if you're shopping for a new 2018 Mac
Mini do not pay to upgrade the RAM
Apple's gonna try to charge you almost
six hundred bucks to get 32 gigs into
this thing but if you upgrade it
yourself with one of our kits
it'll cost you half the price so today
I'm going to show you how to upgrade the
RAM in your 2018 Mac Mini using our
memory max or upgrade kits for this
repair you're going to need a t6 Torx
security screwdriver a t5 Torx
screwdriver a t10 Torx screwdriver a
sponger a set of I fix at opening tools
some tweezers we also strongly recommend
using a magnetic project mat during
every repair you do keeping organized
during disassembly will ensure you're
able to get your device back together
again the mat doesn't come with the kit
but we've got it linked in the
description below and the kit comes with
either 16 32 or even 64 gigabytes of RAM
as always make sure to follow the guide
on ifixit.com while doing your repair
not only does it have step-by-step
instructions but you also get helpful
comments and suggestions from other
users who have already done the repair
there's a link to the guide in the
description below first things first
flip over your mini and use an eye
fix-it opening tool to easily pop off
the base
[Music]
below the base we find sixty-six Torx
security screws make sure to use your
magnetic mat or even a piece of paper to
write down where the screws came from
because you're removing screws with two
different screw lengths position the Mac
Mini so the ports are facing you and
then gently lift up on the silver
antenna plate beware that it won't come
all the way up we just want to lift it
slightly and slide it over about an inch
there's a delicate antenna cable that's
attached to the underside of the antenna
plate and once we slide it over we can
see another t6 Torx security screws
securing it to the logic board
once that screws removed we can use the
tip of our spudger to disconnect the
cable now the antenna plate can be
lifted up and off the Mac Mini the fan
is next to come out and it's held in
place by four t6 screws two of which are
securing the fan to the logic board and
the other two are securing the fan to
the exhaust
you'll also find rubber grommets
securing the screws to the fan so the
screws might not come all the way out
the cable that attaches the fan to the
logic board is underneath the fan itself
so we need to carefully lift the fan up
by the flat edge near the exhaust vent
without putting any strain on the cable
flipping the fan over we reveal the
connector and are able to disconnect the
fan from the logic board we've got a
couple cables we need to disconnect next
starting with the power cable then we
can carefully disconnect the cable for
the LED indicator this is a really small
and delicate cable so make sure you're
not prying under the socket itself or
you may break it off the board next we
need to remove the two t10 Torx screws
holding the logic board in place now
this next step is a little nerve-racking
so take a deep breath we're gonna be
pushing the Mac minis internals out of
the case place a thumb on either side of
the exhaust vent over the screw holes
and push firmly in the direction of the
ports until the logic board unclips and
begins to slide out of the mini on the
logic board you can see the RAM shield
that's held in place by four t5 Torx
screws removing them will allow you to
lift the shield up and slide it off the
RAM assembly and there they are at their
removable RAM sticks next push the clips
holding the RAM in place outward and
watch for the sticks to pop up at a
slight angle avoid touching the gold
contacts and lift the old Rams straight
out to install your new RAM first ensure
that it's oriented correctly by checking
the position of the notch then slide it
in at the same
as you took it out press evenly until
you can no longer see the gold contacts
then press on both sides of the top of
the RAM module until the retaining clips
pop back into place now what we have to
do is reassemble our mini start by
reattaching the RAM shield and screwing
in the 45 screws that secure it to the
logic board next use both hands to slide
the logic board back into the case
making sure that the LED indicator light
cable is out of the way so you don't
damage it with the logic board in place
screw back in the two t10 Torx screws
that secure the logic board to the frame
now you can reconnect the LED indicator
light cable and the power cable the fan
goes back in next reconnect the cable
and then screw in the 46 screws that
hold it in place
and just like that we're already putting
the antenna plate back on connect the
cable to the logic board then screw back
in the bracket that holds down the cable
slide the antenna plate into position
and then screw in the 6 Torx screws that
secure it to the case remember that
there are two different screw links here
so refer to your magnetic mat or notes
to find out which screws go where we
also have them marked up on the guide
for you lastly all you need to do is
attach the base with the ports facing
you position the base so that you can
read the Mac Mini text and then just
snap it into the bottom of the mini and
just like that you have an upgraded Mac
Mini for half the price don't forget to
check out the guides and kits linked in
the description below
happy fixing