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Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini Q&A
Update Published November 20, 2018
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Is it possible to upgrade the processor in the Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini models?
No. As first determined by MacminiColo -- and confirmed by hands-on observation -- the processors in all Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini models are soldered to the motherboard and upgrades are not possible after purchase.
Photo Credit: MacminiColo (Aluminum Mac mini Processor)
However, it also is worth mentioning that it is -- or was, for discontinued models -- possible to upgrade some Aluminum Mac mini systems to faster processors, but only at the time of initial purchase.
These specific processor upgrade options are below:
Default Mac mini |
Upgrade Option |
Orig. Price |
2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo (P8800) |
US$150 |
|
2.7 GHz Core i7 (I7-2620M) |
US$100 |
|
2.6 GHz Core i7 (I7-3720QM) |
US$100 |
|
2.6 GHz Core i7 (I7-3720QM) |
US$100 |
|
3.0 GHz Core i7 (I7-4578U) |
US$300 |
|
3.0 GHz Core i7 (I7-4578U) |
US$200 |
|
3.2 GHz Core i7 (I7-8700B) |
US$300 |
|
3.2 GHz Core i7 (I7-8700B) |
US$200 |
As requested by readers, EveryMac.com documents each of these custom processor configurations as their own models along with the stock configurations.
Does the Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini have a PCI slot?
No Mac mini models -- Aluminum or Polycarbonate -- have a PCI slot or other internal expansion slot.
If internal expansion is a top priority, you probably would be better served with a used Tower Mac Pro, Power Macintosh G5, or Power Macintosh G4 model.
How is the SD Card slot different on the Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini compared to SD Card slots on earlier Macs?
The SD Card slot on all silver colored Aluminum "Unibody" Mac mini models -- inconveniently located on the rear of the system -- supports SDXC SD cards. These cards look the same as earlier SD cards but support a theoretical maximum of 2 TB of storage.
The current dark "Space Gray" Aluminum Mac mini models do not have an SD card slot.
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