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Is RAM upgradeable in the Mac Mini?
- Thread starter bumfluff
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Nope, it may be covered under the shielding towards the back of the motherboard. I was wfh and did it pretty quickly during my lunch break
Semi-related question: is there any performance decrease if I buy a single 16 GB module and throw it in there with an existing 4 GB module versus buying a 8 x 8 kit? I would like the added flexibility of moving to 32 GB in a few years if need be but I don’t want to do so if it hampers the machine’s performance until then. I know twinning ram modules is important for optimizing performance but I’m not really sure how important it is in the end.
It is very short and it got me little worried tbh but it's actually really easy to unplug, allign back and screw in. When putting it back screw it gently first, allign and push the connector down and tighten the screw at the end.
In theory you will take a penalty but I don't think you will notice it.
Greatly depends on the store. I found that if you walk into a flagship store e.g London Regent street then they go out of their way to be helpful. E.g I went in there with a damaged cable no receipt nothing just asked if they had the cable to buy like this she took one off the shelf opened it and gave it to me, free. Had friends have similar experience with old macs and having help above and beyond what you would expect from a local apple store.
I bought Corsair for $270. Note Corsair is “CL18” whereas Crucial I think is “CL19”. Newegg was out of stock but Corsair had it in stock and shipped direct from Taiwan to Ohio in <48 hours.
https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...2666MHz-CL18-Memory-Kit/p/CMSX32GX4M2A2666C18
Someone has posted a video for installing RAM:
Btw in this video the guy keeps the ram rubbers on, just slide them off (upwards). It’s much easier to put the ram in properly and than you slide robbers back on - they have tiny funnels inside. Very neatly done by apple.
Here's a semi-quick write-up with photos, in case the above video isn't helpful.
http://trunghoangphotography.com/for-photographers/how-to-replace-the-ram-in-a-2018-mac-mini
http://trunghoangphotography.com/for-photographers/how-to-replace-the-ram-in-a-2018-mac-mini
Tim and Jony should be stripped of every last possession they have and made to live out their days in the crappiest trailer park in the USA.
Hey, son, we'll title the video, "How to install RAM in a 2018 Mac mini."
(knocks RAM back out of socket and onto the carpet)
OK well maybe we should call it "Several things to not do while installing RAM in a 2018 Mac mini."
I just upgraded the RAM to 32GB by looking at Dr. Stealth's photos in #461 and referencing the iFixIt guide for the 2014 Mac mini. I didn't realize I had to unplug the PSU and one other cable before pulling the logic board out... but thank goodness the cables disconnected without breaking anything. Other than that it wasn't too difficult. I haven't encountered RAM slots with the rubber around them, and inserting the RAM was a little finicky. But if you've installed RAM before you can tell when it's clicked into place correctly.
I used this RAM: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KP8CGJ/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Ran Geekbench, everything looks good and feels fast. Very excited to sell my Hackintosh.
I used this RAM: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KP8CGJ/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Ran Geekbench, everything looks good and feels fast. Very excited to sell my Hackintosh.
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FYI, for people too nervous about upgrading themselves...I went to the Apple Store to ask about how much it costs for an Apple Authorized Dealer to install RAM upgrade...They pointed me to Simply Computing and I called them. They said they'll do it, but they have to buy the RAM directly from apple...so essentially costing you the same, if not more with labour, to upgrade that way. They won't let you bring your own RAM. Dumb.
I'm glad obviously it look easy to upgrade RAMs with the right tools. What a pity that we couldn't upgrade internal PCIe-based SSD chipset.
It looks like there are no Apple Pentalobe screws to remove, correct?
If so, I'm set except for a tamper-proof/security T6.
If so, I'm set except for a tamper-proof/security T6.
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Thanks for a great write-up on your web site. Really nice photography portfolio too!
WiFi cable was a piece of cake. The most difficult (or I should say easily overlooked) in my case was a very small cable connected at the back of the motherboard that goes to the power-on LED.
All the DIY-ers are gods walking among us mere mortals ... especially if you provided photos
Stoked. Someone buy my MBP so I can swap over to a Mini. Actually, TBH, I should probably wait till after the holidays, lots of work, not many cycles for down time, etc., so I guess I should say I'm a __pending__ MM buyer
Stoked. Someone buy my MBP so I can swap over to a Mini. Actually, TBH, I should probably wait till after the holidays, lots of work, not many cycles for down time, etc., so I guess I should say I'm a __pending__ MM buyer
I would love to hear one of the engineers who worked on this project talk about what they did, and why, in order to fit everything into 7.7" square by 1.4" high and make it all work.
Photos/videos to date suggest some impressive engineering.
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I am sorry but what are they protecting against in an essentially sealed machine? And it serves little if no purpose for heat dissipation. The reason you have exhaust shields like that are to protect your legs from touching the hot exhaust pipe, not to dissipate heat. That cage serves no purpose in the Mac Mini but to make it more difficult to upgrade it just like the tamper proof screws.
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The cooling solution so far seems to be impressive but the board and PSU are fairly standard stuff and not exactly what I would call impressive, just looks like it with the black finish. Take a look at the "mini STX" form factor motherboards. Those are impressive with a 5x5 footprint, socketed CPU, Socketed Ram, and 2 m.2 ports on average. Oh and built in power distribution.