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Mac Mini RAM discussion

You can do it!

If a tech can do it, so can you. You will likely need to fabricate a simple tool to open the clips, but it will be doable.

I have completely gutted my Cube more times than I can remember, so this memory upgrade likely rates a 3 on a 0-10 difficulty scale for anyone with *some* technical ability.

I will suggest ordering it with 512 and live with it (plenty memory as it is) until you learn to open the sucker. Once upgraded, put the spare memory on eBay.

Regards,
 
RqThrottle said:
If a tech can do it, so can you. You will likely need to fabricate a simple tool to open the clips, but it will be doable.

I have completely gutted my Cube more times than I can remember, so this memory upgrade likely rates a 3 on a 0-10 difficulty scale for anyone with *some* technical ability.

I will suggest ordering it with 512 and live with it (plenty memory as it is) until you learn to open the sucker. Once upgraded, put the spare memory on eBay.

Regards,
Click to expand...

The issue is the warranty and AppleCare. If you can not prove that an authorized tech did the work, Apple is not obligated to do warranty repairs even if the RAM was not the issue.
 
I've tried to take a bit of a break from the forums while MWSF craziness has been rife but I guess it's time to jump back in a whole 24hrs after the keynote 🙄

I would just go for the 512MB I think it's enough, if you're careful to make sure you don't try to do too much at once. Then when 1GB dimms are cheaper and people have figured out how to upgrade the mac mini make the jump down the road.

As for refurbs I bought my 12" rev. B powerbook as a refurb and apart from the lack of normal box you wouldn't know it was a refurb. You have the same Apple warranty so I really wouldn't worry about going the refurb route. You may get the odd scratch but after the first look over it your won't notice it again and just think what you could spend that saving on (more ram, iPod shuffle whatever you want). I really would recommend refurbs, it has been known for people to actually get better computers than advertised through refurbs as well (ie more RAM, bigger hard disk etc.) although this is generally on PMs and definitely don't expect it!


Anyway my take on the mac mini and its lack of easy RAM upgradability is a couple of points long. The first and most likely reason it isn't easy is Apple really wanted to keep the price down on these machines, that was their foremost concern. Hence they have cut out the probably time consuming and a little tricky task of making sure customer installable parts are really easy to fit. As they have always been on recent macs, for example the airport card and ram under the keyboard on the ibooks and Ti-Books or the airport card accessible from the battery compartment and the ram from underneath on the Al-Books. Or the twist off bottom on the iMac G4 and now the totally do-it-yourself style of the iMac G5 components. All these must have taken a fair bit of time and money to work out the location of everything, which just couldn't be afforded on the mac mini.

The lack of user expandability has a few benefits for Apple though, they can charge a fair bit for RAM upgrade BTOs because someone can't just slap in ram so they don't have to be as competitive (just when their RAM prices were actually getting more reasonable as well 🙄 ). Also as Apple Retail Stores take more and more of the market they're going to get the benefit from increased authorised tech installs down the line. Finally the lack of RAM upgrade may stop the mac mini eating into the eMac too much, although we don't really know what they are going to do with the eMac at the moment, or whether they make more on an eMac (I've heard they are expensive to make). The mac mini really looks like a good product for what it is aimed at though, I would be very tempted to get one as a media centre if I had a hdtv and could get in their to put a big hard disk in.
 
late to the party due to server overload... 😀

sounds like a nifty machine, but i think there are some misunderstandings here...

Mac mini only has one memory slot. so you can't have 768 MB, as the first poster wanted...

also, remember that Mac mini may be sealed with some heat dissipating thermal paste. you'll need to re-apply those if you are going to try to install the RAM yourself.

this is a very "sneaky," if i may say so, way for apple to maintain the profit margin. tiger upgrade and memory upgrade will probably make up for the thinner margin on mini's. though it's completely understandable that the memory slot not be easily accessible in this machine - it's a very small machine...

and for the main target audience, PC users who are being lured by iPods, 256 MB will be fine. 512 MB will be more than adaquate. remember, this is just a G4 in there, guys. if you are expecting to run garageband or photoshop super fast on this $500 machine, that's when you have mismatched expectations.

note that they must have had to use laptop HD instead of the standard desktop HD... that takes a bit off the profit margin too... or at least the availability of bigger HDs...
 
Chip NoVaMac said:
The issue is the warranty and AppleCare. If you can not prove that an authorized tech did the work, Apple is not obligated to do warranty repairs even if the RAM was not the issue.
Click to expand...

Depends on the legal environment you are in.

It's not too widely known, but here in Canada voiding a warranty like that is illegal. In order to refuse warranty work they have to show that what you did actually damaged the item.
 
Does anyone else think it is COMPLETELY INSANE that Apple charges almost as much for a 1GB stick of ram as they do for the Mac mini itself?

I think it is really obnoxious to stifle consumer options to get the most out of their machine by jacking up the price of memory to double the street price. Especially since there is no easy way to install RAM yourself.

So annoying.
 
michaelrjohnson said:
That's exactly what it means. But it has been refurbished. It has been restored to factory spec, and as Apple would have you believe; As good as new.

I'd search the boards to find out about peoples experiences with Apple's refurb machines.
Click to expand...

What does it mean to be restored to factory specs? 😛
 
lem0nayde said:
Does anyone else think it is COMPLETELY INSANE that Apple charges almost as much for a 1GB stick of ram as they do for the Mac mini itself?

I think it is really obnoxious to stifle consumer options to get the most out of their machine by jacking up the price of memory to double the street price. Especially since there is no easy way to install RAM yourself.

So annoying.
Click to expand...

LMFAOOOOOOOOOO - I couldnt of had said it better myself!! 😀
 
Are Apple really this stupid? Don't they understand the importance of maintaining a good reputation amongst their clientele? Some things are more important than screwing every last bean out of your customers at every opportunity! Consistently produce top quality kit, treat your customers with some respect and you're set for life regardless.

I can only guess they're trying to out maneuver Microsoft by resorting to such deceitful, prehensile tactics. If there's a Hot 100 Capitalist Scumbag League, you can be sure Apple just climbed a few places higher up its ladder with this move!

This is part of the reason I switched to Mac in the first place. 🙄
 
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