Other Sites
1: They have conducted their standard thorough First Look at the new Mac mini illustrated teardown:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac-mini-A1283/659/1
2: They have written instructions for swapping out the mini's optical drive and substituting a second hard drive
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Mac-mini-A1283-Terabyte-Drive/660/1
3: They have announced a Mac mini 1 TB upgrade kit with two hard drives for a reasonable $250:
http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-mini-1-TB-Upgrade-Kit/IF107-070
Mac mini Teardown
iFixIt picked up the new Mac mini from their local Apple store and took it apart.
Highlights of the http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac-mini-A1283/659/1 First Look teardown are:
* Both the hard drive and RAM are easily upgradeable once you remove the upper case, which is the somewhat tricky part, requiring judicious employment of a putty knife. (iFixIt sells an appropriate tool if you don't have one)
* The processor is now soldered to the logic board. Those people who had grown accustomed to upgrading mini processors will be greatly disappointed by this. Bummer - this is retrograde.
* The SuperDrive used in the new Mac mini is finally SATA interfaced, as in the new iMacs and MacBooks.
* If you install 2GB RAM in a $599 low-end mini, it recognizes and uses 256 MB of video memory.
* Accordng to iFixIt (and I agree), Apple's 'high end' $799 mini is a complete rip-off. For $200, all you is get 1 GB extra memory (market value $20) and 200 GB additional hard drive capacity (market price $50).
Here are some links to sample photos:
Mini progression:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/ovHtHXDRsBpvaR3T.large
Removing optical drive:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/cBPKg4NX2FKTsGWH.large
Overview:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/2qVPeAiF3YRlVYu1.large
You can check it out at:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac-mini-A1283/659/1
Mac mini 1 Terabyte Hard Drive Upgrade How-to
iFixIt's Mac mini http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Mac-mini-A1283-Terabyte-Drive/660/1 1 Terabyte Hard Drive Upgrade How-to step-by-step guide shows you how to:
* Swap out the existing hard drive for a 500 GB drive.
* Remove the optical drive and install another new 500 GB drive in its place.
* Enable Remote Disc to share the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC.
Links to some sample photos:
Two hard drives:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/aHatPR2UD52TgXSY.large
930 GB usable space:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/Mu1BXGpmNLXJXIOw.large
Remote disc:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/wBuD4HhCZDX1swF2.large
This guide walks you through the process of replacing the stock hard drive and optical drive with two 500 GB hard drives.
You can check it out at:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Mac-mini-A1283-Terabyte-Drive/660/1
iFixIt Mac mini 1 TB Hard Drive Kit
Mac minis come with either 120, 250, or 320 GB standard. iFixIt's Mac mini 1 TB Hard Drive Kit makes swapping in a second hard drive for the optical drive relatively easy. The kit includes everything you need. Be aware however that some basic soldering will be required in order to connect the power cables.
The 1 terabyte hard drive kit includes:
* Two 500 GB, 5400 RPM 2.5" SATA hard drives
* 15 pin SATA power to 4 pin power cable
* 6 pin SATA power and 7 pin SATA data to 4 pin power and 7 pin SATA data cable
* Putty knife
* #0 Phillips screwdriver
* Step-by-step instructions online
The kit sells for $249.95.
New 20" iMac Teardown
iFixIt has also taken apart one of the new revision 20" iMacs iMac
You canehold the interior of the new, speedier 20" iMacs here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iMac-20-Inch/658/1
Some things learned:
* The processor is happilyh socketed (not permanently mounted), but there's a "Warranty void if removed" sticker covering the current processor.
* As Apple announced, Firewire 400 is no more. To placate the mournful, Apple threw in an extra USB port.
* The display still uses an older CCFL backlight rather than a LED backlight like Apple's new notebooks.
* The low-end model that iFixIt tore down only has a 320 GB hard drive, unfortunately, replacing the hard drive is quite challenging.
* The Superdrive is finally SATA, and 12.7mm high as opposed of the slimmer 9.5mm drives in the MacBook Unibody notebooks.
* There's space in the low-end model for an additional heat sink. This is assumedly included if you order the model with a higher end graphics card.
* The only Phillips screw required to get inside is a single screw on the RAM access door. Virtually all the internal screws are Torx.
Some sample images of the teardown:
Overview:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/sCPPIbVvLy5bmTvR.large
Removing the glass:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/iOLxIKEWgKJZLI3i.large
Front:
http://s1.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/JdvptwkrdLjJLGHb.large
iFixIt will be posting developing news about these new machines on their news blog.
Add it to your RSS feeds here:
http://www.ifixit.com/blog
http://www.ifixit.com/blog/?feed=atom
Charles W. Moore
Tags: Blogs ď MooresViews ď Hot Topics ď
Accordng to iFixIt (and I agree), Apple’s ‘high end’ $799 mini is a complete rip-off. For $200, all you is get 1 GB extra memory (market value $20) and 200 GB additional hard drive capacity (market price $50).
dont forget the processor upgrade! may not completely cover the value gap, but it at least narrows it.