Upgrade Mac Ram

Apple recently brought a desperately-needed refresh to the Mac mini, which included faster processors, memory, storage, and more. Needless to say, as noted in our, we thought it proved to be a great upgrade. However, the one major downside of the new Mac mini is its cost. Although the machine still remains the cheapest way to buy a brand new Mac from Apple directly, the price has ballooned from $499 to $799 for the entry-level model. To help offset some of the cost, I decided to upgrade the Mac mini RAM myself instead of choosing to upgrade during the build-to-order process. Video walkthrough Upgrading the RAM in the 2018 Mac mini isn’t what I would call simple, but it can be done relatively easily with a little patience and know-how.

Apple uses standard SO-DIMM modules for the memory in the Mac mini, meaning you can and install it yourself. The 2018 Mac mini can accommodate up to 64GB of RAM, and features two SO-DIMM slots. This means that you’ll want to upgrade using one of the following configurations:. Two 8GB memory modules. Two 16GB memory modules.

Upgrade the RAM and storage of nearly any Apple computer at MacSales.com. We also provide refurbished Macs, external storage, docks, accessories, and more! Mar 26, 2019 - If you'd like to upgrade the memory in one of these models, an Apple. The new RAM by choosing Apple ( ) menu > About This Mac.

Two 32GB memory modules The base Mac mini comes with two 4GB memory modules for a total of 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately, two 32GB memory modules are still fairly rare, and quite expensive. The sweet spot appears to be two 16GB modules, which will give you 32GB of RAM in the 2018 Mac mini. Apple charges $600 for a 32GB Mac mini upgrade, but I ordered for less than half of what Apple charges. Eventually, 64GB of RAM will increase in availability and come down in price.

The good news is that you can use this tutorial to do whatever RAM upgrade you wish to do on your Mac mini. RAM requirements RAM for the 2018 Mac mini should meet the following requirements:. 2666MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM memory.

260-pin. Unbuffered. Nonparity Note: For the record, that all 2018 Mac mini RAM upgrades be performed by an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. Therefore, proceed at your own risk. Tools you will need. Anti-static strap. Opening tool or credit card.

Spudger. TR6 Torx driver. T10 Torx driver.

T5 Torx driver. Tweezers You can buy each of the aforementioned tools individually, but all of these tools are provided in. Although it isn’t a requirement to use iFixit’s tools, I think it’s worth it for anyone who likes to tinker with electronics, as it will no doubt come in handy in the future. I used iFixit’s excellent and to help me out during this video walkthrough, and I highly recommend supporting their work. How to upgrade RAM in the 2018 Mac mini Note: It is recommended that you use an anti-static strap throughout this tutorial. Step 1: Power down your Mac mini and remove all cables and accessories Step 2: Place a soft towel on a flat surface where you can rest your Mac mini face down without scratching the Apple logo or space gray anodized aluminum surface.

Step 3: With the bottom cover facing up, use an opening tool, such as the one provided in iFixit’s excellent Pro Tech Toolkit, and gently pry off and remove the back cover. Sit the back cover aside. Step 4: Remove the six Torx security screws that secure the antenna plate. Three of the screws are 4.1 mm screws and three of them are 1.8 mm screws. Once the screws are removed, be sure to put them in a place where they won’t be lost. When refastening the antenna plate, make sure you use the right screws in the right places. Step 5: Do not fully lift off the antenna plate, because the antenna is still fastened to this plate.

Instead, gently lift the plate to avoid putting stress on the antenna wire and locate the screw securing down the antenna to the logic board. Step 6: Once the antenna screw is removed, gently lift the connector off its socket on the logic board. Sit the antenna plate aside. Step 7: You’ll next need to remove the fan. Start by removing the four screws that secure the fan to the logic board and exhaust vent. Step 8: Once the screws are removed, gently lift the fan and detach its connector from its socket on the logic board.

Remove the fan and sit it aside. Step 9: Disconnect the power supply cable. Step 10: Disconnect LED indicator connector from the logic board. IFixit recommends pulling straight up on the connector with tweezers. I wasn’t good enough to do this, so I settled on removing each pin from the connector instead. That’s definitely not the ideal way of removing the cable, but it worked for me.

