Upgrading Mac Mini

[jofersine]

How do I 'guntly pill' something? (Gently pull?)

;-)

[Upliftmof0]

You should be aware that for the powerpc mac minis the ram is placed vertically to the side of the optical drive/hardrive/everything else. Its more akin to typical desktop ram than laptop ram and has only one slot. Thought you should know as your video info may be slightly wrong!

:)

[broadcasterG]

what's that camera looking thing on the desk?

[lowededwookie]

That's Apple's iSight which has been discontinued because it is now built into every Mac display including the Cinema Displays.

[JAXON9211994]

what model is this cuz i got the g4

[lowededwookie]

It's the Intel Core Duo model 1.66GHz model. It was the top end model at the time but clearly not any longer. :-)

[innertuber45]

Thanks!

[iAdichi]

is that thhe video card next to the hard drive?

[Exoime]

yes

[lowededwookie]

No, the video card is on the motherboard. It can't be upgraded.

What you saw was either the riser card that connects the drives to the motherboard or the system fan but I can assure you it is not the video card.

[mattgate]

Is it easy to upgraded mac mini?

[bizzyfingers]

i have upgraded my ram, but i have installed 2 gig in one slot... could i put another 1 in the other or do they have to be equal pairs??? any help will be great thank you

[lowededwookie]

No, it needs to be paired so you can still stick 2 x 2GB sticks in it but the system will only use 3GB as has been mentioned above.

[mistermarcel22]

can you also upgrade the grapics?

[lowededwookie]

No. Graphics chips are soldered onto the board and even if you're adept with a soldering iron replacing the chip is not guaranteed to work either.

[lakaiguy17]

how much ram can i put in my mac mini g4?

[SupremeThunda23]

i like how you say gently...

[DiggerOwl]

is it possible to upgrade the hard drive?

[lowededwookie]

Absolutely.

When you remove the cage where the DVD drive is underneath is the harddrive,

It's only 2.5" drives (laptop) though so you'll be paying more than for a 3.5" one.

[DiggerOwl]

SATA or IDE?

[lowededwookie]

SATA. All Macs are SATA now.

[DiggerOwl]

Any laptop SATA drive?

[lowededwookie]

Unlike RAM there is no limit to drive size except for what you can afford.

[Derkomischekeren]

I hope the will offer new mac minis beginning next year ^^ =) is it possible to change a dvd-drive to dual layer?

[fredsavagerules]

Thanks for the great instructional video. I just performed this upgrade flawlessly tonight. My Mac Mini's performance is much better now and I didn't break anything. Thanks

[sorrows501]

i have .252 of a GB...i wanted to know how much ram can my mac mini hold(stander mac mini)...i want to add 2 GB.

[sorrows501]

and i only have 256 MB

[sorrows501]

i mean 21GB of room

[thesupahfly]

Whoa Your an Incredable ventriloquist!! and you made that look realy simple and done in real time too, shows how quick it can be done, nice one thanks!!

[zenlstate]

you can put 4GB in the Core2Duo mini but not the plain CoreDuo. It will however only see 3GB of the $GB but that unused GB isn't wasted. If you have 2 matched 2GB sticks it will activate 128bit memory addressing which can speed up most tasks 5-15%.  If you just had 1x2GB and 1x1GB then the system would not be using this feature.

So people should not think of that unused 1GB as wasted.

[TheKaijuSciFiGuy]

The Tech Specs on the Intel Mini is that it can run up to 3.16Gb of Ram so if you install 4Gb you are just wasting .84. I just went with one stick at 2Gb and one stick at 1Gb.

[colton1337]

right now i have a Dell Dimension E521 with 448mb of RAM. i was thinking of just buying more ram for my Dell to make it 2g. Should i buy a Mac Mini instead and upgrade it to 2g of RAM. do you know if it runs smooth with World of Warcraft? Thanks ~ Colton

[lowededwookie]

I would hold on for another couple of months. Apple is about to have their MacWorld conference in January so look to see a new Mac Mini model there because rumour has it that the new Mini will be pretty sweet with NVidia 9400GT cards as well as the new DisplayPort which is capable of running a 30" screen.

[xxAO2012xx]

$600?

[lowededwookie]

$600 for what?

[xxAO2012xx]

for a mac mini

[lowededwookie]

Sorry, I never clicked. If I factored in the currency conversion I probably would have. ;)

[ezadsms]

I done it i put 4 GB and it works greet

[lowededwookie]

Sweet. Does it show 4GB though? I think the Mac Mini can only register 3GB of that due to hardware limitations.

[somefreak90]

According to Apple, it's officially only 2 GB, however, I've heard of Minis being upgraded to 4 GB and work.

[lowededwookie]

I think it means it supports up to 2GB modules because it can handle up to 4GB.

I think at the time of publishing the specs of the Mini (which hasn't been updated for a while) 1Gb SODIMMS were the only things available so as the previous poster said 4GB works sweet.

[hughvane]

What BRAND of hard drive is in the Intel Mac Mini? Thanks.

[lowededwookie]

I installed a Samsung 250Gb drive.

I got it at wholesale through work.

