New SSD for a Mac Mini (late-2012)?

[macstatic]

So it looks like the 2TB Seagate Barracuda harddrive inside our late-2012 Mac Mini finally gave in after around 5 years of use. Can someone confirm if this is the case (see screenshot below) or that it's likely that I can revive it after reformatting it again? I assume not.

Seeing that SSD prices keep going down, would a 2TB Samsung 870 EVO be a good option? I understand that the slightly cheaper "QVO" model doesn't last as long.
I suppose either of the two would outlast any mechanical 2.5" HDD, right?

I've already equipped the Mac Mini with a 250GB Samsung 860 EVO for apps/MacOS (10.13) in one of the two drive bays and has worked perfectly, so a second SSD would essentially make the machine silent (besides the small fan inside that is).

Does that 870 EVO sound like a good choice, or are there other models worth considering?

 

[Boidem]

I have a 2012 Mac Mini, and I've installed 2 SSDs, using a small adapter kit I bought online. Requires disassembly of the MM, but it's not that difficult. Make sure you have the correct tools. I used this iFixit guide:

Installing Mac Mini Late 2012 Dual Hard Drive Kit

Use this guide to install iFixit's Dual Hard Drive Kit in your Late 2012 Mac Mini.

www.ifixit.com

Uses one SSD as the boot drive, the other as a Time Machine backup drive. It's much faster at booting up than with the old HDD. Good to have as a 'legacy 'machine.

 

[Gudi]

Seeing that SSD prices keep going down, would a 2TB Samsung 870 EVO be a good option?

Keep in mind that the Mac mini (Late 2012) only has a 6.0 Gbps SATA-3 hard drive interface, which translates to a maximum read or write speed of about ~600MB/s. So you don't even need to look for the newest and fastest SSDs.

 

[macstatic]

I have a 2012 Mac Mini, and I've installed 2 SSDs, using a small adapter kit I bought online. Requires disassembly of the MM,but it'snot that difficult. Make sure you have the correct tools. I used this iFixit guide:

Installing Mac Mini Late 2012 Dual Hard Drive Kit

Use this guide to install iFixit's Dual Hard Drive Kit in your Late 2012 Mac Mini.

www.ifixit.com

Uses one SSD as the boot drive, the other as a Time Machine backup drive. It's much faster at booting up than with the old HDD. Good to have as a 'legacy 'machine.

Yes, that's what I did too, and used a kit from OWC. A little complicated at first since I didn't know if I needed it for the upper or lower bay, but having found the right one it worked out fine. Those iFixit guides are great!

Having one of the drives as a Time Machine backup is a great idea, and I'd look into that if I hadn't already bought a nice 5TB external 2.5" drive (doesn't need a power supply as it takes its power from the USB port).
And while at it I also upgraded its memory to 16 GB.

Keep in mind that the Mac mini (Late 2012) only has a 6.0 Gbps SATA-3 hard drive interface, which translates to a maximum read or write speed of about ~600MB/s. So you don't even need to look for the newest and fastest SSDs.

Hmmmm... I hadn't thought of that, but good point!
However, I checked out local prices and found out that the previous model (860 EVO) was actually a lot more expensive than the current model (870 EVO)! Must be marketing campaigns etc.

That said, are there other specific models you'd suggest I look into?

 

[Gudi]

Keep it cheap. Samsung is a major brand and EVO is their budget line. You should check second-hand prices too and save up for your first M1 Mac. That will have 2500MB/s read and write. Don't invest too much in a 10 years old computer. Maybe a 1TB SSD is enough too?

 

[macstatic]

That's true, but even a second hand Mac more powerful than this one will cost significantly more than a 2TB SSD (I've checked the local ads).
That said I've gone ahead and ordered the 2TB Samsung 870 EVO, which I expect will give a better performance than the HDD.

 

[rpmurray]

So it looks like the 2TB Seagate Barracuda harddrive inside our late-2012 Mac Mini finally gave in after around 5 years of use. Can someone confirm if this is the case (see screenshot below) or that it's likely that I can revive it after reformatting it again? I assume not.

Confirmed. When you start seeing reallocated sectors then it becomes a crap shoot as to how long the drive will last. If the bad sectors were only on one place on the drive, were few in number and weren't increasing, you could gamble on it if there was nothing important that hadn't been backed up. But with as many bad sectors as you have with this drive it's better to just replace it and not take the chance.

I've been leery of the EVOs ever since Samsung had some problems with them a few years back, and that other issue with the EVO Plus. I do buy Samsung, but just the PROs. At least the EVOs are a little bit better than the QVOs.

