyone worried about speed of your Mac mini,and upgrading to an SSD, don't be.
Yesterday I upgraded by 2012 i7 Quadcore 1tb 5400rpm drive to a 1TB Samsung 840 Evo.
It couldn't be simpler.
1. Clean up your Mini and put your data / movies externally somewhere.
2. Backup using TimeMachine to any USB Harddrive (although I have Time capsule).
3. Using Disk Utility, 'clone' your mac (google how) to the SSD connected externally via a usb case.
(My USB case doestnt even have screws, it just clips in less than 20 seconds).
4. When you've cloned your HD to external SSD, go into System Preferences, startup disk, and restart using your external SSD. This will check that it works before you install in the Mini itself. You could probably stop at this point if nervous but I recommend you carry on.
5. Follow the OWC 8min video on replacing HD with SSD religiously on another computer at the same time as you do the work, pausing it as you go. Its on Youtube.
I replaced my original in the lower bay, it took 45 minutes of taking my sweet time as it was a bit fiddly, but it worked first time and my original HD is safely stashed in a cupboard somewhere in case of emergency. I will reassign it to another use later.
I am up to 480 writes and 510 reads on the SSD, and with 16gb ram, and I am in love with my Mini all over again.
It absolutely flies.
Again for those on the fence, its easy to test the ssd before you install it, and installing is a breeze what with all the how-to video guides available on youtube.
Trust me the Mac Mini is wonderfully put together, you won't break it.
Id consider 250gb to be absolute minimum, but the biggest you can afford.
Best Upgrade ever. For ALL it took less than 2 hours, and Id set aside half my day.
best of luck.
Yesterday I upgraded by 2012 i7 Quadcore 1tb 5400rpm drive to a 1TB Samsung 840 Evo.
It couldn't be simpler.
1. Clean up your Mini and put your data / movies externally somewhere.
2. Backup using TimeMachine to any USB Harddrive (although I have Time capsule).
3. Using Disk Utility, 'clone' your mac (google how) to the SSD connected externally via a usb case.
(My USB case doestnt even have screws, it just clips in less than 20 seconds).
4. When you've cloned your HD to external SSD, go into System Preferences, startup disk, and restart using your external SSD. This will check that it works before you install in the Mini itself. You could probably stop at this point if nervous but I recommend you carry on.
5. Follow the OWC 8min video on replacing HD with SSD religiously on another computer at the same time as you do the work, pausing it as you go. Its on Youtube.
I replaced my original in the lower bay, it took 45 minutes of taking my sweet time as it was a bit fiddly, but it worked first time and my original HD is safely stashed in a cupboard somewhere in case of emergency. I will reassign it to another use later.
I am up to 480 writes and 510 reads on the SSD, and with 16gb ram, and I am in love with my Mini all over again.
It absolutely flies.
Again for those on the fence, its easy to test the ssd before you install it, and installing is a breeze what with all the how-to video guides available on youtube.
Trust me the Mac Mini is wonderfully put together, you won't break it.
Id consider 250gb to be absolute minimum, but the biggest you can afford.
Best Upgrade ever. For ALL it took less than 2 hours, and Id set aside half my day.
best of luck.