H.P. Lovecraft
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: What size SD Card Can the Mac Mini (late 2012) handle?

Hi....

 

I have a Mac Mini with a SDHC slot in the back which is great however I tried a 128GB card and ran into problems with the files I copied to it.  Is there a size limit to how much my Mac Mini i7 Quad Core 2.3ghz can handle?  (Late 2012) I believe. 

 

Thanks!

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), i7 Quad Core 2.3Ghz

Posted on Jun 11, 2015 10:42 PM

by VikingOSX,Apple recommended
VikingOSX VikingOSX
Level 7 (21,061 points)
Mac OS X
A:

The 2012 Mac mini external ports and connectors information state that the maximum size SDHC card size is 32GB. It can accept SDXC cards that are 32GB or larger.

Posted on Jun 13, 2015 1:58 PM

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H.P. Lovecraft

Q: What size SD Card Can the Mac Mini (late 2012) handle?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jun 11, 2015 10:48 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 10 (271,323 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 11, 2015 10:48 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Slots1 - Secure Digital (SDXC)

  • by H.P. Lovecraft,

    H.P. Lovecraft H.P. Lovecraft Jun 11, 2015 10:59 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2015 10:59 PM in response to Kappy

    Thanks but I was actually wondering What Size (in say GBs) can the mini handle in the SDXC slot.  or is there a difference between SDHC and SDXC?

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Jun 12, 2015 1:26 AM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 10 (189,400 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 12, 2015 1:26 AM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    1. As requirements for higher capacities came in, SD cards have grown in capacity too (SDHC is SD High Capacity, while SDXC is SD Xtended Capacity). SDHC cards typically come in capacities between 4GB to 32GB. SDXC cards come in sizes of 32GB of higher, with a theoretical maximum of 2TB.Mar 9, 2011

     

     

    For more info on cards that the Mac can accept see:

    About the SD and SDXC card slot - Apple Support

  • by tbirdvet,

    tbirdvet tbirdvet Jun 12, 2015 6:29 AM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 4 (3,012 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 12, 2015 6:29 AM in response to H.P. Lovecraft

    I have only used a 32GB card and no issues.

  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Jun 12, 2015 12:40 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 10 (271,323 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 12, 2015 12:40 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft

    I'm not sure what the largest sizes are that you might expect to find in the market, but I'm guessing 256GB or 512 GB would be the largest right now.

  • by H.P. Lovecraft,

    H.P. Lovecraft H.P. Lovecraft Jun 12, 2015 1:11 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 12, 2015 1:11 PM in response to Kappy

    HI all...

     

    Thanks for the replies...  Very helpful.  What I di learn from your posts and the research I did online was the format of the card I was using may make it impossible to use.  I bought an 128GB MICRO SDHC card with a passive adapter.  It recognized the card fine and had at least 128GB of space but when I went to copy files to the MICRO SDHC card it basically threw me into a loop of folders.  So I'm guessing either the card needs a special Micro Card reader/Writer or the card is just compatible at all. 

     

    I did find out that you can buy a slim/portable 1TB drive and higher cheaper than the standard SDHX cards cost so I'm not too concerned as using it as a backup means.  I also learned the MICRO cards are for (typically) cell/smart phones and cameras.  it's a very small card without the use of a passive adapter (which makes it the same size as a typical SDHX or SDHC card).

     

    Learned something new today.  o)

     

    Thanks for all your help!!

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jun 12, 2015 1:17 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 10 (271,323 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 12, 2015 1:17 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft

    Reformat the card for the Mac:

     

    Drive Partition and Format

     

    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

     

    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

     

    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.

     

    4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

     

    5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

     

    6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

     

    Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

  • by VikingOSX,Apple recommended

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Jun 13, 2015 1:58 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft
    Level 7 (21,061 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 13, 2015 1:58 PM in response to H.P. Lovecraft

    The 2012 Mac mini external ports and connectors information state that the maximum size SDHC card size is 32GB. It can accept SDXC cards that are 32GB or larger.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Jun 13, 2015 2:05 PM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 10 (189,400 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 13, 2015 2:05 PM in response to VikingOSX

    Does the SD slot work with cards that exceed 32 GB?

    Yes. However, most media manufactures preformat the media using common block-and-cluster sizes that do not approach the theoretical limits of a given file system. Most SD cards use the FAT32 file format. Preformatted FAT32 SD media is commonly available up to a capacity of 32 GB. Media that exceeds 32GB usually uses the exFAT file system. Some smaller capacity cards use the FAT16 file format. Preformatted FAT16 media is generally available up to a capacity of 2 GB. To determine which file system you are using with Mac OS X v10.6.5 or later, insert the media into the SD card slot, go to the Apple menu, select About this Mac..., click on More info..., click on Card Reader in the hardware section, and locate the File System field.

     

    Which SD card formats work in the SD card slot?

    Cards that conform to the SD 1.x, 2.x, and 3.x standards should work. The SD card slot can use cards that are Standard SD (Secure Digital) 4 MB to 2 GB, SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) 4 GB to 32 GB, and SDXC  (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) 4G B to 2 TB. MMC can also be used in this slot. MiniSD, MicroSD, and higher density formats like MiniSDHC and MicroSDHC can also work with the use of "passive" adapters that conform to the width and thickness specifications listed above.

    Example of a passive adapter:

  • by H.P. Lovecraft,

    H.P. Lovecraft H.P. Lovecraft Jul 5, 2015 6:36 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 5, 2015 6:36 PM in response to Kappy

    Thanks Kappy...  This was the answer to the problem.  Works like a charm now.  I didn't think of the "GUID" part either.  Thanks for everyone's help on this!