- #Ssd for late 2012 mac mini for mac#
- #Ssd for late 2012 mac mini upgrade#
- #Ssd for late 2012 mac mini full#
- #Ssd for late 2012 mac mini free#
Once the logic board is out, we should be able to see the hard drive carrier. We do this by removing the silver metal tab near the power connector, twist the power connector 90 degrees counter clock wise, then we should be able to smoothly slide it out. After the power supply cable is detached, we can safely slide the logic board out of the chassis. This is another super challenging step for me because the location of the connector wasn’t clearly visible.
Once the logic board moved a little bit, we need to detach power supply cable. After a lot of trials and errors, I discovered that the removal tool needs to be inserted at the right depth. I was too afraid to use too much force, fearing it could damage my computer. I spent good 20 minutes on this because my logic board didn’t move at all. Next, insert logic board removal tool to the 2 holes and push the logic board outside the case gently and slowly. A quick YouTube search got me to the right video.
#Ssd for late 2012 mac mini for mac#
Apparently I was watching the video for Mac mini 2011 model and my device is 2012 model. At this point, I realised that my Mac mini looks different from the video I was watching. Next we need to remove the IR cable connector. Before doing so, remove the Torx T-6 screw that holds the logic board to the chassis. The following big step is to remove the logic board from the case. As usual, use the nylon pry tool to remove the connecting cable. After the fan cowling is out, we can lift the HDD cable connector. The next thing to remove is the fan cowling on the left side. Mine was particularly difficult because my Mac mini has been working hard for years and dust is already accumulated. There is a cable connector on the left side, it needs special care to safely remove using nylon pry tool. Then remove the one screw at the furthest point from the antenna cover. Next we need to remove the WiFi antenna cover by removing the 4 screws on it (Torx T-8). Before completely removing the fan, be very careful when removing the cable connector. Put these aside as a group because they need to be refastened later. Remove the fan by unscrewing three Torx T-6 screws. Remove the bottom cover by slightly rotating it counter clock wise. I used some large microfiber cloth as base to avoid scratches. Place the Mac mini upside down on flat surface. As an extra step not mentioned in the video, I also use a table lamp for extra light, which was proven to be super useful.
#Ssd for late 2012 mac mini free#
Next, the place needs to be somewhat free from dust and static electricity. It needs to be reasonably big because you’re going to put a lot of components around and you need to quickly categorise them in a way easy to put back later. That’s a big lie, it took me solid 2.5 hours to complete the process.įirst, you need clean working table. The guide stated that the whole process should take about 45 minutes. I did the hardware installation following the guide provided by OWC ( a book with pictures, along with a YouTube video I played using my iPad on my work desk). The idea is that right after hardware installation, I would like to be able to immediately check whether the process was successful or not.
#Ssd for late 2012 mac mini full#
I got myself an external enclosure so I could format my new SSD and do Time Machine full restore to the new drive before even starting the hardware installation process. So installing freshly unboxed OWC SSD into our Mac might cause a bit of extra work later. Brand new OWC Mercury Electra SSD comes unformatted. OWC is a brand that has long history in making Apple-compatible products, so I decided to trust them on this one.īefore the upgrade, one thing I decided to do is to prepare my new SSD ready to be used. So, my next choice would be OWC Mercury Electra SSD which market itself as an SSD that doesn’t need TRIM. I even read some issues with Mac and forcefully enabled TRIM. However, further reading revealed that Mac computers don’t automatically turn on TRIM for third party SSD drives.
Based on performance benchmark, Samsung 850 EVO SSD is probably the strongest candidate. The first challenge in upgrading was to choose the internal SSD.
#Ssd for late 2012 mac mini upgrade#
So I decided to upgrade my Mac mini using internal SSD. Getting a brand new Mac mini with i7 processor, 16 GB RAM and large internal SSD would cost me a fortune. However, my current Mac mini is powered by i7 processor and 16 GB RAM. At first, I considered to get a new Mac mini. Switching from these machines to my main desktop computer at home does have a noticeable impact in read/write performance.
My laptop is 2015 Macbook with 256 GB SSD. My work computer is 2015 iMac with Retina 5K with 2 TB Fusion Drive. My Mac mini is still running strong and I generally have no complaint, except for the slow internal HDD.
0 kommentar(er)
