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Mac mini (2018) RAM Upgrade

Zeebedy

Zeebedy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 10, 2011
362
71
Scotland, UK
Hey guys,

Just back into the Mac mini eco system, I had a M1 but was overkill for my needs..

I recently got a 2018 base model and its been great so far..

Im just really on the fence about upgrading the RAM, my usage is fine atm, and its only really for the basic tasks and some Rekordbox for my DJ Software, and wondering if going from 8gb to 16/32 gigs will actually make the computer faster, more stable etc..

If I did upgrade I think it would be done by myself and purchasing the equipment (RAM and tools) from Amazon.


Cheers guys!
 
now i see it said:
If you’re swapping out to disk a ton, more RAM can prevent that.
Click to expand...

yeah that is the case, it’s swapping a small amount atm.

steve217 said:
The M1 was overkill but the higher priced slower model is a better fit?
Click to expand...

I paid about 1/3 less than the M1 mini, with immaculate condition and a two year warranty. So it suited me financially a bit better, plus I had no option of changing the ram on the M1 even if I wanted too.
 
You most definitely can do this yourself. The iFixit website has a great tutorial how to upgrade the RAM for your Mac mini, take your time and follow the instructions!

If you are planning on getting a tool kit, I recommend getting the Pro Tech kit from iFixit, great tool kit and can be used for future projects [like fixing iPhone / iPads] if you really wanted to!
 
I upgraded my 8 gb mini to 32 gb. Not the easiest to do but doable with ifixit instructions. Went from serious issues in watching youtube videos to being a beast. My opinion is to have a min of 16gb ram on a 2018.
 
Upgrading RAM on a 2018 Mini is "user-doable", but... it's a complex procedure and you must have THE RIGHT TOOLS for the job.

Take the time to "study up" before you try it.

Since about 1.5gb of the 8gb of your current RAM is "roped off" for video usage (leaving about 6.5gb for the OS and apps), you might find a bump-up to 16gb a good choice.
 
thanks guys, for my usage will 16gb be ok then? or as "harriska2" suggests, 32gb?

And I never thought about the RAM usage for the GPU, that's a good point!
 
I upgraded my RAM on the 2018 version, it is an easy enough job with the right tools, just take your time and use care, the WIFI connector is a pain to place correctly and there is another one that breaks easily.

If you are going to do it then go for 32GB even if you don't need it yet. Better to do the operation once and the cost difference is not that significant.
 
thanks guys, I have just ordered a precision tool kit for it, and 32gb ram on two 16gb sticks.

I have been watching some YT videos and it does seem fairly easy to do (handle pc computers with ease) and the only thing that bothers me a little is the antenna and led indication cables.

and yeah, the cost was only around £40 more for the 32gb apposed to 16gb and it will be future-proofed.

will update once I have received the kit and its been installed!


cheers guys!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matz, LeeW, harriska2 and 1 other person
Also check out OWC's video on upgrading a 2018 Mac mini's memory:

https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac-mini-2018-memory/


I also recommend going to 32 GB for future-proofing (which is what I did). I figured that as long as I have the Mac mini opened up, I might as well take it to 32 GB (and 64 GB for me would be total overkill!).

Keep in mind that although 16 GB might be adequate now, when the final macOS supported by the 2018 Mac mini is released years from now, it will most likely be much happier with 32 GB of RAM than with 16 GB.
 
I did a 8GB to 32GB upgrade on my 2018 Mini. It's dosable but you literally have to take the machine apart fully to get at the RAM slots. Pain in the backside but I'm now sitting pretty on 32GB :)
 
harriska2 said:
I upgraded my 8 gb mini to 32 gb. Not the easiest to do but doable with ifixit instructions. Went from serious issues in watching youtube videos to being a beast. My opinion is to have a min of 16gb ram on a 2018.
Click to expand...
My 2018 mac mini i5 8gb runs youtube easily
 
8GB is unnacceptable in the Intel Mac Mini. You did the right choice in upgrading to 32GB over 16GB.
 
The integrated graphics on the 2018 Mini use 1.5gb of system RAM, leaving only 6.5gb available for everything else. In 2022, that's not much. If there isn't enough physical memory available, MacOS will start swapping data to the SSD. Since the SSD is fast, that might not be noticable in and of itself. However, heavy disk access generates a lot of heat and that can cause the CPU to throttle and slow everything down.
 
For my use case -- running a Win 32 bit vm using Parallels and giving it 4 gb ram — 32 gb has worked well. With just 16 gb there was a lot of swapping going on.
 
harriska2 said:
I was using a 4k and it was scaled. I suspect you may not have had the same setup.
Click to expand...

I use this Mac mini for streaming my Gh5 with a $10 capture card using obs while screen recording, its fine power wise.

problem i find is it needs a $1000 usb-c monitor to have a pleasant visual experience, totally not worth buying tbh iMac is a better product
 
mini5apple said:
problem i find is it needs a $1000 usb-c monitor to have a pleasant visual experience, totally not worth buying tbh iMac is a better product
Click to expand...
I feel like I am missing some knowledge here. I am using a 4K UHD Samsung M7 32"(it has usb-c as well) monitor with my Late 2014 Mac mini and it is a fairly pleasant visual experience.
 
mini5apple said:
I use this Mac mini for streaming my Gh5 with a $10 capture card using obs while screen recording, its fine power wise.

problem i find is it needs a $1000 usb-c monitor to have a pleasant visual experience, totally not worth buying tbh iMac is a better product
Click to expand...
$10 capture card? Maybe I'm a bit out of the loop but don't the cheaper capture devices have on chip compression to squeeze through USB? I have an older Blackmagic card that caps out at 1080p 60 which is fine for my analog -> digital needs but using a $10 card with a camera like that sounds a bit odd.

Also there are plenty of Ultrasharps out there in the used market that are under $1000. Heck if you don't care about sub-4k resolution, the Dell U3011 I have used for the past decade looks and works great on my 2018 Mini.
 
My wife has complained about stuttering on her base mini with QHD display so I'm looking at a 2010 iMac 27 to possibly replace it for a while so that I can upgrade the RAM on her mini. I don't know what the specs of the iMac are though it's either the quad-core i5 or the i7 but I can easily put in 16 or 32 GB of RAM if it doesn't already have that much. Price is $100 or best offer and it appears that there's been no interest in it for a week. I will say that it's harder to find deep discounts on Mac minis. The best in my area is an i7, 64 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD for $1,150.
 
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