Mac mini Late 2014 Logic Board austauschen

Pre-formatting is not necessary if you make a USB boot installation drive with macOS installer. During boot up, hold down the option key until the mac boot into the USB, formatting can then be done using disk utility running off the USB drive.

I had the exact same experience as tom. I installed a brand new 2TB Samsung 850 EVO and it was not recognized by the Mac Mini. I booted from a portable USB drive with a bootable copy of macOS High Sierra but the 850 EVO SSD I had just installed was not shown as an option. I tore down the Mac Mini again, formatted the 850 EVO, rebuilt the Mac Mini, and booted off the same bootable High Sierra USB drive, and sure enough the 850 EVO was recognized.

diskutil list

diskutil erasedisk [filesystem] [drivename] /dev/disk[disk number]

My drive (Evo 860) was also not initialized. I started in recovery mode and went to disc utility and from there selected the drive. I then was able to use the “erase” function on the drive. I just left the settings as default and as soon as it erased then the drive was ready to go.

Just completed this upgrade a few days ago, having purchased the 1 TB SSD kit from IFixIt. The kit arrived quickly and the tools and drive worked perfectly. The step by step guide posted here is pretty much flawless, but do pay attention to the specific comments from users on certain steps - they really help. As far as ensuring that the new drive will reboot and install MacOS, I watched 1-2 videos on YouTube about re-installing using the Internet Recovery tool and that worked perfectly. My MacMini is performing WAY better than it used to, for only a $200 upgrade kit and about 3 hours of work, all in. Thanks!

I’ve had Apple computers since the G3 machines and they have always been snappy.

Unfortunately this 2014 macmini has always been slow but this upgrade (6 years later) has changed that!

if you have a late 2014 macmini, do this.

I used a 860 Samsung.

A quick comment to tell you that at every step, make sure to read the comments and be careful. I managed to do the process fast without any problems, but thanks to the comments that warned me enough on the risky steps.

This guide surely helped me breath upgrade and bring some new life into my macmini. Thanks to all who contributed.

can one of you give me the link for the screw drivers please?

I used the T7 very carefully. No problems.

I just had success using standard pliers to remove the longer screw posts, and then I used standard needle nose pliers to press down and grip the tiny screws. Please note that this method may/will cause scrapping of the aluminium cover.

Northern Tools sells a set of 13 Torx Security Keys for $28.99 that has the TR6 size.

On my 2nd drive replacement (swapping out to an SSD this time). Could not find my logic board removal tool. So I made another one from a metal coat hanger. So, here’s my tip, when you put it all back together: the logic board removal tool fits around that small black circle antenna perfectly and you can replace the large black cover over the top snuggly. No rattles or anything.. So, next time: I’m guaranteed to find my logic board removal tool.

The three longer screws could be removed with pliers.

The three shorter once I drilled out with a sharp 3 mm drill.

First put tape across the ventilation opening and carefully vacuum cleaned before taking of the antenna plate, though.

Don’t you hate it when the manufacturer does things like this, though??

My set of drill bits contained a T6H but no TR6 (I don’t know the difference). That worked too without problems

I can recommend the Tekprem tools for this. That %#*@ security dimple foiled me until I got these. check Amazon ratings before you buy any tools, a lot of them that come from China are made with cheap pot metal rather than properly hardened alloys and will strip out very quickly. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)

I have T6 but not the required TR6, and my order for the bit from Amazon is going to take two weeks. I don’t have the patience to wait so…

I was able to remove all of the screws but 1 with a pair of needle nose pliers and sheer force of will. The last one wouldn’t come off so I just finally gave up and bent the plate back until the screw broke off. It wasn’t pretty but considering there is a plastic cover over the whole assembly it was something I was willing to live with.

Note that I can’t get the screws back in with the needlenose, they just don’t turn, so I will await the bit to arrive. In the meantime this computer is purring like a kitten, a whole new lease on life!

If you have non-security T6 and T7s, carefully drill away the middle of the screw with a very small bit, stopping frequently to vacuum out the filings to see if you’ve done enough. You don’t need to do much, and too much will strip the screw entirely. Then very carefully unscrew using a T6 (you may need a T7). I’ve done it twice and it works.

Crap, i'm stuck on these, too, and it's just the very beginning.. What can I say, that's simply unfair not to say plain stupid, Apple, but it's nothing new.

I can confirm that the small pin in the middle of the TR6 screws can be removed (actually broken out) pretty easily with a small, flat head screwdriver that can just fit inside the middle hole of the screw (as recommended in some YouTube video).

