Taking apart the new Mac mini.

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Having sorted it out, our friends from iFixit were pretty bored. However, their idleness did not last long, namely, until the moment when a new one caught their eye. With a predatory clang of screwdrivers, the craftsmen set to work.

Model number small computer: A1347, i.e. the same as a year ago. You wouldn't have distinguished them if it weren't for the missing DVD drive.

Connectors (left to right): Ethernet, FireWire, HDMI, Thunderbolt, 4xUSB and SDXC card reader

We are filming back cover. To make this easier than ever - put your fingers in special recesses and turn a little. Inside we immediately see operational boards SODIMM memory DDR3, if the owner wants to replace them, it will be easier and faster than on any laptop.

Carefully take out the cooler. It has not changed for a very long time, since the last model Mac mini. You see, he performed well.

We unscrew the four Torx T8 screws and remove the grid with the Wi-Fi antenna. It is also jokingly called a grill net.

Near the first port to connect hard drive we see the second, free port. The question in a million - is it possible to install another hard drive or SSD on my own?

There is plenty of room for a second drive, but…

... do not forget about the ingenious connector that connects the SATA ports on the hard drive to the port on the motherboard. If you are going to upgrade your mini, you will not do without this connector.

The motherboard is removed very original way- you insert two screwdrivers into the screw holes and gently slide the board, and then finally remove it from the case.

Now you need to free the motherboard from different kind components. Let's start with the speaker. iFixit praise the sound in Apple devices. In their opinion, the shape of the speaker housing for each device is selected in a special way to maximize the volume and sound quality.

Disconnecting the chip board wireless communication. Wi-Fi 802.11n isn't new to the Mac mini, and last year's model wasn't without it either. What can not be said about the Bluetooth 4.0 chip, which, as in Macbook Air, made according to the technology Bluetooth low energy.

Red - Broadcom BCM4331 802.11n transceiver, orange - Bluetooth 4.0 chip, Broadcom BCM20702

Let's take a look at the heat sink. Funny detail - some of the screws holding the heatsink are double. In other words, one screw is screwed into another. What you will not meet.

Disconnect the plastic back panel. To do this, you need to remove two antennas from it - they are specially screwed to it, since the metal of the case does not transmit radio waves.

One of the iFixit antennas was compared to an L-shaped figure from Tetris. Oh, that American humor...

Bottom part motherboards:
Red - Intel controller BD82HM65;
Orange - dual core Intel Core i5 2.3 GHz;
Yellow - Intersil ISL6364 PWM controller. The author did not dare to explain what it is for;
Green - Parade PS8171 HDMI/DVI controller;
Blue - USB controllers 2.0;
Black - temperature sensor;
Violet - AELTA 8904C-F chip, for what - unknown.

Top part:
Red - Thunderbolt controller Intel L116IA35. You will find a similar one in the last;
Orange - two controllers in one, Broadcom BCM57765 Ethernet/SDXC chip;
Yellow - Texas Instruments XIO2211 FireWire controller;
Green - Cirrus Logic 4206B audio controller.

But that is not all! Let's continue to disassemble the empty Mac mini case. Let's get the power supply - before, you could still find a DVD drive next to it. By removing the drive, Apple made room for an additional hard drive.

@gibsn , are you really? And what have I been doing for the last 1.5 years then, besides work? There are plenty of Mac games. Including popular, multi-user and resource-demanding. Even NFS:MW (the same one from 2005) or ProStreet can be found in a wrapper, the craftsmen did their best. But I still have shindos in parallel for a few pieces from the gazebo and small software. Praise to the intel, even Skyrim with a good graphics on Full HD.

@efpies , yes, it’s clear that there are enough games (although many new items do not immediately go to the poppy), but they are ported badly. That Bioshock Infinite, that Tomb Raider 20fps at 1280x800 is almost at the minimum. I don’t know what you have been doing there for 1.5 years, but I have such results for a year on iris.

@efpies, oh, come on =) no need to attribute magical properties to the mac.

Of course, I myself drove Infinite on a firmware, but these are only the most popular titles. Few toys on the poppy, though. Yes, and (mobile) graph. solutions in poppies leave much to be desired, compared to full-sized desktop maps (which can also be stuffed into sli). And how not to mention DirectX? Windows, nevertheless, is ideally sharpened for games. (Although I'd rather get a PS4 because of a couple of exclusives like last of us)

@iCid, I don't attribute any magical properties. I'm just hinting that there are OpenGL games too. Of course, it doesn’t make much sense to make games on a poppy while there are an insignificant number of them (although some large ones are ported, small ones are simply unprofitable if they are sharpened for Windows). But I'm glad that even narrow audience games like Hearts Of Iron are coming to the Mac. Blitzkrieg 3 will also be released for Mac. There are also popular shooting games. Actually, Gabe Newell is heavily forcing his Linux-based gaming OS, so the Mac will get something too.

