buying base mac mini ??

[bgomes87]

hi all i just bought a late 2009 mac mini, from apple, was wondering how difficult is to upgrade ram an hd myself, currently it has 2 gb ram and a 160 gb hd...was looking to double both 4/320...


thanks ahead of time

brian

 

[richsadams]

Congrats on your new "baby". You'll really enjoy it. As far as upgrades, been there, done that (twice) and it's not difficult at all. The most painstaking part is prying the cover off. After that it's pretty much a breeze. The parts are small and you have to be careful and take your time, but it's worth the effort.

Here are the videos showing you everything you need to know (scroll down to the lower left-hand side of the page):

Memory, Drives, Free Installation Guides for Apple Mac mini and more ? up to 640GB Hard Drives, up to 8.0GB Memory, Faster Optical Drives, Accessories + more just for Mac mini

Happy upgrading!

 

[chas_m]

Everyone has different levels of mechanical skill and "comfort."

I personally find opening the Mac mini to be no big deal, BUT getting down to the RAM is a bit PITA unless we're talking about the original G4 models. There are several tiny wires that have to be disconnected (and then of course RE-connected!) which for a guy like me with big fingers is a bit of a challenge, not to mention the screws are in kind of difficult locations on each corner -- hard to get good lighting down there for screwing them back in when you're done.

Have a look at the guide and if you don't feel comfortable doing it, have a tech do it. I've seen people "guillotine" those little wires and that is definitely bad!

 

[richsadams]

I didn't mean to make it sound like there was nothing to it...it is a tedious job that needs some fineness. So those are very good points. I just hate prying anything apart...worried about damaging the case, etc. Having been a gear head as a kid I learned that forcing something rarely ends in a positive outcome. But in this case, that's how it was designed.

Upgrading the memory and/or hard drive doesn't void the warranty (as long as nothing else is damaged) so I'm at a loss as to why on earth Apple won't just put four screws in the bottom. I guess it keeps the idly curious out, but...

So yes you certainly have to be careful with the wires, don't lose the little antenna springs and remember where the one longer screw is located that holds down the drive assembly. (And aren't those four screws easy to get to? NOT!) In any case, following the video makes it fairly painless, and anyone comfortable working on a computer or other small CE products should be able to handle it. Here's some pretty good info if someone wanted a printed set of step-by-step instructions as well:

Mac mini Model A1283 Repair Manual - iFixit

But agreed, if it doesn't look like something an owner is up for, by all means have a professional do it.

 

[J.Fo]

If you want to see the process in action, here are a couple of videos that show how it is done.

Mac mini Memory Upgrade

Mac mini Hard Drive Upgrade

The videos say "early 2009 model" but I believe these procedures have not changed with the late 2009 models.

For what it's worth, I am planning on upgrading the hard drive in the mini I bought a few weeks ago. I have the $800 model with 4GB of RAM already installed and a 320GB hard drive. I think I'm going to put a 7200 rpm 500GB drive in it. I noticed a nice speed boost on my old MacBook after installing a 7200 rpm drive in it and I'm hoping to see something similar in the mini, which is already faster than my MacBook.

 

[richsadams]

If you want to see the process in action, here are a couple of videos that show how it is done.

Mac mini Memory Upgrade

Mac mini Hard Drive Upgrade

FWIW, those are links to the same videos already linked above.

Happy upgrading!

 

[bgomes87]

thanks for all the responses, im still waiting for the mini to come in...will check out the vids...

 

[redwolf4k]

I understand the mac mini base model is a steal as far as Apple prices go...but did you consider buying the mac-mini that is one tier higher? This way you don't have to mess around with the machine until a few years down the road?



Of course I understand its a lot cheaper to do it yourself.

 

[mdfuller]

I understand the mac mini base model is a steal as far as Apple prices go...but did you consider buying the mac-mini that is one tier higher? This way you don't have to mess around with the machine until a few years down the road?



Of course I understand its a lot cheaper to do it yourself.

I totally agree. For a few hundred bucks you get a faster processor, twice the memory, twice the storage, and none of the headaches. Unless money is super tight just get the next model up. The memory at OWC is over 100 smackers alone.