OWC 2.0TB Aura Pro X2 NVMe Flash SSD Add-On Solution Compatible with Mac Mini (Late 2014), Including Tools & Installation Components
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KenB
> 24 hourThe kit comes with the special tools required to open the machine. Installation was completed in less than an hour and was able to install a new operating system and proceed with reconfiguration. Boot time was measured at 33.6 seconds to desktop. OWC Technical Support was excellent in helping me to determine the correct kit for my requirements.
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Fernando Silvio Israel
> 24 hourThe hard drive on my Mac mini was an old sata that was already scrawling and everything was so slow that was unusable. This new ssd hard drive made all the difference. Easy to install (there is a great video and also comes with a good step by step installation guide, and now the Mac mini is back to life.
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Josh
> 24 hourThis took an old 2014 mini from waiting for minutes to open apps to just a few seconds. I hadn’t used the Mac too much before but at least after loading up the latest version of Big Sur this is a requirement. I opted for the 1TB size so I could just do a quick transfer over from the spinning disc in the Mac and then redo stuff as needed. About 600GB took about 5 or 6 hours to copy over with carbon copy cloner (set to the legacy mode or whatever it is called to support Big Sur - so I could select it as a boot drive. First time I had skipped that option and had do a few minutes of research to figure out why). Just as snappy now as a similar age iMac I had installed 20MB of RAM in. Proved to me the slowdown was the old slow hard drive on this model. It would have been soooooo much nicer (and cheaper) if Apple would have allowed RAM upgrades in these mini models but this basically gives the same feel. The adapter doesn’t really stick in perfectly but with the card in it all stays in place with the screws. I understand Apple used a different pin arrangement on the card and too bad as that does prevent use of the other options out there that are about $80 for 1TB. I suppose you may be able to get some of those working as I have seen certain vendors have adapters for them but I paid a bit more for this kit to avoid the trial and error to see if other stuff would work or fit. With the little extra cost to me for the quick it works kind of fit!
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Jose R S
> 24 hourThis can take some time - so recommend you be patient and do it right. On the 21.5 iMac the drive connector sits next to the left speaker enclosure - resist the temptation to move the speaker. If the fragile power cable is wedged in with the speaker, improperly removing it can break it - and that will add a couple of hours to your install (dont ask me how I know). Net of that it went great and the boot time went from 2 minutes 7 seconds to 15 seconds - awesome!
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Handerson
> 24 hourI pains me to write this review as OWC has been my go-to for mac supplies over the past 20 years. I ordered the 1TB Aura Pro X3 SSD with tools and Installation components. Only the SSD was shipped to me. Ill amend this review if this situation can be resolved quickly.
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Mike McOlash
> 24 hourInstallation was easy and it vastly accelerated my mac mini.
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so-cal
> 24 hourMy 2014 MacMini (i3/4GB) - is mainly used for video services connected to TV. It would take over 10 minutes to boot up - and the lack of memory caused the iOS (Catalina) to rely heavily on the hard drive. Now boots take about 10 seconds - and programs open on first click (not 30 to 40 seconds later) This is a little pricy compared to replacing the HD - but so much easier. Installed this in less than 10 minutes. All of the special screws and drivers included. About an hour to format and install Catalina on the new drive. The videos on the OWC site pretty much give a complete run down on what needs to be done. Now using the mini a lot more for other content - plus the old HD is still there for either backup or file storage
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Victor E. Iacovoni
> 24 hourComplete instructions in an online video, all tools and parts, make installation a snap. My 2014 Mac mini is now faster and better than ever. Could not recommend this product more.
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Fio
> 24 hourBuono
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Bonescrolls
> 24 hourGreat upgrade for Mac mini 2014, going from slow (5400rpm / non fusion) HD to speedy NVMe. Admittedly, didn’t reinstall Mac OS. Switched to Ubuntu Linux. A speedy (relatively speaking) small workstation. Fantastic!
Keep The Mac you know:
From drives to gear to stickers, you’ve put time into making your Mac your own. The Aura Pro X2 can give you up to 16x more storage and up to double the speed of the original drive. With that capacity and power, you can keep your Mac running optimally for years — at a fraction of the cost of buying a new model.
Continuous Compatibility:
Aura Pro X2 is designed for the latest macOS versions (macOS High Sierra 10.13 and later), taking full advantage of the advanced features of APFS including: strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.
macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or later macOS) must be installed on the host computer before installing the Aura Pro X2 SSD. These OS versions include an EFI firmware update for your host computer. Without the update, your new Aura Pro X2 will not function. When installing macOS to your new SSD, boot and press Cmd-Opt-R, then follow the prompts. This will ensure the latest OS version is installed.
Get Up and Zoom:
In addition to groundbreaking read and write speeds, the Aura Pro X2 is engineered with enhanced burst performance. This means your files load faster and stream fluidly, giving you an edge on your workflow, games, and creativity.
Easy DIY Upgrade:
In just 15 minutes, you can transform your Mac with Aura Pro X2 for speed and storage to rival the latest models. OWC video tutorials walk your through removing your original SSD and replacing it with a new one. Plus, our award-winning US-support team is a just phone call or chat away.