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can i upgrade?

O

orioncarp24

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 19, 2012
10
0
ok im new to this site im not sure if im doing this right but i need to know if it is possible to upgrade the processor in my Late 2009 mac mini because i upgraded the ram from 2gb to 4gb (witch is max) and it is running terribly slow i open activity monitor and i have plenty of free ram but my processor is like 80% used so if i could just upgrade it or over clock it somehow please let me know, heres my specs

Mac mini
Late 2009
Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB
Serial Number YM9375FL9G5
Software OS X 10.8 (12A269)


i really need help on this
 
Last edited:
All you can really upgrade is the HDD and RAM. All other components are physically soldered onto the main board. To replace these you will need to replace the entire man board, in which case it'll be more cost effective to replace the mac mini itself!
 
Well then try following the guide - good luck!
One small wrong move and your mini will be dead though!

Have you looked into what is keeping the CPU busy in the first instance?
 
if your processor is used 80% most of the time something is wrong and you better re-install your system....
 
orioncarp24 said:
i thought i heard of people upgrading just the cpu chip

http://www.o0o.it/mini/
Click to expand...

The 2006-2008 had boards that the CPU could be swapped on, but with 2009 forward, they have been soldered to the motherboard.

You can not swap your processor on a 2009.

Edit: You really shouldn't put your personal email or phone number on forums. There are spammers who look for these sorts of things just to add you to their lists.....
 
Hardware-wise, there are two ways to speed up your mini:

1) upgrade the RAM to 8GB (the max for all 2009 and 2010 minis)
2) install an SSD (the Samsung 830 works well with the Nvidia chipset).

But first, click 'All Processes' in Activity Monitor and sort by CPU % to see what's taking up your CPU cycles...

(And I second the recommendation about not posting personal details...)
 
surroundfan said:
Hardware-wise, there are two ways to speed up your mini:

1) upgrade the RAM to 8GB (the max for all 2009 and 2010 minis)
2) install an SSD (the Samsung 830 works well with the Nvidia chipset).

But first, click 'All Processes' in Activity Monitor and sort by CPU % to see what's taking up your CPU cycles...

(And I second the recommendation about not posting personal details...)
Click to expand...

if he's using 80% cpu those thing won't really help
 
paulrbeers said:
Edit: You really shouldn't put your personal email or phone number on forums. There are spammers who look for these sorts of things just to add you to their lists.....
Click to expand...

I agree

btw, spammers are the least of your worries. Con Artists also check this
 
is there any kind of scan i can run or something to find out whats really causing it or if its an error or a virus
 
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kc2ine said:
if your processor is used 80% most of the time something is wrong and you better re-install your system....
Click to expand...
There is no need to reinstall the OS. Just diagnose what's using CPU.
kc2ine said:
he has virus...
Click to expand...
False.
orioncarp24 said:
is there any kind of scan i can run or something to find out whats really causing it or if its an error or a virus
Click to expand...
You don't have a virus. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). Also, Mac OS X 10.6 and later versions have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.
  1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall

  2. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General

  3. Disable Java in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox). This will protect you from malware that exploits Java in your browser, including the recent Flashback trojan. Leave Java disabled until you visit a trusted site that requires it, then re-enable only for the duration of your visit to that site. (This is not to be confused with JavaScript, which you should leave enabled.)

  4. Change your DNS servers to OpenDNS servers by reading this.

  5. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.

  6. Never let someone else have access to install anything on your Mac.

  7. Don't open files that you receive from unknown or untrusted sources.

  8. For added security, make sure all network, email, financial and other important passwords are long and complex, including upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

  9. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.
That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any Mac OS X malware that has ever been released into the wild. While you may elect to use it, 3rd party antivirus software is not required to keep your Mac malware-free.

If you still want to run antivirus for some reason, ClamXav (which is free) is one of the best choices, since it isn't a resource hog, detects both Mac and Windows malware and doesn't run with elevated privileges.

