2018 Mac mini Teardown: User-Upgradeable RAM, But Soldered Down CPU and Storage

[Tinmania]

Why do you ruin your valid point by being disingenuous about it? The valid point being that if you are happy with a slower SSD (aka SATA), you cannot get that from Apple internally at an appropriate price and essentially have to pay a big premium.

If you think Apple charges an appropriate price for a simple 2GB ssd that they don't even make, buy it. I won't. Simple as that. By the way, my point still stands, even with nvme.



Mike
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if Starcraft is all the gaming you need than the iMac with the 580 is plenty, I would wait for the refresh tho...gpu performance should be similar but cpu should get a considerable boost.

TIL Starcraft is still around. Makes me happy.



Mike

 

[john katos]

Does anyone know how many RAM slots the Mini has and how Apple fills them? For example, if I bought a 8GB model and wanted to upgrade to 16GB myself, is there space to add another 8GB or do I need to lose the original 8GB and replace with 16GB (which might make just buying a 16GB config in the first place a more cost-viable option)

Two

 

[PJivan]

I'm thinking of someone who buys the Core i3 model (either new now or used later on) being able to upgrade to the current i5 or i7 in a few years, after the warranty has expired and the price of those processors has come down.

You'd be looking at a huge boost in multi-core performance even going from the i3 to the current i5, since Apple didn't make the i5 standard for the $799 model.

Look is not like you can buy a i7 6700k for cheap now...it's almost the same price of a i7 8700 so at that point, you can sell you well kept mac mini and buy a refreshed entry level, you may find faster ram, new cpu architecture, faster igpu, faster storage etcc.

 

[justperry]

Soldered storage is more "evil" than soldered ram. Ram never wears out. SSDs eventually wear out. When that happens- toss the mini in the trash. In a way, this is the same hell as the iMac, just a different component. SSD instead of that screen.

It's MLC, the Mini would be long dead before the SSD breaks.

And then you have those complaining about:

SSD's a lot cheaper somewhere else, no it's the same price as Apple charges, it's MLC and much faster than the "cheap" SSD's

Price, keep in mind you pay for the whole package, macOS runs overall (much) better than Windows, trackpads are 1000% better than PC, Updating is much less annoying, no virus scanner needed, holds their value, even after years of use, no need (Little) for technical people to solve your problems because most of the times it runs well unlike other systems.
Privacy is also much better.

 

[manu chao]

If you think Apple charges an appropriate price for a simple 2GB ssd that they don't even make, buy it. I won't. Simple as that. By the way, my point still stands, even with nvme.

Why then didn't you make it with NVMe?

 

[DastardlyDave]

I decided to transition away from Apple a year ago, bullt my first Windows desktop in about 15 years (TR4 1950x). The only Apple I was considering was a Mac mini, to run the only thing I have missed: Logic Pro X Unfortunately, the price point for a Mac mini with the memory and storage I want is high enough to give me second thoughts.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Why can’t a soldered SSD be removed and a new one soldered in it’s place?

packaging. They don't have a standard 2.5" or M.2 type drive that's just soldered in place. They have their own packaging solution that you wouldn't be able to purchase off of NewEgg or such.

 

[Luap]

Someone needs to confiscate all those pesky soldering irons at Apple's manufacturing facilities.

Storage and memory need to be user-upgradable on every Mac.

It isn't 1995 any more. And you'll see more manufacturers doing the same.

 

[nathansz]

Let's be real, for most users the ram is too hard to install. It can be done by a lot of tech people but not the average user.

i think it seems a lot harder than it is until you do it

i’m by no means a professional and was intimidated the first time i opened up a non g4 tower mac

now i can swap out the gpu in my 2011 imac gpu in half an hour

anyone that can reasonably follow instructions and had a bit of patience should be able to swap out this ram

 

[citysnaps]

A big eGPU undermines my idea of a clean Mac mini setup.

But it does offer bragging rights for those feeling good about having the fastest and baddest.

 

[salt5.13]

Because then you’re tied down to what ever gpu is in your iMac.... with an egpu you could have had a 1070, then upgrade to a 2070, then a 3070 etc. as more modern gpus are released.

It’s not for everyone, but I can see why you could do it over an iMac, especially if you already have an egpu/gpu/decent monitor already, then those ‘extra costs’ were already spent.

You’d probably also get better graphical performance for both gaming and professional applications than any currently offered iMac including the pro if you had something like a 1080ti or 2080, even via egpu which loses some performance due to the thunderbolt 3 to pcie lane communication/limitation

I agree. However, the new mac mini’s price should be far less for the integrated graphics.

 

[Sabelonada]

If you think Apple charges an appropriate price for a simple 2GB ssd that they don't even make, buy it. I won't. Simple as that. By the way, my point still stands, even with nvme.

Mike

I don't think it's appropriate, but I am considering the 1TB option. It's not quite as absurdly overpriced.
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packaging. They don't have a standard 2.5" or M.2 type drive that's just soldered in place. They have their own packaging solution that you wouldn't be able to purchase off of NewEgg or such.

Where would one even begin to look for the chips? SMH

 

[salt5.13]

I decided to transition away from Apple a year ago, bullt my first Windows desktop in about 15 years (TR4 1950x). The only Apple I was considering was a Mac mini, to run the only thing I have missed: Logic Pro X Unfortunately, the price point for a Mac mini with the memory and storage I want is high enough to give me second thoughts.

I’m having second thoughts over moving to Windows bc of Logic. May I ask what DAW you picked? What also worries me is that I believe reselling a mac (for future upgrades) is easier than selling a pc or pc parts.

 

[mr.steevo]

Let's be real, for most users the ram is too hard to install. It can be done by a lot of tech people but not the average user.

