The Mac mini boasts the late implausibly profligate processors , and rivals even Apple ’s most pro computers despite costing importantly less . However , as great as it is , there is a trouble with the Mac mini — the upgrades are high-priced and after you buy one , it ’s insufferable to upgrade its inner element . However , we ’re here to help .
At the consequence , these tips work with the other M2 and M2 Pro version of the Mac mini rather than the former M4 mini model , which are small in sizing and yet more powerful . Most of these bakshis work with the M2 Apple Studio , too . When the ironware solution are usable for the M4 Mac miniskirt we will update this feature with the Modern item .
Apple does n’t lease you upgrade the Mac miniskirt with cheap third - party factor such as RAM or national storage , and it prices its custom - physical body options at the very eminent end of affordability . Like the rest of the Apple silicon Macs , the Mac miniskirt , Apple has fixed the RAM to the processor and the SSDs to the logic plank , so they ca n’t be swapped out after you bribe one .
This is the logic board of the M2 Mac mini, with one SSD and space for another at the left— but it’s only configurable at the point of purchase.
Here we depend at your best M1 , M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini upgrade options , impart : entrepot , computer storage , screen door , loudspeaker system and microphone .
Foundry
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding memory
Apple integrated the Aries the Ram right into the M2 chip parcel in the Mac miniskirt ( 2023 ) and Mac mini ( M1 , 2020 ) and so it ca n’t be kick upstairs . You must instead configure the amount of memory you want in your Mac mini when you purchase it . Unfortunately , there ’s simply no way of adding more random memory to the Mac miniskirt after you bribe it . look on the simulation you buy , there are three options : 16 GB , 24 GB , and 32 G , which cost up to $ 400 . If you need more than 8 GB of stock memory , you ’ll have to pay for it at the sentence of purchase .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding storage
Like the RAM , Apple has soldered the SSD ( whole state drive ) storage onto the Mac mini ’s logic display panel , meaning that you ca n’t remove it and plug in a new one . As with the read/write memory , you must or else configure the amount of flash lamp reposition you want in your Mac mini when you buy it . However , there are several ways that you may upgrade your Mac mini with superfluous storage — at a fraction of the toll you ’d have to pay Apple at shape time .
SSD or HDD?
Solid - commonwealth private road have no moving portion . Data is lay in on interconnected flash retentiveness microchips , which allow for data to be rend from many different place at once and significantly increases storage read speed . Hard disk drives ( HDD ) trust on spinning alloy disc to interpret and write data .
SSDs speed up boot times , meliorate the responsiveness of your program , and generally make your computer feel faster . However , you ’ll ante up more money for the same storage capacitance on SSDs as HDDs . SSDs cost more per gibibyte than mechanically skillful HDDs and are n’t often usable in ultra - high-pitched capacities . Even as prices of SSDs keep to drop , HDDs will always be flashy .
A good strategy is to use an HDD for backup , secondary computer memory or archiving , and an SSD for the files you work on every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . We recommend a backup drive at least twice as large as the total mental ability of your Mac — for example , if you have 1 TB of storage in your Mac , a 2 TB backup campaign will allow you to make a full reliever while keeping other files or archived substitute on the same thrust .
This is the logic board of the M2 Mac mini, with one SSD and space for another at the left— but it’s only configurable at the point of purchase.
For both HDD and SSD , there are many trusted warehousing brands , including Samsung , Seagate , Crucial , WD and Kingston .
Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
Adding external storage
The simplest way to total storage to a Mac mini is the same as any other Mac : Connect anexternal hard driveorSSDusing one of the Thunderbolt porthole on the back of the computer . Even the slowest SSDs are faster than mechanical hard phonograph recording drives ( HDD ) , but reckon out for speed differences — entry - spirit level SSDs ply fastness of around 500MB / s , while more ripe mannequin can step up to 1,000MB / s or even 2,000MB / s.
extraneous HDDs are a enceinte result for backups and archives as speed is less of an issue , and the monetary value are much cheaper than SSDs . No HDD , unless combined in RAID with others , can outstrip the 5Gbps ( around 500MBps real - reality after overhead ) throughput of USB - C. Where Thunderbolt definitely help is with RAID hard private road setup , or more likely an external SSD .
Another way of life to add cheap portable storage is via an SD or microSD wit — once the go - to storage format for photographic camera user but also a great format for crummy and portable backup and archive storage . Sadly , the Mac mini does n’t have a card reader expansion slot , so you ’ll postulate to add one , such as thisUGreen USB - vitamin C SD Card Readerfor $ 13 .
A Mac mini with two external SSDs: aPlugable 1TB Thunderbolt 3 External SSD NVMe Driveand aCalDigit Tuff Nano(10Gbps USB-C).
