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Is RAM upgradeable in the Mac Mini?

StellarVixen said:
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of user-upgradability? Throwing 100 dollars on Apple Care? Isn't the whole point of upgrading RAM by yourself to decrease the cost as much as possible?
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Okay for me I am not a big apple care guy. But if you get a base unit for 800 add an i7 you are at 1100

an external booter or storage is easy peasy.

Now if I buy base for 779 and i7 for 270 and apple care for 89
I am at 1138 buy 2 sticks of 16gb ram for 281 on ebay

I go to 1419 vs 1589 still save 180 and have the oem 8gb to put back in if need be.
So for me I did hundreds of older 2006-2012 minis I don't need the apple care. (may get it)
As my eyes don't get better with age. but I still like 1419 vs 1589 and getting applecare and 8gb ram



but if you really want a lot of ram say 32gb apple charges the following at the veteran/military online store. I bumped to the i7 and 32gb ram



no apple care

Qty:
12345678910+
$1,589.00​

Here’s what’s in your bag.




Free delivery and free returns.​



    • Qty:
      12345678910+
      $1,589.00​
      mac-mini-hero-201810

      Mac mini

      Hide product detailsof Mac mini
      Hardware
      ​
      • 3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)
      • 32GB 2666MHz DDR4
      • Intel UHD Graphics 630
      • 128GB SSD storage
      • Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)
      • Accessory Kit
      Software
      • macOS
      • Photos, iMovie, GarageBand
      • Pages, Numbers, Keynote
 
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Lammers said:
As I understand it, various people on this forum have asked the same question and all had the same answer: "it's not user-upgradable". Do we have any evidence of someone asking the question and being told "yes, it is user-upgradeable"?

You don't think that maybe Apple makes sure that its support agents have some sort of documentation to refer to when they release a product?
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First level of support is what it is, especially before a product launches.

I had a question about the Apple TV and how to view shared movies (it wound up being a bug).. I had to get transferred twice, each time to a higher level of support before I was talking to a person that knew more than I did.

Lammers said:
If they intended for users to be able to change the RAM, wouldn't they have just said that at the event instead of the weird comment about SO-DIMMs? And wouldn't they have actually made the RAM accessible instead of tucking it away in the corner where you can't get to it and in a case without a straightforward means of being opened? And wouldn't it say that somewhere on the website? And so forth.

The point about having SO-DIMMs is just the same as it is for the iMac Pro - to allow it to be upgraded later.... at an Authorised Apple Service Center.

I completely understand that people want the RAM to be user-upgradeable, but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.
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Have you ever installed SO-DIMMs? It doesn't look like a tricky spot to install them. The only obstacle that I would face when doing this is if they have glued something in place to make it more difficult to open. I frequently work with SFF PC cases and even then you can get into tricky spots, just by nature of having to work in very small spaces. The Mini is a SFF case on steroids.

If the mounting mechanism for this RAM is the same as a Shuttle that I worked on a month or so ago, it shouldn't be difficult. They go in sorta standing up, then you push to make them lay flat until they clip. You'll probably want a spadger to release the clips for the old RAM.

If they glued something so that I have to mangle the case to get it open, then I'll just return it and move on without a Mac. I've been using a PC for 99% of my tasks for several years now, due to Apple's neglect. This thing would only be to house legacy apps that I haven't replaced, and it'll serve as a Plex server so my kids don't scream when I reboot my PC for something.
 
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The way I interpret what apple is saying if they say the RAM is "User Upgradeable" and people destroy their motherboard from static shock while doing an upgrade then apple would have to do a warranty repair. By not saying that is "User Upgradeable" and recommending the customers have an Apple Authorized Service Provider do any future upgrades it lets them off the hook.

I think the ambiguous language is to limit the warranty liability.

That said, we will know how difficult it is to replace the RAM a few hours after iFixIt get their hands on one. If its physically possible to upgrade the RAM myself, I will.
 
