upgrading my late 2012 mac mini

[Fishrrman]

"can one hook up an external SSD drive like a 500Gig"

Yes.
But IT MUST BE in a USB3 enclosure.
Go on amazon and look at this one:

Inateck 2.5 Inch USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure External SATA HDD and SSD Case - Optimized for 9.5mm 7mm 2.5" SSD, Tool Free (FE2002)

Attention: package contains an extra foam sticker for 7 mm thickness hard drives, you should attach the sticker to the original one inside the lid before you insert the hard drive; 12.5 mm hard drives might be incompatible with this product. 70% faster than traditional USB 3.0 With UASP transfer ...

www.amazon.com

This should give you read speeds around 420MBps.

If you have only 4gb of RAM, then BUY ONLY ONE 8gb DIMM and put it into one of the slots (the topmost RAM slot when the bottom is off).
This will give you 10gb of installed RAM. It will run fine and won't break your budget.

 

[cheesygrin]

The 2012 Mac mini was a great machine (especially the quad core version that my mum still runs now) - but for a couple of reasons, it's time to move on:

The latest OS it supports is Catalina, which will likely stop getting security updates as early as next year. For this reason alone, it is worth moving on.
CPU is now showing its age and is the main component you can't upgrade.

Even if your budget is tight, I would suggest staying clear of the 2014 model Mac minis - they dropped to dual core CPUs and don't age as well.

2018 models are all at least quad core 8th gen chips and will age much better. If you can stretch to the best 2018 you can, it should serve you well for a while. Bear in mind you can't upgrade the SSD in these, but you can upgrade the RAM (although it is a much bigger pain than it used to be on the older models) - I upgraded my 6-core 2018 i5 to 32GB RAM and reckon it will last a while.

 

[endoftheroad]

well,
I just ordered a 500gig ssd with enclosure/tools from OWC
and 16 of memory
and a new Fan
Im going to dig into it, and fix it,

then ill keep thunkin about a newer one and save my wee income, maybe sell some of my toys that go POP
I dont like the 128gig (2018) and its a 400.00 jump to upgrade on the OWC site
being disabled, thats ALOT of breakfast,lunches,dinners and food for the MUTT
so maybe by xmass
cheers
John

 

[endoftheroad]

"can one hook up an external SSD drive like a 500Gig"

Yes.
But IT MUST BE in a USB3 enclosure.
Go on amazon and look at this one:

Inateck 2.5 Inch USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure External SATA HDD and SSD Case - Optimized for 9.5mm 7mm 2.5" SSD, Tool Free (FE2002)

Attention: package contains an extra foam sticker for 7 mm thickness hard drives, you should attach the sticker to the original one inside the lid before you insert the hard drive; 12.5 mm hard drives might be incompatible with this product. 70% faster than traditional USB 3.0 With UASP transfer ...

www.amazon.com

This should give you read speeds around 420MBps.

If you have only 4gb of RAM, then BUY ONLY ONE 8gb DIMM and put it into one of the slots (the topmost RAM slot when the bottom is off).
This will give you 10gb of installed RAM. It will run fine and won't break your budget.

Thank You

 

[jdmc]

Update: I just finished installing Big Sur (v11.5.1) on my 2012 mini [Macmini6,2], using the OpenCore Legacy Patcher… smooth as silk, works like a charm!

 

[Richard8655]

I also have a late 2012 Mini but it's the I7 2.3 version with max 16gb RAM. Also replaced and installed (painfully) the failing internal HDD with a Samsung SSD 1TB. It's performance is great. The late 2012 was and is a wonderful machine, and still worth any upgrade improvements. The processor is plenty fast even by today's standards.

In my opinion, your 2012 is experiencing resource constraints. An external drive will run slower than internal of course, especially if it's still an HDD. I think it's also the 4gb memory that's a contributor to the performance bottleneck. I would upgrade that by maxing out the RAM.

