Installing a Second Hard Drive in Your 2011 Mac Mini - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Installing a Second Hard Drive in Your 2011 Mac Mini

by

Users can install a second hard drive in non-Server models of the new Mac Mini, according to MacRumors forum member Slyseekr. iFixit's teardown of the new Mac Mini released last month revealed enough room -- and an extra SATA port -- for a second hard drive to be installed, assuming one found the proper cable.

5988687535 2dc49ce541 z
Slyseekr found that cable for $49 shipped, disassembled his Mac Mini, and installed a second hard drive, saving himself hundreds of dollars off the Server model. Step-by-step instructions are available on the MacRumors Forums.

The standard disclaimers apply of course: this is not an Apple-approved upgrade and may void your warranty, but a number of our readers have reported successful upgrades.

Top Rated Comments

WiiDSmoker Avatar
WiiDSmoker
196 months ago
Kind of sad that being able to add a harddrive to your computer is somehow amazing...:confused:
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prodo123 Avatar
Prodo123
196 months ago
Better yet:
Buy 2010 chassis. Buy cable. Gut your 2011 Mac Mini and reassemble it using the 2010 chassis. Install optical drive the same way. PROFIT.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
neech7
196 months ago
Kind of sad that being able to add a harddrive to your computer is somehow amazing...:confused:

Or is it worse that the cable alone cost $50.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
W
winston1236
196 months ago
nice! now lets get to the ram...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
flipples
196 months ago
Video for adding 2nd hard drive to mini:
http://www.techdc.com/2011-mac-mini-hard-drive-upgrade-video
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ksgant Avatar
ksgant
196 months ago
A lot of people would probably go for the quad-core server model as a high-end mini if it didn't have such a terrible graphics card. I want to see someone retrofit the quad-core server with the better graphics card in the old mini enclosure since it would have more room to fit it all! Or maybe even the standard enclosure but with only one hard drive plus the graphics card. Now is that possible?

Well, we may have something soon that may fix that:

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/01/external-thunderbolt-pci-expansion-chassis-and-hub-in-development/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Month With These 12 New Features

Thursday August 6, 2026 7:03 am PDT by
It is now August, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are just a month away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a...
Read Full Article • 47 comments
Everything Apple Is Expected to Announce in September Feature

Everything Apple Is Expected to Announce in September

Tuesday August 4, 2026 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple is going to announce at least five new devices next month at its annual iPhone-centric event, though it's possible we'll also get devices that were waiting on Siri AI. Here's what's coming. iPhone 18 Pro Rumors suggest the iPhone 18 Pro is going to look a lot like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 2, 2026 7:32 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Read Full Article