If I supply the ram, will the Apple Store upgrade my Mac mini for me?

[CHAOS STEP]

About how long did it take you the first time you did it on one of the 06/08 models? Opening it doesn't seem that hard and I'm glad to know everything ends up working out better than you think when first starting it. I'm really stoked to do this. I was happy when I upgraded my MacBook's ram, but at that point the logic board hard already started failing and the Mac Mini will be able to use more of the ram. Do the screws go in and out easily everything go back together well? When I took the top casing off my MacBook I had a huge problem getting some of the screws back in and in fact, I couldn't even get four of them in.

Pretty much this;

I think the hardest part is getting the top case off. Once you manage to get that off, getting to the ram is pretty easy if you follow the ifixit guide. I'd guess around 30-40 minutes for your first time.

The tricky party is getting the blade into the gap and prising it correctly, especially if its your first time.

In terms of putting everything back together, it goes back perfectly. Once the top's off there are only about 4 screws and the threads don't seem particularly brittle. NB one screw is longer.

I would take care after disconnecting the airport antenna (check that the wire doesn't detach (unplug) itself from the board, and remember to disconnect the logic board wire at the front.

Also take care in flipping over the optical drive / HDD assembly (it sort of 'hinges' over still attached by a ribbon cable and things could get caught up). Provided you are careful it really shouldn't be a problem.

I recommend watching the OWC videos several times, and if need be have it running on your laptop / telly in the background, as you may be worrying about finding a screw that you dropped and you forget something else.

While you are in there, you may also want to consider replacing the HDD, as a larger capacity one isn't that expensive. Plus your intended mini is a little 'mature' now

One thing that might be worth bearing in mind though is that I added a 7200 rpm HDD to my current mini (2.53 Ghz C2D) and I don't know whether it was because of a crap drive, but the thing ran very hot, to the point where the fan was noisy constantly. I replaced this drive with a 1TB 5400 rpm jobby and whilst it possibly runs hotter than the original HDD it's no where near as bad as the 7200 rpm one.

 

[Oracle1729]

I've done it with these older style mac minis. The only hard part is opening the case without damaging anything. The rest, it's just a matter of being careful, taking your time, and following the guide.

I don't recommend hinging the internal frame on those fragile cables, they're pretty easy to disconnect and reconnect later. Just make very, very sure you're not trapping any cables in a bad spot when you're putting it back together.

And +10 to the person who said also upgrade the HD. 2.5" HD's are so cheap now. By the time you've gone to all the trouble of opening it, it would be silly not to put in a 1TB HDD or 240GB SSD.

 

[iParis]

I think the hardest part is getting the top case off. Once you manage to get that off, getting to the ram is pretty easy if you follow the ifixit guide. I'd guess around 30-40 minutes for your first time.

Pretty much this;

The tricky party is getting the blade into the gap and prising it correctly, especially if its your first time.

In terms of putting everything back together, it goes back perfectly. Once the top's off there are only about 4 screws and the threads don't seem particularly brittle. NB one screw is longer.

I would take care after disconnecting the airport antenna (check that the wire doesn't detach (unplug) itself from the board, and remember to disconnect the logic board wire at the front.

Also take care in flipping over the optical drive / HDD assembly (it sort of 'hinges' over still attached by a ribbon cable and things could get caught up). Provided you are careful it really shouldn't be a problem.

I recommend watching the OWC videos several times, and if need be have it running on your laptop / telly in the background, as you may be worrying about finding a screw that you dropped and you forget something else.

While you are in there, you may also want to consider replacing the HDD, as a larger capacity one isn't that expensive. Plus your intended mini is a little 'mature' now

One thing that might be worth bearing in mind though is that I added a 7200 rpm HDD to my current mini (2.53 Ghz C2D) and I don't know whether it was because of a crap drive, but the thing ran very hot, to the point where the fan was noisy constantly. I replaced this drive with a 1TB 5400 rpm jobby and whilst it possibly runs hotter than the original HDD it's no where near as bad as the 7200 rpm one.

I've done it with these older style mac minis. The only hard part is opening the case without damaging anything. The rest, it's just a matter of being careful, taking your time, and following the guide.

