Hi everyone, welcome to HowFixit.
In this video guide I'll show you how to disassemble an Apple Mac Mini (Mid 2011, Late 2012), clean
it from dust and replace thermal paste.
To disassemble Mac Mini, you will need the following tools:
Screwdriver set Hex 2.0 mm.
Torx T6 Torx T8
Phillips 1 Tweezers
Plastic opening tools Antistatic brush
Thermal grease I recommend using a magnetic mat during the
repair process, which is especially useful in case of the Apple Mac Mini.
Throughout this disassembly, keep track of each screw so you can put them back in the
right places - this will help successfully reassemble your Apple Mac Mini.
And don't worry about losing any of screws, all of them will definitely remain on the
magnetic mat.
In the description, I left links where to buy all necessary tools.
Turn over Mac Mini and remove the bottom cover.
Lift up the metal panel and disconnect the Wi-Fi antenna.
Let's move on to cleaning the fan from dust.
Also, remove all dust from the inside of
the fan.
Insert any handy tool into the hole on the Mac Mini motherboard and slide down, this
helps remove the motherboard from the case.
Disconnect the power cable from the motherboard.
Use only an anti-static brush to clean the motherboard from dust.
Remove all screws on
the heatsink.
Remove the old thermal paste from the CPU and GPU as well as from the heatsink.
If the thermal paste is very dry and difficult to remove, you can use isopropyl alcohol to
wipe the paste.
How to apply thermal grease.
Apply a small amount of thermal paste to the CPU, then take a plastic tool and spread it
evenly over the entire surface of the chip.
If you still don’t know which thermal paste to choose for your laptop, in the description,
I left a link to a video where I test different thermal greases and choose the best one for
the Mac Mini.
If your Apple Mac Mini (2011-2012) is overheating after dust cleaning and replacing the thermal
paste, probably the overheating issue could be due to a faulty heatsink.
Watch my other video guide where I show you how to check the conduction of the heatsink,
I left links in the description.
Please note: how I tighten the screws on the heatsink.
It is necessary to tighten the screws evenly on each side, with a few turns of each screw.
This repair is over, you were on HowFixit, and see you next time!