A07570

Q: Mac mini - Swapping Hard Drives

I have two Mac minis - both 2012.

Mac mini #1 is i7 2.6GHz Quad Core - My primary desktop computer

Mac mini #2 is i3 2.3GHz Dual Core - Used as HTPC / Media Server

 

#1 has (2) 1TB Internal Drives, of which I use much less than half (I also have external drives)

#2 has (1) 512MB Internal Drive, which is pretty much full

 

I'm considering moving (1) of the 1TB drives from #1 to #2 and moving all the data to it (mostly ALAC iTunes music and some iMovie video), this would solve the space issue there. While they're opened up I'm also considering adding an SSD as the startup disk to #1, it would improve boot times, run some programs a little faster, and a 256MB or 512MB drive would be inexpensive, I'd gain a little more space for data too. (to be honest, the Mac mini is jealous of the SSD in my MacBook)

 

I've increased the RAM in #2, replaced a volume switch on an iPhone 3GS, and replaced a screen on an iPad 2, so I'm not afraid of detail work - but only the RAM was easy. I've also watched the videos on replacing an HD for this model on iFixIt. What's unclear is how much harder it is to get to the first disk than the second. If I just move the one drive I shouldn't have to dig into the 1st bay.

 

So, my questions:

1) How can I tell on the system report which drive is in which bay, by that I mean which is on top, and which is on the bottom? Or can I assume that the startup disk is always on top? (harder to get to)

2) Is the drive in the top bay significantly harder to replace?

3) I'd also entertain suggestions for a reliable SSD, but this is not the gist of my question.

 

Thanks for your help ...

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), 2012 i7 16GB

Posted on Jun 6, 2016 3:57 PM

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Q: Mac mini - Swapping Hard Drives

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  • by VikingOSX,Helpful

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Jun 7, 2016 7:40 AM in response to A07570
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 7:40 AM in response to A07570

    Here is an OWC video on how to add a second drive to a 2012 Mac mini (same steps for a 2011). I bought their data doubler kit (and extra ribbon cable) so that I would have the tools to get the job done right. Watched their detailed video while performing the surgery. I bought a 128GB OCZ Vertex SSD (now a division of Toshiba, and new product name VT180 series) for the primary boot drive, and kept the Apple 512 GB drive in place. The OCZ Vertex has been quick and reliable since Fall 2011.

  • by A07570,

    A07570 A07570 Jun 7, 2016 7:58 AM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 7:58 AM in response to VikingOSX

    Thanks for the link Viking, I will take a look at the video and the drive. In thinking about it, I wouldn't necessarily have to remove the upper drive on either mini. If I add the SSD to #1 I could replace the lower drive and turn the Startup drive into the data drive (assuming it's in the upper bay), and again assuming the Startup drive is in the upper bay for #2 I can just add the 1TB to the lower bay.

     

    Do the drive identifiers in the System configuration give any indication of what bay the drive is in? (assuming they are plugged into the standard controller ports?).

  • by VikingOSX,Solvedanswer

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Jun 7, 2016 8:19 AM in response to A07570
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 8:19 AM in response to A07570

    The individial internal drive location is not indicated in the System Information panel, but is from the Terminal. Let's pick on your single-drive Mac mini. The default drive specifier is most likely /dev/disk0, and OS X is installed on /dev/disk0s2. Only type the blue text. On a machine with two internal drives, the other drive is likely /dev/disk1.

    # Identify the mounted drives.

    $ df -H

    # The following will return the drive name, and its Upper or Lower location.

    # In this example, OS X is installed on /dev/disk0s2.

    $ diskutil info /dev/disk0 | awk '/Media Name|Upper|Lower/ {print}'

  • by jbarley,

    jbarley jbarley Jun 7, 2016 8:25 AM in response to A07570
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Jun 7, 2016 8:25 AM in response to A07570

    Can't speak to what El-Capitan offers, but in previous OS versions both Disk Utility and System Information supply the connection Bay information.

  • by jbarley,Helpful

    jbarley jbarley Jun 7, 2016 9:33 AM in response to jbarley
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Jun 7, 2016 9:33 AM in response to jbarley

    I just checked on an El-Capitan system and in System Information under Sata it does show the bay name, in this case it was showing "Lower".

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Jun 7, 2016 9:08 AM in response to jbarley
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 9:08 AM in response to jbarley

    Apparently, I missed that when looking in System Information.

  • by A07570,

    A07570 A07570 Jun 7, 2016 9:40 AM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 9:40 AM in response to VikingOSX

    This worked perfectly for me, and my results were the same as yours, it says "lower". I assume that means 'closer to the base', and I will have to dig all the way in to add a second drive.   I appreciate your help.

  • by A07570,

    A07570 A07570 Jun 7, 2016 9:44 AM in response to jbarley
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 9:44 AM in response to jbarley

    I looked here in System Information first but also missed that detail, thanks for pointing it out, that would be the easiest way for most. I didn't see it in the Disk Utility, but may have missed another detail there. Thanks again.

  • by A07570,

    A07570 A07570 Jun 7, 2016 10:26 AM in response to A07570
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 10:26 AM in response to A07570

    Found a whole thread on the Mac minis Upper / Lower - Top / Bottom drive bays ... this picture is worth the thousand words of confusion surrounding the topic.

     

    mac-mini-bays.jpg