Upgrading a Late 2014 Mac Mini. How much faster am I looking at here?

[krs]

...not so overly complicated.
Nick

Yes... piece of cake.;D
Step-by-step to upgrade soldered RAM on a MacBook air - I assume the 2014 Mac Mini can be done in a similar manner.
This guy didn't even need any special tools
YouTube

 

[pigoo3]

Yes... piece of cake.;D
Step-by-step to upgrade soldered RAM on a MacBook air - I assume the 2014 Mac Mini can be done in a similar manner.
This guy didn't even need any special tools
YouTube

I trust you were teasing.

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

This guy didn't even need any special tools

Hmmm...??? I don't know that many Mac users who even have a decent set of tools to open the case let alone good small accurate tweezers or small high heat hot air gun and no doubt a good magnifying headset. Oh right, I forgot the very fine solder and flux and I'm not sure what the tool he was using was.

I also wonder what those small sticky label type things were that he was pulling off??? Or what were they even for???

Anyway, certainly not a job for the average Mac user I would say.


- Patrick
======

 

[krs]

I trust you were teasing.

- Nick

Just replying to your "wink, wink" with my "wink, wink"

But seriously, really no different than replacing a memory chip if it has failed - not as impossible as I first thought when the OP posted that this was a possibility with his Mini.
I wonder if it really was technically impossible to have provided a connector for the RAM the way Apple did for the SSD or if the decision to solder the RAM directly to the board was more a Marketing decision to squeeze some more bucks out of the buyer.
What also was not as obvious to me before is how little of the total real estate the actual computer requires - the biggest part is the battery.
Although I sort of knew that, it was never that obvious as when the fellow disassembled the MBa.

 

[krs]

Hmmm...??? I don't know that many Mac users who even have a decent set of tools to open the case let alone good small accurate tweezers or small high heat hot air gun and no doubt a good magnifying headset. Oh right, I forgot the very fine solder and flux and I'm not sure what the tool he was using was.

I also wonder what those small sticky label type things were that he was pulling off??? Or what were they even for???

Anyway, certainly not a job for the average Mac user I would say.


- Patrick
======

Patrick, I'm shocked!

You don't have any of these basic tools?
Probably all available from ifixit or OWC.
I had to go and buy a special screwdriver just to replace a battery on a MacBook

The tool I saw on the original video I referenced was the size about four times as big as each of the memory chips in the MacBook Air video, it desoldered and later soldered all the pins at once using temperature controlled air. With that approach, the tool I'm sure is quite expensive but the skill level to desolder and then resolder is much less.

 

[pm-r]

One part I didn't understand in that video or even in various other RAM Upgrade discussions I've read, is how they also update the BIOS and whatever else is needed for the motherboard to communicate with the new larger RAM chips????


- Patrick
======

 

[pm-r]

Patrick, I'm shocked!

Why oh why do so many misinterpret what I have actually said in so many of my posts. Re-read what I said, and do so carefully this time!!!

BTW: Apple HAS been using the soldered in method with a lot of their MacBook models since they started doing so in 2015-2016 with some SSDs.
Mac 101: How to Upgrade a Computer with Soldered Components


- Patrick
======

 

[krs]

Why oh why do so many misinterpret what I have actually said in so many of my posts. Re-read what I said, and do so carefully this time!!!

My comment was tongue-in-cheek

But what did I misinterpret?
If many misinterpret what you actually said...as you stated... maybe it's your Canadian accent???;D;D;D

 

[Slydude]

One part I didn't understand in that video or even in various other RAM Upgrade discussions I've read, is how they also update the BIOS and whatever else is needed for the motherboard to communicate with the new larger RAM chips????


- Patrick
======

I'm not a technician nor do I play one on TV but here's what I suspect is happening:

Numerous Mac models over the years have had specs which indicate they could take one amount of memory when they could, in fact, take more memory. Some Macs, such as the late 2008 MacBook Pro needed a rom update which was readily available from Apple. Other models may not have needed a similar update.

In both cases, an important factor seems to be that higher density memory chips with the same form factor became available after the machine in question was released. think Apple's official specs still list the lower ram amount, possibly because the higher memory configuration was never tested before the machine was released.

 

[pm-r]

But what did I misinterpret?

My original comment:

I don't know that many Mac users who even have a decent set of tools to open the case let alone good small accurate tweezers or small high heat hot air gun and no doubt a good magnifying headset. Oh right, I forgot the very fine solder and flux and I'm not sure what the tool he was using was.

When you replied:

Patrick, I'm shocked!

You don't have any of these basic tools?
Probably all available from ifixit or OWC.

Believe me, I have them all, and more, and have done so for many years. Even some custom made Mac tools.



BTW: This soldered in RAM chip replacement upgrade thing is basically theorithical as I couldn't even find any such solder mount RAM chips for sale at any of the memory sites I visited, unless they have them listed in some buried hidden listing area that I didn't see.


