Mac Mini - 2gb DDR?

[joecool85]

I've noticed you can get 2gb PC 2700/3200 DDR 184pin chips, when will the mac mini be compatible with them? (if ever) Any speculations?

 

[mrgreen4242]

I can't say for certain, but it is likely that the right 2gb chip will work in the mini right now. I remember when the iBook was rated for just 640mb max and the 1gb chips came out people started to use those with high levels of success.

As the 2gb chips are so expensive right now, your best bet is to just wait it out until someone out there does some testing to see which 2gb modules work with the mini.

 

[CanadaRAM]

I've noticed you can get 2gb PC 2700/3200 DDR 184pin chips, when will the mac mini be compatible with them? (if ever) Any speculations?

The Mini does not work with registered, stacked-chip or ECC RAM modules. nor with modules taller than 1.2 inches. There are to my knowledge no DDR modules made that fit all of the criteria. The 2 Gb modules you see are made for servers and high end workstations and are not suitable.

The detailed memory spec for the Mini SEEMS to leave the door open for a 2 Gb module if one were manufactured to fit all the requirements. This obviously has never been confirmed.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

 

[tuartboy]

yeah, it was my understanding that the 12" PB was fixed at 1.25gb only because the largest notebook ram available is 1gb. I doubt it has a different memory controller than the 15" which can hit 2gb because it doesn't have a fixed 256.

 

[CanadaRAM]

yeah, it was my understanding that the 12" PB was fixed at 1.25gb only because the largest notebook ram available is 1gb. I doubt it has a different memory controller than the 15" which can hit 2gb because it doesn't have a fixed 256.

Right, but wrong.

If they have the same memory controller, the 12" will be forever limited to 1.25 Gb, because it has one socket and the 15" has 2 sockets. The limiting factor in the memory controller is the number of rows and columns it can address on the chip -- not the total amount of memory. (there are secondary limiting factors as well such as the number of chips and the organization of the RAM into banks)

A 2 Gb module (which would be required for the 1 socket 12") would have to have chips that were twice as dense as the 1 Gb module (or would have to stack 32 chips on a module). In either case, the memory controller simply would not have the ability to call the memory locations of half of the addresses available.

Hypothetically then, if the 12" could go to 2.125 Gb, then the 15" could go to 4 Gb

In rare occasions, like the iMac G4 DDR machines, the memory controller has the ability to address a larger memory space than was originally specced - which is why the iMac G4's with DDR RAM can use 1 Gb modules even though the original spec is for 512 Mb modules maximum.