How to upgrade your mac mini with an ssd 2019 updated. If you want to have the 80 gb hard drive, you can order a custommade mac mini through apple, or simply order the 1. I am unhappy with beachballing on my upgraded g4 mac mini silent upgrade ppc 1. Pulled the 40gb drive from my mac mini g4 and replaced it with a solid state drive msata to pata enclosure with a 120gb msata drive. How do you upgrade or replace the hard drive in the mac mini g4. Lately the hdd has become louder and started making. Click the file menu, and select get info, or press comandi on your keyboard. In general you can feel that the mac mini g4 is actually using laptop technology as opposed to the experience you get when using a power mac g4 cube, which internally is a real desktop computer. A g4 mac mini might have a chance at outperforming that, and 1gb is more than sufficient for a textonly ssh console for things like irssi and alpine.
The g4 mac minis have no room for expansion the drive and a single stick of memory barely fit in. The apple mac mini has a loyal fan group around the world. They are a hackers delight, in the true sense of the word. We also have many of these videos available via itunes so you can watch with an ipod, iphone, or ipad while you work on. Your laptop stays mobile thanks to the builtin feature of hdd caddy. Apple mac mini g4 mythtv frontend and media player model. Because of its sealed enclosure, it is not possible to upgrade the hard drive without opening the enclosure and possibly voiding the warranty of the system. With the extra bay in your notebook you can install a sata hard drive or ssd for more storage space. Ill explain what type of memory or hard drive it takes, and how to. This means that they have a much lower capacity, and higher cost, than those for a normal desktop computer. How to check a macs free hard drive space macworld. Sata and ssd options for g3 and g4 power macs low end mac. While the g4 mac mini was groundbreaking when apple first released it, that particular model has become quite old. This is likely the best disassembly video available for the mac mini g4.
I have been using an older g4 tower for a few years now, and this mini is a breath of fresh air. While using external usb hard drives makes your notebook less portable. Apple mac hard drive upgrade mac replacement hard drives. Apr 06, 2020 by default, your mac starts up from its builtin hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains an operating system compatible with your mac. Built around the powerpc g4 series of microprocessors, the power mac g4 was marketed by apple as the first personal supercomputers, 1 reaching speeds of 4 to 20 gigaflops. Professional installation is highly recommended as your warranty may be voided by an incorrect installation.
The most affordable mac ever, it measures a mere 612 square, and is just 2 tall. Luckily there are quick and easy ways to free up space on your hard drive. Mac mini ultra ata hard drive maximum size apple community. Jun 19, 2018 your macs hard drive probably has temporary files you dont need. If your hard drive icon doesnt appear there, go to go computer, then click the hard drive icon under devices.
I got a mac mini g4 late 2005 fully maxed out to 1 gb ram and a 160 gb hdd. Mac mini g4 sata hddssd upgrade luttztfz computer blog. By default, your mac starts up from its builtin hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains an operating system compatible with your mac. Regardless of which powermac g4 you have, you need an adapter for sata drives. The macmini can then use the full 160 gb off the disc. The mac mini includes a fast g4 processor, a slotloading cdrw dvdrom drive, the reliable and easytouse os x operating system. Mac mini core duo how to disassemble and upgrade memory and hard drive a1176 duration. Whatever your use of the mac mini, be it media server or desktop computer, the one upgrade that will make the biggest impact is a ssd.
Since my mac mini runs morphos instead of os x, its been absolutely screaming. Due to the age of the mac mini g4, users may find themselves in frustrating situations. As my blog title states, i am currently using a g4 mac mini. If the answer is yes, can i then install the usb disk as the internal harddrive at a later date without having to reinstall tiger.
As i get more comfortable with my blog, ill try to create helpful tutorials on a variety of subjects based on whatever topic is at hand. I will include as many links as i can to new software, new blogs that are helpful, sites with great g3g4g5 sales, etc. Although its designed to match the mac mini, the ministack hard drive can add usb 2. The brand on the drive will vary, but is usually hitachi, fujitsu, or toshiba. Now, if you have this one graphite pcigraphics, agpgraphics, gigabitethernet, digital audio, or quicksilver with geforce 2 mx graphics. Mac mini powerpc hard drive replacement ifixit repair. The new mac mini packs plenty of power and capability into a simple spacesaving package. For example, the latest version of mac os x that one can install on this version of the. All the parts you need to easily add a second hard drive to your 2012 mac mini, including the all important ribbon cable and logic board removal tool. More less g4 imac 800mhz 60gb hd 512mb ram, mac os x 10.
