- #INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI MAC OS X#
- #INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI INSTALL#
- #INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI FULL#
Restart to the OS X Recovery Partition by holding down Command-R until you get the Recovery Partition’s main window. Select the SSD from the list on the left side of the Disk Utility window and Click on the Partition tab. #INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI INSTALL#
Install your SSD in an external enclosure (USB or FireWire) and connect it to your Mac mini. In this instance, you will need to use the “External” method. While the above method is the preferred way to do this, if you do not have an Internet connection, you won’t be able to reinstall your OS this way. You will now be able to use your Mac mini normally. You can use the Disk Utility like you did before and format your original hard drive as desired. Once the migration is complete, your computer should boot to your SSD. When asked, choose the option to import your data from another drive and select your original drive as the source. After the OS is installed, follow the prompts to set up your computer. Follow the prompts to install.The actual downloading and installation process may take a while. If you’re connecting via AirPort, you may be prompted to connect to your wireless network. Select the option to “Reinstall OS X” choosing the SSD to install the OS on. It is very important to note that you should not use the version of Disk Utility in the Recovery Partition it will see the two separate drives as a “damaged” Fusion drive and try to repair it allowing it to do so will destroy your data. While it’s preferable that you connect via Ethernet, you can connect via AirPort it will just be slower. Make sure you’re connected to a network. Once the drive is formatted and shows in the Finder, you can then shut down. You can then click the “Apply” button to format the drive. Select “1 partition” for the Volume Scheme, set the format to “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and give the drive a name. Select the SSD from the list on the left side of the Disk Utility window and Click on the Partition tab. If you don’t get this warning, you can find Disk Utility at Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app You will likely get a dialog box stating that a drive is “unreadable.” Click the “Initialize” button to open Disk Utility. Restart your computer and boot to the internal hard drive like normal. Install your SSD in your Mac mini, following the instructions. Make sure your data is backed up, just to be safe.Perform the following steps in order to format your SSD and transfer your OS and data from your original drive. The preferred method is the “Internet Restore” method. If you are one of the affected Mac mini owners, then installing an SSD is a little different. If one or more of these factors are not involved, then you don’t have to worry, you can proceed as normal. If your installation involves all three factors, then you need to pay attention, as your installation will be affected. You are adding an SSD to this Mac mini as a second drive, alongside the existing Hard Drive using an OWC Data Doubler Kit.
#INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI MAC OS X#
That 2012 Mac mini shipped with Mac OS X 10.8.2.This particular instance affects you only if: It’s a bit of a “perfect storm,” but it’s worth noting if you’re adding an SSD as a second drive in your Mac mini. There is no issue with compatibility, they're just ripping you off because it's officially "Macintosh compatible".The “Fusion Drive” option for the 2012 Mac minis can cause some severe data loss if you’re not careful. Quick edit do not bother buying those OWC SSDs linked above you can get something for half the price, even quality SSDs like Samsung EVO or Crucial MX. Very practical option, and cheap SSDs these days are good enough for 98% of people. I second the above comments to install another internal 1tb or 2tb SSD. Considering that the protocol that most 2.5" SSDs works over is SATA3 which is a 6Gb/s bus. USB3.0 (5 Gb/s) is fine, USB3.1 (10 Gb/s) is better, Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gb/s), great, but you probably couldn't even tell the difference. Copying gigantic continuous data such as video files would show some improvement for the added bus speed.
#INSTALL SSD IN MAC MINI FULL#
Yes, but I would argue that any noticeable different would be workload-dependent - small random files won't see you ramping up speed to full potential of the disk, let alone the bus.