But there are admittedly ugly methods . You ’ll have wire hanging out of the back of your Mac mini and a desk clutter with drives .
Adding Internal storage
The in effect pick is to get more internal storage in your Mac mini , but Apple ’s custom - built pricing think upgrading a 512 GB model to 1 TB will be you an surplus $ 200 , and 2 TB will be $ 600 , while M2 Pro options cost even more : 4 TB is $ 1,200 and 8 TB will set you back a whopping $ 2,400 . Additionally , having the computer memory soldered to the logic board wee it faster , so if you could give it , it ’s the good way to go .
However , if you ca n’t get around the prices for more storehouse or just adjudicate later that you postulate more , there are hardware solutions that link up to the mini without mess up the footprint of the modest computer . Two of our favorites are theSatechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD Enclosure($100 ) and theOWC ministack STX($280 ) , which feature bays for both an SSD drive and a 2.5- or 3.5 - inch SATA operose drive .
We ’ve written more on these Mac mini storage accessories later in this feature .
Either of these Mac mini hub feature upgradeable and inexpensive inner memory board plus a mountain chain of surplus ports . They both bear the slim M.2 SSD and NVMe soma broker that resemble a stick of chewing gum tree . At the time of piece of writing , we could recover SSD drives from well-thought-of brands for$100/£100(1 TB ) and$130/£120(2 TB ) . 4 TB can be found forbetween $ 250 and $ 500 — around a third of what you ’d yield Apple to boost the internal Mac mini entrepot .
you may add internal storage up to the maximum compatible SSD you may find inside the Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD Enclosure and OWC ministack STX . Installation is simple , with everything bar the SSD board itself included ( screwdriver and jailer ) . It ’s a small fiddly but nothing to be worried about — if you may use a screwdriver , you may set up the SSD plank yourself .
mention that the original edition of the Satechi Stand & Hub ’s enclosure did not support NVMe ( Non - Volatile Memory Express ) SSDs , while the OWC ministack does . Satechi has now update the point of view / hub to support NVMe as well as M.2 SSD .
Installing an SSD into the Satechi Stand & Hub is simple.
NVMe M.2 SSDs are design to be faster by using a more verbatim itinerary to a data processor ’s processor over PCIe.5 . That say , the NVMe slot on the OWC has only one lane of PCIe allocated to it , so the performance is determine to 770MB / s in real - world use .
While the Satechi pedestal / hub has enamour up with the OWC by supporting NVMe , one remaining vantage of the OWC miniStack STX is the 2d drive bay , which substantiate a 2.5- or 3.5 - inch mechanical hard disk drive ( HDD ) . These old - schooling hard drives offer far - greater storage mental ability at a much lower price than SSDs . 2 TB HDDs can cost around $ 50 . A 12 TB HDD might cost under $ 200 . It will be slower and can make that whirring disturbance at random times when the private road is being called into activity … and sometimes even when it is n’t .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding front-facing ports and extra expansion
While the Mac miniskirt has plenty of embrasure around the back , Apple did not bless the Mac mini with any interface at the front like the Mac Studio . That means you ’ll involve to reach over to connect a peripheral gadget — which could be tricky if you ’ve drop off the very hideable computer out of mess .
But there are options for adding them . For example , the Satechi Stand & Hub adds several front - facing port wine . At 10Gbps , they are n’t as fast as the mini ’s back - racked 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 port wine , but they are handy for micro quarter round drives that you might desire to stop up in . You also get Coyote State and microSD card lector , which are super utile for adding inexpensive portable storage . you may buya Samsung memory board add-in with 256 GB of memory for under $ 30/£30andhalf a terabyte for around $ 50 .
Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023)
The OWC ministack STX , on the other hand , mimic the Mac mini with no ports on its front . But its back has more powerful connectors than the Satechi hub . It gas four 40Gbps bolt of lightning 4 port ( one upstream to the figurer ) and three 5Gbps USB - A ports , but lacks card lecturer slot .
Another port wine - adding option is to buy yourself a Thunderbolt 4 hub . Our favorite is the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub , which features four 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 port ( include one side - mounted upstream to the electronic computer ) , four 10Gbps USB - A port , and a superpower supply . We ’ve tested thebest Thunderbolt hubs and docksif you want even more port than that . award , they wo n’t be as clean as the Satechi Stand or OWC ministack , but there are tons of selection out there .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding faster ethernet
One of the ramp up - to - guild options extend by Apple is to upgrade the Mac miniskirt ’s ethernet from Gbit to 10 Gb . As with the RAM and storage , once you ’ve picked your Ethernet speed , there ’s no way of life to kick upstairs the inner connector later . But you may buy transcriber quite inexpensively . TrendNet has a5Gb Ethernet adapterthat connects to one of the mini ’s Thunderbolt port . OWC sell a10 G Ethernet Adapter , although it ’s really more expensive than the Apple built - in option .
