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This C|Net article claims that replacing the mini RAM requires a trip to an Apple service center.

Same wordage for the original 2005-2009 Mac mini. Apple never recommended users opening up that thing either (but many did).
 
#ConspiracyAlert, umm yeah, it's weird ALL the reviews are saying very similar things... It's as if they were written by apple or told which points to highlight.
 
now i see it said:
Same wordage for the original 2005-2009 Mac mini. Apple never recommended users opening up that thing either (but many did).
Click to expand...
I've upgraded that style of Mac mini. It's intimidating at first, but easy once you have a putty knife to pry the case apart.

The 2018 looks like a whole-afternoon project just to upgrade the RAM. By far the hardest compared to all the prior Mac minis (2014 aside).
 
now i see it said:
Same wordage for the original 2005-2009 Mac mini. Apple never recommended users opening up that thing either (but many did).
Click to expand...

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205041

Apple says it's not recommended for users to install their own memory in the 2006 through 2009 Mini, and they point out that memory isn't upgradeable in the 2014 Mini. But they include step by step upgrade instructions for the 2010 through 2012 Mini.

I guess we will find out for sure about this in the coming days. If/when I get a new Mini, I will want to max out everything but the SSD. That is going to be expensive enough that I'd be reluctant to void the warranty with my own installation (if Apple says that's the case).
 
redheeler said:
I've upgraded that style of Mac mini. It's intimidating at first, but easy once you have a putty knife to pry the case apart.

The 2018 looks like a whole-afternoon project just to upgrade the RAM. By far the hardest compared to all the prior Mac minis (2014 aside).
Click to expand...
Looks like a 10 minute project to me. Remove base, remove fan, pop off cage, swap ram. Reassemble.
 
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jrlcopy said:
#ConspiracyAlert, umm yeah, it's weird ALL the reviews are saying very similar things... It's as if they were written by apple or told which points to highlight.
Click to expand...
It's always a good idea to question the bias of reviews posted before the official launch of a tech product. They are usually given free review units, and want to retain that privilege in the future, meaning they aren't going to question it like an actual customer who paid money for the product.
 
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archer75 said:
Looks like a 10 minute project to me. Remove base, remove fan, pop off cage, swap ram. Reassemble.
Click to expand...

Well the question would be how difficult it is to remove that cage. Apple could have been difficult (more so then putting the ram under a cage in the first place) and have the screws/mounting for the cage only accessible by removing the entire logic board. I guess we will have to wait for the ifixit teardown to know for sure since none of these reviewers seem to want to deviate from Apples script. Another question I have is whether or not Apple was even more cheap by providing 2 4Gb modules instead of a single 8Gb module in the base model.
 
archer75 said:
Looks like a 10 minute project to me. Remove base, remove fan, pop off cage, swap ram. Reassemble.
Click to expand...
As posted in another thread:
ncrypt said:
https://twitter.com/brianstucki/status/1059971734441476096?s=21

Looks like the entire logic board needs removing
Click to expand...
So not a 10 minute project, as I expected.
[doublepost=1541553449][/doublepost]Difficulty looks comparable to adding a second internal drive to a 2012 Mac mini, aside from having to remove the CPU cooler and re-paste the CPU as an extra step. But for every generation prior to the 2014, RAM upgrades are much easier.
 
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redheeler said:
As posted in another thread:

So not a 10 minute project, as I expected.
[doublepost=1541553449][/doublepost]Difficulty looks comparable to adding a second internal drive to a 2012 Mac mini, aside from having to remove the CPU cooler and re-paste the CPU as an extra step. But for every generation prior to the 2014, RAM upgrades are much easier.
Click to expand...
I don't know who that guy is, and he didn't post a link to the documents to verify, but even so, 20 minutes instead of 10. Not a big deal.
 
Now, all that is left is to wait for iFixit tear down.

If it is really this complicated, I am out. You guys seem so confident to take out the entire logic board to swap RAM.

For me, that is a huge task, and there is possibility that I will screw something up. I like to tinker with software, but when it comes to hardware, I am pretty dumb.


Such a shame. :(
 
archer75 said:
I don't know who that guy is, and he didn't post a link to the documents to verify, but even so, 20 minutes instead of 10. Not a big deal.
Click to expand...
20 minutes for someone who is completing this project for the first time? Not a chance. This is a 1 hour project at the low end, and 2-3 at the high end.
 
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StellarVixen said:
Now, all that is left is to wait for iFixit tear down.

If it is really this complicated, I am out. You guys seem so confident to take out the entire logic board to swap RAM.

For me, that is a huge task, and there is possibility that I will screw something up. I like to tinker with software, but when it comes to hardware, I am pretty dumb.


Such a shame. :(
Click to expand...
It will be fine. Especially with a video to follow. I completely disassembled a 27" imac and put it back together. Go slow, take pictures so you know how things were. A mini will be cake next to that.
 
redheeler said:
20 minutes for someone who is completing this project for the first time? Not a chance. This is a 1 hour project at the low end, and 2-3 at the high end.
Click to expand...
With a video to follow or step by step guide? Easy. 1 hour absolute max. Though I very much dout it will take that long. I took an imac apart and had it back together in an hour. I could build a complete PC from scratch in under 2.
 
archer75 said:
It will be fine. Especially with a video to follow. I completely disassembled a 27" imac and put it back together. Go slow, take pictures so you know how things were. A mini will be cake next to that.
Click to expand...

For mechanically inclined people it is not a big deal I agree, but for someone that is not mechanically inclined it would be a large undertaking. My question, does upgrading the ram void your warranty considering the complexity of the procedure?
 
Zackmd1 said:
For mechanically inclined people it is not a big deal I agree, but for someone that is not mechanically inclined it would be a large undertaking. My question, does upgrading the ram void your warranty considering the complexity of the procedure?
Click to expand...
Probably not, but if you damage the machine in the process, your warranty is gone.

Oh, and if you need to take it to Apple for repair under warranty, you have to put original RAM in. Apple refuses to work on Mac that doesn’t have original components.
 
Whether it’s easier than some are suggesting or not, the fact that Apple showed the internals during the Keynote without the cages in place — making it seem that the ram was easily accessible and likely upgrade-friendly — was a slimy move by them. Absolutely shameful.
 
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