Is RAM upgradeable in the Mac Mini?

[Lammers]

To my mind, the fact that none of the marketing material says that it’s user-upgradeable (to my knowledge), combined with the fact that they specifically didn’t say it’s user-upgradeable at the event, tells us everything.

Apple know perfectly well that people want these devices to be user-upgradable. So if the new Mac mini is user-upgradeable then why wouldn’t Apple just say that outright at the event? Instead, they said it “has SO-DIMMs”, which is kind of irrelevant in and of itself, but conveys the right sort of impression and is enough to get a positive reaction from the crowd on the day, but doesn’t actually mean that it’s user-upgradeable so isn’t technically lying if it isn’t.
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Confirmed. RAM upgradeable. 3:22

Upgradeable, yes. The question is whether it’s upgradeable by end users, and Apple funnily enough doesn’t mention that. I wonder why.
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I believe Apple is effectively using not-user-accessible interchangeably with will-void-warranty (on the iMac Pro), vs. the lack of such language for the Mini, meaning: you can perform a user / home RAM upgrade and it won't void the warranty.

And obviously, if you open a Mac Mini, and do something like break a DIMM clip or a connector, etc., due to your negligence, the repairs would be done on your dime.

But look at the photo - the RAM is in a very awkward location. In my opinion, there is just no way Apple will let people do a RAM change on that (with the disassembly and reassembly that people on this forum have discussed) and keep their warranty. It’s too risky for them.

If the RAM was intended to be user-upgradeable (without invalidating warranty) then Apple would have put it in a location that makes that straightforward and provided access to it - like they always used to do. They haven’t don’t that.

 

[xylitol]

But Apple must know by now that disproportionately many people have ordered 8GB configurations, and Apple must realize that this is because people are assuming that they can upgrade the RAM themselves quite easily. Then Apple should also know that if it turns out to be something else, there are going to be a lot of returns.

 

[MarkN]

We should know Wednesday if OWC puts out a memory installation video for the Mac mini, which I believe they will. I decided to play it safe and order 16 GB with the hopes of upgrading to 32 GB later myself. If it is dicey, I will let Apple install the 32 GB for much more $ if I need it.

 

[StellarVixen]

RAM prices are crazy. It would cost me 300 to upgrade to 32GB, and Apple asks 600 for same amount.

100 percent profit margin for them (on that piece). WOW!

Same is for SSD. But I have to buy at least 512 GB, external TB3 is not any cheaper.

 

[F-Train]

We should know Wednesday if OWC puts out a memory installation video for the Mac mini, which I believe they will. I decided to play it safe and order 16 GB with the hopes of upgrading to 32 GB later myself. If it is dicey, I will let Apple install the 32 GB for much more $ if I need it.

I get the idea of purchasing 16GB from Apple given suggestions that it isn’t much cheaper to purchase and install it yourself.

But if you think that you are likely to want 32GB, for which there apparently is a big price difference, doesn’t this scenario leave you with the problem of selling 16GB of RAM (2 x 8GB) if you upgrade to 32GB (2 x 16GB)?

 

[MarkN]

I get the idea of purchasing 16GB from Apple given suggestions that it isn’t much cheaper to purchase and install it yourself.

But if you think that you are likely to want 32GB, for which there apparently is a big price difference, doesn’t this scenario leave you with the problem of selling 16GB of RAM if you upgrade to 32GB?

My use for the mini would have to change some for me to see the need to upgrade to 32 GB... or the future OS's would make 16 GB insufficient. I think Handbrake will do well with 16 GB, so this may suffice for quite a while.

 

[Lammers]

But Apple must know by now that disproportionately many people have ordered 8GB configurations, and Apple must realize that this is because people are assuming that they can upgrade the RAM themselves quite easily. Then Apple should also know that if it turns out to be something else, there are going to be a lot of returns.

Yes, I agree. It will be interesting to see how that gets handled.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

Warranties mean nothing to me. Just like Insurance. I also run with scissors....

I love to draw outside the lines.....

 

[now i see it]

Do you think there is anyone on this planet owning a NUC who would pay $600 for 32GB of RAM?

Just to go down memory lane... A 64MB RAM DIMM in 1995 cost $640. That's megabytes not gigabytes.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

Just to go down memory lane... A 64MB RAM DIMM in 1995 cost $640. That's megabytes not gigabytes.

My first memory upgrade was in my Apple IIGS. Around 1986.

A 4 MEGABYTE upgrade cost me $850.00. $200.00 for each megabyte and $50 for the expansion card.

