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Does upgrading the 2018 Mac Mini RAM void the warranty?

I see a lot of mixed answers on this. Some say yes. Some say no. Heck, I went to an Apple Store and asked staff about it. The 1 I asked wasn't 100% sure, so he went and asked 2 others. According to them; "Yes, the RAM is user upgradable" is what they said, but I didn't press the "Does it void my warranty?" question after that. I should have. Even with that answer from Apple employees, I've mentioned this in the macrumors forums & people there said "I wouldn't trust the word of an Apple employee", which I find funny. If I can't trust the word of the staff, who can I trust on the subject?


Has anyone here done a RAM upgrade & then brought it to Apple for service? What did they do about you upgrading the RAM? Or does someone else have something more to add to this subject?


Paying $600 for an install of something that only costs $200 seems a bit over priced, even for Apple.

Posted on Feb 15, 2019 8:28 PM

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21 replies

Feb 16, 2019 4:22 AM in response to Cruciarius

In terms of RAM replacement/upgrading, it obviously can be done

by any one with the right tools and the willingness to pretty much

totally disassemble their Mini.


As far as warranty, it has seemed to be in the past with similar types

of upgrades, that it is often at the discretion of the AASP servicing the

device. Some take a hard line on the "non-user upgradable" and

others may not.


Bottomline is the 2018 Mini is too new at this point to have any actual

user experiences with this.

Feb 16, 2019 7:35 AM in response to den.thed

Currently the typical apps I always have open are:

Safari, Firefox, Discord, iStats Menu, iTunes, and Twitterrific


2 browsers, because Firefox doesn't seem to play nice with streaming sites, such as Twitch. Twitch is a site where people stream their game play, art creations, etc. I've had 1-5 streams open at a given time.


With just that software, iStat Menu has indicated my RAM usage to be at times 50% of my current RAM, which is 32GB. That's just for the past 30 days. In that time, I've not gamed or used Photoshop on my current iMac, due to overheating hardware issues (no warranty & it's an issue I've already had fixed once while under warranty).


I would also possibly getting back into streaming my own games on Twitch as well.


8GB of RAM wouldn't be enough for me. I'd be cautious of even doing 16GB, given with 32GB, I've hit 50% usage frequently.

Feb 16, 2019 8:53 AM in response to hcsitas

I like being able to monitor a few things, like HD storage at a glance. Mostly use it for network connection. Seeing if my UL/DL is doing anything can save me a trip to rebooting my modem in another room, narrowing a connection issue down to an app having an issue.


The iMac is, imo, a horrible machine. Poor cooling system, a pain to bring in for repairs, and expensive. The current Mac Mini is more powerful than my current iMac and allows me to not have to replace the monitor when I buy a new computer. I prefer the modular design over the all-in-one. Replace pieces of the setup as I need to, rather than the entire thing when the iMac has issues. Not going to spend $3,000 to fix an issue in this iMac when I can get a more powerful Mac Mini at half the cost.


Edit:

The Mac Pro would be something on my radar, if they update it this year with a real tower, not a can.

Mar 4, 2019 3:11 PM in response to Cruciarius

I think the confusion is between configuring memory on the Apple online store at purhcase, and paying an Apple bricks and mortar store to install the upgrade after the fact. The Apple cost to preconfigure 32GB - $400 - is perfectly reasonable, given that the $300 3rd-party cost excludes a bucket load of painful and somewhat risky replacement steps -- fine for a hobbyist, but not so doable for the average consumer.


Where Apple gets pricy is if you want to have this memory installed after the fact by an Apple store in order to preserve the warranty. I checked with the Apple Store in Santa Barbara, CA, and the total to add a 16GB module is about $360 for a 16GB module and $85 for labor, totaling some $445 (for 16GB mind you, not 32GB). True, you end up with 20GB of RAM (the store tech verified this for me), but you're paying twice the price of 3rd party RAM for the 16GB module, which is true for the 32GB module as well.


I bought a Mac Mini i5/2018 this week from BestBuy, and the sales rep assured me that I could upgrade the memory for $200 at the Apple store


That is not very customer friendly, Apple. And voiding the warranty is on its face illegal under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.


[Link Edited by Host]

Mar 4, 2019 9:43 PM in response to Mel Beckman

The MM Warranty Act only requires clear, upfront disclosure which “not user-upgradeable” very definitely is. Given that the warranty anyway expires in one year, the restriction only applies to those whose memory requirements changed soon after purchase i.e. a very small percentage, definitely not source for big-bucks revenue. It covers added costs to Apple which don’t exist when configured at purchase, and added risk to the warranty that post-installation introduces even when done by Apple.


Enjoy your Mini! I am.

Mar 20, 2019 10:07 PM in response to hcsitas

Dude have you not seen any youtube videos at all? Amazon and OWC sell memory specifically for the Mac Mini 2018. The Mac Mini is user upgradeable the only thing I cant answer is if it will void your warranty. Getting to a chat specialist is very difficult on this website if you dont own the mac you have a question about. I was watching a youtube video that said you can bring the 3rd party memory to the apple store and they can install It for you at the genius bar. Thats what I was trying to find out and how I landed here.

Mar 21, 2019 7:47 AM in response to Cruciarius

I also have this question and it seems there is no definitive answer. The RAM is not user upgradable according to Apple's support documents so this might cause a problem with warranty claims. It doesn't matter what an Apple tech says unless he's giving you that in writing. I suspect that Apple will honor the warranty if the problem isn't related to the aftermarket RAM modules or the upgrade process. I wouldn't expect any repair much less warranty support should you damage something in the process. There's a long series of videos made by a popular YouTuber showing him crying about Apple not wanting to repair a computer that was damaged during disassembly. Apple basically told him they wouldn't repair it and if they do that to a "celeb" you're not likely to get better treatment.

Does upgrading the 2018 Mac Mini RAM void the warranty?

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