Modifying the Dual Hard Drive Kit for 2012 Mac Mini

My Problem

I wanted to speed up the Mac Mini by installing an SSD for the operating system and use the existing 1 TB disk for storage.

My Fix

The repair went well as described in the stepwise installation guide at Ifixit. The folding of the cable had to be modified to mount the SSD in the upper hard disk position. This was done by not folding it to go around the lower hard disk but in between the two disks. Unfortunately this configuration did not work properly. For some reason you must exchange the positions, or at least the connections for the SSD to work properly. It may be dependent on the type of SSD or the Ifixit cable, but I had to change the Ifixit cable to the standard hard drive and the Apple cable to the SSD for it to work properly.

My Advice

Ifixt might note that you might need to change the position or the cabling if you are installing an SSD. I put the SSD in the lower berth with the original Apple cable and the standard HD in the upper berth with the Ifixit cable and it seems to be working as it should.