Mac Mini 1.83 Ram Upgrade question(s)

[neoelectronaut]

My girlfriend has a 1.83Ghz C2D Mac Mini that I gave to her as a gift last November. I'll be purchasing her an Applecare plan soon from the Apple Store that'll be opening up in the coming weeks in the area, and while there I was going to go ahead and get her ram upgraded for general purposes and because she wants to give parallels a whirl--I can't imagine 1GB being pretty with parallels running.

My first question is that Apple's documentation mentions that the Mac Mini can only be upgraded to 2GB of ram, on a pair of 1GB modules. I seem to recall the early Core 2 Duo chips supporting up to 3GB of ram for some reason. Does the Mac Mini support this, or is there some hardware incompatibility somewhere down the line?

All in all, would it be worthwhile dropping a 2GB and 1GB module instead of just a pair of 1GBs? Would it even be more beneficial to drop a pair of 2GB modules in with Snow Leopard around the corner?

Also, how does the Apple Store handle RAM upgrades? Can I bring in my own ram and have them install it or do I have to buy the ram from them? Do they charge a fee?

Thanks for your time guys.

 

[munckee]

The C2D will handle 3 GB of ram. Given how much prices have dropped, if you're gonna be in there, I'd go ahead and put 3GB in it. If the price difference is slim enough, dropping 4GB in will give you a teeny bit extra (the machine will use up to 3.3GB), but its probably not worth paying much extra for over the 3GB setup (IMO).

Without know what she's doing, it'll be tough to say how much difference she'll notice. But it certainly can't hurt, especially if she's planning on keeping the machine around for a while.

 

[neoelectronaut]

Even though it wouldn't use the entire 4GB, wouldn't putting a pair of 2GB modules have a benefit via it being a dual channel setup?

 

[mpshay]

I could be wrong, but I think apple will only instal RAM they sell you at their crazy prices. It's not as easy as putting RAM into a normal desktop PC, but it can certainly be done at home. There are quite a few guides/video available online

 

[JG271]

Its not too bad to do it yourself. Just avoid using tools that will scratch the bottom too much, i learnt the hard way!

I'd go for 4GB. It takes so long to get the case off you may as well to add a bit of longevity to the machine.

 

[ADent]

Popping the case off is really easy - the second time you do it.

The RAM swap is a little fiddly - definitely watch the videos. Not too hard, but harder than the G4 mini.

 

[donga]

does adding the RAM manually void the warranty/applecare?