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If replacing ram in the new mini is as equally finicky as it was opening up the old 2007/2009 white top minis, would that be considered "user upgradeable?" Or easy?
 
Lammers said:
Have you ever installed SO-DIMMs? It doesn't look like a tricky spot to install them. The only obstacle that I would face when doing this is if they have glued something in place to make it more difficult to open. I frequently work with SFF PC cases and even then you can get into tricky spots, just by nature of having to work in very small spaces. The Mini is a SFF case on steroids.

If the mounting mechanism for this RAM is the same as a Shuttle that I worked on a month or so ago, it shouldn't be difficult. They go in sorta standing up, then you push to make them lay flat until they clip. You'll probably want a spadger to release the clips for the old RAM.

If they glued something so that I have to mangle the case to get it open, then I'll just return it and move on without a Mac. I've been using a PC for 99% of my tasks for several years now, due to Apple's neglect. This thing would only be to house legacy apps that I haven't replaced, and it'll serve as a Plex server so my kids don't scream when I reboot my PC for something.
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Yeah, heck, based on the cutaway views, I think the whole "the RAM is hard to reach" perspective is a bit overblown. Of course, like you, I do a bit of tinkering, fix stuff around the house, building my own garage door home automation solution, swapped a cam in one of my Vettes ... slightly less convenient SODIMMS aren't much of a challenge :D
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tedson said:
The way I interpret what apple is saying if they say the RAM is "User Upgradeable" and people destroy their motherboard from static shock while doing an upgrade then apple would have to do a warranty repair. By not saying that is "User Upgradeable" and recommending the customers have an Apple Authorized Service Provider do any future upgrades it lets them off the hook.

I think the ambiguous language is to limit the warranty liability.

That said, we will know how difficult it is to replace the RAM a few hours after iFixIt get their hands on one. If its physically possible to upgrade the RAM myself, I will.
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Nice read on this, the Mini, at least based on the content on Apple.com, is kind of positioned between "Don't do this" and "Of course do this" in terms of DIY-ability :)
 
does anyone knows the actual model code for this new mac mini? A19XX or A20XX should be like...
 
now i see it said:
If replacing ram in the new mini is as equally finicky as it was opening up the old 2007/2009 white top minis, would that be considered "user upgradeable?" Or easy?
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That I'd consider to be "medium", the hard part is prying off the white part, after that it was straight forward. Unlike say the retina iMacs with glass+adhesive involved, and then a total mobo disassembly.
 
Chancha said:
That I'd consider to be "medium", the hard part is prying off the white part, after that it was straight forward. Unlike say the retina iMacs with glass+adhesive involved, and then a total mobo disassembly.
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2 putty knives 1 stiff 1 flexible and boom the white ones opened.

practice helps I did more then 150 of them.(white) and 200 (silver)

I broke 1 white model a 2009 model
I broke 1 silver model a 2010
I also fried the i7 in the 2011. So 3 of 350 died at my hands from 2006 to 2013.

the 2010 first aluminum was hard. lots of small wires in lots of places.
the 2011 i7 was fried doing handbrake and hand overheating issues until apple did a throttle firmware fix on it. by and by 2006 to 2012 models were all decent to work on.
 
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vbctv said:
Looking at the pictures on Apple's website and other sites, it does indeed look like the Fan is gonna be in the way, but it could be as simple as Apple made it to where you release the one side of the hook on the Ram slot it releases the other somehow. Apple doesn't do things without reason. They highlighted that the new Mac mini is So-Dimm Ram, so that was meant more or less that it is replaceable. They will never use the word user-replaceable, but it's more or less implied when they highlighted the So-Dimm part. How easy or hard is gonna be a different story.
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27” iMac is advertised as having user replaceable RAM. There’s a little easy-access door for it and everything.
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brentsg said:
Also, of course Apple will direct you that someone professional should do it. They are going to assume they are talking to the lowest common denominator, because usually they are.
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Apple would only direct users to someone professional if RAM is not meant to be user replaceable. The 27” iMac is the standard here. That is user replaceable. If I need to rip open the Mac Mini with special tools and then disassemble and reassemble the entire machine myself, then that sure as hell is not user replaceable. May as well be soldered, in my opinion.
 
