04-19-2009, 07:12 PM

Greetings!

I have finally decided I want to experiment with the mac world! Like most people, I am going to see how I like a mac using a Mac mini. However, I am a broke college student so I am attempting to circumvent all unnecessary expenses. I am going to purchase a Mac Mini with the minimum available specifications, then upgrade it myself. I am very confident I am skilled enough to do so and I have read a few tutorials on how it's done. Now on to my question....

Will any RAM work as long as it is DDR3 1066 SO-DIMM? It used to be, as far as I know, that Apple was pretty proprietary with their hardware. Is that still the case? I also plan on putting a 7200 RPM HDD in there as well, but I am fairly certain that that should be interchangeable.

Here is the exact link to the memory I am planning on buying.

]Newegg.com - Suggested Products

It should also run duel channel, right?

Also, I will be using this with a KVM switch. The DVI KVM switches break the wallet compared to VGA KVM switches. So, I have decided to buy a VGA KVM switch. What concerns me is the mini DVI port on the mini. I have a DVI to VGA adapter but that would mean it would be setup as follows:

Mini DVI to DVI adapter (comes with mini) -> DVI to VGA adapter (have one laying around from my video card purchase last winter) -> KVM Switch -> Monitor.
Will I have any problems with 2 adapters + KVM switch on there?

Is there any advice you can give to me about possibly switching to mac? Any advice about the mini or facts I may have over looked?

I appreciate all your time in answering my questions!!
Thank you!

04-19-2009, 07:53 PM

That Crucial Ram from Newegg should work fine. Apple has not been that demanding since the switch to Intel. Not in my experience anyway. Just get RAM with the same specs and it should work.

04-19-2009, 08:06 PM

With that long post you made above...you never really said what model Mac-mini you are going to purchase or are interested in purchasing.

This makes a difference as to what parts you need to upgrade it.

- Nick

04-19-2009, 08:10 PM

To me it was pretty certain he is getting a brand new Mini but the most stripped down model. It also seemed like he had the ram specs from that very mini correct and said he had done a lot of studying on how to take apart the Mini and install the RAM.

Just in case though, that RAM you provided the URL for will only work on the NEW recently released Mac Mini with the NVidia Chipset and not any of the older Minis.

04-19-2009, 08:28 PM

Sorry about not being absolutely clear. dtravis7 is correct in assuming I mean a brand new mac mini from apple.com. It's the cheapest I have found it with my educational discount.

Thank you very much for your answers thus far.

However, still no word on the DVI question?

Upon doing some research on it I found this on Wikipedia:

Apple's Mini-DVI to DVI-D cable does not carry the analog signal coming from the mini-DVI port on the Apple computer. This means that instead of buying a single mini-DVI cable from Apple and using a cheap DVI-to-VGA adaptor when you need VGA output, you must purchase a mini-DVI to VGA cable from Apple. This could be solved if Apple provided a mini-DVI to DVI-I cable. The purpose of DVI-I is to ensure universal compatibility.

Mini-DVI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, I just called the apple store (1-800-MY-APPLE) and he advised me that the setup I want to have should work perfectly. I am unsure if I should listen to the vendor who should know but wants to make a sale, or Wikipedia that isn't interested in a sale but isn't the vendor.

Does anyone have a Mac mini and can try this?

04-19-2009, 09:01 PM

Sorry, I missed that last part of your post. I have heard others saying they had issues using a DVI to VGA adapter plugged into the Apple Mini Display Port to DVI one. I will do some more checking but I think you would be better off with the real adapter from Apple.

04-19-2009, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by davemanster

However, I am a broke college student so I am attempting to circumvent all unnecessary expenses.

When I see someone make the statement, "I'm a broke college student"...that to me means that they don't have much if any money...let alone enough money to buy a new computer (even a new Mac-mini).

But it seems that everything was cleared up...and I guess the statement "I'm a broke college student"...means different things to different people!!!

- Nick

04-19-2009, 09:34 PM

pigoo3, agreed!

Glad we were able to help. Let us know how the who DVI to VGA issue turns out.

04-19-2009, 10:38 PM

Thanks all for your time and effort in aiding me on my endeavor. I have decided that with the education discount I have I can get the mini DVI to VGA for the same price +tax as the mini alone without the discount before tax. So, I think to be safe I will just buy the adapter I need.

Any other suggestions or tips are welcomed.

04-25-2009, 10:51 AM

Who changed my post title? Whichever mod changed it actually made it LESS descriptive leaving the display part completely out....which was the actual main concern of the post. Oh well.

Anyway, wanted to update you all...

You MUST have the miniDVI to VGA adapter in order use VGA on your mac. You can not use any type of adapter on the miniDVI to DVI adapter that comes with your mini.