changing RAM on the new Mac Mini: have you done it ?

I don't know which one he used, but the one on the OWC/Mac Sales site is head and shoulders above the rest. If people aren't coming across it, it is because it is hosted on Vimeo, not YouTube.

Link is here: https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac-mini-2018/

 

Nice, thank you

 

Nice pics, I'm still thinking to get the same ram (Corsair Vengeance 32GB) as yours! do you have any issue till now? - I wish to get now 32GB and add next time another 32GB to make it total 64GB ram.

The apple/corsair's ram they look quite similar apart from the large stickers - are they under the same manufacturing?

 

Sure, should have included it in my original post:

 

The kit that I'm using is a 32GB kit as in 16GB x 2 sticks. If you were to purchase it and then later wanted to upgrade to 64GB, then you would have to purchase a whole new kit 32GB x 2 as there are only 2 RAM slots on the Mac Mini.

As for how it's working, well I've had no problems so far. I pretty much have had it on since I made it my main system. Runs great and only restart when I want to use Win10 for something.

 

I'm not sure how much time you expect to let pass between both RAM upgrades, but you probably want to make sure to use 2 DIMMs in order to benefit from dual channel bandwidth. Here's a short discussion dealing with the topic: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3310477/ddr4-single-channel-dual-channel.html

And here's an in-depth report with benchmarks: https://beebom.com/single-channel-vs-dual-channel-memory/

It's furthermore recommended to use two identical DIMMs aka a single Kit to make sure that they use the same timing.

It'll probably work regardless, but I'd recommend to do the upgrade once and do it right. Alternatively you could get a 32 GB (2x 16 GB) Kit now and if you really need 64 GB later get another kit and sell the old one. But don't mix and match.

 

That's great to know.

--- Post Merged, Dec 3, 2018 ---

Thank you for a good advice - that's something I didn't know. Will get 2x16GB for now (32GB).

 

I've already seen 2 reports here from folks who thought they could do the job, and then opened it up, and.... broke something during the upgrade.

For 16gb, I think I'll just order it from Apple...

 

I wonder what did they break? got any links or pics?

 

Deleted

 

Upgraded mine with 2x 16GB Crucial RAM.

The trickiest part in the opening phase was disconnecting the small LED indicator connector. Mostly because the tutorials are too vague. You must lift up the connector vertically, not pull out horizontally, use flat tweezers, and do it gently.

The trickiest part in the closing phase was plugging the fan connector back in because I had forgotten how I had removed it. Took me 15 minutes to figure out that it just had to be clipped in vertically instead of pushing in horizontally.

Second time it's much easier to do. I know this, because just when almost finished and congratulating myself for a job well done that bloody tiny antenna screw slipped from the TR6 Torx driver, rolled somewhere under the motherboard and got stuck...

 

I did upgrade straight away when received my mini and I happened to be the first one on these forums to do so without any guide etc. It was super easy and lots of fun

 

You're either capable or you're not. Its really not that hard, especially if you have the right tools. If you've never done something like this, you probably shouldn't start on an $800+ mac.

The iFixit guide really is stellar though, perfectly easy to follow.

 

Good if they got their act together. When they first released their guide, it was an embarrassment and (deservedly) a laughing stock on this forum.

I guess they got the message.

 

I've changed the hard drives in a 2012 model before, so I'm no stranger of completely taking apart a mac mini, but for the $50 premium, saved me the hassle at 16gb. I have applecare+, so I don't want the hassle of swapping the OEM ram yet again any time there is an issue with the computer. I don't fully trust this model yet with the thermals long term.

Now, if I was going for 32gb or 64gb, I probably would have done it myself...

 

Just out of curiosity, once you have upgraded the RAM from 8GB to 16/64GB. Do I have to put it back original 8GB ram if I need to take a Mac Mini to the Apple store for repair or another issue?

I heard that upgrading the ram will not avoid your warranty as long you didn't damage any of the components?

 

It won't void warranty, but they won't service your machine while the third party ram is in there. So you have to keep your original OEM RAM somewhere safe just in case you need to send the mini for servicing.

 

Thank you.

 

Definitely change your own ram because it was pretty easy..... people shouldn't be afraid to touch their computer. The fixit guide is great. I upgraded with generic 32GB upgrade and I also attached an EGPU with Razer Core X + Vega 64. Now the computer flies