Pserapicos

Q: Will I have any problems running a 1866mhz memory on a late-2012 mac mini server?

Cheers! I'm doing an upgrade to my 2012 i7 2.3 mac mini server. I'm replacing one of the HDDs with a Samsung evo 850 SSD and replacing the stock 4gb with 16gb RAM.

 

I went out to get some sticks looking for something like the corsair vengeance 1600. They only had the 1866mhz kit.
Of course the shopkeer told me 'those will run fine, even better! than the 1600 ones', but, will they?

 

I know theoretically the computer won't recognize anything above 1600, but is there any chance i will actually have my performance worsened using faster kits?

 


Thanks!

Mac mini (Late 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on May 18, 2016 9:32 AM

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Q: Will I have any problems running a 1866mhz memory on a late-2012 mac mini server?

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  • by woodmeister50,

    woodmeister50 woodmeister50 May 18, 2016 12:05 PM in response to Pserapicos
    Level 5 (5,510 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 18, 2016 12:05 PM in response to Pserapicos

    FWIW, get only RAM that meets the specs of the Mac it is being installed in.

    In addition, only get "Mac Qualified" RAM from vendors.

     

    Installing anything different is a crap shoot.  It can either work just fine, create all manor

    of strange and unexplained behavior either constantly or randomly occurring in frequency

    and time, or not work at all. 

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert May 18, 2016 12:08 PM in response to woodmeister50
    Level 9 (53,561 points)
    Desktops
    May 18, 2016 12:08 PM in response to woodmeister50

    I thought that was what we were trying to tell him.

     

    He just seems he is adamant about wanting to use the RAM that he knows is not the correct RAM for his Mac.

     

    I have given up on him.

  • by Pserapicos,

    Pserapicos Pserapicos May 18, 2016 1:23 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    May 18, 2016 1:23 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    Haha! Don't give up on me, guys. I know you are right and you have given me great info, BUT it's a matter of working with what i got here.
    I'm not contesting the information you have shared

     

    I am sure that getting real proper mac made ram will be the best solution. I am just asking the consequences i might have otherwise and how can i know if i am damaging my system. If I am able I will sure get the proper sticks. But i'm currently living somewhere where it's kinda hard to search and find proper electronics.

     

    cheers

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer May 19, 2016 11:56 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 6 (14,328 points)
    Desktops
    May 19, 2016 11:56 AM in response to lllaass

    Not sure if that is a valid comparison, since the Mac Pro tower uses 240-pin SDRAM and not SO-DIMM chips

    204-pin the Mini uses, at least not hardware-to-hardware where the details do matter.

     

    On the other hand, I did find several vendors suggesting different part numbers of Crucial branded memory

    as suitable for upgrading a Late 2012 Mac Mini (server i7 quad) and none of them seemed to be similar.

    So I contacted Crucial customer support directly and cited the part numbers, sourced those resellers by name

    and made sure to correctly identify my computer to them at the same time.

     

    The reply was, the lowest cost Crucial of different part number, (said to fit my Mini build model) was in fact

    of the same specification and would be guaranteed to work (by crucial) in my Mini. And their customer svc

    also confirmed the reseller with the lowest price on new parts, was in fact an authorized Crucial reseller.

    And 'oempcworld.com' in L.A. was the best deal including shipping to a PO Box, for best spec upgrade.

     

    So I chose that route; and within the initial return-time warranty period, ran as many stress tests as I could

    find and also scoured the Console utility's logs for any hint of troubles. And ran the Apple hardware test.

    I did find a few older widgets were not compatible, in the process of locating issues in memory use logs.

     

    I'd not put the 1866MHz chips into the Mini as a test, even if they are otherwise physically able to fit.

    But then I cannot afford to make avoidable errors when paying cash money, while some are able.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass May 19, 2016 12:18 PM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 10 (188,672 points)
    Desktops
    May 19, 2016 12:18 PM in response to K Shaffer

    I was just commenting on the speed difference of the RAM. The 2009 Mac Pro uses 1066 MHz RAM but it works fine with 1866 MHz RAM from a 2013 Mac Pro.

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