Can I add an SSD to my Mac mini?
QI’ve been given a late 2012 Mac mini Server. Can I replace one of its hard drives with an SSD?
by Charlie Howarth
AYes, although doing it yourself is a moderately difficult task as it requires some disassembly, which can prove quite fiddly. You’ll need to remove its memory modules, fan, and Wi-Fi aerial before you reach the first drive. Several online videos demo this, such as bit.ly/2l2rt3T.
You’ll need a 2.5-inch SSD with a SATA-III (6Gbps) connector. The drive doesn’t have a separate sled or mount within the Mac, but takes two small mounting bolts which you must transfer from the side of the old drive. If you don’t fancy doing this yourself, a trained Mac service engineer should be able to do it for you in a few minutes.
Once done, start up the Mac from a USB drive with the Sierra installer on it (apple.co/ 2laroP0); restoring directly from a backup to the SSD may cause older OS X versions to see it as a broken Fusion Drive, and can brick the SSD, so a fresh install and then restoring files from backups is best. If you fancy a challenge, the project in MF296 shows how to set up the SSD and hard drive as a Fusion Drive.