When Apple announced the current Mac mini, the teardown of the M1 version showed that there is quite a bit of empty space inside. That's because Apple has used the Intel version for the design, while the motherboard is a lot smaller than before thanks to the M1 chip. YouTuber Quinn Nelson shows in an extensive video how he managed to pack the same Mac mini into a 78% smaller housing.
Homemade Mac mini in smaller housing
The M1 chip not only provides Apple with performance improvements, but also ensures that products can be a lot smaller. A good example is the iMac 2021. This model received such a small housing, so that the headphone jack no longer fits at the back. Apple hasn't shown how far they can go with the Mac mini yet, but Quinn Nelson is showing what's possible.
He has made a smaller housing via advanced 3D printing. He stripped all the key parts out of the M1 Mac mini and put in a smaller power adapter as well. The M1 Mac mini has a 150W adapter, but that turns out to be much too large for the power-efficient M1 chip. He therefore replaced it with a 65W Microsoft Surface adapter. For convenience, he also made a MagSafe connection for a 2015 MacBook Pro.
For the housing, he also looked closely at the Mac Pro. We also see the cheese grater design in this smaller Mac mini, so that the heat can escape from the smaller housing. In the end, he didn't notice any difference in performance, despite the Mac mini being significantly smaller than the original. In this guide you can read how he made it all.
Someone previously came up with a concept of a Mac Pro mini, in the form of a cube.
It has been rumored for some time that Apple will soon (perhaps next week) come up with a new Mac mini. It is not known whether this model will become so small, but there has already been talk about a new flatter design. The upcoming Mac mini 2022 will get an M1 Pro/Max chip and will probably replace the current Intel version.