If you’re a little more patient and a little more skilled, you could probably do it the way iFixit recommends in their picture guide. Step 11: Remove the two 7.5 mm screws securing the logic board in place with a T10 Torx screwdriver. Step 12: Unclip and slide out the logic board assembly by gently applying pressure to the ears (where the screw holes are) of the exhaust vent. The Logic board assembly should slide completely out of the Mac mini housing. Step 13: Remove the four 2.8 mm screws securing the RAM shield using a T5 Torx screw driver. Slide off the shield to reveal the SO-DIMM slots containing the RAM.

Step 14: Remove the RAM by spreading the tension clips away from the memory modules. You may also have to remove the two rubber inserts on each side of the RAM modules. Remove both SO-DIMM modules.

Step 15: Install the two new SO-DIMM RAM modules — ensuring the the notch is positioned correctly — and making sure they are firmly seated into place. Step 16: Perform the steps in reverse order to put the Mac mini back together!

Watch our video above for a full walkthrough. Conclusion Upgrading RAM in the 2018 Mac mini isn’t what I would call super-easy, but it’s definitely not difficult, and it is doable if you have the right tools, exercise patience, and are careful. After just doing the process once, I’m confident I could install memory in a 2018 Mac mini in less than 20 minutes. Be sure to watch the full video above, because it explains the process in a way that’s much better than static pictures. 32GB of RAM in my new Mac mini That said, if you’re at all uneasy about performing such an upgrade yourself, I definitely recommend calling on Apple support for help.

Or you could always just pay Apple the upgrade price to configure the amount of RAM that you need during the build-to-order process. In all, I saved about $300 on the Mac mini RAM install after factoring in the iFixit Toolkit purchase. What do you think about upgrading RAM in the 2018 Mac mini? Is it something you’d consider doing to save money? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts and opinions.

Is your Mac slowing down? Do you spend more and more time waiting for applications to do what you want? If so, there is a very good chance that you have high memory usage and need a Mac RAM upgrade. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. This memory is temporary and used by the CPU to hold information that processes are actively using on your system. Your Mac slows down when it experiences high memory usage, in other words, when the running applications demand more RAM than your Mac is able to provide.

The more RAM available, the better your Mac is able to execute on the tasks that are being thrown at it. The obvious solution would be to increase Mac RAM, but before we show you how to do that, let’s make sure that your lack of RAM is actually the cause of your Mac slowdown. Note: Not all devices are able to upgrade RAM, like the Macbook Air and the 2014 edition of the Mac Mini. How to manually check Mac RAM Checking your RAM is dependent on the version of OS X that you have installed. You should check your Mac RAM after you have been using your Mac for a bit of time. When you are in the middle of normal daily tasks, follow these steps.

El Capitan OS X. Open Spotlight Search. Type in ” Activity Monitor”. Click on the “ Memory” tab on the top of the window. Memory Pressure is the graph you need to study. If there is mostly green, your system RAM is currently fine. If there is a lot of yellow, the jury is still out.

If there is a lot of red, your memory is under strain and your Mac has a high memory usage. Older OS X versions like Leopard and Lion For older versions of Mac OS X the steps are the same but the System Memory tab looks a bit different. You’ll want to look for Free and Page Outs. Free – This is how much free RAM your Mac currently has. If you’ve got a bunch of applications open and there is still a good number of free RAM, then your Mac may have enough memory.

Page Outs – This number tells you how often your Mac has run out of RAM and needed to use the slower hard disk instead. A high number here is very bad and a sure sign that your Mac doesn’t have enough RAM. Use a Mac memory analysis tool Another alternative, which will work easily on all versions of Mac OS X, is to use a 3rd party tool to check your RAM usage. We highly recommend, which will not only clean and speed up your Mac, it also has a RAM monitoring tool called Menu App. Simply click on the Memory Monitor tab for a clear overview of your Mac’s memory usage. The tool will also enable you to free up memory by closing down unnecessary applications, which will become really helpful when your system is slowing to a crawl.

So try it out and get to the bottom of your high memory usage problem. Note: With all above solutions we recommend checking the results on a regular basis until you are certain that your Mac needs a RAM upgrade. How to upgrade your Mac RAM If you have reached the conclusion that you need more memory, we are going to show you exactly how to increase your Mac RAM.

Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before, as this guide will help you every step of the way. The first steps are to gain knowledge about your system. This will help ensure that the RAM that you get will be compatible with your system. Step 1 – What kind of Mac do you have?

Whether you have an iMac, a Macbook Pro, or any other kind of Mac, there is a lot more information to be found out in order to identify your exact system. To get these details, follow these easy steps:. Quest toad sap freeware license key 2017.

Click on the Apple icon. Select “ About this Mac”. View your system information. Step 2 – Do I have space for more RAM in my Mac?

This may not be what you want to hear but it’s possible that you can’t add more RAM to your Mac, even if you wanted to. Let’s look under the hood and see what your RAM situation is like. Following on from Step 1, click on “ More Info” on the “ About this Mac” window.

The complicated looking System Profiler will launch. Click on “ Memory” in the left column. On the right you will see exact details of your RAM modules or sticks. The “banks” are the slots that the RAM is inserted into. If you have an empty bank or two, you’re in luck, upgrading your Mac RAM just got that much easier.

Step 3 – Check how much RAM your Mac can take Now let’s really make sure you can upgrade your RAM. Head over to on Apple Support, find your exact Mac model. Once you find your Mac, click it to reveal a ton of information. What you’re looking for is the information, which will tell you how much RAM your system can work with. Compare it to your Mac’s current RAM (from Step 2) and now you know if you can upgrade your RAM or if you are stuck with what you have. If you can’t upgrade your Mac RAM, and use all of the cleaning tools to boost your Mac performance.

You should also take a look at the performance improving solutions found in Step 4 – Purchasing RAM for your Mac In Step 3 you navigated to your Mac model and discovered what memory your system could potentially add. Now it's only a matter of choosing your new RAM and we recommend to start with. If you're located outside of the US, Google will probably tell you which stores sell RAM nearby. Step 5 – Installing RAM into your Mac Adding your new RAM into your Mac is not as hard as it sounds.

This is definitely an upgrade that you can perform yourself, as long as you have a screwdriver on hand. The only tricky thing is to know exactly where the RAM is, and that it varies between types of Macs. Below are handy tutorials to install new memory on your specific type of Mac. How to upgrade RAM on an iMac.

Shut down your iMac and unplug everything. Place iMac face down, ensuring the screen is protected from anything that could scratch it. Unscrew, counterclockwise, the RAM panel in the centre until it pops out. Expose ribbon tab over RAM and pull on it to release RAM module. Use your fingers to remove the RAM entirely. Line up the new RAM with the now empty slot and push it in until it clicks into place.

Screw the RAM panel cover back on. Re-connect everything, turn your iMac back on and go to About This Mac to confirm new RAM installed. How to upgrade RAM on a Macbook Pro.

Turn your Macbook off. Turn your Macbook upside down and pop the latch on the back to remove the plate. Use tiny phillips head screwdriver to unscrew the larger back plate. Note - one screw will be a lot smaller than the others. Remember where it goes. Touch metal to ground yourself before touching the RAM. The RAM is to the left or right of centre.

Pull apart the latches on each side of it and the RAM will pop up. Slide the RAM out. Slide the new RAM into the slot and push it down till it clicks into place. Put the large backplate back on and screw it into place.

Screw the smaller backplate back into place. Turn your Macbook on and and go to About This Mac to confirm new RAM installed. How to upgrade RAM on a Mac Mini Due to the form factor of the Mac Mini, it is one of the more challenging devices to upgrade.

We recommend getting help from professionals or someone that has experience upgrading Mac Mini RAM. The final word on Mac RAM upgrades In this guide we showed you how to identify high memory usage on your Mac using OS X and the ever-useful. We then outlined the steps to determine what RAM your Mac has installed, whether it can be upgraded, how to purchase new memory for your Mac and finally how to install your new RAM into your Mac. Once your new RAM is installed, depending on how much you were able to add, you should see a considerable boost to your Mac performance. You will also gain a boost to your social status, as now you can confidently boast, “I know how to upgrade my Mac memory”. These might also interest you:.