I don't recommend hinging the internal frame on those fragile cables, they're pretty easy to disconnect and reconnect later. Just make very, very sure you're not trapping any cables in a bad spot when you're putting it back together.

And +10 to the person who said also upgrade the HD. 2.5" HD's are so cheap now. By the time you've gone to all the trouble of opening it, it would be silly not to put in a 1TB HDD or 240GB SSD.

Thank you all for your replies! I might have to wait a bit to put a new hard drive in due to financial issues, but I don't mind cracking it open a second time. I'm just mostly concerned about ram since I'd prefer to not downgrade my current OS and I highly doubt I would be content with 1GB, haha. Glad to know the internals are actually easier than opening it since those actually effect the functionality. I'll definitely have more than one video open and be following the iFixit guide. Oh, is the hard drive in the Mac Mini the same size as the one in my MacBook so that drives described as made for laptops are compatible? Or is the one in my MacBook 1.8" or something like that?

 

[26139]

Biggest thing I've learned...

I worked for Apple Retail for three years, and then as a freelance consultant for about five.

I've upgrade a lot of ram in lot of computers.

Besides all the great stuff everyone else has said, I have one recommendation:

Remember your towel.

You will sweat, your hands will get clammy and your fingers will get slippery no matter how calm you think you are. A large part of it is caused by being afraid to break something, not the difficulty involved.

Anyway, towel.

 

[iParis]

Turns out it's a configuration lower than I thought it was. It's still a 2,1 model with a 120GB hard drive, but with a 1.83GHz C2D as oppose to a 2GHz and a combo drive instead of superdrive. I just thought it was the higher up model because an 80GB hard drive was standard with the low end model, not 120GB. That's still a good deal for it though, right? $300? On Amazon the same model, but with the 80GB drive, is going for $355.

I worked for Apple Retail for three years, and then as a freelance consultant for about five.

I've upgrade a lot of ram in lot of computers.

Besides all the great stuff everyone else has said, I have one recommendation:

Remember your towel.

You will sweat, your hands will get clammy and your fingers will get slippery no matter how calm you think you are. A large part of it is caused by being afraid to break something, not the difficulty involved.

Anyway, towel.

That will probably really help, thanks! I did remember getting nervous when opening my MacBook.

 

[Abazigal]

No, they won't install third-party ram.

To me, my concern would be, if something goes wrong during or after the installation, who is going to be liable? You claim they accidentally damaged something during the process, they can just as readily claim that your mac mini was on the verge of falling apart anyways, or you slipped them a faulty unit in the hopes of getting a replacement. It's just unnecessary risk.

 

[mdgolom]

Yeah.. I'm just really worried about causing a problem with the AirPort card. How long did it take you the first time? Is opening it really that hard and sketchy? Videos made it look simple, like opening other Apple products held together by clips on the inside.

I just recently did my first upgrade on a Mac Mini by replacing a bad HD and upgrading the memory. The opening the case part was surprisingly easy by using a putty knife. The wifi/bluetooth antennas weren't a problem. You just need to make sure you remember to disconnect the small ribbon cable on the drive assembly and keep track of which screw came out of which hole since one is slightly longer. I actually found putting the case together was the most terrifying part of the upgrade. All said and done it took less than 20 minutes to replace the drive and upgrade the memory.

 

[js81]

I have two suggestions for you: 1) Just do it! It's not that bad. A good putty knife makes it fairly easy-peasy. Max the RAM while you're in there. 2) If size isn't really an issue, get an SSD. 120GB SSDs are easily found for under $80 (after rebate, sometimes) these days. An SSD is (currently) the single most noticeable upgrade you can do to a computer these days, IMHO.

Something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227812&name=Internal-SSD

or this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148585&name=Internal-SSD

Then use an external for large storage.

** And for those OCZ nay-sayers out there, I've had an Agility 3 in my MBP for a while now with no problems. And two in my desktop (the very Vertex Plus R2 listed above). And my sister's MBP. And several computers I've built. No drives are problem free, but I've not had any inordinate amount of trouble with OCZ than with any other hard drive or SSD manufacturer. **

EDIT: This is better. Vertex 3 is a better/faster drive, though most of that will be lost to an older Mini. BUT... potential for a future upgrade?

