I am thinking of buying the latest Mac Mini and I was wondering if the SSD is still soldered or if you can swap it easily? What about the RAM? Thanks people. 
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Can you swap RAM & SDD on the 2020 Mac Mini?
- Thread starter Silly John Fatty
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Ok, too bad. Makes it a lot more unattractive then, I think it's not worth it for me.
I was considering a new Mac mini also and I decided to go with a Mac Pro 6,1 (Late 2013) instead. You can still find them new or refurbished if you search around (I did). Unlike the mini it's workstation grade and the RAM, SSD, and CPU can be upgraded. It takes the same RAM servers use so you can find cheap server pulls on eBay. It's quiet and fast. Once the SSD dies in the mini it's done. Maybe it's fine for a short-term solution, but definitely not long-term.
Keep in mind the so-called 2020 Mini is the 2018 Mini with a new baseline for storage size.I am thinking of buying the latest Mac Mini and I was wondering if the SSD is still soldered or if you can swap it easily? What about the RAM? Thanks people.
I don't think you have much to worry about an SSD dying in a brand new mini 2018/2020 anytime soon.
So called, but it's a much better deal with double the storage. I bought one, and upgraded it with 32GB for £170. Apple wanted to charge me £700.
So called, but it's a much better deal with double the storage. I bought one, and upgraded it with 32GB for £170. Apple wanted to charge me £700.
Swappable storage isn't a huge deal, I've been using the last decade of Apple products designed that way without any issue. If you generate significant amounts of user data, you're doing to wind up needing extra/external storage anyway.
The RAM is a touch more complicated because while it is upgradeable after the purchase, the language in the product specs say it's not considered a user serviceable component - so there is some warranty implication if you DIY (while it not particularly difficult, it's not like the RAM access panel on an iMac, you have to remove some small connectors, slide out the logic board).
The RAM is a touch more complicated because while it is upgradeable after the purchase, the language in the product specs say it's not considered a user serviceable component - so there is some warranty implication if you DIY (while it not particularly difficult, it's not like the RAM access panel on an iMac, you have to remove some small connectors, slide out the logic board).
Often just like on a PC. It always baffles me that Apple consider it voiding the warranty when every motherboard manufacture on the planet allows you to take out the motherboard and pile components on top of it. If the worst part of the process involves the user unplugging a couple of cables, then so be it, it's not difficult and it frustrates me that Apple sees this as 'voiding' the warranty.
Yeah, it's a bit silly, and super frustrating that they brought back user accessible RAM, but then got weird about the warranty. This machine appeals to people who are totally OK with doing this sort of thing - and I don't think anyone would suggest, if they wrecked something during the upgrade, Apple should be liable. I mean, I swap out a SIM on an iPhone, but decide to jam a screwdriver in the slot, that's my fault
This and to go a stage further, apple actually say:
"Mac mini (2018) does not have user-installable RAM. You can configure the memory in your Mac mini (2018) when you purchase it. To upgrade the memory in your Mac mini (2018), go to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. "
Just to be clear, you can upgrade the ram in your Mac Mini if you chose too, but if you do, probably skip the Apple Care because they are not going to cover any repairs when they see some other makers ram in there.
I upgraded mine to 32GB, but it's a chance you take that warranty will be invalidated.
I wonder two things at this point:
1) What will it cost if Apple upgrades the RAM for you? What if you bring your own, cheaper RAM? Will they install it for you, and if yes, what would be the price difference compared to if you bought it configured that way?
2) What if you let another company do the job for you? (Swapping RAM and SSD) I mean legally, with an invoice, etc. At least here in the EU they would have to guarantee their service and if anything is broken they would have to pay for it. I think this might be an interesting alternative for some of us who don’t want to fiddle with the upgrade ourselves.
1) What will it cost if Apple upgrades the RAM for you? What if you bring your own, cheaper RAM? Will they install it for you, and if yes, what would be the price difference compared to if you bought it configured that way?
2) What if you let another company do the job for you? (Swapping RAM and SSD) I mean legally, with an invoice, etc. At least here in the EU they would have to guarantee their service and if anything is broken they would have to pay for it. I think this might be an interesting alternative for some of us who don’t want to fiddle with the upgrade ourselves.
Here in the US, an authorized Apple service center can do it, I'm not sure they will use 3rd party RAM, you'd really have to check into that locally.
Just to clarify, the SSD/storage is soldered to the main board, it can't be changed.
#1. There is no "2020 Mac Mini. The 2020 refresh is just a storage bump. It is still classified as the 2018 model.
#2. Thunderbolt 3 SSD's are FAST. Mine is faster than the internal storage on my base Mini. I bought the Jeyi TB3 NVMe SSD enclosure on AliExpress for like $80.
