Mac Memory Roundup Q1 2005 - In Search of Affordable Upgrades
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 1, 2005 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Mac
Mac mini Memory
The Mac mini comes equipped with only 256MB of memory, so memory upgrades for it are a must. Apple doesn't offer aftermarket memory upgrades for the mini. The pricing listed below is their upgrade pricing at the time of ordering - if you don't buy the upgrade when you order, you're out of luck for support from Apple. Luckily, five other companies are able to fill the void - performance, warranty and compatibility are all the same between these folks, so let's look at pricing.
The Mac mini only has a single 184-pin memory slot, so we're only looking at single stick configurations. The mini will accept both PC2700 (DDR333) and PC3200 (DDR400) DIMMs, but they will only run at PC2700 speeds.
| Mac mini Memory | 512MB DDR333 | 1GB DDR333 |
| Apple Upgrade | $75 | $325 |
| Crucial | $72 | $220 |
| Kingston | $126 | $307 |
| Mushkin | $90 | $190 |
| OCZ | $128 | N/A |
| PDP | $80 | $194 |
Once again, Crucial comes out on top actually being cheaper than Apple's upgrade at $72. For a 1GB module, Mushkin takes the cake here at $190.
Crucial
Crucial CT431638 (512MB) / Crucial CT431637 (1GB)
Kingston
Kingston KTA-G4333/512 (512MB) / Kingston KTA-G4333/1G (1GB)
Mushkin
Mushkin PC2700 512MB / 1GB
OCZ
OCZ didn't have a line specifically for the mini, but their G5 modules worked just fine. The one problem with OCZ's G5 module is that it has a heatspreader, making it a very tight fit in the mini.
PDP
PDP PSA512G4 (512MB) / PDP PSA1GG4 (1GB)
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bjc112 - Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - link
Are these considered the only chips to go with for the mac mini?I have a stick of PC3200 ( off brand ) CL 2.5
that is 1GB.
Am I going to run into issues?
(Currently have an off brand as well)
Put in some basic mushkin, and the mini wouldn't post..
Put it in a windows desktop, booted right up..
Switched from Mushkin to Generic, mini works fine.. Now I want 1 GB.
:D
eieiou22 - Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - link
To clarify my question, I was referring to the VS (Value Select) model line, not the CMSS model line. (There is about a $100 price difference)aviram - Friday, October 7, 2005 - link
Hi All,There is one conflicting report from http://www.barefeats.com/quick.html">http://www.barefeats.com/quick.html
-avi
eieiou22 - Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - link
Does anyone know if the CORSAIR DDR400(PC3200) 1GB module will work with the mac mini? Thanks.eieiou22 - Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - link
AstroManLuca - Saturday, March 26, 2005 - link
I find this article strange... I bought a fairly standard-issue Geil 1GB PC3200 module from NewEgg for $135, and it works perfectly in my mini. I didn't bother going for any of this so-called "Mac RAM" and I haven't had any problems. I think Anand is a bit too cautionary here.Also, how did he arrive at those prices? Crucial is selling 512 MB modules for the PowerMac G5 for $61 each, for a total price for 1 GB of $122. Prices may have fallen since the article was posted but I have no idea where he got the $278 price.
Abecedaria - Saturday, March 5, 2005 - link
It's really great to see increased interest in the Mac here at Anandtech and I applaud Anand for his work so far. Keep it coming. The Mac community really needs Anand's unique perspective to point out both the advantages and the flaws in the Mac platform.Here's some tips for those new to the Mac. I don't want to sound like an ad, but many long time Mac heads use Other World Computing ( http://www.macsales.com ) for Mac upgrades. I did a quick check and they have cheap, generic, Apple-spec RAM that's cheaper than anything mentioned in the article. (i.e. 2x1GB DDR 400 - $357.00)
And yes, Mac people do build their own Macs and I'd sure love to see some articles on it. That, and some good "how to overclock" articles.
abc
Abecedaria - Saturday, March 5, 2005 - link
WangDangDoodle - Friday, March 4, 2005 - link
#17 Truly interesting - I always suspected that building your own Mac was possible.In addition, to tips on what to look for and what to avoid in building your own Mac, many of us would be interested to learn [the best way] to extract a ROM from one card to flash another card.
If there is not room on Anandtech.com, consider posting a reader submitted "build it" article on Extremetech.com which is also showing an increased interest in MACs.
Peter R.
michael2k - Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - link
Why do you have to be defensive? "Don't get me wrong, I'm a long time PC user?"It's so stupid that people are attacked, and thus have to be defensive, for looking at a Mac.