Can I put DDR3 1333 memory into a late 2012 Mac mini?

Faster memory should work, as long as the specs are otherwise compatible, i.e. the RAM physically fits and the pinouts match etc.

Slower memory will not work.

RAM is dirt cheap right now. You can get a full 16gb for your new Mini for well under a hundred bucks. Don't muck with either of your computers to save the price of a nice dinner out with your wife.

Use the correct RAM for your Mini.

Slower is not correct. Faster is not correct.

I have the same machine, and did the change successfully, 8gb 1333, 4x2. I use continuously FCP and my macmini has a very good performance. I guess it would be better with 1600 memory, but now I can not afford it.

Thanks but just remember that when your Mac crashes in the future, RAM is likely to be the reason, so do not forget about having installed it. Such crash is likely to occur at a most inopportune time.

The new Macs are very sensitive to Ram spec. and design. Even some Ram at the correct spec can cause issues. I have read through many sites and have read about all the crashing or unstable issues. On my late Mac Mini I used Crucial "certified for Mac" 1600 and no issues. You can try the 1333 but I suggest you use what Apple specifies.

Unforntunately there is a lot of misinformation on this thread. There are several posts that state "slower ram will not work." That might be true in some cases, but it is not true for the senario presented in this thread.

I have a Mid 2011 Mac Mini with 8GB of 1333MHz RAM, and I just purchased a late 2012 Mac Mini that came with 4GB of 1600MHz RAM. I wanted the newer Mac Mini to have the 8GB, and I really didn't care if there was a small performance hit, so I swapped the memory modules between the two machines.

Not only do they function perfectly, but they both report the correct memory speed.

Here's a visual/proof:

The newer Mac Mini late 2012 running fine with 1333MHz memory

The older Mac Mini mid 2011 working fine and reporting 1600MHz memory:

You got lucky. I do sincerely hope that you don't experience any problems but what you did is not recommended. You might be able to spin your Mini on a balancing stick, too, and that might look cool for a minute or two but it's also not recommended.

I think Apple doesn't recommend it for performance reasons; not stability reasons.

Both machines post the correct memory speed, and even more interestingly, on the memory tab of the system profiler it even reminds me to be sure to fill the next DIMM slot with the same speed. I have read reports previously about how it was possible to use slower or faster RAM than recommened in Macbooks as long as they matched: http://serato.com/forum/discussion/787489

My understanding is that the system detects the slower memory, and then runs a but slower as a result. Similarly to how your system might behave if you swapped in a faster or slower processor in Macs that support that (i.e. the New Mac Pros have modular CPUs).

I'm not stating this would work in all Macs, and I don't think this would work will all memory speeds. I just know this works for these two machines.

Oh and FWIW, I did a memory stress test as well. It ran for 8 hours, and passed all checksums. What I haven't done, is run a benchmark test on a single Mac, with the two memory variations to see the performance hit. I'm sure it's there, I just don't care much because the machine with the slower memory is a server.

Also be interested to see if the older machine with the faster memory got a speed boost memory wise. What would be more interesting as it was sold with 1333 MHz memory. I somehow doubt it would.

Cheule wrote:

I have a Mid 2011 Mac Mini with 8GB of 1333MHz RAM, and I just purchased a late 2012 Mac Mini that came with 4GB of 1600MHz RAM. I wanted the newer Mac Mini to have the 8GB, and I really didn't care if there was a small performance hit, so I swapped the memory modules between the two machines.

Not only do they function perfectly, but they both report the correct memory speed.

I also have the same two Mac Mini models and had been considering doing the same RAM swap over, but haven't due to the reasons stated by some in this thread.

However, after reading Cheule's post I'm now tempted to give it a go. Apart from potential crashes or stability problems (which would be remedied by returning the correct RAM sticks to each of the Minis), could any 'permanent' damage be done to either machine?

No, as long as the module physically fits. But "apart from crashes or stability problems"... ??? Really, you don't care about this? Do you want to be in the middle of something important when your Mac decides to take a dump on you?

Why do this? While the RAM market isn't exactly troughing at the moment it's still a good value. Why put your data or your time at risk? Just buy the right RAM. And go to eBay and sell your old RAM.

I understand that there are people with very limited incomes, and children, for whom such a small purchase does constitute a very big deal. But if you spent $700-$1500 or even more on a nice Mac, an extra $40-$150 shouldn't be the barrier that is encouraging you to put off-spec RAM into your nice computer.

A quick update:

Both Mac Minis are doing perfectly. The newer Mini that received the slower 1333GHz RAM is a file server that gets beat up pretty good. It has a uptime of 18 days, with load averages of 2.5.

My Late 2013 Mac Pro is more unstable 🙂

And before someone else says it: "I'm sure I just got lucky, and that no one else would have the same results." /s

I guess I got lucky too. Had tons of 1333 MHz memory laying around and needed more memory in my late 2012 mini. Running just fine with no crashes so far - and the atmosphere around me has not spontaneously ignited either!

Where is it available for under $100?

Not to bring up an old thread, but yes, this thread had a lot of conflicting information. However, the answer is (as shown by the results people have posted) that it is absolutely fine and in no way unstable using a slower spec stick in a faster slot. In modern machines the memory gets clocked to whatever it is rated. The only issue is that you are using slower ram, so ram intensive tasks will be slowed down. In these particular scenarios I'd argue the amount of RAM to be more important than its speed and thus a viable upgrade if you have the spare parts lying around.

Source - I've been building custom PCs and upgrading Macs for 15 years.

The answer is that it depends on the specific memory used. Some lower speed sticks work and some do not.