True to form, the super cool cats at repair outfit iFixit have compiled and published a teardown of the 2024 M4 Mac mini, offering additional details as to Apple’s most compact Mac ever.
From the start, iFixit praises how easy the Mac mini is to disassemble despite having a much more compact design. The bottom plate is held on by clips that can be detached without causing any damage. The first thing users will see after removing the bottom plate is the CMOS battery, which can be easily replaced just by removing two screws.
Upon removing a few more screws, users can access the wireless cable modules and can access the inner plate. From there, they have unfettered access to most of the internal components, including the speaker and a large fan that takes up half the internal space.
From its end, Apple redesigned the thermal management of the new Mac mini, so the fan cools the computer by drawing air from the base and circulating it through the components before expelling it. Also, the version with the M4 Pro chip has a larger copper heatsink than the base M4 version.
The 2024 Mac mini features a replaceable storage module that can be easily removed, albeit the M4 Pro version has a larger storage module, so you can’t use it in the M4 version and vice versa.
The USB-C ports and the headphone jack on the front can also be removed, although the same can’t be said for the ports on the back. The logic board is protected with a copper layer for better heat dissipation, and unsurprisingly, the M4 chip has RAM soldered onto it.
Still, iFixit rated the new Mac mini a 7 in its repairability score and cited that the main components are easily replaceable. The 2024 Mac mini is now available online and in stores with the retail price starting at $599.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.