Installing Mac mini Model A1283 Terabyte Drive
Install a terabyte worth of storage space in your Mac mini Model A1283.
- Author: Miroslav Djuric
- Difficulty: Very difficult
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We tried to put a whopping terabyte worth of storage in a Mac mini -- and succeeded!
This guide walks you through the process of replacing the stock hard drive and optical drive with TWO 500 GB hard drives.
Warning: Although you're welcome to do this at home, this surgery is at your own risk. Make sure to back up any important data prior to working on your mini's hard drive. We'll post more information regarding heat and performance as soon as we have it available.
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Step 1
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Terabyte Drive
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We decided to see if we could stuff a full terabyte worth of storage into our new Mac mini. Why would anyone possibly want this much storage?
Bragging rights. Mac minis come with either 120, 250, or 320 GB standard. Yours has 1 TERABYTE.
Built-in Time Machine. Sure, you can hook up an external drive, but it's sure nice not to have cables everywhere.
RAID -- mirroring, striping, concatenating -- take your pick.
And seriously, with that much space, who needs an optical drive?
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Step 2
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We're going to:
Swap out a the existing hard drive for a 500 GB drive.
Then remove the optical drive and install another new 500 GB drive in its place.
Carefully insert a putty knife into the crevice between the top cover and bottom housing. Start on the left side first.
Gently enlarge the existing crevice by twisting the putty knife downward and away from the mini.
Repeat the prying motion until a portion of the bottom housing has been nudged upward.
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Step 3
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Repeat the same prying procedure on the right side.
The top cover should now be marginally separated from the bottom housing. Use your fingers to completely separate the two, starting with the I/O side of the mini.
The top cover does not have any cables attaching it to the bottom housing; it should now be completely detached from the bottom.
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