Wrong RAM, must be more mini
April 13th, 2006 | by jg3 |Oops …
When I got my Mac mini, I determined I could save a few bucks by not getting a RAM upgrade from Apple and, by carefully following the instructions on websites (like these from Macworld) I could upgrade the memory myself. I’m not afraid of the inside of a computer, no.
But I am afraid of the procedure to open up one of these boxes. The case is held together with fifteen plastic clips that DO NOT want to be un-clipped from the inside of the warm, aluminum body. While I understand that, I’m unaccustomed to applying to sensitive and fragile electronic devices such pressure as is necessary to disassemble this computer. So, not wanting to break anything and not wanting to get any extra cat hair inside the little silver box, I left it shut and ordered two 1GB sticks of fast RAM (DDR2-667 MHz PC2-5300) and waited patiently.
Then today it arrived and, as you can probably guess by the title of this post it wasn’t the right stuff. See, I didn’t realize that part of changes necessary to shift to the Intel processor (and add the IR port for the Apple Remote), they changed to notebook-style 200-pin SODIMM memory modules which are significantly smaller than the standard kind I ordered. Yeah, that means what I’ve got won’t fit. Now I guess we see if the place that pricewatch showed as the lowest-cost retailer will play nice or screw me out of 15% restocking fee (read: idiot tax).
And it turns out that the instructions I need to be following are this Intel Mac mini: Take Apart Guide (RAM & HD).
Keep watching this space, I may soon be telling you that the nerd in your life really wants some upgraded RAM, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
Filed under: Computers, Workstation
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