- Patrick
======

 

[krs]

The retailers you think of typically sell memory or RAM modules, for RAM chips one has to get them from a distributor or a specialized retailer that sells electronic components.
Although I would think those are becoming fewer and fewer since there aren't that many hobbyists that build their own circuits from scratch.
Seems swhen I google for RAM chips, all I get are RAM modules.

If you know the manufacturer and the product code of the chip (which would be marked on it) you should be able to find some place on the net where you can buy that.

 

[honestone33]

Swapping out a 5400 rpm spinner for an SSD would also significantly speed up swapping between RAM and the drive should that be required because there is not enough RAM.
That would make it less necessary to increase the RAM.

First want to say how informative this thread is, as about a year from now, I will need to replace my late 2012 Mac Mini with a newer model, given that for my 2012 machine, Catalina will be the last Mac OS it can run (just a guess on my part). Since I will want the option to upgrade the RAM myself, it's nice that the 2018 models offer that capability. But in looking at ifixit.com, it is somewhat more difficult to upgrade the RAM in the 2018 models than it was when I upgraded the RAM myself in my late 2012 model. Of course, the 2018 models come standard with 8 Gig of RAM, which is just fine for my needs. I will definitely go with the $1,099 Core i5, 256GB SSD model, but I might consider having the processor upgraded to a Core i7. My current Mac Mini has a Core i7 processor.

Sorry to digress somewhat. In any event, after I purchased my late 2012 Mac Mini, with a (slow) 1 TB 5400 rpm drive, I swapped out that HDD for a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD about 4 months later. And just like others experienced, the machine flew! And that was true with the stock 4GB of RAM inside the machine. I subsequently installed the 1 TB drive inside an Orico enclosure, used it for a little while as an external drive, but eventually sold it for $100.

About 2 or so years ago, OWC had a sale on 8 Gig of RAM for my machine, and I went ahead and purchased it. Installation was a snap, but like others said, it did not increase the speed much at all (if at all). But it could help when I decide to sell it.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

About 2 or so years ago, OWC had a sale on 8 Gig of RAM for my machine, and I went ahead and purchased it. Installation was a snap, but like others said, it did not increase the speed much at all (if at all).

Many well meaning users will oversell you on the need/advantages of installing more RAM. They do so based on common wisdom that is about a decade out of date.

Apple has been using advanced memory compression and very smart memory management since Mavericks, and it's become more advanced with every major new version of the Mac OS released since:

Understanding Compressed Memory on the Mac

OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review | Ars Technica

Once you get over about 8GB's of RAM, unless you are doing something really RAM intensive, like editing video or doing animation, there will be drastically diminished returns by upgrading to more RAM.

 

[honestone33]

Many well meaning users will oversell you on the need/advantages of installing more RAM. They do so based on common wisdom that is about a decade out of date.

Apple has been using advanced memory compression and very smart memory management since Mavericks, and it's become more advanced with every major new version of the Mac OS released since:

Understanding Compressed Memory on the Mac

OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review | Ars Technica

Once you get over about 8GB's of RAM, unless you are doing something really RAM intensive, like editing video or doing animation, there will be drastically diminished returns by upgrading to more RAM.

Understand. But I went from 4 Gig to 8 Gig of RAM, and never had any plans of installing anymore. I "perceived" some improvement in performance, but nothing earth shattering. However, when I sell the machine, it should help with that, and probably netting a somewhat higher price.

 

[krs]

Apple has been using advanced memory compression and very smart memory management since Mavericks, and it's become more advanced with every major new version of the Mac OS released.

Thanks, at least I know now what is meant by "Memory Pressure"

I ended up increasing my 2012 Mini RAM to 16GB simply because the price at the time wasn't much more than for 8GB - I found at the time it really made a performance improvement coming from 4GB, but I'm also still running the original spinner drive.

I run the Mac 24/7 so boot up time is not an issue and I also leave all the apps running that I use regularly so I don't think changing the drive to an SSD would do much for me.
The 2017 MBa I just bought has an SSD in it - yeah it's faster to boot up and launch an app the first time, but after that I don't see a noticeable boost in performance.

 

[pm-r]

Thanks, at least I know now what is meant by "Memory Pressure"

And here, I always thought that Memory Pressure was that thing when you get older and trying to recall what the last thing you started out to do actually was, but you just cannot remember.


- Patrick
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[honestone33]

I ended up increasing my 2012 Mini RAM to 16GB simply because the price at the time wasn't much more than for 8GB - I found at the time it really made a performance improvement coming from 4GB, but I'm also still running the original spinner drive.

At the time I upgraded my late 2012 Mac Mini from 4 to 8 Gig, the company I was purchasing the RAM from (OWC) also has good prices on the 16 Gig RAM modules. But, given that I don't use either of my Macs nowhere near as much as you do (and probably others), the jump to 8 Gig was easily enough.

- - - Updated - - -

And here, I always thought that Memory Pressure was that thing when you get older and trying to recall what the last thing you started out to do actually was, but you just cannot remember.


- Patrick
======

Fortunately, even though I am getting older, I can still remember most things I have done. But there are times when the "Memory Pressure" gets to me!