A new system monitoring the Hard Drive was introduced on the new iMac line.
Instead of using the S.M.A.R.T., they added a connector to the HD in order to have direct access to the sensors. That way, it is possible to go around S.M.A.R.T. that tends to block all access to the disk when monitoring it, but it makes things more complicated when replacing the hard drive. You either have to buy a new disk of the same brand of find or make a connector for the new disk. Because of that it is not recommended to install a SSD in a new iMac. When the connector is not plugged in, the fan starts running at full speed, and since SSD don't have such a connector, the computer makes noise constantly.< /p>
Apple put that same kind of connectors in the new Mac mini< p/>
As you can see, informations go through the SATA connector directly to the logic board. For the server model, both drives have that connector. If the connector is not plugged in, the fan runs like on an iMac.
However, there are good news because the connector and SATA interface are common to all HD brands. We can hope that all 2.5" (9.5mm thick) will be compatible with the Mac mini. For SSD, we hope that there will not be the same problem as on the iMac. We will run a test as soon as possible.< /p>
