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RAM for Mac Mini 2012

NunoBerny

NunoBerny

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 12, 2012
195
0
Lisbon, Portugal
Hi!

I'm in the process of buying this:

Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 1.35V/1.5V SODIMM 204 Pin Memory Module Kit

But, knowing little about it, I'm sure if it's 100% compatible. Well, it IS compatible (Crucial's site says it), but I don't know if it's the BEST available option.
I know next to nothing about speeds, parity,pins, voltage, etc.

Can anyone here tell me if this is the best RAM I can put on my Mac Mini 2012?

Thanks in advance.
 
S

Shirke

macrumors regular
Jan 20, 2013
124
10
Crucial is a reliable company I just bought few days ago to upgrade my late 2012 Mac Mini 2.6GHz i7. worked flawlessly and great performance boost.I bought directly from Crucial
 
P

paulrbeers

macrumors 68040
Dec 17, 2009
3,963
123
LaunchpadBS said:
BEST option available is the Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB PC3-12800
And it wont break the bank.
Click to expand...

At a $50 premium for a minimal increase in speed seems silly. However yes it is one of the fastest and will increase a minis speed by 3%...
 
C

cmeisenzahl

macrumors 6502
Oct 7, 2005
332
27
Shirke said:
Crucial is a reliable company I just bought few days ago to upgrade my late 2012 Mac Mini 2.6GHz i7. worked flawlessly and great performance boost.I bought directly from Crucial
Click to expand...

That's what I did. Bought directly from Crucial, works perfectly, no complaints.
 
NunoBerny

NunoBerny

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 12, 2012
195
0
Lisbon, Portugal
cmeisenzahl said:
That's what I did. Bought directly from Crucial, works perfectly, no complaints.
Click to expand...

The problem with Crucial is the postage costs. For me, it will increase the price in $17 !
That's why I tried Amazon.co.uk, but I've not made a final decision yet.

The main objective is first get the memory type exactly right. ;)
 
L

LaunchpadBS

macrumors 6502a
Nov 11, 2008
653
5
iLondon/iDurban
NunoBerny said:
The problem with Crucial is the postage costs. For me, it will increase the price in $17 !
That's why I tried Amazon.co.uk, but I've not made a final decision yet.

The main objective is first get the memory type exactly right. ;)
Click to expand...

While ur at it read the reviews on amazon of the ram failing, I like crucial, bought 2 ssd's from them, but when it came to ram unfortunately the reliability was a factor and when I bought the corsair it was only £4 more so seemed a no brainier
 
cjgonzales1900

cjgonzales1900

macrumors 6502
Jan 10, 2009
292
45
Yes those specs you listed are for the mini. Any ram conforming to those specs will work in the mini.
 
NunoBerny

NunoBerny

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 12, 2012
195
0
Lisbon, Portugal
LaunchpadBS said:
While ur at it read the reviews on amazon of the ram failing, I like crucial, bought 2 ssd's from them, but when it came to ram unfortunately the reliability was a factor and when I bought the corsair it was only £4 more so seemed a no brainier
Click to expand...

As it stands, the Corsair is cheaper than the Crucial. ;)
Not sure if the specs are the same, though.

I'm looking at this one:
Corsair CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7 8GB 1066MHz C7 DDR3 So-Dimm Kit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Can I safely go for it? ;)

PS: Just for you all to assess my ignorance in this matter: A few weeks ago I impulsively (wanted it to arrive before Christmas...) bought 8GB for the Mac Mini. When they arrived the chips were almost as big as the machine! Duh...
 
L

LaunchpadBS

macrumors 6502a
Nov 11, 2008
653
5
iLondon/iDurban
NunoBerny said:
As it stands, the Corsair is cheaper than the Crucial. ;)
Not sure if the specs are the same, though.

I'm looking at this one:
Corsair CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7 8GB 1066MHz C7 DDR3 So-Dimm Kit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Can I safely go for it? ;)

PS: Just for you all to assess my ignorance in this matter: A few weeks ago I impulsively (wanted it to arrive before Christmas...) bought 8GB for the Mac Mini. When they arrived the chips were almost as big as the machine! Duh...
Click to expand...

Not sure if you're on a budget but the 16GB kit is only £25 more than the 8GB kit, can't hurt to have an extra 8GB.

There's also the Kingston Hyper X which is much cheaper than the Corsair with the same latency, only thing is I know Kingston just updated the Hyper X range which usually would lead me to think there was something wrong with the old batch.

