Max memory size on Mac Mini late 2012

[Andrea Filippini]

Hi everyone,
from Intel official website https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...5.1592397491.1609291776-1806131950.1609291776 you can see up to 32 GB RAM with i7-3615QM.
Apple and other suppliers has set 16 GB RAM as the maximum.
I don't know if the machine supports 32 GB RAM with the last OS (Catalina).
Anybody has tried?

 

[mdgm]

I don't have the 2012 Mini, but from memory the limitation to 16GB RAM comes down to only having 2 RAM slots. If it had four RAM slots it could have had 4x8GB modules like the 27" late 2012 iMac. Similarly the 2011 Mini is limited to 16GB RAM (2x8GB) whereas the 21.5" and 27" mid-2011 iMacs can take 32GB (4x8GB).

 

[Sedulous]

Apple lists 16GB as max. I have not attempted to drop in more.

 

[mdgm]

Apple lists 16GB as max. I have not attempted to drop in more.

There are several Macs where you can put in more than what Apple lists as the max (see e.g. http://macsales.com/maxram). However, the 2012 Mini is not one of them. Apple doesn't list Macs as supporting more than what the max ram was that they shipped with.

You can also consider the case of the 2018 Mini. The 2018 mini supports 64GB (2x32GB) whereas the 27" early 2019 and mid-2020 iMacs can take 128GB RAM (4x32GB). 2 slots for RAM limits how much can be installed.

If you need an Intel Mini with more than 16GB RAM then you should get the 2018 Mini whilst it's still available. The process to upgrade the RAM is much more involved than in the 2012 though.

The 2018 is much faster than the 2012 and has TB3 ports which can be used to connect extremely fast external storage. A TB3 NVMe SSD makes for a very good boot drive.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

I don't have the 2012 Mini, but from memory the limitation to 16GB RAM comes down to only having 2 RAM slots. If it had four RAM slots it could have had 4x8GB modules like the 27" late 2012 iMac. Similarly the 2011 Mini is limited to 16GB RAM (2x8GB) whereas the 21.5" and 27" mid-2011 iMacs can take 32GB (4x8GB).

Basically the machine supports up to 32 GB RAM but the problem is the slots limitation.
I have searched a lot but I haven't found a unique 16 GB module with these specs.

There are several Macs where you can put in more than what Apple lists as the max (see e.g. http://macsales.com/maxram). However, the 2012 Mini is not one of them. Apple doesn't list Macs as supporting more than what the max ram was that they shipped with.

You can also consider the case of the 2018 Mini. The 2018 mini supports 64GB (2x32GB) whereas the 27" early 2019 and mid-2020 iMacs can take 128GB RAM (4x32GB). 2 slots for RAM limits how much can be installed.

If you need an Intel Mini with more than 16GB RAM then you should get the 2018 Mini whilst it's still available. The process to upgrade the RAM is much more involved than in the 2012 though.

The 2018 is much faster than the 2012 and has TB3 ports which can be used to connect extremely fast external storage. A TB3 NVMe SSD makes for a very good boot drive.

2018 Mac Mini are pretty expensive in Italy (Apple refurbished have insane price but even not Apple renewed are high).
With stress test I have reached a peak of 11 GB RAM so my 2012 Mac Mini is ok. It runs the latest supported OS (Catalina) so I think I will be fine for almost a decade with this machine.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I’ve seen that spec as well, and assume the 2012 Mac mini would support 32GB (2 x 16GB). However, finding a 16GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is very difficult, and they are not cheap. This is the only one I found quick searching top resellers.

Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 - Newegg.com

Buy Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

I haven’t tried one as, like you, my workflow hasn’t needed beyond 16GB total.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

I’ve seen that spec as well, and assume the 2012 Mac mini would support 32GB (2 x 16GB). However, finding a 16GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is very difficult, and they are not cheap. This is the only one I found quick searching top resellers.

Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 - Newegg.com

Buy Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

I haven’t tried one as, like you, my workflow hasn’t needed beyond 16GB total.

Thank you very much man for the link! The specs are the same.
I have done an another stress test on Mac Mini late 2012: +30 chrome tabs, office suite, iTunes, Podcast, WhatsApp, telegram, mail, outlook, torrent client, 1080p 60 fps on YT, 1080p videos .mkv on vlc player...
i7-3615QM CPU never has a problem, Ram usage it's almost 14 GB (I have attached the activity monitor).

In this stress test I haven't used Adobe Photoshop 2020.
Maybe it's worth a try.

 

[InuNacho]

People used to call me crazy for wanting to put 32GB in my 2012 i7 cMBP. If you can find the sticks just do it, screw all the naysayers.

 

[ktcifone]

my 2012 mini was running rough with video in 2018 good for you for keeping it alive I didnt have the heart to replace the SSD in the unit again.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

my 2012 mini was running rough with video in 2018 good for you for keeping it alive I didnt have the heart to replace the SSD in the unit again.

It's a very good machine.
Do you have the i7 2.3 or the i7 2.6?

 

[Andrea Filippini]

I’ve seen that spec as well, and assume the 2012 Mac mini would support 32GB (2 x 16GB). However, finding a 16GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is very difficult, and they are not cheap. This is the only one I found quick searching top resellers.

Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 - Newegg.com

Buy Visiontek 16GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Notebook Memory Model 900848 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

I haven’t tried one as, like you, my workflow hasn’t needed beyond 16GB total.

+++ For anyone interested in upgrade the memory of Apple Mac Mini late 2012 +++
VisionTek (manufacturer) has replied to me about the item:

Based on the specs that Apple has provided, it seems that while the Processor can reach up to 32GB, the BIOS or Firmware on the Mac Mini can only reach 16GB. I'm not sure if this is something a simple Kext adjustment could fix or not. As well, we have not tested this memory kit in a MacOS product as its difficult to get working.