 

[Phantom-fa]

I also have a late 2012 Mini but it's the I7 2.3 version with max 16gb RAM. Also replaced and installed (painfully) the failing internal HDD with a Samsung SSD 1TB. It's performance is great. The late 2012 was and is a wonderful machine, and still worth any upgrade improvements. The processor is plenty fast even by today's standards.

In my opinion, your 2012 is experiencing resource constraints. An external drive will run slower than internal of course, especially if it's still an HDD. I think it's also the 4gb memory that's a contributor to the performance bottleneck. I would upgrade that by maxing out the RAM.

Likewise I have late 2012 Mini with 2.3 quad i7 with 16Gb and two 1TB OWC SSD. Currently running Monterey B4 on it using OpenCore Legacy Patcher and the Intel HD 4000 patch and it runs very well - not as quick as the M1 Mini, but quite acceptable. Updates from one beta to the next using the standard Apple system also work just fine which is a bonus.

 

[pchung6]

I’m still using 2012 mini with i5, 16gb and 256SSD. It’s not fast for sure since I also have M1 mini next to it. I would just bite the bullet and get M1. It was on sale from Costco for $599 and get Costco $50 coupon, you can have it for $549. Just sell your 2012 mini on eBay for $150. You will have a very powerful mini for another 7-8 yrs no need to worry about anything.

 

[Amethyst1]

The processor is plenty fast even by today's standards.

If it's an i7 (quad-core). The i5 (dual-core) is showing its age.

 

[Euroamerican]

I also upgraded my 2012 i7 about a month ago with a new Samsung 1TB SSD and I had already upgraded the RAM to 16 gb. I used the OWC instructions for the SSD replacement and also bought the "add second drive" kit from them in just in case I decide to add a second SSD. I am running Catalina nicely but may wipe and downgrade to an older OS to see if the older OS is snappier!

 

[JoeInMilwaukee]

I also upgraded my 2012 i7 about a month ago with a new Samsung 1TB SSD and I had already upgraded the RAM to 16 gb. I used the OWC instructions for the SSD replacement and also bought the "add second drive" kit from them in just in case I decide to add a second SSD. I am running Catalina nicely but may wipe and downgrade to an older OS to see if the older OS is snappier!

Which Samsung SSD did you use? I have successfully installed a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSD in a 2012 i5 (dual-core) Mac mini and a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD in a 2012 i7 (quad-core) Mac mini, both with excellent results (16GB RAM and macOS Catalina on each).

I recently decided to increase the storage in the i5 Mac mini from 500GB to 1TB. However, Samsung has replaced the 860 EVO with the 870 EVO. No problem, I figured. WRONG! I kept getting the "prohibited" symbol during installation upon reboots and while booting up normally after I finally got macOS Catalina installed. I ended up returning the 870 EVO SSD to Amazon for a refund. I am now back to using the 860 EVO 500GB SSD in the i5 Mac mini. It seems to be an incompatibility with the Intel 7 SATA controller used in the 2012 Mac minis. BEWARE!

 

[Richard8655]

Which Samsung SSD did you use? I have successfully installed a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSD in a 2012 i5 (dual-core) Mac mini and a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD in a 2012 i7 (quad-core) Mac mini, both with excellent results (16GB RAM and macOS Catalina on each).

I recently decided to increase the storage in the i5 Mac mini from 500GB to 1TB. However, Samsung has replaced the 860 EVO with the 870 EVO. No problem, I figured. WRONG! I kept getting the "prohibited" symbol during installation upon reboots and while booting up normally after I finally got macOS Catalina installed. I ended up returning the 870 EVO SSD to Amazon for a refund. I am now back to using the 860 EVO 500GB SSD in the i5 Mac mini. It seems to be an incompatibility with the Intel 7 SATA controller used in the 2012 Mac minis. BEWARE!

Wow, what a shocker to run into that after the trouble of going through the installation procedure. Sorry that happened, but good reverting back to the 860 worked and for sharing on the forum. My SSD was the earlier Samsung 850 EVO 1TB, which of course was compatible with the late 2012.