I also bought a 10 MEGABYTE external hard drive for $1200.00! It lasted one year and had a melt-down. At that time hard drives had very high failure rates and only a 30 day warranty. To this day, 32 years later, I remember dropping it in a trash can....

Damn.... I'm suddenly feeling very old....

I just built a new workstation and I didn't bat an eye when buying 128GB of ECC RAM for $1,200.00.

 

[SkiHound2]

Well I can relate to the prices, and I do think about them once in a while. I had an Apple II. I don't know exactly when I bought it but I know I was doing a lot of work on it in the early 80s. Even wrote an iterative proportional fitting algorithm. More of a learning experience than a practical application. Even for very simple models it took eons. I think I maxed out the memory at 64mb. With a small monochrome monitor and extra 5.25" floppy drive it was over $2k, and that was in circa 1981 dollars. The technology we have available today is remarkable, and it will pale in comparison to what will be available in even a few years. When I did my MA program we'd go in to the office at night, go over to the computer center and submit our analysis programs on punch cards. Then we'd go back to our office, play a few hands of pinochle, drink some beer, and then back to the computer center to make any needed changes. We did it that way because programs submitted during the day would generally take hours and hours to processed. Just because we have a world of computing power available at much lower prices doesn't change the fact that Apple charges way over reasonable market rates for memory and storage. Ram prices are volatile but you can order 32gb from the usual reputable sources for around $300. Apple wants $600 to go from 8gb to 32gb. And no doubt they are getting their ram for a lot less than we pay. At $400 they are making a hefty profit. $600 is dang near robbery.

 

[F-Train]

Apple charges way over reasonable market rates for memory and storage.

In point of fact, it is not meaningfully cheaper to purchase 16GB of RAM for the Mac mini from a third party than to purchase it from Apple. Indeed, a number of people, having checked actual prices, have made that very point here in the last few days. There is a real gap at 32GB, but it narrows significantly at 64GB. Meanwhile, most people seem to be interested in 16GB.

You know, I've been using Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X for six years. Back in 2012, they cost me US$500, which is what they cost today. I have not been charged for a single upgrade. The cost for both works out to $83/per year and decreases every year.

Have a look at what it costs per year to use the main competitors, Adobe's Premier Pro and Adobe Audition. Or for a true Logic competitor, have a look at Ableton Live, which currently costs $450 or $750, depending on features, plus the cost of upgrades.

Sometimes it helps to look at actual facts and in particular at the whole forest.

 

[Nihilvor]

In point of fact, it is not meaningfully cheaper to purchase 16GB of RAM for the Mac mini from a third party than to purchase it from Apple. Indeed, a number of people, having checked actual prices, have made that very point here in the last few days. There is a real gap at 32GB, but it narrows significantly at 64GB. Meanwhile, most people seem to be interested in 16GB.

Depends on what you mean by "meaningful." I can get the 16GBs for around $135. I then have the option to sell the stock memory to recover some of my investment. To me, that's meaningful. Since I'm considering two of these units, it makes some difference to me as far as if and when I hit "buy" (I will end up getting at least one, either way). I also like the idea of being able to move to 32GBs in the future.

 

[MarkN]

I also like the idea of being able to move to 32GBs in the future.

I purchased the 16GB as BTO, mostly to save a potential headache. I also like the idea of being able to move to 32GB if the need arises. Hopefully I can do it myself, but in a worse-case scenario I would let Apple do it at their prices.

 

[F-Train]

Depends on what you mean by "meaningful." I can get the 16GBs for around $135. I then have the option to sell the stock memory to recover some of my investment. To me, that's meaningful. Since I'm considering two of these units, it makes some difference to me as far as if and when I hit "buy." I also like the idea of being able to move to 32GBs in the future.

Good for you. People are quoting more like $170, which is what OWC/MacSales want. Some people don't consider that meaningfully less, and some people aren't interested in spending their time trying to sell 8GB of RAM. Given that Apple's price is $200, installed and ready to go, personally I'm not exactly fussed, let alone accusing Apple of extortion/theft/robbery/gouging/choose your epithet. And apparently, Apple isn't going to require you to purchase RAM from them in the first place. So what's the issue? Given the actual facts, I think that the whole discussion is childish.

 

[brentsg]

Unfortunately this is not the case, as I've said. They do not want users taking apart the machines, which is why opening it up will void the warranty and they only advise for the RAM to be upgraded at Apple Authorized Service Providers.
In addition, upgrading the RAM requires tools and disassembly. They are not claiming that it's user upgradeable, they are stating that it uses SO-DIMMS and therefore can be upgraded.
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Yes, I think it's like the 2014 but with some adhesive, perhaps because there is no secondary panel beneath.
As for the slots, they are definitely in the same place as shown on the images, you technically have direct access but are unable to remove or install any RAM without taking the logic board out.