 

[macstatic]

Thanks for confirming and explaining!
I took it out of the Mini and put it in a USB-3 drive-dock just to see if I could make an additional backup, but what happens is that it's very slow, and while I can copy some smaller files/folders over I'm having problems with larger folders, so I can't complete a full backup.

I didn't know about any Samsung EVO problems, but did a little searching after reading what you said and came across a posting entitled Samsung 870 EVO -beware, certain batches prone to failure!
I'm going to keep a close eye on this, even though it appears (according to the above thread) the problems mainly concern those manufactured around Jan/Feb 2021.
DriveDX looks to have been a good investment for figuring out all this!

I wasn't aware of the Samsung Pro SSDs, but I've just checked and their prices are quite high to say the least. Also, I read a review comparing Pro, EVO and QVO drives and it looks like for how this Mac Mini is going to be used (web browsing, email etc.) the EVO looks to be a good choice (and I'm sure a better choice than just buying another 2TB hard drive):

1. Samsung PRO SSD: It is currently the company’s flagship SATA SSD. With MLC technology, its speed and the endurance rating or TBW make it stand out from Samsung 860 QVO vs EVO vs PRO comparison. Although its warranty period is similar with the 860 EVO series, its TBW is doubled. But it’s also the most expensive one as well. On Amazon, it starts at $87.99 (for 256GB).
2. Samsung EVO SSD: It’s one of the most popular SSD series in the market and offers similar or near the performance of the 860 PRO SSD series, but at a more affordable price. On Amazon, it starts at $59.98 (for 250GB).
3. Samsung QVO SSD: It is Samsung’s first consumer-grade quad-level cell (QLC) NAND drive and has the same sequential read and write speed with the 860 EVO. But the 4KB random read and write speeds and TBW can't match with those of 860 EVO series. Its only advantage is price, starting at $109.99 (for 1TB) on Amazon.

 

[Cox Orange]

I'll go ahead and use this thread to ask my question concerning SSD buying advice for a Mini 2012.

Is heat a problem with the Crucial mx500?
It tends to run 10°C hotter than 870 evo (according to Windows Desktop users)

Spoiler: Back story buying decision

I had already decided to go for a Crucial mx500 over a Samsung 870 Evo, because of the bad batch and earlier problems in Samsung's history with the 840 Evo or other issues where people had to update the firmware to solve the problems. At least there was a firmware update, but the process is quiet complicated for mac users.
That doesn't mean that Samsungs are bad. I think every major SSD manufacturer had their problems, Crucial had them, too - and who knows, some problems with a current model or batch will only show up after some years of use.
Samsung seems to have the better or more recent hardware components and technology built in their SSDs, if I am correct, which was my reason to buy an 870 evo initially.
But than after some reading, I got the impression a Crucial mx500 will be ok - and most important - work out of the box (e.g. without firmware flashing).

So, i was all fine with myself and my decision for an mx500 and only had to decide whether 500GB or 1TB.
Now, though, I read that mx500 tend to run 10°C hotter than 870 evos (at least in Windows machines).
This wouldn't be a problem, if the manufacturer says this is ok and maybe thermal throttling or other measures save the drives from overheating in densly packed computers. BUT! I fear that it will make the Minis fans blow earlier or heat up the HDD that is in there, too.

I also thought about using it in an external case.

 

[Yebubbleman]

So it looks like the 2TB Seagate Barracuda harddrive inside our late-2012 Mac Mini finally gave in after around 5 years of use. Can someone confirm if this is the case (see screenshot below) or that it's likely that I can revive it after reformatting it again? I assume not.


View attachment 2115602

Seeing that SSD prices keep going down, would a 2TB Samsung 870 EVO be a good option? I understand that the slightly cheaper "QVO" model doesn't last as long.
I suppose either of the two would outlast any mechanical 2.5" HDD, right?

I've already equipped the Mac Mini with a 250GB Samsung 860 EVO for apps/MacOS (10.13) in one of the two drive bays and has worked perfectly, so a second SSD would essentially make the machine silent (besides the small fan inside that is).

Does that 870 EVO sound like a good choice, or are there other models worth considering?

Honestly, you should be fine with any name brand 2.5" SSD. OWC also makes them; though they often cost a bit more.

That all being said, I'm going to echo the concerns of those saying you ought to consider a newer machine. That Mac can no longer run a currently supported release of macOS and will only be able to run a currently supported Windows release until Windows 10's End-of-Support date of October 14, 2025. That SSD is a decent fraction of the cost of an M1 mini used on eBay. I'd say it makes much more sense to pool your money toward that instead. Hell, even a 2018 Intel Mac mini is a better investment than a drive in a Mac mini well on its way to being best for being a doorstop.

