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Data Storage Desktops (Apple) Hardware Technology

Mac Mini Teardown Reveals User-Upgradable RAM, But Soldered Down CPU and Storage (macrumors.com) 242

Posted by BeauHD from the what's-inside dept.
iFixit has released their teardown of the new Mac mini, providing a look inside the portable desktop computer. Some of the notable findings include user-upgradable RAM and soldered CPU and SSD. Mac Rumors reports: While the RAM in the previous-gen Mac mini from 2014 was soldered to the logic board, the new Mac mini has user-upgradeable RAM, as discovered earlier this week. As seen in older iMacs, the RAM is protected by a perforated shield that allows the memory modules to operate at a high frequency of 2666 MHz without interfering with other device functions, according to iFixit. To upgrade the RAM, the shield can be removed by unfastening four Torx screws.

Other silicon on the logic board of this particular Mac mini includes the Apple T2 security chip, a 3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 processor, Intel UHD Graphics 630, 128GB of flash storage from Toshiba, an Intel JHL7540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, and a Gigabit Ethernet controller from Broadcom. Despite the good news about the RAM, the CPU and SSD are soldered to the logic board, as are many ports, so this isn't a truly modular Mac mini. iFixit awarded the new Mac mini a repairability score of 6/10, with 10 being the easiest to repair, topping the latest MacBook Air, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and iMac Pro, and trailing only the 2013 Mac Pro.
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Mac Mini Teardown Reveals User-Upgradable RAM, But Soldered Down CPU and Storage More

Mac Mini Teardown Reveals User-Upgradable RAM, But Soldered Down CPU and Storage

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  • Soldered CPU? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TheFakeTimCook ( 4641057 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @02:09AM (#57621062)

    There might be a point to be made regarding the SSD; but aren't we getting a bit ridiculous, expecting a socketed CPU in a computer the size of a ham sandwich?

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by sittingnut ( 88521 )

      aren't we getting a bit ridiculous, expecting a socketed CPU in a computer the size of a ham sandwich?

      no.
      there are other computers, "the size of a ham sandwich", costing much less with much better specifications btw, which can be upgraded.

    • Re:Soldered CPU? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Selur ( 2745445 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @03:25AM (#57621162)

      both cpu and ssd soldering have only one goal: to make money
      simply look at what premium prices apple charges for ssds and ram,...

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by gtall ( 79522 )

        Wow! And you say Apple is trying to make money? Those bastards!!

        • Re:Soldered CPU? (Score:4, Informative)

          by barc0001 ( 173002 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @04:08PM (#57622902)

          There's a difference between a company making an honest amount of money, and a company gouging their customer base. Looking at Apple Canada's site today (because I'm in Canada) I see that going from 128GB of storage to 256GB on the new Mini Apple is charging $240 CDN. Like fuck right off - dozens of brand new 256GB m2 SSDs on newegg.ca are selling for between $100-$120. For the whole 256GB, not an "upgrade". Apple is making at least a $180 of pure profit off that $240. That's horseshit.

          • Some of us are happy to pay a premium for hardware and software that doesnâ(TM)t look like dogshit.

            Indeed - there are cheaper ways to go. Iâ(TM)m happy to pay for good hardware - and it turns out, you can make a lot of money writing software for people who are willing to pay for things.

            Thereâ(TM)s another end of the calculation youâ(TM)re too short sighted to see, and thatâ(TM)s cost recovery - I flip Apple stuff every 18 months or so and recover most of my funds. That cheaper stuff

            • > Indeed - there are cheaper ways to go. Iâ(TM)m happy to pay for good hardware

              So happy you're not posting in the standard ANSI character set? There is paying for good hardware and then there is OVERpaying. And that's what you're doing. If Intel can fit m2 slots into a NUC that is 1/4 the size of a Mac Mini, Apple could do it too. They just chose not to because they know their fanbase will happily pay them too much money. Courageous even, according to Tim Cook.

              > . Enjoy your Chinese smartpho

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Megol ( 3135005 )

        Look at the connector density between a socketed chip (lands for Intel) and a BGA chip ((solder)balls) and be enlightened. Apple have some obsession to make things smaller, going with a soldered BGA reduces build height and area. It also reduces build costs and can reduce some forms of malfunctions.

