You can upgrade the storage in the new M4 Mac mini – but you have to be brave

Apple has made it nearly impossible for owners of most of its devices to upgrade memory and RAM, opting to solder everything directly to the motherboard. However, a current demolition of the new one Mac mini with M4 drive revealed that the memory chip is on a separate and removable NAND module board, similar to the setup in Mac Studio. This discovery has paved the way for possible storage upgrades.

Also: Apple’s new M4 Mac Mini is a powerful PC – but I love it for two other reasons

Enter YouTuber dosdude1, who took the opportunity to explore this newfound possibility.

This process is not for the faint of heart. Upgrading your Mac mini requires sensitivity and care, and any misstep could lead to disaster.

First, the device must be completely disassembled to access the memory board. Once exposed, the memory chip must be carefully removed with a Hot air gun. After that, all of the old solder must be removed with a soldering iron Desoldering wick. The new memory chip must then be re-soldered with solder before being soldered back onto the circuit board before reassembling the Mac mini and completing the process.

Also: I replaced my M1 MacBook Pro with a base model M4 – and it blew my $3,000 system away

Destroy the small circuit board and the game is over.

As you can see in the video, dosdude1 had to perform the process twice due to a problem with the memory chips he used for the upgrade.

Also: This Mac model is the computer most people should buy (and it’s not a MacBook or Mini)

But persistence won out and he ended up getting the M4 Mac mini running with the upgraded memory.

Now I want to tell you that this is an advanced upgrade. I’ve done something similar and there is an ability to remove a chip without burning the board or removing a bunch of components you didn’t want to remove.

Also: 4 reasons why a maxed out M4 Mac Mini can’t replace my Mac Studio

Chip reballing, on the other hand, requires special metal masks, which are thin sheets of metal with tiny holes in them without spreading solder paste everywhere, and this skill only comes with practice – and you don’t want to practice on parts from inside your new Mac mini.

I wonder if an enterprising third party will come up with an upgrade solution that involves replacing the memory board. This approach would be much easier.