What are all the differences between the 'Late 2012' Aluminum 'Unibody' Mac mini models and the 'Mid-2011' models replaced? Please note that the 'Mid-2011' and 'Late 2012' Mac mini models have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and can be quite helpful for anyone buying or selling one of these systems on the used market. With even a detailed evaluation of the 'Late 2012' Aluminum Mac mini models - the, and - and the also Aluminum 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models - the, and - one would note that there are essentially no external physical differences. However, there are significant internal and identification differences, and it can be quite useful to evaluate these aspects in particular. Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
Mac Mini 2012 SSD+HDD heats up really quickly If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. I'm looking to replace a drive with unfixable SMART errors, so I've asked my local repair shop about trying to install a WD Blue 500GB SSD on my Mac Mini (late 2012, OS 10.11.6, but building a Sierra bootable flash drive for the reformat/reinstall) -- and they were rather firm in saying that trying to install anything other than an Apple SSD is.
(Front - Mid-2011 and Late 2012 Mac mini) External Differences All of the 'Late 2012' and 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models use the same general compact 'cuboid' aluminum case design - just 7.7 inches across and deep and a miniscule 1.4 inches tall - and have a 'spin off' black plastic base on the bottom that can be removed quickly to access the. Please note that although the cases are essentially the same for the purpose of this comparison, it does not mean that all internal parts can be swapped between them. Connectivity Differences Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Rear - Mid-2011 & Late 2012 Mac mini) Connectivity is almost identical between the 'Late 2012' and 'Mid-2011' lines, but there is one important difference, too.
Both lines share 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a single Firewire '800' port, an HDMI port, a port (capable of supporting an external display at 2560x1600 while passing an audio signal or alternately supporting Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals), a single 'audio line in (digital/analog)' minijack, a single 'audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)' minijack, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, and an SDXC-capable SD card slot. All support IR for a remote, too. However, the 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models have four USB 2.0 ports and the 'Late 2012' Mac mini models have four significantly faster USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. As a result, USB 2.0 peripherals will work with USB 3.0 ports, but they will run at the maximum speed that USB 2.0 provides rather than the faster standard. Identification Differences Externally, both the 'Late 2012' and 'Mid-2011' Mac mini lines share the same, as do other Aluminum Mac mini models. As a result, it is not convenient to use the Model Number for identification.
However, these lines can be identified externally by - visible upon removing the bottom 'spin off' panel to the right of the memory slots (with the ports pointing toward you) - and EveryMac.com has diligently hand recorded these differences accordingly. The 'Late 2012' Mac mini models are EMC Number whereas the 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models are EMC Number.
In software, the entry-level 'Late 2012' configuration can be identified by the whereas the all of the 'Late 2012' Core i7-powered configurations - including the Server options - can be identified by the shared Model Identifier. On the other hand, the 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models are a bit more complex to identify by Model Identifier, but also more precise. The entry-level model is Model Identifier, the mid-level and models are Model Identifier, and the is. EveryMac.com's feature - as well as the - additionally can uniquely identify these models by their. Internal Differences Both the 'Late 2012' and 'Mid-2011' Mac mini models support dual 6 Gb/s Serial ATA hard drives or SSDs, but otherwise are quite different internally. These lines use different processors, architectures, memory, and graphics.
The older 'Mid-2011' models have 'Sandy Bridge' Core i5 or Core i7 processors, support 1333 MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM, and have either integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 or dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics. By contrast, the 'Late 2012' Mac mini models have dual core Core i5 or even quad core Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' processors (the 'Mid-2011' configuration has a Quad Core processor, but the 'Late 2012' Mac mini line is the first time a non-Server Mac mini has packed a Quad Core chip). Additionally, the 'Late 2012' models support much faster 1600 MHz PC3-12800 DDR3L SO-DIMMs. However, in an odd 'downgrade,' all 'Late 2012' models only have integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. As a result, the 'Late 2012' Mac mini models actually are slower performing many graphics-related tasks than 'Mid-2011' models equipped with dedicated graphics. Additionally, the non-server 'Late 2012' configurations can be configured with a 'Fusion Drive' that combines a 128 GB SSD and a 1 TB hard drive with software that 'automatically and dynamically moves frequently used files to flash for quicker access.'
The earlier 'Mid-2011' models do not offer this feature, but it is possible that third-parties will offer a similar product if demand dictates. Comparison Charts The specific differences between processors, architectures, configurations and price for the 'Late 2012' and 'Mid-2011' models are summarized below. Entry-Level Model The entry-level 'Late 2012' model - the - provides a modestly faster processor, faster architecture, more and faster RAM, and faster USB 3.0 ports compared to the 'Mid-2011' model - the: 'Mid-2011' Mac mini 'Late 2012' Mac mini Processor Type: Core i5 (2415M) Core i5 (3210M) Processor Cores: 2 2 Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz 2.5 GHz L3 Cache: 3 MB 3 MB Std.
RAM: 2 GB 4 GB RAM Type: 1333 MHz DDR3 1600 MHz DDR3L Std. Hard Drive: 500 GB 500 GB Graphics Processor: HD Graphics 3000 HD Graphics 4000 VRAM Type: Integrated Integrated Std. VRAM: 288 MB (Shared) 512 MB (Shared) USB Ports: 2.0 (4) 3.0 (4) Order Number: MC815LL/A MD387LL/A EMC Number: Model Identifier: Intro Price: US$599 US$599 High-End Model The high-end standard 'Late 2012' model - the - provides a massively faster quad core processor, a faster architecture, faster RAM, a larger hard drive, and faster USB 3.0 ports, but slower graphics, than the 'Mid-2011' model replaced - the: 'Mid-2011' Mac mini 'Late 2012' Mac mini Processor Type: Core i5 (2520M). Core i7 (3615QM). Processor Cores: 2 4 Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz. 2.3 GHz.