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FreakinEurekan said:
Haven't seen it yet, but it's been A1347 for all of them since Mid 2010 so they might just keep that code.
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For Germany I found these these manufacturer codes:
MRTR2D/A - for the i3/8GB/128SSD
MRTT2D/A - for the base i5/8GB/256SSD

D = Deutschland/Germany
 
So I found some interesting information on the Apple website.

When you click on the "How much storage is right for you" link, there is a note at the bottom that says:

Note: Mac mini storage is not user accessible. If you think you may need more storage capacity in the future, consider upgrading at the time of purchase.​

When you click on the "How much memory is right for you?" link, there is NO mention that ram is not user accessible. Hard to say this confirms anything, but I'd wager from all the photos, and what they said at the event about SODIMM, plus this finding on the website, it really seems to me that RAM will be upgradeable.
 
opeter said:
Guys, we just need to wait a week or so and someone will have a teardown of the Mac mini...
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More like half a day, I guess the embargo is due Monday as a news to start the week. Even without a true teardown, just a regular reviewer can spend 5 minutes or less to determine if the SO-DIMMs are harder to get to than the previous gen.
 
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Chancha said:
More like half a day, I guess the embargo is due Monday as a news to start the week. Even without a true teardown, just a regular reviewer can spend 5 minutes or less to determine if the SO-DIMMs are harder to get to than the previous gen.
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Where did you see that?
 
I think we'll see North American reviews, some including info the the situation with RAM, Wednesday morning at the latest, both on-line and on YouTube. RAM info may come from Australia or Asia before North America. Precise date/time depends on the embargo agreement.

I'm purchasing, but want to know the RAM situation first. I may drop by the NY flagship store at midnight tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that the mini will be available, certainly by morning, as discussed in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...hould-apple-stores-have-the-mac-mini.2152518/
 
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FlyingTexan said:
"I think" and "it looks like"? Not if you bothered watching the presentation or simply visiting apple.com where they updated the store instantly and it's one of the very first things they mentioned. The keynote was literally still going and it was updated. I'm willing to bet it took longer to come here and write your question then it would have to read it on the front page of the mini website itself.
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8 pages in, this comment has aged well.
 
This repeats a post that I just made in the thread Any pro reviews yet of the new Mini?, but is relevant to the discussion in the last few posts here:

The reviews of the new iPad Pro are all coming out today, starting early this morning. That's two days ahead of the official release date. Jonathan Morrison, in his YouTube description, says that he had 72 hours with it:


His review is just one of many published in the last few hours.
 
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Nihilvor said:
I haven't seen anything yet, but it looks like we won't be waiting long for the details. This reviewer writes that he's ready to open it up and give it a go: https://www.zdnet.com/article/yes-i-bought-a-2018-mac-mini-and-heres-how-i-specd-it-out/
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There are some interesting paragraphs in that article about the RAM:

Fortunately, the new Mac mini allows for RAM upgrades. The Apple spokesperson I spoke to last week told me, "Yes, Mac mini is configurable up to 64GB and uses industry-standard DDR4 SO-DIMMs. While we don't consider the memory directly end-user accessible, service providers can access the internals of the Mac mini to upgrade the memory."

Since the 32GB upgrade is a whopping $600 more than the base 8GB unit, I opted for the 8GB unit. I then went over to Amazon and picked up some Corsair Vengeance Performance 32GB (2x16GB) 260-Pin DDR4 SO-DIMM (PC4 21300) RAM. That set me back $288 instead of $600.

While Apple has not been entirely clear on what it means by "service providers," Tim Cook did go out of his way to state that the Mac mini supports SO-DIMM modules. I'm honestly not entirely sure what I'll encounter when the Mac arrives, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.

Stay tuned, because once the machine arrives, I'll do a piece on what it takes to add the RAM.​
 
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