 

[yahgoo]

Likewise I have late 2012 Mini with 2.3 quad i7 with 16Gb and two 1TB OWC SSD. Currently running Monterey B4 on it using OpenCore Legacy Patcher and the Intel HD 4000 patch and it runs very well - not as quick as the M1 Mini, but quite acceptable. Updates from one beta to the next using the standard Apple system also work just fine which is a bonus.

My 2012 mini hangs when copying files running Monterey B2.
Did you upgrade Opencore Legacy Patcher to v0.2.4 before you upgrade mini to B4?

 

[JoeInMilwaukee]

Wow, what a shocker to run into that after the trouble of going through the installation procedure. Sorry that happened, but good reverting back to the 860 worked and for sharing on the forum. My SSD was the earlier Samsung 850 EVO 1TB, which of course was compatible with the late 2012.

Yes, my stomach sank when the "prohibited" symbol showed up on my screen. Things were going so well and then changed for the worse so rapidly! I did put the 870 EVO in an external USB 3 drive dock afterwards and was able to install and run Catalina without any problems (except for it running slower than on the internal SATA III connection). I didn't want to try too many swappings of the internal drive while troubleshooting. Besides the time involved, many of the connectors are very delicate and not designed for repeated disconnecting and reconnecting.

 

[Phantom-fa]

My 2012 mini hangs when copying files running Monterey B2.
Did you upgrade Opencore Legacy Patcher to v0.2.4 before you upgrade mini to B4?

My Mini was running Big Sur and I took it straight to B3 with the latest OpenCore and then to B4, so never installed B2.

 

[for this]

Which Samsung SSD did you use? I have successfully installed a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSD in a 2012 i5 (dual-core) Mac mini and a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD in a 2012 i7 (quad-core) Mac mini, both with excellent results (16GB RAM and macOS Catalina on each).

I recently decided to increase the storage in the i5 Mac mini from 500GB to 1TB. However, Samsung has replaced the 860 EVO with the 870 EVO. No problem, I figured. WRONG! I kept getting the "prohibited" symbol during installation upon reboots and while booting up normally after I finally got macOS Catalina installed. I ended up returning the 870 EVO SSD to Amazon for a refund. I am now back to using the 860 EVO 500GB SSD in the i5 Mac mini. It seems to be an incompatibility with the Intel 7 SATA controller used in the 2012 Mac minis. BEWARE!

After reading this, I was worried because I'm eyeing for an 870 EVO.

So I browsed around and found these examples of successful uses of 870 EVO as internal boot drive for 2012's minis.
So it might be a cable issue or something else.

(Yes, it is the mini, in the iMac forum)

Late 2012 iMac - External SSD Upgrade Q's

Hate to revive this quasi-zombie thread, but I ran across it will looking for advice regarding my 2012 Mac Mini. A question, if anyone's still around: why do you all seem to agree that it's best to boot from an external SSD, and leave the internal drive as a cloned backup? I set it up the other...

forums.macrumors.com

(It gets installed into the mini near the ending)

 

[yahgoo]

My Mini was running Big Sur and I took it straight to B3 with the latest OpenCore and then to B4, so never installed B2.

Thanks. B4 is more stable than B2. I will give it a shot

 

[endoftheroad]

well,
its been an interesting morning, ive been up since 1235
making a boot drive--no joy
so i did a migration assist to the new SSD drive
then
tore the mini 2012 apart shoved in the new drive, the new memory sticks (the top one was really alot of effort to get in there)
started it up after cleaning it all and putting it all back togeather--NO missing or extra parts
then i got the flashing folder of hell, with the question mark
and hooked up the old drive-USB) and it did ipen from that, but vewy-vewy carrot chewing slow
opened it back up again, and found when putting in that side shield i had slipped the HD conector off its mount
WHEW--scary,, got it back togeather
done did a backup to another disk-a spinner,
im now screaming along with Mojave, maxed out ram,and a 250GB SSD hard drive (later ill get a 500 and swap them around
HAPPY CAMPER so far
its friggen FAST compared to before
my firefox/safarie is opening when my mouse finishes clickin, and only a half-bounce of the app

thinking of going to Catalina
what you all think?

