Apple’s smallest desktop Mac just got 78 percent smaller thanks to the efforts of a YouTube DIY guru.
The M1 Mac mini, which debuted in November 2020, has retained the same unibody design that Apple has used since 2010. Subsequent teardowns revealed that the M1 Mac mini contains a very large amount of empty space given that the unibody design was conceived for Intel-based processors and hardware from the previous 12 years. The M1 architecture, in turn, has allowed Apple to save considerable amounts of space within the casing while proving thermally efficient.
Now, Quinn Nelson, the YouTuber behind the popular channel Snazzy Labs, has shrunk the M1 Mac mini as much as possible by relocating its internals and engineering a new casing.
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The first major recovery of space comes with the 150 watt power supply, which Nelson replaced with a much smaller 65 watt Microsoft Surface power supply with a retrofitted MagSafe 2 connector, which connects to a DC voltage regulator leading to the Mac mini’s logic board. Nelson managed to create a smaller new enclosure for the M1 Mac mini using resin 3D printing, adopting the distinctive “cheese grater” design of the 2019 Mac Pro for enhanced thermals. Nelson relocated parts such as the antennae and power button to the new enclosure and removed the Mac mini’s fan. Overall, the modified device is 28 percent of its original volume internally.
Although the retrofitted Mac mini’s logic board was now in a much smaller enclosure with no fan, Nelson benchmarked virtually no change in performance from the original casing. He has also published a free detailed build guide available for any skilled users who wish to undertake the project for themselves.
It’s thought that the Mac mini will receive a significant overhaul this year, including the incorporation of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chairs from the 2021 MacBook Pro notebooks. It’s also rumored that the updated Mac mini will retain a similar form factor to the current Mac mini, but with an overall reduction in size.
The new design is purported to feature a “plexiglass-like” top, sitting above an aluminum frame, much like the first-generation Apple TV. The rear of the device is said to feature the same ports that are currently available with the high-end Intel-based Mac mini, including four Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A ports, one Ethernet port, and one HDMI port, but will add a magnetic power connector from the 24-inch iMac.
If you’re curious about Nelson’s overhaul, follow the YouTube video above, and if you try anything similar on your end, please let us know how your project goes in the comments.
Via MacRumors and Snazzy Labs