To diagnose your high CPU usage:
  1. Launch Activity Monitor
  2. Change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes"
  3. Click on the CPU column heading once or twice, so the arrow points downward (highest values on top).
  4. Click on the System Memory tab at the bottom.
  5. Take a screen shot of the entire Activity Monitor window, then scroll down to see the rest of the list, take another screen shot
  6. Post your screenshots.
 
orioncarp24 said:
ok im new to this site im not sure if im doing this right but i need to know if it is possible to upgrade the processor in my Late 2009 mac mini because i upgraded the ram from 2gb to 4gb (witch is max) and it is running terribly slow i open activity monitor and i have plenty of free ram but my processor is like 80% used so if i could just upgrade it or over clock it somehow please let me know, heres my specs

Mac mini
Late 2009
Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256 MB
Serial Number YM9375FL9G5
Software OS X 10.8 (12A269)


i really need help on this
Click to expand...

I just wanted to let you know that I upgraded my Early 2009 Mac Mini (4Gb
-> 8Gb, stock 5400rpm HDD -> Crucial M4 SSD, Snow Leopard -> Mountain Lion) and performance difference is amazing. Mini boots ML in less than 30 seconds and applications open almost instantly.

I think you should really get an SSD. Moreover, I've heard that a clean install of Mountain Lion can speed things up as it seems that people with the exact same computer are getting different kinds of performance with Mountain Lion.
 
some times its worse like if im watching a video with flash and sometimes its better now its kinda in between
 

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orioncarp24 said:
some times its worse like if im watching a video with flash and sometimes its better now its kinda in between
Click to expand...

Flash video causes a lot of CPU usage,especially on old processors like Core2Duo.
Look for a Safari plugin called click-to-flash, it will "convert" flash content into html5 which will work way better for you.

Up the RAM to 8gigs, install SSD, reinstall OS (recover your app and user data via Setup Assistant during the installation process,requires Timemachine backup).

Report back.

P.S.: Search youtube for how to video for opening Mac mini chassis,then open the mini and use a can of compressed air to blow away all the dust.
 
orioncarp24 said:
some times its worse like if im watching a video with flash and sometimes its better now its kinda in between
Click to expand...
That's normal, as Flash is notorious for consuming system resources. For Flash-related issues:
  • Find your Flash version and make sure it's the latest version available. Never install or update Flash from a pop-up on a website. Always go to Adobe's site to get Flash or updates.
  • Install ClickToFlash (Safari), Flashblock (Firefox) or FlashBlock (Chrome) to control which Flash content plays on websites.
  • Try using the YouTube HTML5 Video Player to watch YouTube videos, when available. (May impact fullscreen viewing. See link for details.) Some have reported better performance with HTML5, while some have reported worse. Try it and find out what works best for you.

orioncarp24 said:
apple says 4 gigs is the max ram for late 2009 mac mini
Click to expand...
It can use 8GB. You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:
 
orioncarp24 said:
where can i get the fastest ram for the cheapest i guess i need 8gb
Click to expand...
To determine if you can benefit from more RAM, launch Activity Monitor and click the System Memory tab at the bottom to check your page outs. Page outs are cumulative since your last restart, so the best way to check is to restart your computer and track page outs under your normal workload (the apps, browser pages and documents you normally would have open). If your page outs are significant (say 1GB or more) under normal use, you may benefit from more RAM. If your page outs are zero or very low during normal use, you probably won't see any performance improvement from adding RAM.

Mac OS X: Reading system memory usage in Activity Monitor
 
orioncarp24 said:
what would give me better performance one(1) 8gb stick or two(2) 4gb sticks of RAM
Click to expand...

I would get 2 x 4GB sticks. Also, if you really want a noticeable boost in everyday performance, upgrade to a SSD...it is really amazing at how much faster normal tasks (like opening programs) are with an SSD.
 
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