• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SEENIT

TV, Film, Broadband, Pay-TV, Games, Computing and Tech | News, Comment & Reviews

  • NEWS
  • UPCOMING BLU-RAYS
  • ADVERTISE
  • Twitter

Will a RAM upgrade speed up Lion on your Mac Mini?

January 24, 2012 - Staff@seenituk

Ever since I upgraded my Mac Mini to Apple’s Lion operating system it’s suffered from sluggishness and crashing browsers.

After putting up with it longer than I should, I decided it was probably worth boosting the RAM (the Mini’s memory) from the default 2GB to the maximum of 8GB.

I already knew I could get the RAM online and fit it myself – mine is a 2010 model Mac Mini so it has an access hatch allowing easy upgrades – but I was interested to see what it would cost in a store.

My local Apple repair centre quoted £120 including VAT – that’s a pretty hefty markup on the cost of the RAM which you can get for around £35 (inc VAT) retail.

The store is almost guaranteed to be paying less and while I’m happy to pay for someone’s time, £90 for a job which will take even a complete novice less than 5 minutes comes close to being a rip-off.

So in the end I did it myself.

If you fancy giving this a try yourself but have never fitted RAM before, Apple publishes an easy to understand guide here. On a 2010 or 2011 model Mac Mini it’s as easy as fitting a fuse to an electrical plug, minus the need for a screwdriver or screws!

There are many brands of RAM but on the strength of a personal recommendation I opted for Crucial. You can buy their memory from a reseller or direct from their website.

In addition to being a big, trusted name, they also have an easy online tool for checking which RAM you need. They can also scan your system for you to help determine exactly what you need.

If you’re looking to upgrade a 2010 Mac Mini to 8GB, the product you want is the 8GB (4GBx2,204-pin,DDR3 PC3-8500) Kit available via Amazon.co.uk or from Crucial.com/uk. (Be sure to double check the specs for your machine before ordering)

I placed my order for an 8GB kit on a Monday afternoon, quickly got a confirmation email and later in the evening received a second email with a Royal Mail tracking reference. The package arrived the following morning, less than 24 hours after I placed the order.

Fitting the RAM was a simple case of screwing the access hatch, removing the existing two sticks and popping in two new ones and closing the hatch back up.

Typing the above paragraph took as long as the job itself. After restarting the machine I checked the system information and the new RAM was showing up as expected.

With the new RAM in place the machine is notably faster and that annoying spinning beach ball hasn’t re-appeared.

For around £40 including postage my machine has a new lease of life and I’m £80 better off than had I paid the local service centre for the exact same work.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

RECENT ARTICLES

ITV Hub is being withdrawn from some older Freeview and Freesat devices

Top Gun: Maverick gets Blu-ray and 4K Ultra High-Definition Blu-ray release date

NFL free-to-air coverage moves to ITV in new three-year deal

Filming underway on sixth series of Two Doors Down

UPCOMING BLU-RAY RELEASES

George A. Romero inspired zombie series Day of the Dead is coming to Blu-ray next month 

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic comes to Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray next month

Eureka to release new trilogy of Boris Karloff classics

Disaster epic Shattered Earth is getting a UK release next month

POPULAR

CMA approves BT and Warner Bros. Discovery sport channel tie-up

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s cut is coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in September

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton to headline new Death in Paradise spin-off

Streaming sticks and Smart TVs will be forced to prominently display UK catch-up apps under new rules

ADVERTISE ON SEENIT

We’re pleased to offer a number of advertising opportunities to high quality brands including sponsored content, competitions and advertising placements.

Please contact us for details.

 

TOPICS

Audio Blu-rays and DVD Cinema Gaming Guides Streaming Telecoms Television

Copyright © 2022 · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Copyright · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · StreamedTV.uk