L3 Cache: 3 MB 6 MB Std. RAM: 4 GB 4 GB RAM Type: 1333 MHz DDR3 1600 MHz DDR3L Std. Hard Drive: 500 GB 1 TB Graphics Processor: Radeon HD 6630M HD Graphics 4000 VRAM Type: Dedicated Integrated Standard VRAM: 256 MB (GDDR5) 512 MB (Shared) USB Ports: 2.0 (4) 3.0 (4) Order Number: MC816LL/A MD388LL/A EMC Number: Model Identifier: Intro Price: US$799.
US$799. This 'Mid-2011' model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.7 GHz 'Core i7' (I7-2620M) processor for an extra US$100. As requested by readers, EveryMac.com additionally has documented this custom configuration as its. This 'Late 2012' model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.6 GHz 'Core i7' (I7-3720QM) processor for an extra US$100. Likewise, EveryMac.com has documented this custom configuration as its, too.
Server Model The standard 'Late 2012' Server - the - provides a faster processor, faster memory, more storage, and faster graphics compared to the 'Mid-2011' model replaced - the: 'Mid-2011' mini Server 'Late 2012' mini Server Processor Type: Core i7 (2635QM) Core i7 (3615QM). Processor Cores: 4 4 Processor Speed: 2.0 GHz 2.3 GHz. L3 Cache: 6 MB 6 MB Std.
RAM: 4 GB 4 GB RAM Type: 1333 MHz DDR3 1600 MHz DDR3L Std. Hard Drive: 500 GB x2 1 TB x2 Graphics Processor: HD Graphics 3000 HD Graphics 4000 VRAM Type: Integrated Integrated Std. VRAM: 384 MB (Shared) 512 MB (Shared) USB Ports: 2.0 (4) 3.0 (4) Order Number: MC936LL/A MD389LL/A EMC Number: Model Identifier: Intro Price: US$999 US$999.
This 'Late 2012' Server model also was available via custom configuration with a 2.6 GHz 'Core i7' (I7-3720QM) processor for an extra US$100. Likewise, EveryMac.com has documented this custom configuration as its, too.
Comparison Summary Ultimately, the 'Late 2012' Mac mini line generally is a solid improvement compared to its predecessor. The faster processors, architecture, memory, and USB 3.0 ports all are welcomed enhancements, but the 'downgrade' to slower integrated graphics across the line no doubt is a disappointment to many. On the used market, both lines remain well worth consideration, particularly given the 'downgrades' made by subsequent models in terms of upgrades. Used Mac mini Purchase Options There are no shortage of places to purchase a used 'Mid-2011' or 'Late 2012' Mac mini. However, buying from a good company with an extensive track record in the Mac market will provide the best experience and save you money and time, too. Site sponsor has models with no sales tax (outside of NY and NJ) and free shipping for all. Site sponsor has some models at reasonable prices and with free shipping.
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I'm looking to replace a drive with unfixable SMART errors, so I've asked my local repair shop about trying to install a WD Blue 500GB SSD on my Mac Mini (late 2012, OS 10.11.6, but building a Sierra bootable flash drive for the reformat/reinstall) - and they were rather firm in saying that trying to install anything other than an Apple SSD is likely to lead to problems, including a much shorter life for the drive, and that putting an SSD in a machine that didn't ship with one is also inadvisable. They also insisted that installing a hybrid drive would run into similar problems (though their explanation for why that should be doesn't quite jibe with what little I know about how hybrid drives are supposed to work). Frankly, very little of what they're saying really jibes with what I'm seeing in various forums, so I need a second opinion as to whether or not what they're saying holds up - is what I want to do reasonably do-able? I'm seeing a lot of success stories from 2013 or so, but I'm wondering about the long term as well. There is a small element of historical truth in their recommendation. Until quite recently (10.10.4), the Mac didn't support TRIM on 3rd party SSDS. That meant that in some use cases with some SSDs, the drive could theoretically wear out faster and suffer from performance degradation over time.
The practical effect was always hotly contested but it doesn't really matter since TRIM for 3rd party drives is supported in Sierra. There's no obvious reason that your WD Blue SSD wouldn't work A Fusion drive is a bit trickier as you have to completely disassemble the Mac Mini to install two drives in it.
Replacing a single drive isn't too bad as long as you have the right tools, a reasonable amount of dexterity, and are good at following directions. There are a couple of tricky bits and sliding the drive back into the right position can be frustrating but nothing too bad. I've done it about 10 times without screwing anything up. One SSD failed but it was after 5 years so I doubt it was related to the install. Macsales is a good source of the right tools, adapters/parts, and instructional videos.
They also provide good tech support if you buy one of their drives. Either look for another shop that is more comfortable doing the upgrade, tell the current shop that you appreciate the advice but you want what you want, or do it yourself. For a simple replacement, MacSales sells the toolkit for $5. I know the feeling.
I had to get one of those headlamps with a magnifier a few years back to do this kind of work. There's no particular technical skill required so you just need someone with steady hands, good eyesight, the right tools, the video, and some patience to do it. MacSales actually offers it as a service so you can ship the Mini to them, they will install one of their drives, and ship it back. Costs more for the labor, shipping, and buying one of their drives, but I'd be comfortable that they would do it right.
– May 11 '17 at 6:15.