 

[Amethyst1]

Congrats on the upgrade. If you don't mind losing support for 32bit apps, why not give Catalina a try? As long as you have a known-good backup, you've got nothing to lose.

 

[JoeInMilwaukee]

After reading this, I was worried because I'm eyeing for an 870 EVO.

So I browsed around and found these examples of successful uses of 870 EVO as internal boot drive for 2012's minis.
So it might be a cable issue or something else.

(Yes, it is the mini, in the iMac forum)

Late 2012 iMac - External SSD Upgrade Q's

Hate to revive this quasi-zombie thread, but I ran across it will looking for advice regarding my 2012 Mac Mini. A question, if anyone's still around: why do you all seem to agree that it's best to boot from an external SSD, and leave the internal drive as a cloned backup? I set it up the other...

forums.macrumors.com

(It gets installed into the mini near the ending)

I'm not surprised that others have successfully used the 870 EVO internally in the 2012 Mac mini. I did check Samsung's website and there were no firmware updates for the 870 EVO. It's quite possible the Intel 7 Series Chipset (the SATA controller) used in the 2012 Mac mini has various revisions, dependent on when each Mac mini was manufactured.

 

[Phantom-fa]

Which Samsung SSD did you use? I have successfully installed a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSD in a 2012 i5 (dual-core) Mac mini and a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD in a 2012 i7 (quad-core) Mac mini, both with excellent results (16GB RAM and macOS Catalina on each).

I recently decided to increase the storage in the i5 Mac mini from 500GB to 1TB. However, Samsung has replaced the 860 EVO with the 870 EVO. No problem, I figured. WRONG! I kept getting the "prohibited" symbol during installation upon reboots and while booting up normally after I finally got macOS Catalina installed. I ended up returning the 870 EVO SSD to Amazon for a refund. I am now back to using the 860 EVO 500GB SSD in the i5 Mac mini. It seems to be an incompatibility with the Intel 7 SATA controller used in the 2012 Mac minis. BEWARE!

I have a Crucial CT1050MX and a Mercury Electra 6G (both 1TB) in my mini and can happily boot from either using any OS from High Sierra right through to Monterey, so may just be a Samsung problem.
I also have exactly the same version of the Intel 7 Series chipset as pictured above.
Macmini6,2 late 2012 with quad i7 @2.3GHz

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"thinking of going to Catalina
what you all think?"

NO!!!!
If it's working now, leave it alone for a while. Just use it.

For the 2010 Mini, use either Low Sierra (10.12) or High Sierra (10.13).
Sierra (disk image, direct download)
or
High Sierra (from App Store?)

Get one or the other, come back here for more help.

 

[endoftheroad]

i typed it wron its a 2012, my brain is not working right today
i cant get into the app store with that link,
using my app link i cant find any of the old OS, not even the old ones i bought years ago
and ive done the hidden --thing--there to see no joy

 

[for this]

i typed it wron its a 2012, my brain is not working right today
i cant get into the app store with that link,
using my app link i cant find any of the old OS, not even the old ones i bought years ago
and ive done the hidden --thing--there to see no joy

From https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

The conditions to be able to download are:

- You are the admin
- Use the link in Safari in macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise

You don’t even have to sign in to the App Store.

BTW, the link leads to the App Store and it is downloaded via Software Update.

 

[JoeInMilwaukee]

I have a Crucial CT1050MX and a Mercury Electra 6G (both 1TB) in my mini and can happily boot from either using any OS from High Sierra right through to Monterey, so may just be a Samsung problem.
I also have exactly the same version of the Intel 7 Series chipset as pictured above.
Macmini6,2 late 2012 with quad i7 @2.3GHz

Thanks for the suggestions on the SSDs. I may eventually go with one of those, but for now I'm keeping the Samsung 860 EVO 500GB. Fortunately, my 2012 Mac mini isn't my primary machine (I also have a 2018 i3 Mac mini 1TB).