Note though that just having a 10 GB Ethernet port on your Mac does n’t automatically 10x all your networking . There are few 10Gb routers uncommitted , and even fewer that do n’t resemble a rack climb unit of measurement from a data gist . And they are n’t cheap either . If your ISP is offering 2.5Gbps , 5Gbps or 10Gbps , be train toreplace your survive web gearto actually use the in high spirits speeds .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding better speakers
The Mac mini does have a build up - in talker , but it ’s really secure enough only for organization bings and bong — even Zoom calls audio tinny , and music sounds like you ’re listening to the trashy portable radio .
Apple would favour you get out your recognition card for one of itsHomePod speakersvia AirPlay , but there are tawdry background speakers usable that connect via USB or Bluetooth .
We are fans of theCreative Pebble V3 , which can relate using either USB - A or USB - century or Bluetooth .
An M.2 SSD can be discretely installed in the Satechi Stand & Hub.
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding a webcam
It ’s likely that you ’ll be want a webcam for television calls , either perched on top of your screenland or angled on your desk . There are a variety of recommended webcam usable for Mac . We have rounded up thebest Mac webcamsfor you .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: Adding a microphone
The Mac miniskirt does n’t have its own mic as Apple presumes that you ’ll most likely desire to habituate the one on the third - company webcam you use .
If you need a consecrated microphone , you could bond using USB or via an audio user interface for the best audio quality . Check out our roundup of thebest microphones for Mac .
Upgrading the M2 Mac mini: The ultimate Mac mini setup
It may be over the top for many , but my eventual Mac mini upgrade solvent comprise both the Satechi and OWC hubs . At the bottom baby-sit the OWC miniStack STX , with a 3.5 - inch 4 tebibyte HDD and 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD , plus its four firm Thunderbolt 4 ports ( one used to connect to the Mac mini ) . Above that , and with its handy cooking stove of front - facing ports , is the Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD Enclosure . Inside that , I have a 2 TB M.2 SATA SSD — my setup started with the non - NVMe Satechi hub but I ’ll elevate to the NVMe adaptation .
And sitting on top is my M2 Pro ( 12‑core CPU & 19 - heart and soul GPU ) with 32 GB of RAM and an internal 1 TB Apple SSD . As the Mac mini ship without a keyboard or black eye , I stuck with Apple ’s trustyMagic KeyboardandMagic Mouse .
The same Mac mini with 8 TB of storage would cost $ 4,399 ( £ 4,499 in the UK ) to build at Apple , but cost me under $ 3,000 ( £ 2,850 ) , and I get an extra 9 useable port — an extra TB4 porthole , as two on the Mac miniskirt are used to connect the two hub , and three USB - A , one USB - C , an audio port and SD and microSD card readers at the front .
The OWC miniStack has two drive bays: one for a hard disk drive and the other for a solid-state drive.
As I was replacing my trusty old 27 - inch iMac ( time of origin 2015 and starting to show its old age ) I needed a decorous - sized monitor for my fresh Mac mini . I chose the27 - inch Alogic Clarity display , which is 4 KB rather than a 5 K Retina but feature a terrifying adjustable stand that makes the old iMac attend positively stable .
1. OWC miniStack STX
Pros
Cons
Compatible with : Mac Mini M2 & M2 Pro 2023 ; M1 2020 ; Mac mini 2018 ; Mac Studio 2022
Mac mini on top of Satechi Stand & Hub and OWC miniStack STX
Size:7.8 x 7.8 x 1.5 inch
port wine :
This double crusade bay Mac mini accessory is a nice Thunderbolt 4 hub in its own right — hence its higher price tag compare to the USB - C Satechi hub .
Its four Thunderbolt 4 ports allow you to create three independent daisy strand with up to five full Thunderbolt gadget with a USB gadget on the end of each chain ( eight gadget total ) .
But the genuine welfare of the miniStack STX is its bays that can be pre - configured or ego - install with one 2.5 - in or 3.5 - in grueling disk drive and one speedy NVMe SSD .
Buy an cheap ( but trustworthy HHD for a Time Machine reliever or secondary storage , and a fast SSD for operational data file storage . The miniStack STX provide the best of both Earth in term of store flexibility .