I would argue that if you can build an Ikea piece of furniture you should be able to attempt at replacing the RAM on a mini.

 

[brewmonkey]

2014 - Solder the RAM, allow user replaceable Storage.
2018 - Solder the storage (Base 128GB on a desktop!), allow user replaceable RAM.

The Mac Mini is Apple's troll machine.

I could stomach the premium on a bigger SSD, but upgrading the RAM yourself voids the warranty according to a reply from Apple support. That seems moderately unforgivable to me.

 

[doctor-don]

Let's be real, for most users the ram is too hard to install. It can be done by a lot of tech people but not the average user.

As a non-tech, I still have had experience replacing RAM as well as storage in Mac Mini, MBP, and Mac Pro. It is NOT that difficult, but if you are not inclined to repair and replace things yourself, have someone else do the job.

Not the average user no, but for anyone who’s ever built their own PC it’s really easy.

Never have built my own, but replacing RAM is not that difficult on this machine, even considering several items and screws have to be removed to get to the RAM slots.

The soldered on SSD is a dealbreaker. Plain and simple. There goes another option to replace my old MBP...

Just use the built-in SSD for your operating system and applications. Add on external storage as needed. Not a big deal. We will probably see a dock for the 2018 Mac Mini on the market soon enough.

Why not just buy an iMac with dedicated graphics? With that Mac Mini setup you’d be spending at least $800 PLUS an eGPU PLUS a monitor, and it will take up way more physical space.

Some of us can use the displays / monitors we already own - or buy a huge display during the Black Friday sales. Why would I want an all-in-one that would take down the entire setup when one part fails?

Does anyone know how many RAM slots the Mini has and how Apple fills them? For example, if I bought a 8GB model and wanted to upgrade to 16GB myself, is there space to add another 8GB or do I need to lose the original 8GB and replace with 16GB (which might make just buying a 16GB config in the first place a more cost-viable option)

The third image in this article shows 2 slots.

Really?? I can think of three reasons to replace the native drive:
1. Outgrow your storage
2. The native drive is lousy
3. Net cost of a 3rd party is less

As to 1, if 2TB isn’t enough, you should probably be looking at external storage options.
As to 2, I’m sure it isn’t.
As to 3, might well be, but deal breaker over maybe a couple of hundred bucks?

I also prefer swappable drive and have done so on my 2012 Mini (loving the OWC Mercury), but I don’t understand not buying a new Mini over this. Am I missing something?

You should have included the 4th reason - the boot drive fails and MUST be replaced. This is the main reason NOT to buy a Mac Mini with the HDD option. Secondly is the speed of the SSD usage.

The cost of the upgraded SSD also includes the labor cost. I'm not sure how many tiny solder points are on the SSD, but that would preclude doing the SSD replacement on this Mac Mini.

 

[ZipZap]

Soldered down components are easier to manufacture. That is one of the primary reasons Apple does it. The other is so they can predict your planned obsolescence. Both geared towards profit.

 

[brewmonkey]

By far the worst part of all this for me is apparently according to a reply from Apple support upgrading the RAM yourself will “definitely”void the warranty. That's a pretty stiff penalty for not want to pay triple for Apple's memory.

I keep hoping I see a definitive conclusion as to whether Apple has a specific way of knowing if you have upgraded the RAM and then reverted to bring in for warranty work. Even if not, that's a crummy way to have to live.

 

[Tinmania]

Why then didn't you make it with NVMe?

I abhor circular reasoning. Bye.



Mike

 

[vmistery]

Not sure how it got a 6/10 considering the soldered SSD, any device that has that should be capped at a 4. Anyway moral of the story, but the storage you need upfront and upgrade the ram later.

 

[justperry]

That $325 SSD is a SATA SSD, not a NVMe drive. A comparable SSD costs about $600 ($597.99 970 EVO). But yes, Apple charges a lot for SSD.

Apple charges an additional $800 for 1TB. A 1TB Samsung 979 EVO NVMe SSD costs $228 at the moment. It’s disappointing and it makes Apple look bad.

Still wrong as so many others, an EVO has TLC chips, Apple ssd's use MLC which are considerably more expensive.

True, and still a 150% increase over Apple--for a possibly better SSD (or it is a multi-sourced part).

Wrong....... see above.

 

[iosuser]

A big eGPU undermines my idea of a clean Mac mini setup.

Exactly. I don’t want anything plugged in externally on a desktop, or even laptop for that matter.

Since Apple loves their dongles, might as well condition their desktop users too.

 

[brendu]

Yeah I haven't found buying a windows machine a mess. I go to HP, Dell Toshiba find the 1 I want, configure the 1 I want, how I want and done.
I truly beleive Apple loses the average consumer doing this. Wait til someone buys Apples 128GB storage system and adds a few photos and storage is gone. Most consumers aren't technical or want to buy additional egpu or storage

True and on the macbook air I agree thats going to end up being a problem for some consumers. For the Mac Mini I doubt it affects almost anyone. Casual consumers are not in the market for the mini. They will either get the iMac as a desktop or more likely a macbook Air. Even then, using windows is not without compromises. You get more options sure but there are downsides compared to macOS (to me) and I am willing to pay more on hardware to get what I consider better software.

 

[nathansz]

I’m having second thoughts over moving to Windows bc of Logic. May I ask what DAW you picked? What also worries me is that I believe reselling a mac (for future upgrades) is easier than selling a pc or pc parts.

i’m also sticking to mac for logic
and mainstage

i could live with windows or linux or whatever otherwise

 

[brendu]

Exactly. I don’t want anything plugged in externally on a desktop, or even laptop for that matter.

Since Apple loves their dongles, might as well condition their desktop users too.

Sounds like youll be someone who would love the new mac pro that is coming... as long as you can stomach the likely high high high price.