can I upgrade my mac mini memory?

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Level 1

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can I upgrade my mac mini memory?

Hello all,

I have a Mac Mini with 4 Gb RAM running OSX 10.8.4. I want to do some astrophotography on Photoshop that sums dozens of low-light photographs to bring out a faint image. This process is quickly eating up all the available RAM on my Mini which means it slows way down once it starts using scratch disk space. Photoshop recommends more RAM.

So here are my questions:

Can I upgrade my Mac Mini's RAM to 8 or 16 Gb?

Can I do this myself?

Where can I acquire the memory devices?

Sorry if this has been answered previously; I didn't find it in my search.

Thanks for any assistance,

Kevin H.

Mac mini (Mid 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), Photoshop CS6

Posted on Sep 28, 2013 5:08 AM

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Answer 1

mende1

Level 10

93,624 points

Sep 28, 2013 5:10 AM in response to kjhart0133

Welcome to Apple Support Communities

A Mid 2011 Mac mini supports 16 GB of RAM, even if Apple says that it only supports 8 GB of memory. You can buy more RAM at OWC or Crucial.

It would be a good idea to install 16 GB of RAM, as Photoshop may need them, but 8 GB should work. Although the main problem of the Mac mini is the GPU, RAM is important

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Answer 2

Sep 28, 2013 5:10 AM in response to kjhart0133

According to Apple the mid-2011 Mac mini supports up to 8 GB of RAM, however third parties have successfully installed up to 16 GB.

As far as the actual process of upgrading the RAM, here is more information: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4432

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Answer 3

kjhart0133 Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 28, 2013 5:51 AM in response to kjhart0133

mende1 and Brandon2184,

Thanks to both for the very helpful answers. Mende1 for directing me to the Vendors, and Brandon for directing me to the process for upgrading RAM. I flipped a coin to see who would get the 10 points for the correct answer.

I'm going to buy a couple of 8Gb modules and see how it works.

Thanks again,

Kevin H.

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