[cain772]

Does upgrading the ram yourself void Apple's warranty?

[lowededwookie]

Yep, unless of course you're a certified Apple Technician. ;-)

[fatboyuk3]

like me ha ha ha ha

[tfreakvids]

Are you sure touching the case releases the static electricity? (if the case is not grounded)

[lowededwookie]

Yes it is the case. If you touch the top cover when it's on a desk or something like that you are passing the current away from the computer. Ultimately you want an anti-stat strap and a grounded mat but as a last resort you can touch the top cover. If it didn't then using an anti-stat strap would do nothing either for the same reason.

[DOOMER23JK]

you can brake it !!!! i am very serious!!!

[tonytasseography]

you seriously CANNOT spell for crap.

[thehoaxbuster]

What are the specs on your mini?

[lowededwookie]

Go to Apple's website and click support.

On the left click Computer + Server and click iMac (Intel).

In the How To section there is a link called:

How to reset the SMC (System Management Controller)

Click this (don't worry it does work for Mac Mini as well).

Try this. It will reset the Controller that also controls the fans. See how that goes.

[howelsybuzzin]

hey up mate av just upgraded my mac mini with 2gb of ram and when im switchin my computer on the fan is comin on straight away loud and its never done this before.can u help me plz mate

[emkal21]

you have disconnected the fan sensor cable inside your mac mini. open it again and connect that black cable somewhere (i dont know where since i havent got a mac mini!). your problem should be solved!

[howelsybuzzin]

ive just found at2700 2.33ghz on ebay for 85pounds and that is a good price because in USA there like 300dollars so i think im guna buy it and install it with 2gb of ram and then see how much beter my mini works with the ram upgrade and cpu

[howelsybuzzin]

were can i find a t2700 mate you got any ideas.what does the processor actualy make beter or will make when i upgrade it.have u upgraded yours from 1.66ghz.mine is a 1.66ghz aswell

[lowededwookie]

Not sure what sort of computer stores you have in the UK but if you went into a "Build Your Own" dealer they should be able to track them down for you.

A faster processor will make general computer usage faster. Things like Photoshop, Final Cut/iMovie, Garage Band etc will all perform much better. More RAM also make this even more so with less seek times.

Games might not perform better as that requires more video RAM and that can't be upgraded.

[howelsybuzzin]

do you think a intel core duo e6750 2.66g cpu 2.66ghz  775 pin in 1333mhz will go in my mini

[lowededwookie]

Sorry, I've tried posting a couple of comments and they don't seem to be posting. Maybe because I had a URL in there.

Anyway, in answer to your questions forget the advice on the T7400 and go instead for the T2700. The T7400 and the E6750 are NOT going to bring you any advantage.

It seems to me that you have a Mac Mini the same as mine and I can tell you if you have the 1.66Ghz Intel Mac Mini then the only processor that WILL make a difference is the T2700 as it's the top end 32 bit processor.

[howelsybuzzin]

someone told me should get a t7400 intel core duo

[howelsybuzzin]

hmm i thought any intel core duo would go in my mini mate

[lowededwookie]

Core Duo yes but Core 2 Duo is different and won't necessarily work. Basically aim for anything called Centrino and you should be fine.

[howelsybuzzin]

or i mite upgrade processor to a little bit more than 2.8.....its so easy to upgrade the ram and the processor isnt it.the upgrade on the processor will make it faster aswell wont it

[lowededwookie]

The processor can be upgraded but be careful. You need to ensure that the processor you are getting is a Core Duo not a Core 2 Duo. I believe in the PC world it's called a Centrino and that's what you need. There is a difference.

Core Duo (Centrino) is a 32 bit processor whereas Core 2 Duo is a 64 bit processor. Technically a Core 2 Duo can spec itself down but it defeats the purpose sticking a 64 bit processor into a 32 bit machine.

[howelsybuzzin]

cheers mate,im guna take my processor to 2.8ghz aswell as mine is only 1.66ghz

[howelsybuzzin]

hey ive just took my mac mini apart and looked at my ram and the rams are 256mb each and thats crap right.wat does the ram actualy do make your computer faster?i want to install leopard on my mini

[lowededwookie]

RAM makes a machine faster by taking the load off the hard drive. RAM is faster to access than a hard drive is. The more data is used the more it resides in RAM.

[howelsybuzzin]

hey dude ive got 2 mac minis would i be able to take the ram out of the one im not usin and put it in the one im usin.let me no mate cheers

[lowededwookie]

As regards robbing Peter to pay Paul you can so long as you pair them. That being said though there are only two RAM slots so this would be useless.

Paired RAM means you have to have two of the same type. You can't just add 256Mb to a 512MB setup to give you 768MB. The only option you have is to go to at least 1GB by adding 2 x 512MB SODIMMS (Intel Mac Minis use laptop RAM). I recommend maxing it out to 2Gb though as your machine would handle better.

[RockAlekz]

Good;D

[lowededwookie]

Apple's iSight. No longer made as it's built into all the Macs no (except the Mac Mini). You might be able to pick one up on EBay or Trade Me (if you live in New Zealand).

[xFYCNxcps22]

what kind of webcam is on your desk