First, cover the antenna plate holes for safety. Then push the dots with the  flat head screwdriver from one side cautiously, but forcefully by leaning the driver against the outer side of the inner hole, until you see the security pin leaning a little bit. Then push it from the opposite side, until it breaks out.

Steps 6 - 9 are not needed…

I found it necessary to remove the screw (as instructed) as my antenna cable was attached to the washer.

I have been having wifi issues ever since I did this upgrade. Don’t know if it’s this connector or not.

Afajner great rip. Worked great. Thx

Afajner, your tip worked great. Thanks.

This is a very fiddly connector. Afajner’s tip is recommended. Make sure the connector is in securely. It will not wiggle or make a ticking sound when pressed when it is seated correctly.

I had trouble at this point too. My experience: Loosen the screw a bit and than center the antenna plug over the pin. In my case I heard a click when I plugged it in correctly. Don’t forget to tighten the screw afterwards.

Wenn nur die M.2 gewechselt werden soll, empfehle ich, den Antennenstecker nicht abzuschrauben und den Deckel einfach vorsichtig beiseite zu legen. Es ist dann allemal genug Platz zum Wechsel der M.2.

Das Ausstecken dieses Steckers ist hier wirklich nicht einfach, da die Anschlüsse winzig und mit bloßem Auge kaum zu erkennen sind. Hat bei mir gut 20 Minuten gedauert, bis ich das Teil wieder drauf hatte. Eine Lupe kann hier wirklich helfen. Auch das vorherige Fixieren mit der Schraube macht es ggfs. etwas einfacher. Der restliche Ausbau/Umbau/Zusamenbau war nach einer knappen halben Stunde erledigt und ist für jeden mit etwas Geduld machbar.

Des weiteren aufpassen mit der winzigen Schraube, die beim Zusammenbau leicht verkanten kann und dann sehr schnell abreißt.

In trying to remove the antenna connector pin from its socket on the airport card the socket came away from its location on the airport card completely, together with the cable and connector pin. Rather than replace the airport card (that would have a new socket) and a new connector/pin for the cable, I decided it would be worth trying to solder the connecting pin to the (now exposed) contact points for the socket on the airport card.

Best time to do this is during the re-build _after_ replacing the hard drive, when the antenna is still unattached to the airport card. After the re-build (with no further problems encountered) it was quite easy to solder the connector pin with attached remains of the socket to the airport card's contact points - there's enough space for easy solder access without other sensitive components nearby.

I had thought that my Mac Mini's wireless connectivity might be affected, but it wasn't.

Now very happy with a fast SSD machine with wireless connectivity.

this was the most fiddly part of the reassembly operation for me too. Old eyes, despite good lighting, led me to try this multiple times before I finally got that satisfying click. I am surprised that people find securing the screw first to be helpful, as I didn’t have nearly enough room to move the cable around if I tried that. Also, while it is theoretically possible to do this entire operation without removing the cable, I would never chance it… It’s way too easy to damage something by yanking on the plate. I had a lot of peace of mind when I was able to set the entire antenna plate aside.

Getting this connector back on was the single most annoying part of the process. I agree with loosely reattaching the screw first to hold the cable in place. I then used tweezers to manoeuvre the head of the cable into position and my finger to push it down.

To everyone making comments regarding their experience - fabulous!

I also broke the socket off. I don’t have the ability to solder little $@$* like that. I’m sad.

broke it… how bad is the no fan option?

@TisMise you’re right thanks a lot! ;)

You don’t need to disconnect the fan cable to take out the logic board. When you slip the logic board out, put the the fan behind the logic board as you push it out.

Definitely use wide end.

That’s it, I used a needle! After reading so much people broke it, I rejected this step instruction and put a needle between the socket and the connector. It came out fine. Good that I also fix clothes, other than computers. :)

As Kenneth Z said, I just left the fan attached to the board for the entire process (I removed the screws so it was just connected with the cable). After reading all the comments, I was too afraid to try to force it and it did not come off easily. Keeping the connector on is a little dangerous because you have to be careful not to pull on that connector too much but it seems pretty robust, which is probably why it is so difficult to removed. I just slipped the fan through after I pulled out the main board assembly.

I did this. So mad at myself. Will my Mini still work if I left it as is. I understand that I won’t have IR and the LED light won’t work, but I can live without it

I broke it too. Really annoying as I do use (or, used to) the IR sensor).

Of course I broke mine off… Be careful when you put the cable in! The Mini is working without it but no IR and LED on the front.

Use a fine tip set of tweesers and slip the end under th wires and gently pry up.

Je l’ai cassé aussi ….

I would recommend to go on till step 24, till the motherboard is pulled out slightly, then come back to this step. The space is very tight between the connector and the hard disk bracket, which makes it difficult to slide the spudger underneath the wires. It is much easier when the motherboard is slightly out and have more space for the tool. I followed @juggledad’s comment, and used a pair of fine tip tweezers to pry the connector out.