      • both cpu and ssd soldering have only one goal: to make money

        Not so fast. ALL my failures have been portability, misuse and abuse related. Reliability is tantamount and no computer manufacturer exceeds Apple's reliability. That's right on target with soldered down. I concede that soldered CPU is throwaway motherboard should it should fail. BUT since 1975 I've never experienced a CPU failure over the span of mainframe, mini, desktop, laptop nor iDevice.

        • BUT since 1975 I've never experienced a CPU failure over the span of mainframe, mini, desktop, laptop nor iDevice.

          SSD memory, however... that is a point of failure unless it is superseded by an external drive. And this machine has it soldered in.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tsqr ( 808554 )

          Reliability is tantamount and no computer manufacturer exceeds Apple's reliability.

          Tantamount to what?

          In writing, clarity is important. One might even say it's paramount.

    • Depends on if you think the Right to Repair is important.

      • Just because you lack the skill to desolder a cpu doesn't make it unrepairable. We have techs at work that do it all the time.

    • It doesn't really matter, this thing is way too expensive for anybody to want it. What is Apple thinking, I love it.

      You want a small computer, get a NUC. You want a decent computer don't get a mini.

      • You want a small computer, get a NUC.

        Seriously. They're using real CPUs, upgradable, and you can get the VESA brackets to stick 'em on the back of your display if space is at a premium. They're also available in a wide range of performance/price specs to meet most needs.

    • Re:Soldered CPU? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @06:29AM (#57621444)

      There might be a point to be made regarding the SSD; but aren't we getting a bit ridiculous, expecting a socketed CPU in a computer the size of a ham sandwich?

      "Ridiculous" left conversations about Apple hardware long ago. Apple went right past Ludicrous (too "Tesla-y") and went straight to Asinine mode in the last few years, and dismissive attitudes are why we now have soldered CPUs. Soon, people will be dismissing soldered hard drives and memory as "expected", and this mentality will infect every other company selling hardware.

      A top-of-the-line Mac Mini (that still had user-replaceable storage and memory) was barely over $1000 in 2012. A top-of-the-line Mac Mini is now over $4000, and Apple labels this as their "entry-level" model. Speaking of memory upgrades, that'll cost you $1400 for 64GB of Apple memory. You've got to be fucking kidding me. If the CPI was tied to this company's profit margins, millionaire would describe poverty.

      Not sure what I despise more; Apple's greed, or the consumers who demand it.

      • A top-of-the-line Mac Mini is now over $4000, and Apple labels this as their "entry-level" model.

        You are being ridiculous. The "top-of-the-line" Mac Mini is so expensive because it can be upgraded to 64 GB Ram / 2TB SSD. Would it make you happier if it could be upgraded to 32GB / 1TB only for much less money?

        BTW. You can upgrade the RAM yourself, and there are four thunderbolt parts where you can attach the fastest and biggest SSD drives you can find.

        • Re:Soldered CPU? (Score:4, Informative)

          by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @08:57AM (#57621680) Journal

          The "top-of-the-line" Mac Mini is so expensive because it can be upgraded to 64 GB Ram / 2TB SSD.

          No it's expensive because they can overcharge for the 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

          It took a couple of minutes on google to find a pair of 32GB sodimms of the right frequenct for about $650. A really good 2TB ssd is similar.

          and there are four thunderbolt parts where you can attach the fastest and biggest SSD drives you can find.

          It's not so much mini at that point as mini-but-with-a-bunch-of-shite-plugged-in.

        • A top-of-the-line Mac Mini is now over $4000, and Apple labels this as their "entry-level" model.

          You are being ridiculous. The "top-of-the-line" Mac Mini is so expensive because it can be upgraded to 64 GB Ram / 2TB SSD. Would it make you happier if it could be upgraded to 32GB / 1TB only for much less money? BTW. You can upgrade the RAM yourself, and there are four thunderbolt parts where you can attach the fastest and biggest SSD drives you can find.

          Mac Minis are not meant to be massive performance machines regardless of their configuration. The 2018 model is no different than the 2012 model in this regard (other than the now asinine price). A 2TB SSD option for $1400? Is that supposed to impress me in 2018? And a 32GB/1TB configuration is still almost $2000.

      • Soon, people will be dismissing soldered hard drives and memory as "expected", and this mentality will infect every other company selling hardware.

        I remember when it was "expected" for a computer to have a built in modem. Before (and after) that people were "expected" to buy one as an external additional cost accessory if they wanted one. I remember when people "expected" an optical drive in their computers, are you still mad at Apple for not including that as standard equipment on their computers? I'm not sure if kids these days even know that a CD or DVD were used in computers, I mean other than to play music and movies on them.

