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How difficult and expensive is it to install more RAM in new mac mini?
- Thread starter felixen
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I did it yesterday, it's easy. Get two 1.5" thin blade putty knives and a small phillips head screwdriver and 10 minutes. I got my crucial memory from amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KUL012/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Slip the knife between the aliminum and plastic on the underside of the mini and bend outward to push the clips inward. The video from OWC explains it all.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini_2009/
Slip the knife between the aliminum and plastic on the underside of the mini and bend outward to push the clips inward. The video from OWC explains it all.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini_2009/
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Ive finally recieved all my hardware (500gb 7200.4 and 4gb ram for a base 120gb mini) and im ready to perform surgery tonight!
Im just concerned about static electricity (direct translation from swedish,not sure thats what its called in english), I plan on touching a radiator before and placing the mac on a cotton towel. Will this be enough?
Im just concerned about static electricity (direct translation from swedish,not sure thats what its called in english), I plan on touching a radiator before and placing the mac on a cotton towel. Will this be enough?
Touch something metal before you do the surgery. When I did RAM upgrade to friends iMac, I just touched the top of the iMac, which is aluminum.
'static electricity' is correct
The radiator ought to work. You just need to touch something metal that's grounded ('earthed' in UK English).
Each generation of the Mini gets a little easier. It is not bad at all now if you follow the instructions on ifixit and the like.
I bought the current gen 2.0 as a refurb, and put in 4gb RAM and a 320gb 7200rpm HDD for a total cost of about $640 and 15 minutes of install.
I bought the current gen 2.0 as a refurb, and put in 4gb RAM and a 320gb 7200rpm HDD for a total cost of about $640 and 15 minutes of install.
be carful not to scratch your case!
Do not rush opening it like i did and end up with scratches.
do not use a metal putty knife.
be aware its not easy to open, my mini now looks like crap!
Do not rush opening it like i did and end up with scratches.
do not use a metal putty knife.
be aware its not easy to open, my mini now looks like crap!
If you search this forum you will find many users who damaged their Mini trying to perform RAM and HD upgrades (and many more who did not).
Be very careful and patient if you insist on DIY. Personally, if you are at all uncomfortable, just have an Apple Authorized Service Center perform the upgrade. Depending on the shop they charge from $50-$80. Worth it to know, there will be no issues with support if something goes wrong.
Cheers,
True that, when in doubt - just have the service center do it. I negotiated the cost to 80usd, but in the end decided to do it myself, carefully watching the steps on the OWC video (youtube).
Do it in a well lit area. I also had a separate smaller desktop lamp, it helps. Be careful not to pinch to antenna wires and make sure theyre in the right place when putting the bay back in. It really wasnt that hard but if youve never done anything of the sort just have a service center do it.
My mini works perfectly after upgrading to 4gb ram and the seagate 7200.4 500gb HD. The drive does make a hissing sound, like a fan, its really noticable in a quite room up to one meter from the unit. Since I use my mini as a media center its fine, but had i used it on my desktop it might have annoyed me. Besides this the drive seems super fast and man..that mini is so awsome.
I partinioned the drive so all the software is on a 50gb separate partition and moved my user folder to the large partition. I also bought a WD 500gb external for time machine. And the bluetooth wireless keyboard. And a Panasonic ZS3/TZ7 digicam (awsome, HD video with optical zoom and stereo sound!). Now my GF wont let me spend anymore money until next year.
'static electricity' is correct
The radiator ought to work. You just need to touch something metal that's grounded ('earthed' in UK English).
Not trying to be picky... but these days with modern plumbing, "hep2O" and similar (ie plastic pipe) you cant always guarantee a good earth.
I would recommend a static strap for the best solution, however a electrical item with a metallic case (ie the case should be earthed!) is a better bet...
Now picking on what I have just said... Avoid anything that is Class 2, or has a two nested squares simble on it, should be one on the transformer for the mini for example.. this means its double insulated and any exposed metal parts will not be earthed.. eg the case on the mini..
I know I'm being fussy, but I thought it needed a little clarification. as while 90% of the time a radiator will be fine, they are not always earthed.
Are you sure you actually need 4gb of ram? Im not sure i would open my mini or pay someone to do it for a mere 2 => 4 gb ram upgrade... Upgrade the drive aswell while youre at it. Get your dealer to upgrade the ram for "free" and pay just the cost for the HD upgrade, thats what i (almost) did. And get a 5400 drive if your concerned about noise.
And sureley you have a computer geek amongs your friends to help you
It's understandable if you do not have much experience working inside a computer to be apprehensive. In my opinion it was very easy to do but I have years of experience building / working on computers. Watch the videos as other have mentioned and then make the decision. I would say go for it and you will wonder what all the fuss was about when your finished but in the end ultimately its your decision.
I nearly crapped myself the first time I opened the mini. Now I can just about do it with my eyes closed. Slow and steady.