

But for those who are confident they can do it themselves, the following steps can be seen as a general guide to the process when it comes to RAM upgrades in the 2010-2012 minis.ġ.
#Mac mini hard drive replacement 2018 upgrade#
After all, it’s a reality that any upgrade comes with risks, and nobody wants to see damage to their Mac. Many Apple users will be happy getting an upgrade at an Apple store or doing so via a tech professional. Apple advises allowing an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to do the upgrade. *The 2018 Mini’s RAM is upgradeable, but its a much more complex process than that of the 2010-2012 Minis.
#Mac mini hard drive replacement 2018 mac#
The Upgrade List for Every Mac Mini of the Past Decade Year True, there’s no suggestion such steps would deliver someone a computer that is on the cutting edge of today’s technology, but Apple fans would say the record of eight-year-old PCs being as easy to upgrade and as long-lasting is far more limited. For example, it’s common to see Minis from 2010 that shipped with 4GB of RAM or Minis from 2012 with 8GB of RAM – yet, a 2010 can upgrade to 8GB, and the 2012 to 16GB.Īs a result, many people in recent years have found they could buy a used Mac Mini from as far back as 2010 and that it will hold its own with a Mac from 2020 in numerous tasks. What makes the Mini special is its capacity to effectively utilize upgrades introduced into it well beyond its base model. If you feel comfortable following these directions, you could get 16GB now installed by Apple, then later if you think the Mac needs more RAM, you could get it cheaper from another trusted store and put it in yourself.At the outset, it’s useful to provide a quick overview surrounding why the Mini is so fantastic from a DIY-upgrade perspective. It's a question because it is not as easy as other Macs have been. The question is whether to get it installed up front from Apple (expensive) or get it somewhere else and put it in yourself (save around 50% of the price). When I get my Mac mini, I will eventually put 32GB RAM in it. Like if you want Photoshop running too, it's going to want its own big chunk RAM and now you're definitely needing more than 16GB. If you want to run other programs too, you should aim higher than 16GB to have enough RAM for them. What that means, in the practical sense, is that if you want LR to have 12GB RAM, and you want to also have RAM for macOS, you are already at 16GB at that point.

Using the recommended amount of RAM yields significant performance benefits, especially when you import and export photos, move between photos in Loupe view, or create HDR images and panoramas. Run Lightroom on machines with 12 GB of RAM or moreįor best performance, the recommendation is to run Lightroom on machines with 12 GB of RAM or more. If running other major applications alongside LR, get more RAM. That's a no-brainer - get the six-core!! Meanwhile, I feel that the difference in performance between the i5 and the i7 is much less significant, but still might be worth the $200 upcharge for the i7, depending on your needs and budget.ġ6GB is "sufficient," for Lightroom alone. Better yet, the same Crucial 32-GB kit is presently available for just $245 online both from Adorama and from Newegg.Īt those prices, I would suggest that going with 32 GB of RAM via the Crucial 2x16 kit makes a lot more sense than settling for 16 GB, and is probably your best bet.Īs an aside… regarding processor options for the 2018 Mac mini, the difference in cost between the four-core i3 and the six-core i5, all else being equal, is a mere $100. On the other hand… if you're keen to save money, and you don't mind rolling up your sleeves and twisting some teensy-tiny screwdrivers, then you should know that the 32-GB RAM kit (comprising two memory sticks of 16 GB each) made by Micron/Crucial for the 2018 Mac mini is presently available directly from for $264 - less than half the price of obtaining the same amount of RAM pre-installed by Apple. That's quite a high price for RAM, but if cost is of little concern to you and you don't want to mess with performing minor surgery on your computer, then it may be worth it to you. If you increase the RAM by having Apple add more before the mini comes to you, you'll pay an extra $200 to go from 8 to 16 GB, or an extra $600 to go from 8 to 32 GB. Regardless of which processor you get ( i3/ i5/ i7) in the 2018 Mac mini, the base configuration comes with 8 GB of RAM. Is 16 GB of memory sufficient for Lightroom or should I get 32 GB?īe sure to consider the following in weighing your options:

I was planning to get the i7 processor with 16 GB of memory and and a 512 SSD. I'm ready to replace a 2009 iMac and Aperture with a Mac Mini and Lightroom.