@efpies , I have MBPR15 with i7 and Iris Pro - the laptop starts to warm up in CS:GO on the most low settings(1280x800 looks ridiculous at 2880x900). And frames sometimes sag. If you set a higher resolution (1440x900), higher quality textures, then everything becomes even sadder (and all this under the steady hum of fans).
If I'm doing something wrong and Iris Pro is cool, then teach me how to play games on a poppy.

@Jonathan Ive, You correctly noticed that you have a retina and suddenly there are 4 times more pixels. Even if you set the resolution on the sides 2 times lower, you still have to render all 2880x1800. Rendering, of course, will go faster, but sometimes changing the resolution does not dramatically increase fps.

As I mentioned, I play on HD 4000 / Core i7-3615QM / 10 Gb RAM. At 1920x1080 in Left 4 Dead 2 I get 35 FPS with High quality textures, Medium quality shadows and 8x anisotropic texture filtering. Multicore rendering enabled. In Skyrim at the same resolution, I get 28-40 FPS depending on the scene on Medium settings with some parameters set to High (some kind of quest for bad settings it was impossible to pass). Well, Iris Pro cannot be worse than the HD 4000. In tests, it tears it like Tuzik a heating pad. I could record a video let's play for you, although I'm not sure that recording the screen will not lower the fps. On the phone, unless you take it off =)

I also sometimes play Macbook Pro 2010 13″ (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz, 4 Gb RAM, GeForce 320M / 256 Mb, 1280×800). Left 4 Dead 2 was 45-50 at the lowest. In general, it was even smoother than on the Mac Mini.

I'll give you some advice:
1) free at least 3 GB of memory. Close your browser. Pay attention to the distnoted process: due to a bug, sometimes it eats the entire available memory. See if there are any processes consuming memory and raping the disk (for example, indexing). Try sudo purge in the terminal: this will flush the file cache (you won't need it now) and free you up a lot of memory. When I run out of memory, I also get freezes.
2) never turn on antialiasing: your GPU won't be able to handle it, and the drawdown will be very strong.
3) search the web for performance tweaks for a specific game.
4) buy an external monitor =)

According to this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJB2a1c_BO4), you are definitely doing something wrong, because there is a person playing CS:GO on high settings at a resolution of 2560x1440 and getting 50 FPS. And in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAwKOLrudk) the person plays exactly on MBPR13 2013 (however, he shot the video from under Windows, but in the comments he admits that now he only plays on macos).

P.S. I remember once I played Oblivion on a GeForce FX5200 + P4 1.8 GHz + 512 Mb RAM. I had to hard hack the config, but it was possible to play. Even with some parameters not in Low =)

Immediately after the release of an updated product with a branded apple on the case, he tries to get his own copy as soon as possible, take it to his laboratory and disassemble it as small as possible for spare parts. To be honest, I really like their detailed reporting because it allows me to highlight some Interesting Facts and engineering solutions. I warn you right away: there are a lot of pictures inside!

To be honest, the package bundle is not as impressive as a miniature computer. In addition to it, there is a power cord, an HDMI-DVI adapter, instructions, stickers, installation disks Snow Leopard and .

Black logo on top cover and other design decisions make the device look like or latest models iMac. This does not distinguish him so much from other members of the big and friendly family products, so the baby should not feel like a "black sheep".

The updated one is made of a single sheet of aluminum and weighs 1.37 kg. Compared to the previous generation Minikov (model A1176), new computer thinner and wider. Its linear dimensions are 3.6 x 19.7 x 19.7 centimeters. The length and width of the gadget are now exactly the same as those of similar specifications (I wonder if it will also be updated in the near future?), which allows you to put two devices in a neat stack.

By turning the black plastic cover on the bottom of the computer counterclockwise, you can access the "stuffing" of the Mac mini. Now even a schoolboy can replace the RAM (two 1 GB sticks) - everything you need is at hand. Max Volume random access memory, which the computer can painlessly recognize is 8 GB.

The screws that hold the fan are insulated with rubber plugs, this was not the case in other models of apple technology. The fan itself is not much different from its predecessor and has no blades. Air is captured by a large number petals very close together. Thanks to these two factors, a very low level vibration and noise - only 14 dB.

The mesh on the top half of the computer is nothing more than the AirPort Extreme wireless card antenna, which is held on by 4 screws. The antenna connector itself is attached to the board near the hard drive.