        A top-of-the-line Mac Mini (that still had user-replaceable storage and memory) was barely over $1000 in 2012. A top-of-the-line Mac Mini is now over $4000, and Apple labels this as their "entry-level" model.

        That was 4 cores a

        • I'm not sure if kids these days even know that a CD or DVD were used in computers

          Or that the writable CD drive that costs $25 to include in a new build was once a hulking, $10,000 external peripheral that we could only lust after.

        • I remember when people "expected" an optical drive in their computers, are you still mad at Apple for not including that as standard equipment on their computers?

          It's amazing you remember what people expected but completely ignore why they expected it. That oversight makes your entire comment incredibly dumb.

        • If you don't like it then don't buy one.

          Until you no longer can because there is no choice at any vendor.
          As your post demonstrates, today's tech industry is full of fans who don't realize they are proverbial boiling frogs. Long gone are the days of choice. We lose hardware and convenient models are retired while the prices just stall for years or rise (texas graphing calculators, anyone?).

          Small form factor products (minis, tablets, phones) are a window into the PC market's future. We will be running tpm locked down OSs and mobile apps on our desk

        • I remember when people "expected" an optical drive in their computers, are you still mad at Apple for not including that as standard equipment on their computers? I'm not sure if kids these days even know that a CD or DVD were used in computers, I mean other than to play music and movies on them.

          Perhaps you should sit and ponder about this. You might find that you answered your own question.

          A top-of-the-line Mac Mini (that still had user-replaceable storage and memory) was barely over $1000 in 2012. A top-of-the-line Mac Mini is now over $4000, and Apple labels this as their "entry-level" model.

          That was 4 cores and seven years ago. Also with that money comes a computer with ThunderBolt 3, 10Gb Ethernet, SSD, and far more RAM. Apparently some people believe it's worth the price.

          I didn't even bother to include the 10Gb Ethernet option (winner for Most Pointless Feature) when configuring a $4000+ Mac Mini.

          Thunderbolt 3 (runner-up for Most Pointless Feature) only impresses people who want to pay an equally asinine price for some peripheral that likely doesn't even justify that proprietary connection. No doubt it can perform. No doubt you're gonna pay a shitload of money to actually use

  • non-rotating rust (Score:3, Insightful)

    by epine ( 68316 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @02:16AM (#57621076)

    It's not like SSDs naturally degrade during their service life by sticking their thumb into a high voltage socket every time you press the "erase" button.

    And it's not like the mysterious T2 security chip couldn't prevent you from booting into a future macOS from external media if Apple decides the obsolescence message isn't penetrating your thick skull.

    Trust, but keep replacement parts close to hand in a desk drawer.

  • Dear Moron Apple designer (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thogard ( 43403 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @02:57AM (#57621130) Homepage

    Non-removable storage is a deal killer. I don't know what gets stored on local computers so it MUST to be wiped before it goes off site for repair.

    This means I'm not going to be buying any of these. We have been waiting for years to replace some of the older minis and now I have to figure out what I'm going to do for a replacement. For now banning new Apple stuff from the company will be the policy.

    Don't you have to comply with any sort of security polices at Apple?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      I think the problem was discovered with the iMacs - they had removable storage. Except they were not really removable.

      As in, you couldn't take the storage media (it's actually raw flash) and put it in another iMac - it just wouldn't work. You see, the T1/T2 chip is also the SSD controller with the secure enclave and thus, the encryption keys.

      So offering a removable module doesn't really do you any good - you certainly can't stick it in any other machine to recover your data because the security key is store

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by _merlin ( 160982 )

        You can still ensure that the data doesn't leave the premises in that case - rip the Flash out before sending it in for repair and you know they can't get the data with some kind of back door. You can't read the data out yourself, but you had backups of the important stuff anyway, right?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Jeremi ( 14640 )

      Non-removable storage is a deal killer. I don't know what gets stored on local computers so it MUST to be wiped before it goes off site for repair.

      Well then, you're in luck, because the Mac Mini isn't repairable anyway. Every time I've taken one of my Mac Mini's in to an Apple store, the only option they could offer me was a motherboard swap.

      So if you do buy a Mac Mini and it goes bad, just remove the SSD from the motherboard yourself (using a blowtorch and pruning shears), then re-insert the motherboard and send it out for repair -- the result will be the same and your data won't leave your building.

