#24

Now spec out a 27" iMac with user upgraded RAM compared to Apple eye-gouge RAM in the Mini…

#25

I only trust vendors on issues of upgrades and licensing, and Apple says you void your warranty if you attempt a RAM upgrade on a Mini. The iMac remains easily upgradeable, and you can get a 32mb card for like $200. So configuring an 8mb and upgrading yourself you can save like $600 or more.

William:
Thanks for contacting Apple Chat! My name is William, and I’ll be your specialist today.

William:
Alright, so a quick clearup.

William:
You can’t upgrade the RAM in the Mac mini, as it’s soldered onto the actual mother board.

William:
You can only select it at the start. TECHNICALLY you can upgrade it if you’re handy with a solder gun, but you’ll void all warranty.

William:
The only computers you can upgrade the ram in would be the 27” iMac and the Mac Pro

#26

this is completely incorrect. the 2018 mini does have upgradeable slotted ram:



…and anywhere else on the web.

numerous apple employees, from managers to CSRs, have confirmed that that the 2018 mini uses standard slotted sodimm ddr4. (see the picture below.) it’s a little trickier to get into than the 2012 mini’s easy-open cover, hence why all the apple employees have stated they’d prefer that 2018 DIY upgraders are either authorized service centers or knowledgeable end-users. but it’s completely doable. the only mini that has soldered ram is the 2014.

2 Likes
#28

the only mini that has soldered ram is the 2014.

Maybe this is where the confusion lies? That the Apple support was actually still talking about the old model?

#29

Yeah, definitely not soldered. With the fan in place, though, it looks like things might be very tight.

The Apple price for 16 GB isn’t too bad but it gets nuts after that. And the SSD prices are crazy, but easy enough to add external storage.

I’m tempted.

#30

The Apple rep stated 2 things:

1.) It voids your warranty
2.) It’s soldered on so you would need to solder in your own new RAM

Are you stating that BOTH of these things are incorrect? Because even if it’s true you can upgrade your RAM without a soldering iron, I would want it in writing from Apple that it doesn’t void the warranty before I do it, and as of this moment, all I have in writing from Apple is that it will void the warranty.

#31

#1 is unknown at this point, I think, but should soon be clarified. #2 is known: the RAM is socketed, not soldered. The SSD is soldered.

#32

Ok well go ahead and try it out and let us know what happens.

#33

you can upgrade the RAM, you can’t upgrade the SSD

would it void the warranty? I don’t know. I could also depend on where you live, US and Europe have different consumer protection laws.

#34

I asked them in chat again, and pressed for more detail this time. It is possible, but it voids your warranty unless you have an authorized Apple technician do it, and I doubt that has anything to do with what country you live in. The issue appears to be that they don’t want to be liable for damage you do during the install, which seems like a copout so they can gouge you on their own RAM, but it is what it is.

Apple:
Welcome to Apple.
What can we do for you today?

me:
I chatted with you guys a week ago and asked a question, and I think I got an incorrect answer

me:
I want to know if the new model Mac mini has user-upgradeable RAM

Apple:
OK, let me just clarify. Do you need support for a Mac you already own, are you checking on a recent order, or are you looking to purchase a Mac?

me:
I am trying to decide if I want to buy the new Mac mini or not

Ronniel:
Hello there! Nice to meet you here online. Welcome to Apple. My name is Ronniel.

Ronniel:
I can see your inquiry about Mac mini and I’ll be happy to answer your questions about especially regarding upgrade.

Ronniel:
By the way, how’s your day so far? I hope you are doing great today!

me:
I am very busy and just need the answer

Ronniel:
Oh sure thing!

Ronniel:
Regarding upgrading the Mac RAM, yes it is possible but it can only be done with one of our teams in the Apple Authorized Service Provider.

me:
Ok so the user cannot do it themselves?

Ronniel:
We really don’t recommend that, as we suggest to do it with our Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Ronniel:
But again, you can definitely upgrade the RAM of the new Mac mini after purchase.

me:
Does it void the warranty if the user does it themselves?

Ronniel:
Absolutely!

Ronniel:
Our warranty doesn’t cover damage caused by accidents or unauthorized modifications such that. So we really don’t recommend doing it by the user themselves.

me:
Why is it an unauthorized modification to add more RAM? This is a very easy procedure that thousands of people have done on their own computers without problem.

Ronniel:
That’s a good point! And I’m thinking of that already. I really don’t know the answer to that one but now I’m curious myself. Do you mind if I take a few minutes to research and get us an answer for that?

me:
Yes please

Ronniel:
I really appreciate your patience about this, and I also want you to get an accurate information, and upon consulting, it may cause unauthorised modification as only the Apple certified technicians in the Apple Stores are allowed to do that. They are specifically the one trained on how to upgrade the RAM for this specific Mac model as doing it may cause into damage.

Ronniel:
So again, we really don’t recommend upgrading the RAM for this Mac mini by ourselves. We still suggest to do it with one of our Apple Certified Technicians at our Apple Authorized Service Providers.

1 Like
#35

What a predictably inadequate response from Apple support. How far they have come from selling kit computers…

4 Likes
#36

Looking at the instructions I can see why they may claim it voids your warranty, as it’s clearly not designed to be easily replaced by the end user. Still, if you’re interested in maxing out the memory it’ll be cheaper to get a apple certified tech to do it than paying apple’s premium.

#37

Buuuut. If you want Apple to put it in, you probably have to buy the ram from Apple as well.

#38

There are many 3rd party repair shops with Apple certified techs

#39

Yes, I wanted to say that exact thing in the chat, but it would just be pissing in the wind.

#40

I’m a little wary of this, but I assume that if I show up with an appointment and RAM in hand, I’m scary enough to make them do it. ;D

#41

I have installed my own RAM on every Mac I’ve owned (well, except one Air), since 2006. I’ve been to the Apple store for hardware service on the upgraded machines several times and never once been denied support because I upgraded my own RAM. Apple themselves bothered to mention during the announcement event that the Mini had user-upgradable SO-DIMMs. You wouldn’t do that if you were going to void user’s warranties the second they upgraded. I wouldn’t worry about this at all.

The only thing that probably isn’t covered is service that is CAUSED as a direct result of you installing the wrong RAM, or damaging the machine during installation.

#42

I have a similar history: Apple did change the mother board of my late 2011 MBP, even if I already upgradde the original hard drive for a SSD and maxed out the RAM with crucial products.

So this would make sense.

#43

That’s very helpful detail, thanks!

#44

talking about mac computers
my macbook pro 13 late 2011 is dying :sob:
so i’m facing (again) the hard decision on where to go
i’m a ui/ux designer so i tend to use the adobe pack (illustrator, photoshop, after) and ableton as DAW.
and this are my thoughts:

  • new macbook air (16gb ram, 256gb ssd) -> not sure about performances
  • new macbook pro 13 with touchbar (16gb ram, 512gb ssd) -> maybe too pricey
  • late 2015 refurbished mackbook pro 13 (16gb ram, 512gb ssd) -> same price as new air
  • refurbished from apple macbook pro 13 (8gb ram, 512 ssd)

not looking at new macbook pro without touchbar because i’ve heard about problems in the cooling (just one fan inside)

do you guys have experiences? advices?