I have an early 2009 Mac mini. I was experiencing slowness after updating to Mavericks, so I thought I'd increase the memory. I used the memory selector at Crucial, which told me it would go up to 8GB. I then saw a note on the Apple support website saying this mac only goes up to 4GB. I'd appreciate any comments on whether the mini can use the 8GB (4GB x 2) upgrade. Thanks.
Mac mini (Early 2009), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)
Yes,
Expandable to 8 GB (4 GB supported by Apple)[43][44]
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Mini
This:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_Mac_mini/DDR3
says
Important: Early 2009 mini owners seeking to upgrade to 8GB of installed RAM need to install the free
Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2 released by Apple in late August 2009.
Thank you IIIaass. I tried installing the EFI update 1.2 but when I try to open the .pkg file in the disk created by the downloaded file it says its from an unknown developer (though I downloaded the file from the Apple support website). I then opened it bypassing the check (using ctrl), and it said the computer does not need the update. Could the firmware have been updated when Mavericks was installed?
If so, should I go ahead and install the RAMs and see whether the 8GB is recognized? Thank you again.
Thanks again IIIaass. I checked and I do have the latest FW for the Early 2009 mini. I'll proceed to upgrade the memory (and put in an SSD while I'm at it) and then report back. I'm going through the videos on opening up this mini (did it before a long time ago but its been a while).
Just be careful not to disconnect the wifi and BT antenna connections and do not forget to transfer the foam pads to the new SSN. Also be careful transferring the HD temperature sensor to the the SSD.
IIIaass, you are da man. Thank you for all the details like the antenna wires, foam pads, and the temp sensor.
I got the memory and the SSD installed. I had cloned the mini's hard drive to the SSD, so it just came back up, and all 8GB are recognized. I can't believe the speed, and of course the silence. Thank you again.
For others who may come across this thread, there are useful videos on the OWC (macsales.com) website under Mac Mini 2009 that show the entire process. Its rather involved (not like the new minis), but certainly doable if you take your time and follow along closely (I recommend watching the video entirely a couple of times before starting).
Hi Ravi,
I'm in the same boat as you. In have an early 2009 Mac mini with 2Gb of RAM. Ever since upgrading to Mavericks, it's been running horribly slowly. I've been thinking about upgrading the RAM and installing an SSD.
Did you find that your upgrade resolved the performance issues with your Mac mini ?
thanks !
Chris
Chris, I recommend doing both, going to 8GB as well as adding an SSD. The 8GB definitely works and so does the SSD. I did both and this did help my Mac a lot, and the "mavericks" effect basically went away. Its a good way to give your Mini a mid-life boost.
Look at the earlier message in this thread for some helpful hints from others, notably IIIaass. The memory upgrade is easy, the SSD's a little more detailed but doable. There are some helpful videos online (check the Crucial site), and even though they don't exactly apply to this model you can get the information you need. Get in touch if needed. Good luck!
Replacing the memory and HD involve the same disassembly on a 2009 Mini. Do them both at the same time.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini_2009/
On a 2010 and later Mini memory replacement is dead easy
Thanks Ravi and Illaass ! Appreciate you sharing your experience. I'm planning on upgrading both at the same time since it's a pretty involved process in taking apart the mini. It's good to know that the upgrades to mitigate the Mavericks effect !
Did you go to system profiler and see what firmware is installed? See:
Also, make sure you select the SSD ars the startup drive. It does not do that automatically when swapping drives. If not selected then it takes longer to boot.
I was wondering about that. The machine generally always stays up, but I'll restart it now with that change. Many thanks again!
Upgrade complete ! Crucial M500 240Gb and Crucial 8Gb of RAM. Everything is running beautifully. My Mac mini is usabe again.
Glad you got it working great. When I took my Mini apart I found it a lot easier than I thought
Agree ! It wasn't too difficult. A lot more work than taking apart a Macbook Pro, but with the right tools and the right instructions online, it was a pretty straigthforward affair.
Does early 2009 mac mini support 8GB?
