Mac Mini Ram upgrade - Two new chips or add to existing????

[fliptastic]

Hi there. I have a 1.83 dual Core Duo Mac mini with 1 GB of existing Ram (purchased directly from Apple store about 1.5 years ago). Recently, I called a local Apple dealer about upgrading my mini from 1 GB to 2 GB RAM. They said I will need to have a new "pair" of 1 GB chips installed (2 new 1 GB chips that match eachother to total the 2 GB upgrade).

Is that true, or can I just purchase one additional 1 GB chip to go along with the one I already have installed)???? I'd rather not have to spend the money if it won't make much of a performance difference. The guy I talked to said that I need to get two so they match exactly or the performance could suffer and the mini could run slower.

If I do get just the one chip, how bad could the performance suffer??? Will it still be faster/smoother than the 1 GB I currently have??? Is it typical for people who upgrade the RAM to get the two chips at the time of the upgrade. I just feel like it is a waste of money and a chip that I already have. But I'll do it if the performance will be noticably better with the two new chips. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[CanadaRAM]

Welcome to MR

You'll find answers to this and many other commonly asked questions under the Guides tab at the top

Guides : Hardware: MR Guide to Buying RAM

Guides : Hardware: MR Guide to Understanding Intel Mac RAM

Your Mini will work fine with 1.5 GB RAM, however installing 2 GB will be faster, both from the additional RAM, and from the modest boost (6% - 8%) that you'll get from Dual Channel access. Don't get your RAM from Apple, shop around, quality third party RAM is quite affordable.

In general, it's recommended to have a Search in the forums and.or a look at the Guides before posting a new question.

 

[spork183]

assuming from your post that you have one, 1gb chip. If you have 2-512's, which I believe is what they shipped with, you'll have to go the double upgrade path.

 

[netdog]

You'll find 2x512MB sticks in that Mini, so yes, you need to either buy 2x1GB sticks or settle for 1.5GB total by replacing one 512MB stick with a 1GB stick.

 

[fliptastic]

anyway to check RAM specs

Thanks for all the quick responses. That makes sense if i have 2 512 chips, but for some reason, i think the guy at the store said he put in a 1 gb chip when i bought the mini. this is a dumb question, but what is the easiest way to check my mac specs (where do i go on my mac to find it in osx - not by taking it apart.) Thanks again?

 

[ale500]

Use the System Profiler application (in utilities folder).