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#1 2008-05-15 11:48 pm

Madd the Sane
Crazy, Rabid Squirrel
From: USA
Registered: 2004-07-29
Posts: 330
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Max Mini RAM?

I have been looking around the internet, and I'm just wondering: What is the maximum amount of RAM that the Mac mini can hold?  When Looking at Activity Monitor, it sometimes says that half of the memory is "active" and a quarter wired, with inactive taking up most of the remaining RAM, leaving a sliver free.

I've read reports that say that it can have 3 GB, and from what I was also able to gather, could have 4 GB.


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#2 2008-05-16 12:18 am

FutureDreamz
1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55
From: カナダ
Registered: 2007-01-07
Posts: 4491

Re: Max Mini RAM?

3 is correct, 4 if it has a Santa Rosa chipset,
happy hardware hacking!


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#3 2008-05-16 1:06 am

Madd the Sane
Crazy, Rabid Squirrel
From: USA
Registered: 2004-07-29
Posts: 330
Website

Re: Max Mini RAM?

Umm… How can I tell if I have the Santa Rosa Chipset?  I have the Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz edition, if that helps any blush


Get out of my mind, idea! I already have anonther idea in my head that I am working on!
"I see no advantage to the graphical user interface."
-- Bill Gates, 1984
I'm the king of the old computers! (PM G3 Beige, PM 7200, T4900CT)

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#4 2008-05-16 10:02 am

NSX
mac meanie
From: Silicon Valley, Cali
Registered: 2007-01-16
Posts: 295
Website

Re: Max Mini RAM?

it is not santa rosa, but you can have 4 gigs of ram and it will affect your computer's speed, and enable 128 bit data.  you profiler will only show up to 3 however, and i'm not going to cite, but the bench is on macsales' site search for it.


Core Mini 1.66ghz 2048ram 320gb
DLSuperDrive Tiger uses for stupid intel stuff
12 Aluminum 1.5ghz 1280ram 250gb
SLSuperDrive Panther uses for Logic Express

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#5 2008-05-16 10:54 am

dvpierce
Negusa Negest
Moderator
From: Minneapolis, MN
Registered: 1999-08-30
Posts: 16569

Re: Max Mini RAM?

Madd the Sane wrote:

Umm… How can I tell if I have the Santa Rosa Chipset?  I have the Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz edition, if that helps any blush

Don't worry about it. Install 4GB, if it sees only 3, exchange one module.

I wouldn't worry about the slight speed boost you get from having a matched pair in there (2x 2GB, the machine uses 1.5GB from each and it's a smidge faster for whatever reasons) but it's useful if you're trying to eke every last bit of speed out of your system.


"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures

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#6 2008-05-16 10:54 am

dhack21
Somewhere Vague.
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: 2003-11-15
Posts: 1511
Website

Re: Max Mini RAM?

*1 GB of RAM is installed as two 512 MB modules, no slots free. Apple officially supports 2.0 GB of RAM, but third-parties have been "unofficially" able to upgrade it to 3.0 GB of RAM using one 1 GB module and one 2 GB module.

straight from everymac.com

Last edited by dhack21 (2008-05-16 10:57 am)


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#7 2008-05-16 12:18 pm

FutureDreamz
1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55
From: カナダ
Registered: 2007-01-07
Posts: 4491

Re: Max Mini RAM?

NSX wrote:

it is not santa rosa, but you can have 4 gigs of ram and it will affect your computer's speed, and enable 128 bit data.  you profiler will only show up to 3 however, and i'm not going to cite, but the bench is on macsales' site search for it.

my mistake. I thought that the SR chipset was the limiting factor (it is actually the CD vs C2D processor, right?)


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#8 2008-05-16 12:24 pm

NSX
mac meanie
From: Silicon Valley, Cali
Registered: 2007-01-16
Posts: 295
Website

Re: Max Mini RAM?

FutureDreamz wrote:

my mistake. I thought that the SR chipset was the limiting factor (it is actually the CD vs C2D processor, right?)

yes, and they are socketable, so a good thing about this for the OP is that the ram isn't the only speed booster.  any socket m chip will work. but, since you already have a 2 ghz model 2.16 and 2.33 are extremely expensive and not cost effective.  i'm just throwing you options


Core Mini 1.66ghz 2048ram 320gb
DLSuperDrive Tiger uses for stupid intel stuff
12 Aluminum 1.5ghz 1280ram 250gb
SLSuperDrive Panther uses for Logic Express

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#9 2008-05-16 1:22 pm

dvpierce
Negusa Negest
Moderator
From: Minneapolis, MN
Registered: 1999-08-30
Posts: 16569

Re: Max Mini RAM?

No, I'm afraid the limiting factor really is the chipset.

Except in the case of the Athlon 64, where the memory controller is integrated into the CPU.


"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures

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