I recently purchased the Mac Mini Late 2012. I love it, but I would like to ask some questions about updating the Mac OS High Sierra to a higher software version, as well as, adding more hardware. I've used Windows all of my life so it's a rough transition.
Thank you in advance for your help.
The late 2012 Mac mini shipped with default 4 GB RAM and can support up to 16 GB RAM. If you have 4GB, that will need to be upgraded if you want to run Catalina which is far more RAM-thirsty than High Sierra. If you need to upgrade the RAM, OWC has two replacement 8 GB SIMS (16 GB) for $32. OWC has installation videos on that linked page for this quite simple process.
Apple shipped the slowest internal hard drive they could find in this vintage mini, so don't expect stellar drive performance.
See the following from Identify your Mac mini model - Apple Support
Mac mini (Late 2012)
Model Identifier: Macmini6,1; Macmini6,2
Part Numbers: MD387xx/A; MD388xx/A, MD389xx/A
Newest compatible operating system: macOS Catalina
Tech Specs: Mac mini (Late 2012)
User Guide: Mac mini (Late 2012)
To upgrade to macOS Catalina, be sure to have a current backup and see instructions in How to download and install macOS - Apple Support
Be aware that if you upgrade to Catalina 10.15 or later you will also need to update any non-Apple 32-bit apps. See: https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/
or
https://www.macworld.com/article/232735/how-to-check-if-mac-software-is-32-or-64-bit.html
Thank you so much!
Updating Mac Mini Late 2012 hardware