But ive been thinking about their longevity lately, and not just because debian and ubuntu are dropping the 32bit powerpc architecture. It would likely be better suited to the task than an ultraportable laptop, too. Heres how to clean up your mac and reclaim some drive space. This is a pull from a working system and comes with our 1 year warranty.
This mac mini g4 2005 hdd caddy switches your laptop dvddrive for an extra hdd or ssd. For example, if you install macos on an internal or external drive, your mac can recognize that drive as a startup disk. These files often take up disk space for no good reason. Feb 07, 2011 mac mini core duo how to disassemble and upgrade memory and hard drive a1176 duration. Watch mac mini g4 how to disassemble and upgrade ram or. How to upgrade the 2012 mac mini for use in 2020 imore. The g4 mac minis have no room for expansion the drive and a single stick of memory barely fit in the case as is. Instructions to upgrade the ram and hard drive in the mac mini g4, and the upgradability, or lack thereof, of the mac mini g4 processor. This includes the take apart and reassembly of a mac mini. This is an 80gb internal ide hard drive for the powerbook, ibook, or mac mini. My first idea was to use a 44pin laptop ide to 40pin regular ide adapter i had, install it in an old spare x86 machine i had, boot finnix, recreate the partitions and sync from machine to.
My first idea was to use a 44pin laptop ide to 40pin regular ide adapter i had, install it in an old spare x86 machine i had, boot finnix, recreate the partitions and sync from machine to machine. Jun 11, 2017 a g4 mac mini might have a chance at outperforming that, and 1gb is more than sufficient for a textonly ssh console for things like irssi and alpine. Apr 12, 2019 not to complicate matters further, but if your mac mini is the powermac10,2 i. Morphos booted in 10 seconds on the hdd, and now its blink and youll miss it fast on the ssd. So that is also the biggest hd you can install in the mac mini g4 now. Mac mini powerpc hard drive replacement ifixit repair guide. The ram limitation was something i did not expect when buying it. One of the problems of the original mac mini 2005, g4 powerpc processor is that it still uses 2. In the end, even with the limited gain in speed, using the idesata adapter plus ssd removed from its case is still the best hdd upgrade solution. The mac mini includes a fast g4 processor, a slotloading cdrwdvdrom drive, the reliable and easytouse os x operating system, and other award winning apple software applicationsincluding ilife with itunes. That is very unfortunate, especially since the mac mini g4 came with drives of 40 to 80 gb capacity, which is not much compared to todays standards 2015. Aug 05, 2017 the g4 mac minis have no room for expansion the drive and a single stick of memory barely fit in the case as is. Built around the powerpc g4 series of microprocessors, the power mac g4 was marketed by apple as the first personal supercomputers, reaching speeds of 4 to 20 gigaflops.
So, if i buy a firewire ministack or mini enclosure with a 250gb or 500gb hard drive with a 16mb. There are many options in upgrading a mac mini, and. Owcs detailed stepbystep installation videos guide you through upgrading your mac, ipod, and iphone. Mac mini g4 2005 hdd caddy hdd caddy for 2nd drive in. Even in 2018, macbooks still have tiny hard drives that fill up quickly. The power mac g4 is a series of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by apple computer, inc. If the answer is yes, can i then install the usb disk as the internal hard drive at a later date without having to reinstall tiger. Sata and ssd options for g3 and g4 power macs daniel knight 2010. Mac mini g4 how to disassemble and upgrade ram or hard drive. How to select a different startup disk apple support. Morphos booted in 10 seconds on the hdd, and now its blink and youll miss it. The emachines t6520 features a faster processor and twice the hard drive size, but the superdrive mac mini has the edge in terms of overall design small, quiet, sexy and software on the strength. You can then follow the steps in this article to start up. Mac mini supermultidrive, hard drive, and memory upgrades all mac mini models 2005 to 2008 including intel and g4 processor versions find out which mac mini you have.