M2 Mini user-upgradeable?

[foosayer]

I have a 2012 Core-i7 Mini to which I added a large SSD and more memory. Is it known if the 2023 M2 mini can be similarly expanded after purchase? Not so concerned with warranty issues.

 

[biffuz]

Never seen one, but I would say no.

 

[Freerojo]

It’s my understanding that you get only one crack at what you want when you order one.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I have a 2012 Core-i7 Mini to which I added a large SSD and more memory. Is it known if the 2023 M2 mini can be similarly expanded after purchase? Not so concerned with warranty issues.

Nothing can be upgraded with Apple silicon. Suggest researching it more as there’s years of info available now.

 

[etaleb]

when have you folks seen the need for 16gb? My primary work load is 2 basic spreasdsheets, ms outlook, ms teams, web browser with 15 tabs, evernote and that's it. Thanks

 

[macsound1]

when have you folks seen the need for 16gb? My primary work load is 2 basic spreasdsheets, ms outlook, ms teams, web browser with 15 tabs, evernote and that's it. Thanks

I have an M1 base Mac mini - 8GB ram, 256GB ram. It’s great. I actually use it to play a game - Cities Skylines.
For anything “normal” 8GB on M1 is great.
It usually when you have dozens of apps, some of which run background processes where you start feeling the lack of ram.
That being said, I’m replacing a 2013 15” MBP with an M2 14” with 32GB of ram, because I want it last another 10 years.

 

[foosayer]

Thanks m'Lord. I had forgotten reading that the Apple silicon has soldered ram for memory and SSD, to prevent such shenanigans as we moders pull to reduce our costs. Still wondering if there are connectors and internal space for a detached SSD install, or is external drive only option? Looks like 800 USD is the price for a 16GB ram M2. I have experienced slowness on rare occasions with 8GB, so doubling that seems the best defense to obsolescence. But weighing cost-benefit, might make sense to put up with rare slowing events and go for the 600 USD model, to save 33%. Who can explain offering customers such poor value options?? Looking at the precipitous drop in the amounts Apple offers for its used gear now adds further fuel to the customers' ire, causing us to ask why we keep coming back for more insults to our common sense.

 

[CausticPuppy]

For a desktop, it’s easy to expand storage with an external SSD. It won’t be as fast as the built in SSD but you also won’t notice unless you’re copying huge files back and forth.

For a laptop, it makes sense to get a bigger internal SSD at purchase time unless you want a little box dangling off your computer all the time.

 

[meson]

ifixit M1 Mac Mini Teardown

Here is the ifixit teardown for the M1 Mini. There are no extra connectors, and no reason to expect that the guts of the M2 mini will look significantly different given that they ship with the same port selection and case design. You need to order the RAM and internal storage that you believe you will need for the machine up front. Storage can be augmented with external drives.

I hate adding clutter to my desk, but external storage is the way to go with the Mini. There are a few usb c hubs with storage bays designed so that the mini can sit on top offering a more aesthetically pleasing solution, but I find them a little steep in price for a drive enclosure with a usb hub built in. I may give in and pick one up in the future.

If you are starting to run into RAM issues, then a bump in RAM may be worth it on your next machine. That is a call that you need to make. That said, the internal SSDs in the new machines are WAY faster than SATA III drive you have in your 2012 machine. Those minor slowdowns will be shorter lived with the new machine. FWIW, I opted for 16/256 on my M1 Mini. Like you, the RAM wasn't entirely necessary (but highly beneficial at times when I'm doing things a bit out of the ordinary for me), but I chose it as a luxury over more storage and stayed within my budget for the machine.

 

[iZac]

You can upgrade the Display, Keyboard and Mouse. 😅

 

[Fishrrman]

The answer is "no".

You can't upgrade RAM or the SSD.

That's the end of the story.
(well, I suppose one could replace the motherboard...)

 

[azentropy]

Thanks m'Lord. I had forgotten reading that the Apple silicon has soldered ram for memory and SSD, to prevent such shenanigans as we moders pull to reduce our costs.

Yes it reduces cost, however Unified Memory also can greatly improve performance.

I do however wish they would make storage upgradable/removable. There isn't much if any speed advantages from doing so and there is plenty of room vs the space savings in a laptop.