#2. Thunderbolt 3 SSD's are FAST. Mine is faster than the internal storage on my base Mini. I bought the Jeyi TB3 NVMe SSD enclosure on AliExpress for like $80.
Yeah, just to add to @1080p's #2 item: I'm running a TekQ external, TB3 enclosure, with a 1TB Sabrent (NVMe PCIe M.2) and it's super fast, like near internal (mine is 512GB) speeds.
The nice thing, is in the event of a massive failure, my personal files don't leave my desk, if Apple has to swap the machine, repair it, whatever, I have them, and if the external craps out, I just buy a new drive for a couple of hundred dollars, use my cloud service to restore.
Yep. I ended up using the paltry 128GB internal drive for Bootcamp. MacOS is on my external.
You're brave putting the OS on your external drive, usually it's the other way around.
I recently asked an authorized reseller about this:
- you can buy RAM from them (at reasonable price, maybe around 20-30€ more expensive than the cheapest online prices) or bring your own,
- they charge 90€ for the service,
- it doesn't void the warranty / apple care,
- under some conditions they can buy your factory-installed RAM to further offset the upgrade cost.
I would be cautious about that, we have been through this all when the 2018 Mac Mini came out and nothing has changed that I am aware of. Apple has been clear, they will not support 3rd Party Ram, neither they or their approved service centres can use anything but Apple provided modules. Anything else will void the warranty.
I would ask them again if I thought this had changed, we would know about it if it had. Apples website has not changed, the Ram in the 2018 MM is not user-replaceable.
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This is what Apple says. If your reseller is an "Apple Authorized Service Center" then it would seem you're covered there. But I suppose they could still claim the parts "do not meet Apple's specifications". Personally, I have been watching the refurb store for the configuration I want, and will just pay the extra cost for Apple's RAM (if I actually get a Mini at all). I realize you can save quite a bit installing your own memory, and some people feel this is a reasonable gamble. That's fine, but I don't want to take a chance that Apple will refuse to fix my computer under warranty (or Applecare) at some future date.
Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty
"This Warranty does not apply:
[...]
(c) to damage caused by use with a third party component or product that does not meet the Apple Product’s specifications (Apple Product specifications are available at www.apple.com under the technical specifications for each product and also available in stores);
[...]
(f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”);"
Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty
"This Warranty does not apply:
[...]
(c) to damage caused by use with a third party component or product that does not meet the Apple Product’s specifications (Apple Product specifications are available at www.apple.com under the technical specifications for each product and also available in stores);
[...]
(f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”);"
OP wrote:
"What if you let another company do the job for you? (Swapping RAM and SSD)"
I don't think you understand.
The 2018 Mini's "SSD" is soldered to the motherboard and tied into the t2 chip as well.
It CANNOT be "changed" in any way.
The only way to change the size of the SSD, is to swap out the motherboard for one that has a larger SSD.
The RAM can be changed, but you have to disassemble the computer to get at it.
"What if you let another company do the job for you? (Swapping RAM and SSD)"
I don't think you understand.
The 2018 Mini's "SSD" is soldered to the motherboard and tied into the t2 chip as well.
It CANNOT be "changed" in any way.
The only way to change the size of the SSD, is to swap out the motherboard for one that has a larger SSD.
The RAM can be changed, but you have to disassemble the computer to get at it.
This is really all I wanted to highlight for those considering doing it themselves or taking it to a service centre that claims they will put in any RAM you want.
People are spending a fair chunk on these devices and if you look a bit further down in this forum you will see people who appear to be competent are breaking things when trying to replace the RAM. One person recently took a Bluetooth connector clean off the motherboard, another snapped one of the delicate connectors and it won't go back on.
I am not trying to scare anyone, I upgraded my own to 32GB. But if you can't afford to lose the money or pony up for a repair when it goes wrong, don't try and replace it yourself. Most of the time it will be fine, but you don't want to be the 1% or whatever.
Removing and replacing the RAM is the easy part, fiddling with the 3 very delicate cables/connectors to get to the RAM could be what gets you in bother.
And if something goes wrong not connected to the RAM, you may still find Apple refusing to cover under warranty.
Proceed with caution!
I have been booting my 2012 quad Mini from a 1tb USB 3.0 Samsung T3 SSD for several years now with zero problems (I do local backups and also have BackBlaze). Have seen posts about problems with external startup drives on the 2018 Mini however.
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I routinely boot my 2018 Mini (running Mojave) from cloned SSD backups.
A couple of the backups are Mojave.
I also keep Catalina on an external SSD, but seldom boot from it. Boots every time, however.
A couple of the backups are Mojave.
I also keep Catalina on an external SSD, but seldom boot from it. Boots every time, however.