Capteur cassé; comme vous autres

You may also use a bowed paper clip and slide it under all wires and gently pry it open

Because of the warnings in the comments I decided to use another tool. Instead of using a spudger, I carefully used the Flathead 1 bit from the iFixit Mako precision bit set in this step. That worked well for me.

YES! I followed recommendation to go on till step 24, as Xu Yang suggested. Worked easy for me. Thank you all!!!

Thanks for the recommendation to wait to remove this one, often find the comments on these guides so useful.

That’s it, I used a needle! After reading so much people broke it, I rejected this step instruction and put a needle between the socket and the connector. It came out fine. Good that I also fix clothes, other than computers. :)

IR connector also controls Bluetooth.

The PCIe connector is only present if the computer came factory configured with any sort of flash storage (SSD or fusion drive). Otherwise, the cable, the connector, the bracket, and the 2 screws are all missing. The fusion drive is essentially a disk drive plus a small capacity SSD blade which the OS recognizes as a combined drive. Fortunately, if you didn’t have an SSD before, you can easily buy the connector cable part on the internet. The bracket and screws are not necessary.

Is it correct that the “iFixit Mac mini Unibody SSD Upgrade Bundle” with a 500-Gbyte Crucial MX500 SSD does not require a PCIe connector? This is for a late 2014 Mac Mini with a failed HDD (order number MGEM2*/A). I think it is correct, as the connectors on the Crucial SSD look just like those on the HDD, but just checking…

Simple thumb-pushing didn’t work for me, so I bought the tool.

Insert the MMLBRtool. How far? There’s an initial lip you might catch about halfway down, but wiggle beyond the lip to a definite bottoming out, and equal lengths of the tool on each side of the elbows as shown.

As you lever the logic board per the illustrations, you’ll notice the black bezel begin to separate on one side or the other. Use a prying tool or guitar pick to help separate the bezel from the body on top and bottom, and the logic board will slide out easily with gentle prying.

On my Mini, the bezel’s retaining clips (best seen in Step 25) were very snug to the body, preventing the thumb-push. Using the pick released them from the body.

I used an old coat hanger. I just cut the end off with some pliers and then bent it into a similar shape as the tool. The biggest thing is making sure both sides are about the same length. Also, don’t put your thumbs on the black plastic part on the back of the mini because you won’t be able to pull the logic board out that way.

As I didn't have the Mac mini Logic Board removal tool, I used two small Alien tools, similar to the Mac mini Logic Board removal tool.

I paid the five bucks and I am really not sorry I did. Yes, I probably could’ve made my own or fiddled it out with a couple of screwdrivers, but without having done it before, knowing how much leverage to apply and in which direction was made much easier by using a proper tool.

I used 2 screw drivers as suggested, and pulled towards me with my palms against the sides of the case. Even with a lot of muscle, I failed. The solution was to get a helper on the opposite side of the table. Using the fingers of both hands along the circular opening in the case, the helper pulled as I pulled on the screwdrivers. They should be kept vertical, so as to not damage the board. There is no way the procedure pictured in step 23 would have worked for me. My board must have needed at least 20 pounds of force to move

Totally didn’t need to buy the tool they recommended. Just use two tiny screwdrivers (the same ones you are already using to take apart your mac. Pull at the same time toward you and the whole board popped out in a few seconds.

etape la plus délicate du tuto, j’ai pour ma part fait levier avec la partie plate de la spatule en plastique entre le berceau du disque dur et la carte mère juste à coté du connecteur ir, la facade s’est légerement décollée, j’ai changé de place toujours avec la même méthode et la facade a continué de sortir, j’ai ensuite pu aider avec les trous initialement prévus (j’ai utilisé 2 tournevis torx très fin) et ensuite c’est sorti sans souci

I had the tool and it worked perfectly. However, it did not push easily out. It came out hard and nearly went flying. Luckily nothing was damaged but just FYI, mine was super tight.

You totally don’t need the one-use-only “logic board removal tool”, that’s silly. If you push against the heatsink with both thumbs (being careful not to make the board flex) and wiggle it out it’ll eventually give and slide out.

I used 2 mini flathead screwdrivers with the same thickness as the holes with the heads aligned straight up and down. They will fit into little sockets attached to the case below the board. The side with the power cord came out much easier than the side with the headphone jack, so I removed the tools after a small gap was created and pushed semi-hard on the logic board with a broken spudger (a screwdriver would have worked, too) right in the elbow curve shown to the left of the screw in step 14, and the whole thing slid right out.

