Skip to main content

Tired of waiting for Apple to upgrade the Mac mini to Haswell? Make your own …

hac

If you’ve decided you’ve waited long enough for Apple to update the Mac mini with a Haswell processor, you can always create a Hac mini.

A user posting on the Hacintosh site tonymacx86.com has documented his successful squeezing of an Intel DH61AG motherboard with i3-3225 CPU (55w TDP), 4GB Ram, 128GB mSATA SSD, half mini PCIe Wifi and an external Dell laptop power supply into a 2010 Mac mini case … 

The contributor, posting as leigh103, reports that it works with Mavericks, but so far without sound (big deal!). The heatsink protrudes from the bottom of the case, but this can’t be seen in use.

IMG_4190

Ok, so to sum up … this is a great case for this board. Fits well, the ports at the back look like they should be there and overall it does feel more like an Apple product than any Hacintosh I’ve used.

It’s not the first time this has been done, but the detailed photos and descriptions are likely to prove helpful to anyone wanting to create their own.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Apple’s timeline for releasing new products is getting really bad. Have to wonder wtf they are doing over there now.

    • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

      It’s almost as though you’re incorrect about that.

      • NQZ (@surgesoda) - 10 years ago

        Hmm..let’s see….2-3 years for a real mac pro upgrade, last mac mini update was late 2012….
        It almost as though he IS correct about that. Minus the part about “new” products. These are existing products that require updates.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Yep, you sure do know about chip release timelines.

      • Haswell has been out for a while. This has nothing to do with the release of the chip. Also, I think it’s time you stopped trolling on every 9to5Mac article.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        >>This has nothing to do with the release of the chip.

        The Mac Mini? No, I never said it did.

        >>I think it’s time you stopped trolling on every 9to5Mac article.

        Maybe just don’t be wrong and it won’t come across as trolling. If you’re suggesting I stop correcting morons, it’s not happening.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Maybe you all should stop pretending you know what Apple should do. Maybe they’re going to do more than a simple upgrade to Haswell and need more time to ramp up production so we don’t see the same thing that happened with the new Mac Pro.

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        >>pretending you know what Apple should do.

        Oh, yes, I’m just pretending that Apple had to wait for Intel to create the chips before they could release the computers that used them. I’m sure that’s all on me.

        >>Maybe they’re going to do more than a simple upgrade to Haswell and need more time to ramp up production

        Exactly.

      • Air Burt - 10 years ago

        Sorry, I wasn’t necessarily responding to you, just the other idiots.

    • Tim Jr. - 10 years ago

      They could skip Haswell and I wouldn’t care. It was really only relevant to laptops.. The only other part that a Mini would benefit from was the updated integrated video.. Performance wise, it’s a meh from what they have currently.

      • staraffinity - 10 years ago

        What I’m after is the lower power consumption of the Haswell platform compared to the current ”Ivy Bridge” Mac mini. But the increased graphics performance is just as important.

  2. NQZ (@surgesoda) - 10 years ago

    This is hilarious and somewhat sad. Good show though.

  3. rrobinson1216 - 10 years ago

    No, an i3-3225 CPU is not a Haswell processor. That would have to be a 4th gen. Don’t know whether the post or the build is incorrect…

    • Ben Lovejoy - 10 years ago

      He hasn’t chosen one, but you could …

      • rrobinson1216 - 10 years ago

        Right…I just thought it was odd to have Haswell in the title, when his instructions were for an Ivy Bridge, and the Minis currently have Ivy Bridge.

  4. pichu912 - 10 years ago

    That is an Ivy Bridge CPU. Mac Mini already ships with (more powerful) Ivy Bridge CPUs.

  5. Charles Ramsdell - 10 years ago

    The arguments here are ridiculous. they are obviously waiting for Broadwell chips to be available before releasing the next iteration of the mini.

    • staraffinity - 10 years ago

      Hmm… I hope not. Last thing I heard was that Broadwell will be delayed, so that would probably mean there’s no new Mac mini until autumn at the earliest.

  6. Evgeniy Grabovskiy - 10 years ago

    what is model a samsung display ?

  7. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    In the market for a Mac mini….still waiting on a Haswell version with Iris Pro graphics

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear