Mac Mini EFI Update 1.2 Enables 8GB

[rw3]

Below you will discover my findings as well as some benchmarks of the Corsair P256 SSD....

Also, the Mac Mini runs a lot hotter with the 8GB. I believe this is due to the very low air flow that the chipset and GPU see. However, after 24 hours of intense testing (Handbrake encoding 1080p BluRay rips), everything was good. Temps were within a reasonable range.

rw3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhUm4vaCaY8&fmt=18

 

[GoCubsGo]

Holy crap this is great! I don't really need 8 gb for my HTPC, but damn that is awesome.

 

[rgarjr]

woahser.. nice findings. Still can't believe you actually found that out first than OWC, a Mac store.

Nice work.

 

[MacMini2009]

Nice! Now I can upgrade to 8GB when it gets cheaper!

 

[cainnovacaine]

Too expensive right now, but I'm very excited to try this. Have you noticed any quirks in terms of memory handling? You made my day. FYI.

 

[dubhe]

Maybe we can all club together to buy some 4GB memory sticks in bulk

 

[opeter]

This is superb information, but the 4GB DDR3 so-dimm RAM modules are not cheap. Sadly.

Anyway, great find! Congrats

 

[G.T.]

would this mean that the first unibody mbp's will get 8gb support?

 

[opeter]

would this mean that the first unibody mbp's will get 8gb support?

I don't think so. Only these, that gave a Geforce 9xxx for integrated GPU.

 

[reebzor]

So you pretty much have the sickest Mini in the world?

If only these 4gb sticks were cheaper.

 

[jrm27]

Whoa, that is very very cool. I'm gonna ask a noobish question though...

I need to go ahead and do some work on my mini (upgrade the hard drive, put in a new superdrive, etc..). So while i'm in there I'm thinking it might be cool to really boost the RAM.

My mini is a little older (Bought in January 2008) with the following specs: 2.0 Intel Core 2 Duo/1 GB DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)/120 GB

Would it be able to run with and 8gig setup? Or is this jsut for the most recent generation?

 

[rw3]

jrm27 - Only the most current generation will handle the 8GB. Your generation can handle 4GB of which only 3.25GB is usable. The biggest upgrade for anyone with a Mini for performance should be the SSD.

I also benchmarked the SuperTalent UltraDrive ME (OCZ Vertex Rebrand) and it was faster than the Corsair. It made the Mini feel like a Mac Pro, except in how the decoding took.

 

[Gav2k]

Whoa, that is very very cool. I'm gonna ask a noobish question though...

I need to go ahead and do some work on my mini (upgrade the hard drive, put in a new superdrive, etc..). So while i'm in there I'm thinking it might be cool to really boost the RAM.

My mini is a little older (Bought in January 2008) with the following specs: 2.0 Intel Core 2 Duo/1 GB DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)/120 GB

Would it be able to run with and 8gig setup? Or is this jsut for the most recent generation?

Ddr3 spec'd minis mate.

 

[zmttoxics]

Whoa, that is very very cool. I'm gonna ask a noobish question though...

I need to go ahead and do some work on my mini (upgrade the hard drive, put in a new superdrive, etc..). So while i'm in there I'm thinking it might be cool to really boost the RAM.

My mini is a little older (Bought in January 2008) with the following specs: 2.0 Intel Core 2 Duo/1 GB DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)/120 GB

Would it be able to run with and 8gig setup? Or is this jsut for the most recent generation?

The update was only for the new models that sport DDR3.

I noticed the update and I put my girlfriends mini to SL and said out loud to her, "I bet that is to let you run 8GB of RAM". Guess I was right.

 

[jrm27]

That was my suspicion. Thanks fellas, your help is much appreciated!

I'll look into an SSD, or at least what benefits I could see from upgrading to one. I have an SSD in my Dell Mini (running OSX of course) and it's great.

Thanks again all!

 

[rkdiddy]

WOW - that is awesome. Nice find.

So back when iStats use to work (prior to SL), my memory usage was never above 60% or so. That was with running CS4.

Why would someone need 8gb?

 

[opeter]

In Germany, one 4 GB DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM module costs about 250-270 €.

The cheapest 8 GB kit (2 x 4 GB), I found, was 539 €.
For this money, I could buy another 2009 based 2 GHz Mac mini (base model).

 

[cainnovacaine]

Why would someone need 8gb?

You're probably going to defend your stupid question with a stupid answer, but I'm pretty sure you are only asking to get people to flame you.

The answer is because they can. But really, why would anyone want 8 GB in a MacBook Pro, that has been an option for awhile. Some people will use it, others won't.

For me, RAM always returns the favor. It lets you hold onto a new machine for a bit longer with each incremental upgrade. Also, as computer specs go up, generally the programs you run demand more power and room.

 

[rkdiddy]

You're probably going to defend your stupid question with a stupid answer, but I'm pretty sure you are only asking to get people to flame you.

The answer is because they can. But really, why would anyone want 8 GB in a MacBook Pro, that has been an option for awhile. Some people will use it, others won't.

For me, RAM always returns the favor. It lets you hold onto a new machine for a bit longer with each incremental upgrade. Also, as computer specs go up, generally the programs you run demand more power and room.

Gee, thanks.

Anyways...

Maybe I should reword my question. Besides the obvious answer "because you can" - can a machine like the Mini really utilize that amount of RAM. My point is if you're not tapping out your RAM running one of the more resource demanding programs like the CS4 suite - why would you add this? It seems to me, in the Mini your bottleneck wouldn't be your RAM.

I'm not looking for a flame (or back handed flame ) - I'm legitimately asking.

 

[macrumorsMaster]

Maybe I should reword my question. Besides the obvious answer "because you can" - can a machine like the Mini really utilize that amount of RAM. My point is if you're not tapping out your RAM running one of the more resource demanding programs like the CS4 suite - why would you add this?

yes rewording does help. Asking the generic way does seem silly.
If you don't have resource hogging program's like FCS, Adobe's suite, 3d modeling, etc. you may not need it.
But it could help, even if you don't use those, IF you like to have A LOT of programs open at the same time(and/or a lot of tabs open in a web browser, etc).

 

[dyn]

Maybe I should reword my question. Besides the obvious answer "because you can" - can a machine like the Mini really utilize that amount of RAM.

I think that it's more dependant on the software you're using. If you're using virtualisation a lot (like VMware Fusion) than you can benefit from it since it allows you to either run more vm's simultaneous or appoint more memory to the vm's. All in all the 4 GB in the mini are quite nice but when you're using virtualisation a lot the 4 GB becomes really humble very quick. Especially when you use Windows vm's (512MB works ok but 1 GB is much better). Remember that you still need some memory for OS X and the other software you're running, so it's not just the vm's!

 

[rkdiddy]

I think that it's more dependant on the software you're using. If you're using virtualisation a lot (like VMware Fusion) than you can benefit from it since it allows you to either run more vm's simultaneous or appoint more memory to the vm's. All in all the 4 GB in the mini are quite nice but when you're using virtualisation a lot the 4 GB becomes really humble very quick. Especially when you use Windows vm's (512MB works ok but 1 GB is much better). Remember that you still need some memory for OS X and the other software you're running, so it's not just the vm's!

That is a really good point, I hadn't thought about VM/Parallels/etc.

 

[Krafty]

4GB is doing me well, I don't know if I want to go through surgery again with it let alone pay for 2x4GB sticks.

 

[multicore]

Seeing it and using it are two different things. What does Activity Monitor show?

 

[JasonR]

On a side note, what settings are you guys using to rip DVDs using Handbrake? I've got a 1080P TV, a Mac Mini, and a large external hard drive...