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upgrading the Mini

Z

zoran

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 30, 2005
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When one wants to use a Mac mini as his personal main computer, what is the best he can do in order to upgrade it?
Can he upgrade the memory or the ssd other than the options provided when it’s ordered?
Will extra ports be needed? Does that mean a hub should be available? Any cool hub to suggest?
 
zoran said:
When one wants to use a Mac mini as his personal main computer, what is the best he can do in order to upgrade it?
Can he upgrade the memory or the ssd other than the options provided when it’s ordered?
Will extra ports be needed? Does that mean a hub should be available? Any cool hub to suggest?
Click to expand...
It depends on which Mac mini you’re talking about.

If you’re referring to the 2018 Intel Mac mini that’s still being sold by Apple you can upgrade the RAM. I did this on mine. Apple says it’s not user upgradable, and the reason is that it takes a bit of skill, and there is risk of damaging something. If you’ve never taken apart a laptop for repair, I would not do it yourself. That’s just my advice and I’m sure someone will disagree with it.

If you’re talking about the new M1 Mac mini, nothing inside is upgradable. Buy the configuration you need from the start.

As to hubs, I didn’t need one because it has lots of ports. There are many available. I can’t personally recommend one though.
 
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Zoran – Mac minis from before 2020 have user-upgradeable memory (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205041) and it's even possible to get at the hard drives with a little difficulty depending on the earlier model. But user upgrades to the internals are not an intention for Apple Silicon Macs from 2020 or later, so that's more of a risky or advanced operation.

I've just upgraded to a 2020 Mac mini myself and the ports are enough for me, but there are plenty of decent hubs, including some which complement its design (example: bit.ly/3FDpIpj).
 
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Boyd01 said:
Memory in the 2018 Mini can be upgraded but the SSD cannot.
Click to expand...
Why can’t the ssd be upgraded? What has Apple done?
Also can I use a hub to connect larger drives? What ports are the best that can be used for this?
 

zoran​


what Mini model?
do we own one or are we looking for one?

Just be careful

I tried placing an extra drive on the 2012 Mac mini and the fan slot popped off the logic board while reassembling.
when I used that daily after the damage I purchased a USB replacement fan use to to cool hard that helmets which almost fits perfectly, and cooled the mini better than the original, the fan is 1/4 too thick to closed the bottom cover.
but the fan noise was annoying. I might sell this for 'as is' on Ebay since that has an 17 intel processor.

anyways:

The Mac Mini is a great computer and the older ones can run Monterey and now Ventura with OCLP.
 
zoran said:
Why can’t the ssd be upgraded? What has Apple done?
Also can I use a hub to connect larger drives? What ports are the best that can be used for this?
Click to expand...
The SSD as part of the logic board. It is not socketed and cannot be removed.

Of course it has USB-C/thunderbolt connections that you can add external drives. It depends on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend but if you get a thunderbolt drive it's extremely fast.

I would recommend going with the M1 Mac mini even though the ram is not upgradable. It's much better for most uses. I'm not sure what purpose the computer is going to be for though. That would be a major factor in your decision
 
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Boyd01 said:
That's not quite right... the RAM in the 2014 Mini cannot be upgraded but the SSD can. Memory in the 2018 Mini can be upgraded but the SSD cannot. You need to go back to 2012 for a Mini where both RAM and SSD can be upgraded.
Click to expand...
You're right, I was exceedingly terse with that – they really reconfigured them between major models.
 
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zoran said:
I will be using it for Graphic Design work (Adobe CC apps)
Click to expand...
I don’t do that type of work, so I’m not really a the best person to give you advice. I would say if you get the M1, make sure whatever apps or plug-ins work with Apple Silicon. Maybe ask people on here that use Adobe CC. I suspect by now everything is good, but make sure before you spend the money.

I feel the 2018 Mac mini is just a bit expensive for the performance you get compared to the newer Apple Silicon mini.
 
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Do you already have a mini? If so, you haven't told us which one.

If you don't have one yet, I suggest waiting until spring 2023 for the predicted M2 Mac mini, and get it with 24 GB RAM. (That's assuming your plug-ins work.) For storage you can get say 512 GB and then expand with external USB-C SSDs. Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 hubs are now affordable too. I am using the Plugable 5-in-1 with good results. Other identical ones are the Club 3D and the OWC. They all use the same standard design with the Intel Goshen Ridge chipset.

The 2018 has expandable RAM, but it will be losing macOS support in a few years.
 
EugW said:
The 2018 has expandable RAM, but it will be losing macOS support in a few years.
Click to expand...

How many years is "a few"? The 2018 Mini is still a current model, so the "support countdown" has not even begun yet. Apple supports hardware for at least 5 years after a model is discontinued. Don't think there's an official policy about software support, but think it's also 5 years, maybe longer. You might not be able to install the newest operating system, but you should be able to install one that is still supported with security updates.

Assuming that the 2018 Mini is finally discontinued in 2023, IMO it should still be supported until at least 2028.
 
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Boyd01 said:
How many years is "a few"? The 2018 Mini is still a current model, so the "support countdown" has not even begun yet. Apple supports hardware for at least 5 years after a model is discontinued.
Click to expand...
I used to believe the same thing, but that is not correct. For ones that have been on the market for a long time, often the support period is shortened after discontinuation date. For example, the 2017 MacBook Air was discontinued in 2019, and it has already lost macOS updates, aside from security updates. That is 3 years after the discontinuation date.

I wouldn't be completely surprised to see the 2018 model lose updates in 2025 (aside from security updates).
 
The 2017 MacBook Air can run Monterey, which (AFAIK) is expected to be supported until 2024. That is consistent with what I posted above - being able to run a supported operating system for 5 years after discontinuation. So, what was "not correct" about my post?

Boyd01 said:
Don't think there's an official policy about software support, but think it's also 5 years, maybe longer. You might not be able to install the newest operating system, but you should be able to install one that is still supported with security updates.
Click to expand...
 
Boyd01 said:
The 2017 MacBook Air can run Monterey, which (AFAIK) is expected to be supported until 2024. That is consistent with what I posted above - being able to run a supported operating system for 5 years after discontinuation. So, what was "not correct" about my post?
Click to expand...
I was talking about macOS generational updates of course. I wouldn't buy a used 2018 model in 2022 over a used M1 for example. IMO, the 2018 only makes sense if you get it very cheap, or if you have stuff that requires Intel. Cuz pricing on the M1 has dropped recently too.

For example, I paid US$820 for a used M1 Mac mini with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD last month. That might be a better deal than average, but with prices like that, it makes the Intel models much less attractive IMO.

I also bought the ancient 2014 Mac mini last year, but I only paid $145 plus shipping, for i5 2.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and 1 TB HD.
 
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EugW said:
I was talking about macOS generational updates of course.
Click to expand...

Sure, and that's fine. However you quoted me and said you used to believe the same thing. But the quote was out of context, leaving out the next sentence where I defined "support" as meaning security updates, so it really wasn't the "same thing".
 
Starfia said:
I've just upgraded to a 2020 Mac mini myself and the ports are enough for me, but there are plenty of decent hubs, including some which complement its design (example: bit.ly/3FDpIpj).
Click to expand...
That seems pretty cool. Are there equivalents?
 
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