Removing the plastic cover allows you to get closer to the different connectors on the motherboard:

• red - hard drive;
• orange - SuperDrive (in the server model, it connects there second hard disk);
• yellow - thermal sensors;
• green - infrared sensor.

The motherboard can be easily removed from the case. However, you should be careful and disconnect all wiring. Including the power supply. As expected, the motherboard is very small and has wireless module, a small speaker and a very unusually shaped processor heatsink.

On the board is:

• processor Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz P8600;
• graphic nvidia processor GeForce 320M with shared memory 256MB DDR3;
• integrated Gigabit Ethernet adapter Broadcom BCM57765;
• audio controller Cirrus 4206ACNZ;
• discrete LAN filter Delta LFE9249-R.

Unfortunately, only one hard drive is installed in this model. SATA drive. iFixit offers two solutions at once: increase the volume disk space or purchase a server model. Engineers finally shoved the power supply (7A, 12V, 85W max) inside the case, saving the user from having to contemplate the white brick.

As a result, a handful of parts remained on the laboratory table. Now to put it all back 🙂

Macminicolo, in turn, dismantled the server version of the new Mac mini, which is more attractive to them. So if you are wondering how Apple placed the second hard drive, you can read and look at the pictures for yourself (in English).

So, like many who are faced with the need for the first time (or a whim - as you like) picking Mac mini, I decided to protect myself and bought myself full set Mac mini dual drive kit - with a cable, rubber pads, screws, an antistatic spatula, an incomprehensible bracket (never used it) and a screwdriver set.

Advice: first read the article to the end, then get down to business.

Why did I decide to do everything myself? In fact, I have experience in assembling a PC and very, very big. But that was, as they say, a long time ago, though true. At first I thought - why do I need this hemorrhoids? I'll give it to the service - let them do everything, and even with a guarantee. After all, I myself, if I break something, then there will be no guarantee.

But then, firstly, one service that had nice prices (for 2400 rubles they put optional SSD client on a Mac mini) didn't pick up the phone. Secondly, I thought - what if the service cheats or decides to save money and does not supply me everything, for example, the stubs that I need? I won’t be able to understand this right away, and even if I understand, I won’t have the Mac mini dual drive kit itself to deliver the parts. So I decided to do it myself by buying full set: cable, gaskets, screws, incomprehensible bracket, a set of screwdrivers.

As it turned out later, I didn’t have to buy a screwdriver set - I already had a “mobile” screwdriver, and in the end I only needed three nozzles (bits) from the set. However, I'm still glad I bought it - the set is really cool, comfortable. There is an extension cord, and tweezers, and a securely closing (and at the same time conveniently opening) box, in general, I did not regret it. Useful on the farm. But, again, it was possible to save on it.

However, if you only need to replace the HDD, and not add a second one (replace the standard HDD with another HDD or SSD), then you could save money on everything. I already wrote about the screwdriver, an additional cable is not needed (in the Mac mini itself, by the way, there is exactly the same cable as in the kit), all the overlays are already installed.

However, if we install a second disk, then at least a cable will be needed. Well, for reliable fastening - rubber gaskets and screws too.

But let's get down to business. We disassemble Mac mini. The bottom cover is removed by turning it clockwise - well, then either pry it off with something, or simply tilt the Mac mini so that gravity “picks it off”.

Here you need to remove the fan. It is fastened with three screws - they are clearly visible. I’ll say in advance that during assembly the most difficult thing will be to remember which screw goes where. If you figure out how to lay them out at the disassembly stage, so that later you can understand which one is what, it will be easier for you. I also recommend simply taking pictures on a smartphone or tablet at each stage of disassembly.

I was too lazy to take pictures of each stage and therefore I use in this text not only my own photos, but also those stolen from the website of the store youroptibay.ru - I hope they are not offended by me. They have good pictures, but the instructions are lame in a couple of places (however, I would recommend using several instructions, checking them at each step, if you are really scared to take apart the Mac mini). By the way, I bought my Mac mini dual drive kit from them for 2290 rubles. Well, it's just that the store was relatively close to my house - on Bratislava.

We disconnect the fan connector from the motherboard by pulling it up - you can use an antistatic spatula, but you can also gently pull the wires with your hands - it's even more reliable, you won't knock the connector off the board.

Memory modules can not be touched at all - even for full parsing a computer is not required.

Hard drives are stored under a Wi-Fi antenna, which can be easily identified by the Wi-Fi logo: it is, in short, such a metal segment (in the geometric sense of the word “segment”) with holes and a black washer in the middle. It is fastened with two screws with two different slot diameters. The two "lower" (those closer to the center of the case) screws are attached at the same time and HDD, which is on this moment lies "upside down" (because we turned the Mac upside down for parsing), and in the normal state it is upside down.

