They’ve created an even smaller Mac Mini!

A YouTube channel disassembled the Mac Mini and discovered components intended for the Intel version of the device, unsuitable for the M1 processor. By changing them, they were able to reduce the size of the case by 78%.

The latest version of the Mac Mini is the one released at the end of 2020 with the new in-house chip Apple M1. However, the case size has not changed, remaining identical to the very first Mac Mini with a processor Intel released in 2010. This choice ofApple surprising when the trend is towards miniaturization. The tinkerers from the YouTube channel Snazzy Labs therefore wanted to see if it was possible to reduce the size of the case.

By dismantling thecomputerthey discovered a small motherboard with everything integrated, and two particularly bulky components: a big fan and a 150 power supply watts which date from the Intel version of the machine. The chip M1 being particularly economical, they were able to simply remove the fan without encountering overheating.

A poorly matched fan and power supply

Regarding the power supply, they calculated that by pushing the device all the way and drawing the maximum current from the sockets USB and Thunderbolt, the Mac Mini cannot use more than 67.5 watts. Instead of the 150 watt block, they added an adapter MagSafe inside the box. To bypass a protocol login MagSafe standard too complex, they used a power supply Microsoft 65 watt surface to which they added a MagSafe connector.

The last step was to design a suitable case. Being now devoid of a fan, they integrated the ” trellis in 3D”, the holes in the back of the Mac Pro. Conventional 3D printing is not precise enough, so they used the stereolithography masked. The result is a silent device with a volume reduced by 78%, and all without affecting performance. The channel even shared the print files. It remains to be seen if Apple will have the same idea. The brand could announce a new version of the Mac Mini during its March 8 keynote.