Keep in mind that the Mac mini (Late 2012) only has a 6.0 Gbps SATA-3 hard drive interface, which translates to a maximum read or write speed of about ~600MB/s. So you don't even need to look for the newest and fastest SSDs.

6.0Gbps SATA (III) is the fastest SATA standard without going into SAS territory. It's also the fastest that you can get in a 2.5-inch drive which, incidentally, is all that you can throw into a 2012 Mac mini anyway. Furthermore, you have to really look hard nowadays to find a 2.5" SATA Drive that is 3.0Gbps SATA (II) or older/slower. They sorta started going extinct a decade ago.

 

[zgagato]

Thanks for confirming and explaining!
I took it out of the Mini and put it in a USB-3 drive-dock just to see if I could make an additional backup, but what happens is that it's very slow, and while I can copy some smaller files/folders over I'm having problems with larger folders, so I can't complete a full backup.

I didn't know about any Samsung EVO problems, but did a little searching after reading what you said and came across a posting entitled Samsung 870 EVO -beware, certain batches prone to failure!
I'm going to keep a close eye on this, even though it appears (according to the above thread) the problems mainly concern those manufactured around Jan/Feb 2021.
DriveDX looks to have been a good investment for figuring out all this!

I wasn't aware of the Samsung Pro SSDs, but I've just checked and their prices are quite high to say the least. Also, I read a review comparing Pro, EVO and QVO drives and it looks like for how this Mac Mini is going to be used (web browsing, email etc.) the EVO looks to be a good choice (and I'm sure a better choice than just buying another 2TB hard drive):

Hi
I would get a samsung ego 860 in that. Or mx500 from crucial. the 870 samsung series don't play nicely with macs. They tend do have a booting problems or they dissappear at random. Any other standard sata 2.5" drive should be fine.

 

[Fishrrman]

It doesn't make sense to put "the fastest, most expensive" 2.5" SATA SSD into a 2012 Mini.

The Mini may not be able to take advantage of the extra speeds.

 

[Cox Orange]

@macstatic asked in 2022, he might already have bought a SSD.

I revived the thread for my question of buying a SSD, because I didn't want to start a second one. I was able to solve the heat question in another thread in the meantime, though. Thanks.

 

[zgagato]

It doesn't make sense to put "the fastest, most expensive" 2.5" SATA SSD into a 2012 Mini.

The Mini may not be able to take advantage of the extra speeds.

SATA tops at theoretical 600 mb/s. it doesn’t matter what model. The Pro drives will have better longevity, that a fact.

 

[Hombre53]

Prices are way down on 2.5 SATA ssd's right now. Keep it simple, stick with Samsung EVO or Crucial MX500 and you should be good.

 

[phrehdd]

The 2012 should be able to hold two drives. Can you handle two 1 terabyte drives? It would possibly be a bit cheaper. Also perhaps check out Crucial and similar makers and their mid range offerings.

 

[zgagato]

The 2012 should be able to hold two drives. Can you handle two 1 terabyte drives? It would possibly be a bit cheaper. Also perhaps check out Crucial and similar makers and their mid range offerings.

it can hold 2x 1tb ssd no problem. I have done that.

 

[Cox Orange]

Are you guys reacting to my question or that of @macstatic who started this thread initially?

Macstatic didn't participate since 2022, so he might already have bought a SSD.

If you are talking to me:
thank you very much, but you might be mixing up something here.

I have no need for 2TB and I already did the decision not to buy a SSD in the market segment of the Samsung Pro and such, neither in the segment of cheap QLC NAND and/or under 5years warranty, very low TBW and/or less known manufacturers.

While the latter would probably suffice for an only-boot drive, if you have regular incremental backups, I like to give myself a better feeling.
So I go with the middle: i.e. something in the segment of a Crucial mx500, Samsung Evo and similar of the market leading brands (including WD/Sandisk).

My question here was concerning heat, but I could answer that question in the meantime. It seems to be no issue.
The other question was whether 500GB or 1TB as boot drive for dual boot. I went for a 1TB. I thought better save than sorry. Although one could argue that you can always buy an additional SSD later, when needed and prices night fall in the meantime even more. Yes they are falling already. I read a prediction of 10-15% in quarter 2 of 2023 for the european market. (Maybe the technology will has advanced further, when time is there for the need for more space. On the other hand manufacturers might have further gone the cheap way and even in the middle segment there will only be QLC NAND SSDs in the very near future).

Thank you for your engagement!