Reddit mentions of Timetec Hynix IC 16GB KIT(2x8GB) Compatible for Apple DDR3 1333MHz PC3-10600 for MacBook Pro (Early/Late 2011 13/15/17 inch), iMac(Mid 2010, Mid/Late 2011 21.5/27 inch), Mac Mini(Mid 2011) RAM Upgrade

1. Late 2011 is easily supported by: http://dosdude1.com/catalina/
   
2. SSD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K8A29E6/
   
3. RAM: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SNM1LHS/

As for the RAM:

The Mac mini 2011 supports up to 16 GB RAM (2 x 8 GB RAM modules). It has two RAM slots, meaning two RAM modules in total will fit in. A higher total amount than 16 GB RAM won't work due to a limitation in the logic board.

The Mac mini 2011 needs RAM that matches the following specification:

PC3-10600 DDR3 1333 MHz, 204-pin

Here are some examples of RAM modules that work flawlessly in the Mac mini:

• https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Certified-Laptop-Memory-CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B006ON5KZC/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Timetec-1333MHz-PC3-10600-Upgrade-21-5-inch/dp/B00SNM1LHS/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-10600-SODIMM-LAPTOP-MEMORY/dp/B0067GGPXC/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Patriot-SODIMM-204-Pin-SO-DIMM-PSA316G1333SK/dp/B006BMBUAA/
  
  You may find information online which states that your Mac Mini 2011 only supports up to 8 GB RAM (2 x 4 GB RAM modules), but this is outdated information! As 8 GB RAM modules were not commonly available back in 2012, Apple could only test with 2 x 4 GB RAM = 8 GB RAM. When 8 GB RAM modules became available, users found out that the actual maximum RAM capacity this machine supports is 16 GB RAM, this is also being confirmed by the Amazon reviews of the modules I suggested. Apple never went back to update their info, so the wrong 8 GB RAM figure still swirls around.
  
  Before you upgrade the RAM, check how much RAM is already inside of the machine via the Apple menu at the top left corner of the screen -> "About This Mac".
  
  -----
  
  As for the SSD:
  
  Your Mac mini 2011 supports any SSD that matches the following requirements:
  
  
• 2.5" form factor
  
• SATA3-compatible
  
  Here are some examples of such SSDs:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-860-EVO-500GB-SSD/dp/B07937HDJM/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Solid-State-SDSSDH3-2TOO-G25/dp/B071KGRXRH/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-500GB-NAND-Internal/dp/B0784SLQM6/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-500GB-SSD-WDS500G2B0A/dp/B073SBZ8YH/
  
  Choose a capacity that meets your needs. If you want to keep any of the data that is currently stored on your HDD, I suggest you create a Time Machine backup to some external drive. Once the SSD is in, macOS can be restored via Internet Recovery:
  
  
• http://osxdaily.com/2018/10/10/how-reinstall-macos-mojave/
  
  Once macOS is reinstalled, you will be asked whether or not you want to restore from a Time Machine backup during the setup procedure.
  
  -----
  
  This video shows you both the RAM and SSD upgrade procedure, but the iFixit text guide /u/mayhem-8 has linked to is also very good:
  
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGnXdwvabg

Besides the naming conventions, I did a lot. For those of you actually interested in that:

First, I took out the original 250GB HDD and swapped in a Samsung 860 250 GB SSD, named Octavious, to house the OS, and any of the apps I use frequently.

Next, I took out the optical drive and swapped it with an iFixit secondary drive slot, where I put in a 500GB HDD, named Parker. This will be where I’m going to store most of my actual files.

Finally, I swapped out 4GB the RAM with 16GB. Go big or go home.

Oh, and I replaced the fan with one off ifixit.

Decided I’m not going to pull from a backup, so I need to install OSX over the internet, and will need to manually upgrade from Lion, but I’m cool with that.

> Do you think you'd drop $350 + $250 for SSD + RAM on one, though?

No, not that kind of money. Maybe $250 for SSD (Kingston A400 480GB $139.99) + 16GB of RAM (16GB Kit (2x8GB)). That would make a nice performance boost for an old MBP, and would give it a couple of more years.