 

[iParis]

I have two suggestions for you: 1) Just do it! It's not that bad. A good putty knife makes it fairly easy-peasy. Max the RAM while you're in there. 2) If size isn't really an issue, get an SSD. 120GB SSDs are easily found for under $80 (after rebate, sometimes) these days. An SSD is (currently) the single most noticeable upgrade you can do to a computer these days, IMHO.

Something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227812&name=Internal-SSD

or this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148585&name=Internal-SSD

Then use an external for large storage.

** And for those OCZ nay-sayers out there, I've had an Agility 3 in my MBP for a while now with no problems. And two in my desktop (the very Vertex Plus R2 listed above). And my sister's MBP. And several computers I've built. No drives are problem free, but I've not had any inordinate amount of trouble with OCZ than with any other hard drive or SSD manufacturer. **

EDIT: This is better. Vertex 3 is a better/faster drive, though most of that will be lost to an older Mini. BUT... potential for a future upgrade?

Those say they're SATA II, isn't my Mac mini just SATA? I'm sorry if I don't know what I'm talking about and sound stupid.

 

[old-wiz]

To me, my concern would be, if something goes wrong during or after the installation, who is going to be liable? You claim they accidentally damaged something during the process, they can just as readily claim that your mac mini was on the verge of falling apart anyways, or you slipped them a faulty unit in the hopes of getting a replacement. It's just unnecessary risk.

This is what I was thinking....I can't really picture Apple installing any user provided parts. And what about warranty afterwards? Apple can't warrant the new parts.

 

[iParis]

Well everyone, it's going down tonight! Got a couple thin enough putty knives, a little screwdriver set, and metal tweezers that were $25 (according to my girlfriend). Hopefully the fact that they're not magnetic screwdrivers doesn't cause a problem.

 

[fubaracing7374]

If you buy the RAM from Apple, they will do it. If you supple then they shouldn't. You might get someone that will do it to be nice but typically they will tell you no.

 

[iParis]

It's done! At least I hope so! I did it at a friends' house so I'll know when I get home. You guys were right, you're a lot more nervous than you need to be.

 

[SPUY767]

I think the hardest part is getting the top case off. Once you manage to get that off, getting to the ram is pretty easy if you follow the ifixit guide. I'd guess around 30-40 minutes for your first time.

30-40!? Only took me 2 on my first try.

 

[mgartner0622]

30-40!? Only took me 2 on my first try.

This is with no experience working in computers. I explained to a friend how to do it over the phone while he was doing it and this is how long it took.

 

[26139]

Nice work!

It's done! At least I hope so! I did it at a friends' house so I'll know when I get home. You guys were right, you're a lot more nervous than you need to be.

Next time will be a breeze.

 

[iParis]

Next time will be a breeze.

So I ended up bending one of the ram holder arms when taking the stock ram out and I didn't realize how bad it was until the computer only read the other ram slot. I had to disassemble it again, only this time it probably took me less than two minutes. I didn't want to completely reassemble it in case it didn't work so I only reconnected the audio cable and that other black cable and didn't even put the screws back in before testing it. Well it was about two tests later when it still wouldn't work no matter how hard I pushed the other ram arm and it was at this point that I snapped off the airport antenna while disassembling the internal frame from the housing for the third time! I was so freaking happy that it reconnected as easily as it did because I scared the hell out of myself. Well you can bet buy now that I was getting pissed off, at least with myself. I ended up thinking of unconventional methods. I looked around my room at what I could find. I found a business card, tore one end, folded it up, and put it in between the two ram sticks to push the bottom one down more. To my amazement, it worked! Maybe I pushed it in enough myself or the paper is keeping it down, but it worked! Here's to hoping my Mac mini doesn't catch on fire!

 

[SPUY767]

This is with no experience working in computers. I explained to a friend how to do it over the phone while he was doing it and this is how long it took.

You missed the joke.