Apple Mac mini plus Satechi Stand & Hub and OWC miniStack STX
2. Satechi Stand Hub for Mac mini with SSD Enclosure
Compatible with : Mac Mini M2 & M2 Pro 2023 ; Mac mini M1 2020 ; Mac Studio 2022
Size:7.8 x 7.8 x 0.9 in
This inexpensive USB - C hub bestow much - call for ports to the front of your Mac mini setup . These ports include SD and microSD card readers , which are lacking from the miniskirt itself .
you could buy aslightly tacky versionwithout the SSD enclosure but we advise spending the extra $ 20 even if , right now , you do n’t cogitate you need any extra storage . If your Mac miniskirt has a 512 GB intimate SSD , then a 1 TB or greater SSD within the hub offer first-class and speedy Time Machine backup or just extra space for your file . Remember you ca n’t go back and increase the capacity of the Mac mini ’s integrated SSD .
The in style version Army of the Pure you pick out between an SATA SSD or more mod NVMe SSD . Either room , it ’s much quicker than a mechanical hard disk drive .
The lack of Thunderbolt is not a problem if the two ( M2 ) or four ( M2 Pro ) Thunderbolt 4 port on the back of the mini are all you require . remark that one of the mini ’s Thunderbolt port will be used to connect the hub .
3. Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub
Compatible with : Any USB - C / Thunderbolt figurer
Size:4.5 x 2.8 x 0.7 inch
This super - compact Thunderbolt 4 hub differs from the OWC and Satechi hub by being a dissimilar size and form to the Mac miniskirt , and so it will sit outside of its footprint on your desk
It offers you seven fast porthole — plus the upstream Thunderbolt 4 interface that connects to your Mac miniskirt — that will also ably charge connected devices .
If your Mac miniskirt or Mac Studio has enough storage for your needs but not enough porthole ( step forward the more circumscribed non - Pro M2 Mac miniskirt ) , this fantabulous hub blesses you with multiple top - rated ports .
Read the fullCaldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub followup
4. Alogic Clarity 27in UHD 4K Monitor
If you want your Mac mini to replicate the screenland aureole of the discontinued 27 - inch iMac , this same - sized external display is a capital option . With its brilliant adjustable tie-up , it ’s more flexible than the old static iMac screen .
It even has its own integrated hub offering a image of ports to complement the Mac mini ’s own .
The Clarity ’s two USB - A ports can be used to sequester peripheral machine such as a keyboard , mouse or webcam to the calculator . For the data processor to see any attached devices , it must be connected to the figurer by either the USB - C or USB - barn upstream port .
There are now more advanced versions of the Clarity , with a Clarity Pro that adds a retractable webcam and a touchscreen reading — both . available in either 27- or widescreen 32 - column inch size .
5. Kensington W1050 webcam
Kensington ’s W1050 is one of the most low-priced 1080p ( 1920 - x-1080 ) webcams we ’ve find so far . It provide a promising precipitous image that is absolved , and furnish a 95 - degree viewing slant , with fix - focus to ensure that the entire image persist in focal point at all times .
The adjustable standpoint can rest on your desk or bind to your computer screen , and allows you to tilt and rotate the camera to get the right viewing angle . Twin mike feature randomness - cancelling to reduce background interference , and there ’s a privacy shutter on the front of the camera too .
The W1050 uses a USB - A user interface , which maybe is n’t a tough matter as it does n’t expend up one of the Mac mini ’s precious Thunderbolt port .
Kensington ’s Konnect app provides additional controls for adjusting brightness , contrast and other options , but its most utilitarian feature is the power to make and save profiles with options that are suitable for dissimilar positioning or lighting conditions .
6. Creative Pebble V3 speakers
The Mac mini ’s build - in speaker is a weak affair , which is fine for system alerts but execrable if you want to fire upApple Musicor watercourse telecasting .
These dinky ( 123 - x-120 - x-118 mm ) stereo speakers stick with the miniskirt ’s miniskirt - ness , and are useable in either white or black . They connect via either USB - C or USB - A , with the added option of wireless Bluetooth if you want to couple with your iPhone .
Sound quality is remarkable for the size and cost . The bass could be stronger but it ’s a great improvement on the mini ’s speaker .
FAQ
Can you upgrade the M2 Mac mini hard drive?
Apple solder the substantial - state private road ( SSD ) instantly onto the logical system board of the Mac mini when you choose the capability at the dot of leverage . While it is not potential to later on elevate the drive , you may add redundant SSDs or hard - saucer drives ( HDD ) via accessories , which we have reviewed here .
Can you upgrade the M2 Mac mini memory?
Apple build up the RAM directly as part of the M2 C.P.U. of the Mac mini when you choose the amount of memory at the point of leverage . It is not possible to later upgrade the read/write memory , so you must take the most you are probable to need when buy the computer .
