Mac Mini RAM Upgrade

Hi Guys,

IM new.

Never owned a mac in my life but about to buy a mac mini!

Question is i know how to change the RAM seem loads of tutorials BUT

What is the standard 2GB .. is is 2 x 1GB or is it 1 x 2GB?

Do i need to fit them in pairs or can i just add a single 4GB stick to one of the other 2?

The new Mini comes with 2x1GB (it has two slots only). Configurations are

2x1
2x2
2x4

Upgrading is now a lot easier than previously, and I would recommend 3rd party RAM. I usually go for Crucial

Crucial Memory Upgrades for Macs - Apple Memory

Apple charges $100 for the upgrade to 4GB, which is good value considering it would cost you $130 to buy 4GB fresh and then you'd have to sell your 2GB, so it's not worth it. If you want to be brave and buy 8GB, buy 3rd party - you'll pay $260 or so, as opposed to the $500 Apple will charge.

would it be possible for me to add 1 x 4GB alongside the 1 X 1GB

so i had 5GB?

Or would i need 2 x 2GB to make 4?

Dont know if i need to run them identical side by side.

Id like 8GB you see .. but dont want to buy it all at once so if i can add one single 4GB first and then a few months later add a second then ill be happy

You could probably do that although I don't recommend it for two reasons:

1. Matched pairs work best for speed and efficiency

2. Most memory kits are sold in pairs. It might actually cost you more to buy the modules separately.

Why don't you just get the 4 GB kit (2 x 2GB modules) and see if that suffices for you. Later on you can always buy the 8 GB kit (2 x 4GB modules) and sell the 4 GB or trade it in. See memory sales at OWC.

but i have noticed they do like 6GB upgrades with

1 x 2GB
1 x 4GB

which are obviously not pairs.

So would 1 x 1GB & 1 X 4GB not be okay? i could then buy the next 4GB when i could afford it

Danny133 said:

but i have noticed they do like 6GB upgrades with

1 x 2GB
1 x 4GB

which are obviously not pairs.

Click to expand...

That's tripple channel memory for Intel's i5 and i7 machines, where you need three identical chips. The Core 2 Duo is dual channel only.

The short answer is that mixing memory sizes can cause issues with new machines running the memory at very high speeds, it is definitely not recommended.