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Second SSD Recommendation for late 2012 Mac Mini

S

Shirke

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 20, 2013
124
10
I just bought new late 2012 2.6Ghz with 256gb SSD and like to add second SSD, do you think it will work with OS X 10.8.2? If it works which SSD should I buy
On second SSD like to install windows 8 via bootcamp
 
Shirke said:
I just bought new late 2012 2.6Ghz with 256gb SSD and like to add second SSD, do you think it will work with OS X 10.8.2? If it works which SSD should I buy
On second SSD like to install windows 8 via bootcamp
Click to expand...

i would wait for this


http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9235277/Micron_unveils_its_first_1TB_SSD_for_under_600


http://www.anandtech.com/show/6614/microncrucial-announces-m500-ssd-line-of-ssds


you do know you need to pay 25 to 30 bucks for a cable or 50 for a cable plus kit

http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF171-005
 
Giuly said:
Go with the OCZ Vertex 4 or the 840 Pro. You'll need the Dual Hard Drive Kit from iFixIt, and follow the guide to install the SSD.
Click to expand...


The 840 Pro is a great drive as well as the 830. But I will have to agree with philipma1957 that it might be worth waiting for the 1TB SSD for $600. You are already going to pay ~$240 for a good 256GB SSD. Spend another $360 and you get 4x the space. But if you are on a budget, that might not work.
 
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Normally I would have told the op get a samsung 830/840 256gb or 512gb. My thoughts are you are risking warranty by doing the work you may as well put in a big ssd. Since crucial m4 ssds are reliable my guess is the m500 should be reliable .

A 600 dollar 1tb ssd (960gb) really has peaked my interest. If the 480gb is 300 that is not a bad choice either. the m500 specs for the 960 and 480 are very fast. the 240 specs are slower.

Op has an ssd in his machine so waiting may be possible.

here is a link for cable alone
if the op has a lot of tools

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Mac-Mini-Server-Bottom-Hard-Drive-Flex-Cable-p-20708.html
 
Giuly said:
Go with the OCZ Vertex 4
Click to expand...

Personally I wouldn't go with any SandForce driven drives...

53x12 said:
The 840 Pro is a great drive as well as the 830.
Click to expand...

...or the Samsung 840 (the regular consumer version) for a few bucks less. Got one 1 month ago, and so far, it's been flawless.

An any case, I'd go with Samsung.
 
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Shirke said:
Thanks a lot guys your help is greatly appreciated!

Here's my final going to order:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-120GB-internal-MZ-7TD120BW/dp/B009NHAF06/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF171-005
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=FFD020F5A5CA7304
Click to expand...

Sounds great!

Before you place your order, check out this other data doubler for the 2012 MacMini...

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIYIMM11D2/

$15 bucks cheaper, and with the OWC warranty.

Or, you could order the 16gigs of RAM from them too, and deal with less shipments (although Ram is a bit more expensive than Crucial).

PS. I don't work for OWC.

cheers!

EDIT: once you get your drive, be sure to check/update the drive's firmware before filling it up.
 
Last edited:
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Giuly said:
The Vertex 4 has an Indlinx Everest 2 chipset, not a SandForce.
Click to expand...

I'd still stay away from OCZ. Their management was reckless with the company in the recent past (go read some business articles, the founder is gone, the CFO replaced). They are trying hard to turn the company around. You do not need to donate money to them just to keep them afloat, and their record with RMAs is abysmal (lots of them, and a long time to turn them around)

I owned a few OCZ Vertex 2's, btw. OK, I only bought one. It was RMA'd twice in a year. Great when it was actually running.
 
Giuly said:
The Vertex 4 has an Indlinx Everest 2 chipset, not a SandForce.
Click to expand...

Wow, didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

But it seems the Vertex 4 is their first drive to ship with the new controllers that replace SandForce... so still, kind of a risk as it has no market record to go on

Plus this:

bplein said:
I'd still stay away from OCZ. Their management was reckless with the company in the recent past (go read some business articles, the founder is gone, the CFO replaced). They are trying hard to turn the company around. You do not need to donate money to them just to keep them afloat, and their record with RMAs is abysmal (lots of them, and a long time to turn them around)

I owned a few OCZ Vertex 2's, btw. OK, I only bought one. It was RMA'd twice in a year. Great when it was actually running.
Click to expand...

I'd stay away from OCZ for now too.
 
diazj3 said:
Wow, didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

But it seems the Vertex 4 is their first drive to ship with the new controllers that replace SandForce... so still, kind of a risk as it has no market record to go on
Click to expand...

What I forgot to mention is that the chipset is actually a Marvell (like in the Crucial m4 and Intel 520), but with a custom firmware.
 
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diazj3 said:
Wow, didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

But it seems the Vertex 4 is their first drive to ship with the new controllers that replace SandForce... so still, kind of a risk as it has no market record to go on

Plus this:



I'd stay away from OCZ for now too.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy an SSD that the speed changes fairly dramatically when you fill it half full. Apparently to make it seem faster, they have a "turbo" mode that the SSD goes into until it is half full. While OCZ hasn't specifically said this, they know that rarely would a review site fill an SSD with much more than 30GB worth of data so many sites just report the artificially inflated numbers that they get and never run into the "truth".....

This is why I would never by a Vertex 4.
 
RE: "anyone tried the 840 non pro"

I have the 2.3ghz i7 Mini with 16gb of Crucial CL11 RAM, a Samsung 840 Pro 128gb SSD boot drive, and the original 1tb Apple hdd that my Mini shipped with. I recommend this setup to just about anyone that wants to get the most out of their mac mini. I installed ML onto the SSD and formatted the 1tb to MACOSX so I can use it for storage. Went into terminal and moved the location of my Library, music, movies, pictures, downloads, etc. to the "spinner" trying to only leave my Logic and current (note I said CURRENT) Final Cut projects, my Applications folder and my Users folders on my SSD. The 840 Pro is a very VERY speedy hard drive. The standard 840 just doesnt get write speeds above 300mb/s and the 128gb pro is closer to 400mb/s write. Even when you get the larger 840 your performance does not get a boost like it does in the Pro line.
 
ndmx52 said:
Anyone recommend the 840 (no pro)? Seems like a pretty popular drive. High reviews on Amazon.
Click to expand...

If you are on a strict budget the 840 is a decent option. But if you want the best get the 840 Pro or 830. They are worth the extra.
 
diazj3 said:
Personally I wouldn't go with any SandForce driven drives...

...or the Samsung 840 (the regular consumer version) for a few bucks less. Got one 1 month ago, and so far, it's been flawless.

An any case, I'd go with Samsung.
Click to expand...

I agree! Sandforce drives perform much better these days as compared with other drives because of their unmatched ssd technology...
 
If I needed a large SSD I would wait for Crucial's 1TB SSD as that will be the best bang for the buck by far. Won't even be close.

If I just need 256GB for OS and Apps, then Samsung is hard to beat for reliability and super fast.
 
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