Let me just say that two hard drives will stand with their backs to each other. those. one of them will be upside down anyway. However, theoretically, you may have another situation (just such a different situation is described on the website of youroptibay store) - both hard drives are feet in the same direction - here you need to look at the orientation of the cable.

We unscrew the Wi-Fi antenna and carefully disconnect its mount - it is quite small, but putting it back is not very difficult.

So, the antenna was removed, now we are at a crossroads. On the one hand, the hard drive can already be removed (the black box under the antenna is it), on the other hand, putting it back without removing the motherboard is not so easy, but possible. But! If you want to install two drives (HDD + HDD or HDD + SSD), then it's still better to disassemble everything to the end.

But it’s better to take it out right now - it’s not screwed to anything (only screws held it wifi antennas, which we have already removed).

The cable is attached to the motherboard with a rectangular connection. We just pull up. In general, all connectors, except for connecting the power supply to the motherboard, are removed by simply pulling them up.

Disconnect the remaining connectors that we can see.

Now we unscrew all the screws that we see, not forgetting to remember which one comes from. The motherboard is removed through the end of the case - in the direction where the black panel with all sorts of connectors. But be careful, it is connected to the power supply with a connector, do not break it when you pull it out.

It turned out like this for me: the motherboard didn’t want to leave at all (it sat tight), then I noticed one screw, about which nothing was said in the instructions (that’s why I write - unscrew everything you see), I unscrewed it, then pressed it again - and she jumped right into my lap, disconnected from the power supply. Fortunately, neither I, nor the motherboard, nor the power supply were affected.

But it's better to hold it outside when you pull it out.

The power supply also needs to be removed - unscrew all the remaining screws, remove the metal "clothespin" that blocks the power supply in place, turn the connector for connecting the power cable 90 degrees counterclockwise and pull the power supply towards you.

If any screws remain, unscrew them too. After that, you can remove the frame for mounting hard drives.

If we put two disks, then the lower one (in reality it will be the upper one) must be screwed to the frame.

Now, attention, the question is: do you remember which connector your original hard drive was connected to on the motherboard? It is best if the disk that you plan to make the primary (SSD) is connected to the same connector. Therefore, we fasten the SSD to the frame, having previously installed rubber gaskets on the frame holes (we just push them through the holes from the inside - they will crawl through).

In short, we put the SSD in the place where the HDD was, but upside down, and put the HDD itself upside down again (but remember that the main thing is the orientation of the cable, i.e. it can turn out differently, but the top HDD in our case should definitely be upside down).

In general, see how it should turn out: we take our inverted position of the Mac mini (we disassemble it when it is upside down) as the main one. Do you remember how the frame was oriented? Where is his bottom? That's where the bottom of the SSD should look. On his "back" lies the HDD, upside down. In my case, this was the only position in which the connectors of both cables easily reach the connectors on the motherboard, plus, you can fix the entire structure with screws from the Wi-Fi antenna.

The latter is important, because if you fasten the SSD to the frame with screws, then the HDD is not fastened in any way at the first stages of assembly - you need to screw slotless screws from Mac set mini dual drive kit (so that they look towards the side of the case), but this will not provide it with a secure mount. But when will we assemble the Mac mini (in reverse order instructions), then the two screws of the Wi-Fi antenna, which I already mentioned above, will just fix the HDD.

• Actually, motherboard must travel freely. If it does not give in, carefully look at which screws you missed.
• At first it seems that the cable from the Mac mini dual drive kit (if you put in a second drive) is short and not at all what it should be. But don't worry, the train from the set is the same size as the one that already stands. If you position correctly hard drives(see above), then everything will fit correctly.
• My cable from the HDD even stretched out with a small margin. Because of this, there was a problem that he could move away. Somehow I pressed him in general - he does not leave.
  Don't be afraid to take your Mac mini apart. There is nothing complicated and it does not take long.
• The hardest part will be aligning the holes in the top HDD with the holes in the Wi-Fi antenna. Therefore, first fasten the antenna with the lower screws (which are closer to the center of the case) - they just go to the HDD. And only then align the antenna under the remaining two screws.
• Immediately measure which screwdriver bits you need. As I said, there are only 3 of them: one cross (there seems to be only one cross screw) and two - six-pointed stars different size. Set aside these nozzles for yourself - it will be easier.
• For safety, do not forget to periodically touch the battery to remove static electricity. With this it is worth starting the assembly.