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RAM Upgrade = Huge Improvement

TWO2SEVEN

TWO2SEVEN

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2010
3,531
741
Plano, TX
I bumped my i5 Mini from 4gb to 8gb of RAM today. I knew it would help performance, but the difference is amazing.

On my 2005 Mini I went from 2 to 4gb and didn't notice much.

To anyone one on the fence (if any) it is well worth the low cost of the RAM.
 
TWO2SEVEN said:
I bumped my i5 Mini from 4gb to 8gb of RAM today. I knew it would help performance, but the difference is amazing.

On my 2005 Mini I went from 2 to 4gb and didn't notice much.

To anyone one on the fence (if any) it is well worth the low cost of the RAM.
Click to expand...

Try 16Gb... :D
 
Do you have a SSD drive in it? If not, you think the RAM upgrade was amazing, wait until you put a SSD drive in.

My 09 mac mini runs was well as my 10 Macbook. (both with SSD)
 
You can get 16GB 8x2 on Amazon for $55. There is really no reason not to do this easy upgrade.
Yes, SSD upgrades are even better than RAM upgrades but the cost and difficultly is higher.
 
mwhities said:
Do you have a SSD drive in it? If not, you think the RAM upgrade was amazing, wait until you put a SSD drive in.

My 09 mac mini runs was well as my 10 Macbook. (both with SSD)
Click to expand...

No, the factory HHD is still in there. I've only had it for about two weeks.


nsfw said:
You can get 16GB 8x2 on Amazon for $55. There is really no reason not to do this easy upgrade.
Yes, SSD upgrades are even better than RAM upgrades but the cost and difficultly is higher.
Click to expand...

I got the 4x2 for $20 shipped, that will be enough for now. No real plans to spend any more money on the Mac for now. I have a wedding to save for. :)
 
Definite first upgrade

Hi all

I've had my mini mac for two days and whilst it's a huge improvement, and fairly steep learning curve moving from my Windows XP Shuttle, today has convinced me that I need to upgrade the RAM.

With iTunes, iPhoto, Safari and iCal open it was certainly slow and reminded me of the Windows experience I've left behind.

So I'm ordering this http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=0B81A84FA5CA7304 which should suffice as I'm not a power user and speed things along.

See how that does me - but I'm also itching to stick an SSD in there for the OS and apps. ;)
 
nsfw said:
You can get 16GB 8x2 on Amazon for $55. There is really no reason not to do this easy upgrade.
Yes, SSD upgrades are even better than RAM upgrades but the cost and difficultly is higher.
Click to expand...

Link?
 
Welcome To The Fold

Neiloid said:
I've had my mini mac for two days and whilst it's a huge improvement, and fairly steep learning curve moving from my Windows XP Shuttle...
Click to expand...

I highly recommend the following books for Mac newbies. The "Missing Manual" will get you up and running quickly; you won't have to waste time asking questions on some forum... ;) I've been using Macs since '95 and I always have a copy around...

The book for "switchers" has additional info about transferring files, etc. Be sure to check the table of contents to help you figure out which book would be most helpful. (Use the "search inside this book" link under the book illustration to access the table of contents.) I don't think that buying both books is necessary.

http://www.amazon.com/Switching-Mac...&sr=8-3&keywords=Missing+Manual+Mountain+Lion

http://www.amazon.com/OS-Mountain-L...&sr=8-1&keywords=Missing+Manual+Mountain+Lion
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I have upgraded my late 2009 mini from 2 to 8 gb, it was really amazing how much difference it made. I had almost given up on my beloved mini, but it was a bit like having a new computer. It is running really well now, and will be my 2nd Mac for some time to come.
 
Upgraded my 2011 i5 to 16GB and it has indeed been a great improvement. Easy upgrade that most users should make upon purchasing their minis.
 
The general rule with RAM has been the same for years:

Buy as much as you can afford


With 16gb under a hundred bucks when purchased as 2x8 GB sticks for most portable/mini machines, that's currently the sweet spot for most in terms of $/gain.

But yes, the difference between 4 and 8 is massive.
 
I Think the better option is upgrade up to 8 Gb, maybe if you put 16gb on it, probably doesn't use them completely.

The mhz matters? I want buy a 1600 mhz memory kit instead of 1333, the chipset will recognize the rest of mhz ?
 
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