Fantastic - thank you jpietrzak8 - sorry if I sounded dumb but not taken delivery of the items yet so am trying to get myself "prepared".
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The "I just ordered / bought / got my new/refurb Mac mini" threads, merged
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Oh, no problem! I also was scratching my head a bit when I first tried out TM, because Apple really doesn't provide a lot of detail about what it actually does.
I guess they figure that they want to make backing up as simple and easy as possible, to get more folks doing it. (Which, I guess, is not a bad thing, as too few folks actually back up their files...)
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Ah, if only that were true.
Yep, jpietrzak8 is correct. They're only 1 generation apart. The entry level 2014 has the HD 5000. The only Mac with Iris 6100 is the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015).
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204349
Don't get samsung. Their newer drives are absolute ****. Get a reputable and good brand like Intel.
not yet just placed the order today. When did you place your order? I'm guessing this has been up there for a while then.
Did yours come brand new?
[doublepost=1464975957][/doublepost]I'm beginning to wonder if $900 is worth it for a computer that is almost 4 years old. Granted its way better than the 2014 model
I just bought one too and am thinking the same thing. If miraculously they announce a quad i7 Mac mini with an option for 32 gb of ram and iris graphics then I'll send the mini server back. If not I'll keep it and be happy.
Wow, I think that's quite a good price. What was the non-edu price? About $1,010 or so? How often does the Mac Clearance section on the Apple Store get updated?
I've been mulling the idea of getting a refurb or used Core i7 2012 Mac Mini to compliment my 11-inch MBA. Anyone have experience buying a used Mac from OWC, by any chance?
Cheers,
William
You'd want one of the quad i7s for def. 2.3 ghz or the rarer build to order 2.6 ghz version.
Just bought a Mac Mini (late 2014) Core i7 3.0 GHz 16 GB with Fusion Drive capable disc tray. The previous owner took out the original hard drive, so I installed a new SATA SSD. I had to get an SSD upgrade kit as the SATA cable was not included. The SATA cable was too short to reach the connector on the logic board, so I removed the disc tray and fitted the SATA SSD in the space with double sided tape, as I don't plan on using PCIe SSD in the future.
I booted the Mac Mini with a USB memory stick for El Capitan. The Disk Utility in the installer does not list the SSD. Are there anything that I missed or any tricks to make the SATA SSD to be recognized by the system? As for the SATA connector on the logic board, does it require a certain direction how the SATA cable is plugged in? It was a snug fit, but it's so tiny and seems fragile, so I didn't want to force it.
Thanks for your input.
I booted the Mac Mini with a USB memory stick for El Capitan. The Disk Utility in the installer does not list the SSD. Are there anything that I missed or any tricks to make the SATA SSD to be recognized by the system? As for the SATA connector on the logic board, does it require a certain direction how the SATA cable is plugged in? It was a snug fit, but it's so tiny and seems fragile, so I didn't want to force it.
Thanks for your input.
You got the wrong cable.
2014 uses the upper cable which is longer and allow you to use the hdd in the tray, The lower cable is shorter for 2011-2012 models. I haven't swap them around to see if they can work in either slot but if they did, you probably have a dead cable or killed it already.
I just picked up a 2012 Mini.. upgraded the RAM and bought an SSD (It has the 500gb 5400rpm). I went to disassemble it and the hard drive wasn't coming out so after googling around, it looks like mine was the rarer model that has the drive in the upper bay and to remove it requires disassembling the entire mini. If I plan on simply adding the SSD and going with two hard drives, can I leave everything as is and just slide in the SSD?
Yes you can, u need to buy the lower cable instead of the upper cable. low cable screws to the antenna plate is trickier to find though.
Thanks. Would this one do the trick?
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01GROEMA6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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You will need the lower cable with the square connector.
https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Drive-C...ex+cable+821+1501+a+for+mac+mini+a1347+server
https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Drive-C...ex+cable+821+1501+a+for+mac+mini+a1347+server
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Shoot. I already ordered the other one. It looks the same with the same part number as the one you posted.. are you sure the one I ordered won't work?
Edit - actually. Looking it over, I would need the lower bay Sata cable. The one you posted says its upper bay. I can't figure out if the Amazon link I shared is for upper or lower.
Second edit - hopefully someone can verify this. There is no specific cable for the upper or lower bay. OWC's video shows they simply bend the cable in reverse and then it lines up properly on the logic board. https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini2012_dd2/ --> so if this is true then the cable I ordered off amazon should work right?
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Just as a follow up in case anyone has this question in the future. There is no specific sata cable for the upper or lower drive. You can simply bend the cable backward and it will fit in the first slot or you leave it as is and it fits into the second sata slot on the logic board.
so your cable looks different from the upper or lower cable that are being sold? And if I have 2 of your cable, i can make use of the upper AND lower slot?
Take a photo and show it to us too. especially on how you bend it to fit the upper and lower slot.
Take a photo and show it to us too. especially on how you bend it to fit the upper and lower slot.
It's in the macsales video I posted two messages ago. The guy simply bends the Sata cable and it goes underneath. I already assembled the mini so I'm not going to take it apart again. I just wanted to clarify if anyone has this question in the future. There's only one cable to buy and it can be used for the upper or lower bay. The upper bay simply plugs in normally, the lower bay Sata cable will bend down and go underneath the drive. I never thought of that myself but it makes sense once you do it.
