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Upgrading the hard drive and memory in an aluminum Mac Mini (pictures)

To upgrade the hard drive in the Mac Mini you will need T6 and T8 screwdrivers, and a replacement 2.5-inch hard drive or solid-state drive with a height of no more than 9.5mm.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Flip the computer over and remove the black cover by twisting it counterclockwise.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Use the T6 screwdriver to remove the three screws that keep the fan in place.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Gently lift the fan up and disconnect the cable that is attached to the motherboard.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Remove the T6 screw at the bottom of the plastic guard.

Shimmy the plastic component out of the case and place it aside.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

The antenna grill is held in place with four T8 screws.

Remove the screws and lift the grill away from the case.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Be careful, though; it's attached.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

If you are replacing just the Mac Mini's hard drive, the memory doesn't need to be removed. If you are replacing only the RAM, you can do so without removing the fan, the plastic guard, and the antenna grill.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Carefully spread the clips at the top of the memory slot until the memory stick pops up.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Then, simply remove the memory stick.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Use the same procedure for the second memory stick.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

The late-2012 Mac Mini supports up to 16GB of RAM, while the mid-2010 and mid-2011 models support up to 8GB.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

The hard drive is located under the antenna grill. Before removing it, disconnect the drive connector from the motherboard.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Carefully lift the drive up and out of the Mac Mini.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

The drive is protected with a black cover.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Remove the two T8 screws on the side of the drive and screw them into your new one.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Remove the protective black cover from the original drive.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Disconnect the hard drive connector.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Plug the connector into your new drive.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Then, place the black protective cover on your new drive.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

The two screws on the side of the drive sit in two slots inside of the case.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Getting the drive back into place can be a bit tricky -- you may have to use a pair of tweezers to help you out.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Once in place, reattach the hard-drive connector to the motherboard.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Replace the antenna grill and secure it with the four T8 screws.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Wiggle the plastic guard back into place.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Don't forget to replace the T6 screw.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Reattach the fan cable to the motherboard.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Replace the three T6 screws that keep the fan in place.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET
Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

And there you have it: You just replaced the hard drive and memory in your Mac Mini.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET

Once everything is back in place, simply place the cover on the Mac Mini and turn it clockwise to lock it in.

Photo by: Dan Graziano/CNET
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