The i3 comes with a 256GB SSD, the i5 comes with a 512GB SSD, and the i7 has options for 1TB and 2TB SSDs. Memory is upgradeable to 64GB and all three of our 2018 dedicated minis come with 16GB standard. The 2018 model year has a single PCIe SSD that is soldered onto the logic board so it cannot be upgraded. Memory maxes out at 16GB and is soldered onto the logic board so it cannot be upgraded. This model year supports ESXi, Ubuntu, and CentOS. The 2014 model year has a single SATA drive bay that supports spinning hard drive and SSD options. This model year supports ESXi, Ubuntu, and CentOS. Memory is upgradeable to 16GB and both of our 2012 dedicated minis come with 16GB standard. The 2012 model year has two SATA drive bays that support spinning hard drive and SSD options. Note for OWC Aura N-Series or OWC Aura X-Series SSD Upgrades macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or later macOS) must be installed on the host computer before installing the OWC Aura N-Series or OWC Aura X-Series SSD.
Tear Down | Full Technical Specifications OWC's step-by-step video of how to upgrade or install a PCIe SSD in an Apple Mac mini (Late 2014). Currently, the best option for a Mac mini that supports ESXi is the 2012 Quad-Core i7 Mac mini or a Mac Pro. Note: We have many customers running VMware environments, so it is important to note that the 2018 Mac mini does not yet support ESXi. Having 3 model years and 7 models to choose from can make picking the correct mini for your workload a little overwhelming, so we’re going to break down the different model years, models, and upgrade options to make that decision a little easier. When formatted for the proper operating system, be it MacOS, Windows, Linux or other OS, it will perform as optimally as it can.Īpple owners will most likely need to reformat a new SSD to the proper GUID or Extended formatting and partitioning depending on your Mac model and version of OSX.Mac Mini Vault stocks 3 model years of dedicated Mac minis that customers can rent on a monthly basis: 2012, 2014, and 2018. Regardless of its form factor, an SSD drive or module is a platform agnostic device. One is to use a readily available drive trayadapter to convert an off the shelf SATA SSD to 3.5 drive bay.Īnother option is the use of a PCIe SSD card in one of the slots which can typicially support either 1 or 2 2.5 SATA SSD drives, or more recent ones that support M.2 SATA or even PCIe SSD modules.Įven for much older G3 and G4 Macintosh models there are a few 2.5 IDE solid-state drives that can be a drop-in replacement for legacy Mac Mini and iBooks.
OWCMacSales is your best bet, followed by MCE which supplies larger, factory original Apple PCIe modules in larger capacities than your Mac Pro came with. There arent many aftermarket Apple compatible SSD upgrade options. The Mac Pro cylinder models use a custom pinout PCIe SSD module. We recommend complete iMac drive upgrade kits specific to your model with the proper tools and other things needed to safely complete the drive swap.įor Intel CPU based Mac minis, a 2.5 inch SATA SSD is generally the right choice, for older G4 Mac minis you want an IDE-ATA interface 2.5 laptop size drive for upgrading. However with the ultra-Slim Aluminum iMac, Apple moved towards 2.5 laptop size SATA hard drives with (optionally) a custom SATA SSD module. Thick bodied Aluminum iMacs used full-size SATA drives as well. White Plastic iMacs - both G5 and Intel used full-size 3.5 SATA interface drives.
We reccomend the Western Digital Black or a Crucial P1 Series SSD blade.įrom the original white MacBooks and early MacBook Pros through around 2012, a standard 2.5 SATA SSD was generally an easy upgrade.Īs with other Macs, solid-state modules supplanted standard drive form factors, first with custom M.2 SATA and then as by 2014, custom pinout PCIe NVME SSD modules.Īdapters are available to convert a standard M.2 SSD blade to Apples custom pinouts if needed, but its best to buy direct replacements from OWC, Transcend, or Fledging who make Apple compatible modules.Īs the 1st Macs to feature solid-state storage, it has transitioned from 1.8 ATA-IDE to 1.8 SATA I, then II, then III, then onto custom-pinout M.2 SATA modules, to the more recent M.2 PCIe modules. For upgrades inside your Mac, you need CUSTOM PINOUT Apple compatible SSD modules.Ĭompanies like OWC, Fledging, MCE Technologies, and Dataram make Mac-specific SSD blades appropriate for your particular modelyear of Macintosh laptop or desktop.