The current generation minis don't have two internal SATA connections, like earlier generations. Instead, they have one SATA connection for a traditional 2.5"" drive and one PCIe slot for a large solid-state flash storage. Depending on what you order, you'll either get:
one SATA drive (500GB/1TB 5400 rpm platter drive)one PCIe card (256/512/1TB SSD flash storage)one SATA drive + one PCIe card (1TB 5400 rpm platter drive + 128GB PCIe card = 1TB Fusion Drive)
The PCIe bus is much faster than the SATA bus*, so data transfer to/from the SSD is faster. The downside is, we've lost the ability to easily swap drives in and out. Although the PCIe interface is standardized, Apple is using special firmware on the SSDs using that socket; you can't just buy a generic SSD card and expect it to work, and you can't plug a traditional SATA drive into the connector. The price of progress...
If you're looking to get the most space available without losing speed, I recommend ordering the 1TB Fusion Drive. It automatically/dynamically stores the data you use most frequently in the SSD section, and pushes the data used less often to the slower mechanical SATA drive. Then, if you need more storage, you can offload to an external USB 3 or Thunderbolt drive.
*EDIT: And of course, flash storage is much faster than platter drive storage. I can't believe I forgot to mention that."
I don't have one of these myself, but looking at the HD replacement guide Mac mini Late 2014 Hard Drive Replacement it appears that it will support Flash storage + HDD, but there aren't mounting brackets where the flash storage would go to permit a second HDD.
"Eduardo, if your're referring to the latest Mac Mini version, bear in mind that it is the Late-2014 model -there is no 2015/16/17 version-.
You can refer to my thread, there I mention the exact config I'm using to add a standard (non-Apple branded, nor used) new PCIe SSD drive, to the factory HDD: PCIe SSD on Mini Late 2014
If I buy a 2014 Mac mini new from Apple with only a 256 GB SSD installed, will I be able to open it up and toss a hard drive in the empty hard drive bay?
In the past (2012 mini), you've needed a kit that consisted of just a cable, and some mounting screws & grommets.
What is needed with the current Mac mini? Or does it come with the cables and grommets ready to go?"
"Related… I have a 2014 Mac Mini with a 3TB Fusion drive. Budget permitting, I’d like to put a larger (and hopefully faster) blade drive into the PCIe slot, and a 2.5” SSD in there to replace the platter drive. I won’t need the Fusion function at that point, 2 SSDs as separate volumes should be great. A couple of questions:
I understand that the PCIe slot is a proprietary Apple design. Is the OWC Aura product a working replacement for it, or do I need to order an Apple product from Ebay etc? I chatted online with an OWC rep recently and s/he said it would work, but I wouldn’t mind some confirmation of that.Following adlerpe’s 2017/06/05 follow-up comment to his primary comment, I should be able to disable the Fusion function when booted up from an external drive by using Disk Utility to reformat the drives separately, right?"
