So… to make this interesting, I bought a Mac Mini like a week ago and I thought it would be nice to do a small DIY to help people that want to do this but are not sure how. Well here is what you will need:
1) Apple Mac Mini (duh!).
2) RAM modules to which you will upgrade.
3) Putty knife, you can get them at Home Depot from $1-6 dollars.
4) #00 Phillips screw driver, make sure its magnetized, trust me it WILL help.
5) Flashlight (it helps if the light from the room is not enough).
Attempt this at your own risk!! I had no problem with my installation since I have experience dealing with electronics and computer hardware, so if your not sure, have this upgrade done by a professional. Also make sure you discharge your static electricity on a ground source (i.e. window frame or door frames/knobs), if its possible use an anti-static wrist band.
Picture of all the material you will need:
First you need to insert the putty knife in between the outer cover and the inner cover. I didn’t take any pics for that step since I was too busy doing it, but if you see the picture above you’ll notice there is a separation between the vents and the edge of the case, well you will insert it in between there and gently but firmly pry the case open. Don’t be scared if you hear cracking noises, those are the clips being released. (Make sure you push the handle of the putty knife outwards from the cover in order to do it right).
This is how it should look like after you remove the top cover (image of a mid-2007 mini):
Ok, the next pic shows the area where you will see an antenna (green electronic board) that I have already removed… Its pretty simple just unclip it from below and remove the spring just so you wont lose it.
After removing the antenna, you have to remove 4 screws that are located in each corner of the computer, note that the front right screw is bigger than the rest, so remember where it goes so you can put it back later. Here are some pics:
Rear right screw:
Rear left screw:
Front left screw:
Front right screw (the bigger one):
After that, make sure you disconnect a little black connector that’s located in the front which connects the main fan to the motherboard. Then you’ll be able to lift the optical/hard drive assembly upwards, you gotta be careful with the small flex connector, so as you can see in the next pic, I used some books to lay the assembly on while i worked on the upgrade.
You can see the pic above that I already took out the RAM modules I just placed the used one on top so that you could see where they go. To remove the RAM its pretty simple, just push the tabs that hold them outwards, they should lift up in a diagonal and all you have to do is pull them out.
Close up to the old module:
To add the new RAM you pretty much have to align it properly, insert it in a diagonal and push down (make sure its all the way in before pushing down). Do those steps for the second module and you should be done. Now piece everything back together, I’m assuming you now know how to, if not, just do the above steps but in reverse.
That’s it for this DIY if you have questions or just want to give your opinion, leave a comment. Hope this easy DIY helps, and thanks for reading.