For me the screw loosened in step 10 came out with the fan. it "should" be a captive screw meaning it doesn't stay in when the fan comes out

I had 2 complete sets of allen wrenches, one metric and one standard and found one each that fit the holes perfectly. With those I was able to find the "pry spots" that are on the base of the case very easily and a slight nudge moved the board. really worked EXCELLENTLY

My logic board was hung up on the left side with the plastic retainer or the two grounding tabs not giving up the ghost. There is no good picture of this on this procedure. If you go the the heat sink replacement procedure you can see a pretty good bit of it below the presenter’s right thumb in the opening pic and in a larger pic at step 27. Not that the logic board assembly can move much while seated I was able to shift (ever so slightly) the black plastic backside to the right and the board finally unlatched and came out. I was so worried that I was going to over force it and break something, you know, like the logic board. Not sure if I have a solution other than don’t force it. If it seems hard and one side seems to have a screw or other some such locking device stop forcing it and try shifting the logic board to the side opposite were it is catching.

I had an issue during reassembly where the AC in socket was just offset and would not line up correctly. I inserted the power cord (unplugged from wall) as I did the final push and everything finally lined up right.

One thing about sliding the assembly board in, i.e. when you are doing the steps backwards, is that there is squishy pad on left and clip on the righ (when viewing mac mini from bottom) if you carefully observe and then it becomes easy to get the assembly in or out if you think about it.

Though I’m sure the tool would work really well, we were able to trouble shoot this with an old microwave oven tray. We clipped the pieces and they were strong and small enough to help remove the logic tray.

This step seems like it would be easier with a lot of thin tools like iFixit’s Jimmy being used to release the clips holding the IO panel to the case. It will slide apart with brute force, but until you realize what’s holding it shut, it feels like more force than it reasonable.

As I didn't have the Mac mini Logic Board removal tool, I used two small Alien tools, similar to the Mac mini Logic Board removal tool.

No clips or screwdrivers. I used my barehands over the air tunnels, that was very quick.

I’m not sure how safe it is but worked just fine for me.

This was very daunting going in (I had flashbacks of iPhone 4 screen replacements), but turned out to be mostly a breeze. Despite the amount of steps everything inside is very modular and fastened with a minimum number of screws. Logic board module slid right out with very slight pressure on the air vents. Most difficult part was getting the DC connector out and the side clips of the logic board module back in. Much to my surprise, I had it all done in 25 mins. Excellent guide.

I used a single mini/ Jewelers philips screw driver #0 that fit perfectly into the hole and he socket at the base. A gentle “lean in” on each hole loosened the board, ready to slide out.

After some head scratching I found you don't want to insert the removal tool too deep. If you do you wont be able to slide the board out.

YES. What is not clear on the pictures is that the whole board slips as a drawer, as shown on picture of step 25. When I understood this, it helped a lot.

I followed the advice of a pro, put the machine on the floor and my knees to the back end corners. From there I could push with screwdrivers down the holes and it loosened.

I agree with the comment above. When you’re putting everything back together, take time to see the connector properly before you push the logic board all the way in. It saves a lot of hassle.

I could not get my big fingers in to grip the wires. I used a small flat bladed screwdriver against the tiny ridge on the top of the connector. I pried against the board.

Use some tweezers to help work out each side as you pull with your fingers.

I pushed down on all the wires against the black plastic frame beneath to secure the wires tight. This allows you to then pull the logic board from the front until the connector pops out.

Pour faciliter l’extraction de cette nappe de fil j’ai fait une boucle autour de celle-ci avec un lien fait d’une fine bande de plastique noir muni en son centre d’un petit fil de cuivre pour la solidité, on trouve ce genre de liens au moment du déballage de matériel électronique ou ils servent à tenir les câbles enroulés dans de petit sacs plastique. Une fois enroulé autour de la nappe il suffit de tirer sur cette attache ce qui permet de tirer sur tout les fils de la nappe en même temps et ainsi d’éviter de tirer uniquement sur quelques fils.

Thanks for a thorough guide, except for one point -

the Hard Drive connector landing point on the Logic Board. I did not notice how the connector came off when I pulled the Logic Board.

Please add a circle around that connector on the logic board, AND how to get it re-installed. I ended up ripping the tiny gold "connections" off of a logic board when trying to get the Hard Drive cable re-seated.

I actually missed the step prior and had to remove after I called loosened the mother board. Fortunately, when I pill on the board to come out, it conveniently pulls out this connector at the right angle.

These comments just reinforce the fact that iFixit should include reassembly instructions! Just saying to reverse the procedure is not adequate. Reassembly often has unique issues that are not encountered during disassembly.