Mac Mini (Intel) memory replacement
Today I decided to finally upgrade the capacity of RAM of my old trusty Mac Mini from one to two GB. The whole process was a bit more complicated than I anticipated so I decided to write a few comments here coupled with some photos. Be aware that following these steps will void your warranty and might cost you a bit of time.
Tools
There are no screws on Mac Mini case which means that you will have to use a tool to open your computer. Once opened, you will need to remove a few small screws so appropriate small screwdriver will be required. The screws inside are a bit hard to reach, I found it very important to use a small magnet tool to be able to remove the screws.
Opening Mac Mini
Disconnect all cables from your Mac and turn it belly up. There are no screws or handles to help us to remove the case so I used a stainless flex tool to open up the computer. Make sure the tool is clean when used before by a craftsman. To open up the computer you need to carefully insert the tool in between the case and the body of the computer, one side after another except the one where all connectors are located (rear panel). Once you insert the tool, apply pressure carefully to pop the computer body up.
Using a screwdriver is not recommended, this could result into visible marks on the computer’s plastic body. This step calls for some patience and maybe a few repeats. I had my cat Lennon sitting on a pillow near by to help me keep relaxed and calm. A scratch or two will likely be result of this action.
Memory modules
What you will see once you open the computer is that you do not see the memory modules. Yes, there are buried inside and we need to do some more work to reach them. Your Mac now looks something like this:
Continue by removing the upper part of computer’s body which consists of the optical drive, hard drive and the CPU fan. To do so, we have to remove four screws. These screws, black colored, are located in each corner of the body. You can see three of them. Once unscrewed, use a magnet tool (or magnetic screwdriver) to remove them. I found it impossible to remove the screws otherwise (apart of flipping the whole computer upside down for a second). Fourth screw is hidden under the Wi-Fi antenna:
Remove the Wi-Fi antenna by gently pressing on two plastic clips below the antenna and pulling the antenna (gently) at the same time. Antenna will still stay connected to the computer by a cable. After removing the antenna, you will see the fourth screw. After removed, also unplug the cable which connects the upper part of the computer’s body with the rest of it:
Gently lift the upper part of the computer’s body. At one side, the upper part is still connected to the rest of the computer so you will simply have to flip the upper part on one side. This will open the access to memory modules, you can now easily exchange them:
What happened to me at this point was that my Wi-Fi antenna got disconnected from the computer. I thought that something got seriously broken. Luckily, the antenna just only got unplugged, it was no problem to put it back. Look-up the wireless adapter card on the board (on my Mac it was called AR5BXB6) and plug the antenna back in (connector MAIN). The lose antenna and the wireless adapter on the main board look something like this:
Assembling your Mac back together is simple, just follow the above steps in reverse order. I did power-up the computer once before putting the computer back just to avoid having to open it again in case something went wrong. The first experiences after the upgrade (i.e. writing this article) are very positive, there is no memory swapping to disk which I experienced when processing multiple (large) images with GIMP and having many tabs in Firefox opened at the same time, my old trusty Mac runs much smoother.
Small print
This article describes the memory upgrade for Apple Mac Mini 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Opening up your computer voids your Apple warranty and might lead to permanent damage to the computer. Do not try this at home unless you know what you are doing. It is advised to have this done by an authorized service company. Contact Apple for detailed options.