      • > So if you do buy a Mac Mini and it goes bad, just
        > remove the SSD from the motherboard yourself
        > (using a blowtorch and pruning shears), then re-
        > insert the motherboard and send it out for repair --
        > the result will be the same and your data won't leave
        > your building.

        Not that you should count on it if you have business data that falls under a compliance regime; or if you're just personally very paranoid. But Apple wipes the storage of any Mac or iDevice they depot for repairs. The do

    • Non-removable storage is a deal killer. I don't know what gets stored on local computers so it MUST to be wiped before it goes off site for repair.

      Wiping data sounds good, but what does that have to do with removable storage? You can boot from USB (or to the recovery partition) and do an erase right there.

      Don't you have to comply with any sort of security polices at Apple?

      I imagine yes, but that has nothing to do with the old style of punching holes through magnetic media.

      I've worked with more than one comp

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by thogard ( 43403 )

        If the machine is somewhat dead, you can't boot from something else to erase the internal flash and you can't put it in what used to be called target mode.

        Even with external storage, if a secret file got moved to swap and the machine dies, that secret is on the flash chips. Encrypted or not, the government mandated procedure says it doesn't leave my security zone until destroyed. These types of government regulations exist in the USA, Canada, Australia, EU, Japan, Russia and China.

        I don't care if I can't

        • the government mandated procedure says it doesn't leave my security zone until destroyed.

          Indeed. And our SOP for compliance states that we will physically destroy the encryption keys and that completes the procedure of destroying the data.

          YMMV because you might have different sit policies, but that's ours :-)

  • I'm counting 28 mainboard versions (Score:3)

    by The Optimizer ( 14168 ) on Saturday November 10, 2018 @05:02AM (#57621298)

    Based on the teardown, and fiddling with Apple's online purchase configuration, it looks like they must have 28 different versions of the 201 Mac Mini mainboard.

    Options for components soldered onto the mainboard:

    3 different CPUs (i3, i5 and i7)

    5, 4 and 5 SSD options (128, 256, 512, 1TB and 2TB) depending on the CPU. i5 can't be equipped with 128GB, but i7 can as CPU upgrade from i3

    2 different Ethernet NICs ( Gigabit and 10GB )

    So ( 5 + 4 + 5 ) * 2 = 28 different sets of components soldered to the mainboard.

    Even for Apple, that's a lot of variations. I'm somewhat surprised they didn't go with docketed storage, which would reduced the Mac Mini to 6 different mainboard configurations.

    • That is, unless they only have, say, 1 TB and 2 TB drives and maybe two or three physical memory configurations and they can factory disable the "extra" that the customer didn't pay for.

      If Apple did that, if could actually be cheaper than managing the large number of variations and still allow them to maximize profits by price discrimination.

      As I understand it, HP or IBM did something similar with their servers ages ago (maybe they still do), where you paid for additional CPU, memory, or whatever, and what

      • Apple wouldn't leave a lot 'money on table' with more expensive NAND so lets say they did 3 different sets of NAND flash: 512, 1TB and 2TB and fused off access to make 128 and 256GB configurations.

        That's still 3 x 3 x 2 or 18 different main board variations, which is more than the 2014 Mini, which had 9 motherboard versions (the most for a Mini to that point in time). So not that likely.

        I'm guessing Apples bigger plans regarding the T2 Chip and security trumped the streamlining of manufacturing issues an

  • FA (Score:2)

    by AndyKron ( 937105 )
    Apple Lisa. Never forget

    • Apple Lisa. Never forget

      I can remember on CeBit seeing an Apple Lisa head to head against a Xerox Star at five times the price, and the Lisa ran rings around it.

  • Who doesn't know about built-in obsolescence? I think if you look you will find classes on best practices for this.

  • Additionally, my roommate wanted 4TB for his music collection. Sadly, he has to use external storage, now. So much for people using Minis for servers. Idiots!

  • For them Apple products are disposably cheap.
    They don't need to upgrade parts because they replace obsolete computers.
    They don't need to work on their own hardware.
    They get the user experience they desire.
    They love their machines or they wouldn't be repeat customers.

    It really is that simple.

    I've never wanted an Apple machine because my use case does not need that operating system or the severely limited hardware which goes with it. Apple doesn't need my custom and I don't need their hardware.

    • All Apple computers are easily upgradable.

      Step 1: Put your Mac on eBay.
      Step 2: Order a new Mac. Seriously, prices for used Macs on eBay are so high, it works out.

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