Again, they cannot void the warranty for opening the machine. Not in the US at least. The FTC spent a good bit of effort slapping companies down for claiming this recently.

 

[nesss01]

Can you have one 4 GB stick
and one 8 GB stick or a total of 12?

 

[ElectronGuru]

I purchased the 16GB as BTO, mostly to save a potential headache. I also like the idea of being able to move to 32GB if the need arises. Hopefully I can do it myself, but in a worse-case scenario I would let Apple do it at their prices.

1) order with enough ram for the next 24-48 months, then 2) upgrade yourself after the warranty expires

 

[philipma1957]

what narrative would that be? look it's a known issue and frequent question.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/does-swapping-a-ssd-void-an-applecare-extension.2058686/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/opening-up-your-imac-voids-the-warranty-right.1509356/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/does-opening-the-macbook-pro-retina-void-warranty.1496021/

what happens if someone does damage it by opening it? sounds like you're saying "yeah no big deal just get it, swap the ram, no problem" those of us who are about to drop multiple thousands want a clear picture. are you considering getting a mac mini?

The fact is if you damage any Apple gear in any manner it voids the warrranty.


A while back they had breakage insurance as an addon product.
Not sure if they offer it.

I had a thriving macmini upgrading business on eBay.
I disassemble and upgraded over 350 Mac mini’s from 2006 to 2013.

Restore the gear to stock and zero warranty issues .

 

[EightyTwenty]

Well I can relate to the prices, and I do think about them once in a while. I had an Apple II. I don't know exactly when I bought it but I know I was doing a lot of work on it in the early 80s. Even wrote an iterative proportional fitting algorithm. More of a learning experience than a practical application. Even for very simple models it took eons. I think I maxed out the memory at 64mb. With a small monochrome monitor and extra 5.25" floppy drive it was over $2k, and that was in circa 1981 dollars. The technology we have available today is remarkable, and it will pale in comparison to what will be available in even a few years. When I did my MA program we'd go in to the office at night, go over to the computer center and submit our analysis programs on punch cards. Then we'd go back to our office, play a few hands of pinochle, drink some beer, and then back to the computer center to make any needed changes. We did it that way because programs submitted during the day would generally take hours and hours to processed. Just because we have a world of computing power available at much lower prices doesn't change the fact that Apple charges way over reasonable market rates for memory and storage. Ram prices are volatile but you can order 32gb from the usual reputable sources for around $300. Apple wants $600 to go from 8gb to 32gb. And no doubt they are getting their ram for a lot less than we pay. At $400 they are making a hefty profit. $600 is dang near robbery.

Please use paragraphs, my man.

 

[Lammers]

Again, they cannot void the warranty for opening the machine. Not in the US at least. The FTC spent a good bit of effort slapping companies down for claiming this recently.

No, but they can make it difficult to do things like upgrade the RAM without risking damage, and they can then refuse to repair such damage afterwards.

So the risk is on the consumer in any case.

And indications are that upgrading the RAM in the new mini will require at least some degree of disassembly and reassembly.

 

[shinji]

OWC's prices really shouldn't be the starting point, as you can beat them pretty easily. Even Crucial, and buying directly from them, is less expensive. http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Apple/mac-mini-(late-2018)

 

[brentsg]

No, but they can make it difficult to do things like upgrade the RAM without risking damage, and they can then refuse to repair such damage afterwards.

So the risk is on the consumer in any case.

And indications are that upgrading the RAM in the new mini will require at least some degree of disassembly and reassembly.

And that’s to be expected, though I’m not certain most people understand how SO-DIMMs fit into the socket. It isn’t like slotting RAM in a desktop, so a lot of clearance is not necessary.

I’m just tired of reading that opening it voids the warranty because that is just FUD.

Regardless, I’ve torn down Minis and iMacs for drive replacement, all sorts of things. I’m not concerned about that.

 

[Coyote2006]

Still wonder if it will be possible to mix 4gb ram (I guess that the 8gb version comes with 2x4gb dimms) with 16gb ram dimms to have 20 gb for example.

 

[whitedragon101]

I already bought the new Mini and picked up 32GB of Crucial RAM from Amazon for $281.00.

The Mini will be here on the 7th and the RAM will be in 10 minutes later.

Please post some pics and your experience back here