Apple’s 2024 Mac mini recently went on sale and has already gone through the teardown treatment.
As with previous Mac mini models, the entry point for the internals is through the plastic panel at the bottom.
As such, it seems that despite appearances, the storage drive on the new Mac mini likely cannot be user upgraded after purchase with off-the-shelf parts.
As usual, the Mac mini has an internal power supply unlike the external bricks that most other micro PCs come with.
As an aside, we just want to appreciate how good the PSU and even other elements of the Mac mini look.
The teardown process has already been completed on Apple’s 2024 Mac mini, which went on sale recently. In this article, YouTuber Brandon Geekabit examines one such teardown that he is carrying out on the base 16/256GB M4 model.
The plastic panel at the bottom is where the internal components are accessed, just like in earlier Mac mini models. You will need to use a spudger to pry the corners until it pops out because there are no visible screws.
When it’s open, a stylish metal bracket with ventilation system openings will greet you. When the device is not connected to the mains, a tiny button cell in the center keeps things like the clock running. If it ever needs to be replaced, this part will be the easiest to get to and the least complicated.
When the metal grate is removed, it is revealed to be more than just a fancy vent; it is also connected to the motherboard and serves as a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antenna. When the grate is disconnected, the cooling system beneath is visible. It is mainly made up of an arced heatsink with a single heat pipe passing through it and a centrifugal fan. The single speaker that comes with every Mac mini is also visible in the bottom corner.
Access to the motherboard underneath is improved by removing the speaker and fan. Now let’s talk about the SSD, which has a rather ordinary-looking M.2 2230 SSD. But if you look more closely, you can see that the drive that Apple is using has a different number of pins than a typical 2230 drive. Additionally, it appears that Apple is utilizing a proprietary SSD controller that isn’t available on a store-bought drive.
It appears that, in spite of appearances, the new Mac mini’s storage drive is probably not upgradeable after purchase using off-the-shelf components. Videos of people merely removing the memory modules from Apple’s SSD and soldering in a larger capacity version, which appears to function flawlessly, can be found online. External SSDs are still the simplest way to increase the storage on this computer, but if necessary, people may decide to take that route.
As we continue the disassembly, we eventually reach the power supply, which is located beneath the motherboard. As usual, the Mac mini’s power supply is internal, as opposed to external, like most other micro PCs. Because it doesn’t receive direct air circulation from the fan, the power supply, which, when positioned right side up, forms the topmost layer of the system, can probably dissipate some of its heat through the aluminum shell.
By the way, we just want to say how nice the Mac mini’s PSU and other components look. Although these components are not intended for user view, they appear to be more well-designed than the majority of PC components available on the market.
In the last step of the teardown, the heatsink that covers the M4 chip is removed. The M4 chip most likely doesn’t even require a heatsink, despite the fact that it is quite small. Unlike the fanless MacBook Air models, which are unable to maintain peak speeds for extended periods of time, it is merely there to enable the chip to boost to higher clock speeds and maintain them even in hot ambient conditions.
That’s about all there is to the teardown. It is disheartening that the machine has nothing that can be upgraded by the user. While later models at least allow you to upgrade the storage, older Mac minis would allow you to replace both the SSD and the memory. You should essentially configure the machine as you like when you buy the current model because the only thing you can do afterward is plug in an external SSD.
