That’s because Apple continues to offer that model with a spinning hard disk drive, and that murders performance. I never expected it to win any races, but what kills the Mac mini compared to the MacBook Air isn’t the CPU or the RAM. It comes with a 1.4 GHz CPU and 4 GB of RAM. Regardless, I strongly recommend considering it – not just for a 2014 Mac mini, but for any older Mac you’d like to pep up.Īt $499, the base-model Mac mini is Apple’s least-expensive Mac, half the price of the MacBook Air but not nearly as peppy. If you’re using one of these models and you’re looking for a good way to bump up the performance, an SSD is, quite frankly, one of the only things you can do (unlike older Mac minis, Apple soldered the RAM in place). They’ll likely be more affordable in the future, so unless you need the speed right away, we recommend buying an iMac with a slower processor upfront and upgrading it down the road.I finally got around to upgrading my 2014 Mac mini with a solid state drive (SSD). The iMac’s processor is also upgradable, but replacement CPUs aren’t cost effective right now-so we’re not offering them yet. We’re working on iMac SSD Upgrade Kits, and expect to have them in our store very soon. The opening procedure is essentially the same as the 2015 4K iMac-and we’ve adapted the existing repair instructions to guide you through the installation process for your 2017 iMac.

That’s just $100 more than what Apple wants to “max out” your RAM at 16 GB on the 3.0 GHz model. With iFixit’s iMac Intel 21.5″ Mid 2017 Memory Maxxer RAM Upgrade Kit, you can quadruple your RAM from 8 GB to 32 GB for $300. If you want 32 GB, you have to buy the more expensive 3.4 GHz version-a $200 minimum increase, plus $600 for 32 GB RAM. Under Apple’s configurations, the 3.0 GHz 4K tops out at 16 GB of RAM. With the right tools and parts, you can absolutely boost your RAM, expand the storage, and save money in the process. Of course, Apple says the iMac isn’t user-upgradable-but we’re not your average “user” and neither are you. Yesterday, our teardown revealed that the 21.5″ iMac 2017 has upgradable RAM-the first time Apple has included removable RAM in a 21.5″ iMac since 2013.

Mac mini ssd install 2017