Anyway here are the links

Corsair 8GB

Corsair 16GB

Kingston Hyper X 8GB
 
NunoBerny

NunoBerny

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 12, 2012
195
0
Lisbon, Portugal
Strangely, Amazon won't ship the Corsair 16GB RAM here. The 8GB should be fine for me, though.

You spoke of possible Kingston problems and since I'm assuming the batch on sale is that one, I may go for the Corsair instead, even though the price is far higher...

LaunchpadBS said:
Not sure if you're on a budget but the 16GB kit is only £25 more than the 8GB kit, can't hurt to have an extra 8GB.

There's also the Kingston Hyper X which is much cheaper than the Corsair with the same latency, only thing is I know Kingston just updated the Hyper X range which usually would lead me to think there was something wrong with the old batch.

Anyway here are the links

Corsair 8GB

Corsair 16GB

Kingston Hyper X 8GB
Click to expand...
 
C

Che Castro

macrumors 603
May 21, 2009
5,878
676
Shirke said:
Crucial is a reliable company I just bought few days ago to upgrade my late 2012 Mac Mini 2.6GHz i7. worked flawlessly and great performance boost.I bought directly from Crucial
Click to expand...

How long did delivery take from the crucial site?

Cause neweeg has the same ram & there shipping is fast
 
S

SoCalReviews

macrumors 6502a
Dec 31, 2012
582
212
The Mac Mini late-2012 model design calls for PC-3 12800. Slower memory may work but remember that the system memory is shared with the video memory so proper memory timing is important to assure compatibility within the system's operating specs. It may not be the cheapest way to do it but my recommendation would be to order the correct memory direct from Crucial. I would also suggest adding 16GB kit ( 2 x 8GB ) instead for a bit more money so you will never need to worry about upgrading the memory in the future and you only have to pay for shipping once.
 
Last edited:
S

Shirke

macrumors regular
Jan 20, 2013
124
10
Che Castro said:
How long did delivery take from the crucial site?

Cause neweeg has the same ram & there shipping is fast
Click to expand...

After I place in order wait 2 days plus another 5 days free shipping to get my order at my place, Crucial Memory ship from West Valley City, Salt Lake City Utah
 
philipma1957

philipma1957

macrumors 603
Apr 13, 2010
6,365
251
Howell, New Jersey
SoCalReviews said:
The Mac Mini late-2012 model design calls for PC-3 16000 memory and not PC-3 12800. Slower memory may work but remember that the system memory is shared with the video memory so proper memory timing is important to assure compatibility within the system's operating specs. It may not be the cheapest way to do it but my recommendation would be to order the correct memory direct from Crucial. I would also suggest adding 16GB kit ( 2 x 8GB ) instead for a bit more money so you will never need to worry about upgrading the memory in the future and you only have to pay for shipping once.
Click to expand...

this is an error;

pc-3 12800 ram is 1600 speed and is correct for a 2012 mini.

divide the 12800 by 8 = 1600

I have made this error myself.



the fastest 16gb kit on the market is this:




http://www.amazon.com/1600MHz-PC3-1...46&sr=8-1&keywords=kingston+16+gb+plug+n+play


look at the title and you will see pc3-12800 and 1600MHz.

the crucial ram you tout is fine


http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=9953A0C6A5CA7304


16gb cost less and is slower then the kingston due to timings



http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=A08D06D0A5CA7304


the 8gb is also good cost less and is slower then the kingston. the speed difference is very little.
 
P

paulrbeers

macrumors 68040
Dec 17, 2009
3,963
123
LaunchpadBS said:
The Corsair is also CL9, and better user reviews, that is all.
Click to expand...

Ummm, yes the 8GB kit is 9, but the 16GB kit is CL10 at both the link you provided, and every other place I have seen it listed. Clearly Corsair could not keep CL9 timings when they went to 8GB sticks. The Kingston set is the only set that reliably works in the Mac Mini's that are also using 8GB sticks.

Edit: This is why in my original response I stated it is "one of the fastest".... it is not THE fastest.
 
philipma1957

philipma1957

macrumors 603
Apr 13, 2010
6,365
251
Howell, New Jersey
paulrbeers said:
Ummm, yes the 8GB kit is 9, but the 16GB kit is CL10 at both the link you provided, and every other place I have seen it listed. Clearly Corsair could not keep CL9 timings when they went to 8GB sticks. The Kingston set is the only set that reliably works in the Mac Mini's that are also using 8GB sticks.

Edit: This is why in my original response I stated it is "one of the fastest".... it is not THE fastest.
Click to expand...

and the kingston 16gb is on sale at superbiiz 111 after coupon.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1534916/
 
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