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Upgrading M4 Mac Mini SSD: Pre-Soldered 2TB Chip Options

Wow, this is incredibly frustrating.

I was disassembling my Mac Mini M4 and got to removing the eight T5 screws. The first five came out without a problem, but the last three are completely stuck—they won’t budge. I tried not to strip them too much... but probably failed.

My Mac Mini is the base model but upgraded to 32GB of RAM. I’m wondering if that might have something to do with it. Maybe it was taken apart and reassembled at some point? I’m not sure, but this is driving me crazy.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice?

Thanks!


Update:

I walked away for an hour or so. Came back—still nothing. I can get the tool to lock in and try with all my might, but it won't budge. Sigh. Why is everything a whole thing?

Any ideas?


srroe.jpg
 
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ItsAShaunParty said:
but the last three are completely stuck—they won’t budge.
Click to expand...
I had one screw that was super tight. I used a screw driver with a bit set. The bit got totally damaged. Luckily not the screw. I had another bit, then tried again with all my force, and finally it loosened. They have this lacquer on the thread; some may have more, others less, that makes it difficult to open.
My advise would be to use a hardened bit, and press down on the screw as hard as possible to avoid slip; then turn. Avoid damaging the screw, otherwise you may have to drill it out.
 

ChadGippidy​

Using open core legacy patcher to update the Macbook to a new OS might help, but i am dont know for sure.
 
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Somewhere in all of the YT videos I've seen, it was mentioned that some of the bits are actually of slightly different size.

Not so different that the supplied tools wouldn't work, but perhaps in this case the bits were tightened more than usual; causing the tool to slip and strip the bit.

Not accusing the poster of doing anything wrong, of course, just that we need to be cautious on these particular bits.
 
It seems like the problem is that the screws in the mac mini M4 are not Torx, but Torx plus. These are slightly different and although you can use a normal Torx bit to unscrew a Tox plus screw, the fit is not perfect and can slip, and you risk to damage the screw.
 
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smithrh said:
Somewhere in all of the YT videos I've seen, it was mentioned that some of the bits are actually of slightly different size.

Not so different that the supplied tools wouldn't work, but perhaps in this case the bits were tightened more than usual; causing the tool to slip and strip the bit.

Not accusing the poster of doing anything wrong, of course, just that we need to be cautious on these particular bits.
Click to expand...
I recall the screws being attached tightly, but not overly so. One can't help but notice the precision engineering of every piece of hardware in that Mac Mini assembly. It was nice to marvel at while I was in there. I think each screw was torqued exactly the same. Given that, I don't think the issue lies in Apple's screws.

I think it's far more likely the fault in ShaunParty's effort lies in the tip of the 'free' screw drivers that came with the drive kit. Maybe they added the wrong size, or more likely, the quality of the free screw driver is what you'd expect.
 
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Welp, I got very little sleep last night.
I appreciate all the advice—it’s been really helpful! That said, I want to clarify a few things:
  1. I removed most of the screws quite easily!
  2. I’m not even at the rubber band phase yet! My tool still gets traction on at least one of the remaining screws, but it just won’t budge. It feels like it’s glued in place. And yes, I’m applying a lot of pressure—so much that I feel like if I press any harder, my table might collapse (only half-joking here).

I really don't feel like going to the repair shop...


Fine, I'll do it. I'll let you know how it goes. What do the kids say? Oh yeah, fml.
 
Thank you for mentioning the Torx Plus thing

Just ordered an appropriate bit set to cover this situation for later this week when I give it a go
 
A quick look on amazon leads me to believe it's hard to find a decent Torx Plus driver set (as distinguished from "ordinary" "non Plus" Torx bits and sets.

If someone DOES find a good Torx Plus driver set with the right sizes, could you post your information here?
 
This is what a fellow Redditor told me. Be careful!

The reason why is because they are not T5 screws they are 5IP. If you follow the guide, it tells you exactly what tools you need down to the torch spec. https://support.apple.com/en-us/121140

“Use the 10–34 Ncm adjustable torque driver and 5IP bit to remove the eight 5IP screws (923-11047) from the antenna plate.”

Using a T5 bit on a 5IP screw can damage the screw because the T5 doesn’t have the hole needed to fit over the 5IP’s center pin. This prevents the bit from sitting properly, leading to slipping and stripping the screw’s head. It can also bend or break the center pin, ruining the screw’s tamper-resistant feature. Always use the correct 5IP bit to avoid these issues and ensure a proper fit.
 
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Fishrrman said:
A quick look on amazon leads me to believe it's hard to find a decent Torx Plus driver set (as distinguished from "ordinary" "non Plus" Torx bits and sets.

If someone DOES find a good Torx Plus driver set with the right sizes, could you post your information here?
Click to expand...

I grabbed these -- hopefully didn't buy wrong (but could just return if so)

a.co

Wiha 71692 Bit Selector with IP3 - IP20 TorxPlus Bits

Wiha 71692 TorxPlus Bit Selector IP3 - IP20
a.co
 
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It was an oidd experience. I'm not sure why just three screws would not work. Anywway, a friend helped me with a dremel. We got the screws out.

Then I found this video with a guy that reminds me of a few of my friends:

Easy!

So glad I did this.

I managed to find a 2017 27" iMac for under $200. I'm going to transform it into a display. Then I'll be ready to clean up and sell my current computer -- a 2020 27" iMac -- and replace it with something that looks basically identical.
 
dgdosen said:
As a 20-year mac user, I'd completely disagree!

My first macs allowed for easy user-replacable batteries and memory... And if you opened the case you could easily hack it to replace an HHD/SSD - or even replace a screen with one of a higher resolution.

Regarding this topic - these SSD nands are pure commodity! The boards they're attached to - probably not. It looks like they're available to these vendors - legally or not. It'll be interesting to see if Apple does something to stop this. If not, I would definitely pick up a base model and make this mod for $200...
Click to expand...
I’m a 38-year Mac user, and I easily added memory and storage internally back then! The only difficult part was coming up with the money.
 
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Alameda said:
I’m a 38-year Mac user, and I easily added memory and storage internally back then! The only difficult part was coming up with the money.
Click to expand...
I too did the same, and money was tight back then. I generally upgrade and used old MacBooks for ten or more years, and the same for the iMac. I have a 2011 iMac collecting dust in a closet that was upgraded with a 2TB SSD, and at least 32GB RAM :)

But it seems that Macs are just disposable appliances these days. Use it for 4-5 years, and trade for a new one, just as one can do with one's iPhone.
 
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turbine wrote in 169 above about Apple Intelligence:
(nope! Disabled it baby!)

What steps does one take to disable AI before it even gets started?
And to prevent it from downloading or loading?
 
Fishrrman said:
turbine wrote in 169 above about Apple Intelligence:
(nope! Disabled it baby!)

What steps does one take to disable AI before it even gets started?
And to prevent it from downloading or loading?
Click to expand...

Don't think you can -- I simply turned it off in System Settings and moved on with life

turbineseaplane said:
I should have paid attention to this -- mine is coming with that it says ...
Oh well, I'll keep the Amazon kit handy and unopened just in case it doesn't and go from there
Click to expand...

Oh, also - this toolkit was unnecessary as the SSD did come with the needed tools, so I returned it
 
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