Mac mini meets Mac IIci

Hotrodders love to customize and trick out their cars. Whether it’s frame off builds or restomods, it’s always exciting to see what people can do to breathe life into old machines. Why shouldn’t computers be any different?

I’ve talked a little about the Mac IIci case I acquired several years ago. My plan, at the time, was to incorporate it into a future Hackintosh build.

The best laid plans derailed that dream… but putting that beautiful Mac IIci case on my desk again was always on the back of my mind.

Enter the Mac mini. I bought one last month, and suddenly, the dream was alive again.

As you might suspect, the 2018 Mac mini fits inside the Mac IIci case with plenty of room to spare. Best of all, the cables can all easily fit through the openings on the back of the Mac IIci.

What’s needed:

• an empty Mac IIci case: eBay ($15)
• Mac mini (any flavor)
• mini Aluminum stand ($35 on Etsy)
• a QDIY Acrylic MATX motherboard tray ($25 on modDIY)

In my build, I am keeping my Mac IIci case flat on my desk. The bottom of the Mac IIci has small plastic protrusions used to secure the original motherboard, so plopping in the Mac mini without a tray will cause it to rest unevenly. The QDIY motherboard tray addresses this issue; it comes with standoffs and screws and creates a flat surface for your Mac mini to rest on. NOTE: The tray is not secured to the old Mac IIci case, but for my intended usage, it’s not a big deal.

I have a few USB-C SSD drives attached to my Mac mini. Initially, I had placed the drives directly on the top of the computer. That was a bad idea as the Mac mini gives off a ton of heat.

I found the perfect solution by way of the mini Aluminum stand, which I purchased on Etsy. It’s perfectly sized to fit the Mac mini inside, with ample headroom above it for heat dissipation. The three USB-C drives sit on top of the stand. Best of all, the entire unit is fully contained within the Mac IIci case.

What about thermals? Won’t the Mac mini overheat inside the Mac IIci? I monitored thermals before and after putting the Mac mini inside the Mac IIci using Bjango’s iStat application and early measurements indicate that the temperature of the CPU cores have stayed about the same. I’ll keep a watchful eye on temps over the course of the next week to see if there are any radical changes.

For now, I’ve finally realized the goal to breathe new life into my venerable Mac IIci, by way of some new muscle inside, all while keeping my components neat and tidy. That’s a win-win in my books.

Krishna December 21, 2018