Having only 2GB of RAM in any Mac really doesn’t cut it these days. Lion claims to only need that much, but everyone knows 4GB is the best starting point. That’s why we were pretty surprised to see that the base model of the new beefed up Mac mini still comes with 2GB. Apple let’s you double that for $100, and go up to 8GB for $300. Luckily there are companies like OWC with memory modules that are a lot less expensive—and they give you options Cupertino doesn’t.
All of OWC’s RAM for the Mac mini is DDR3 and 1333MHz. The 4GB kit—two 2GB chips—is only $38. That’s about a third of the price of what Apple offers. It’s only $80 for 8GB. Here’s the fun part: if you want to go even higher, the company offers 12GB for $750 and a staggering 16GB for $1,400. Now we don’t know why you’d spend more on RAM than the machine itself, but it’s nice to know you have the option. Trade in your old memory and you’ll save a few bucks. It’s not a ton of money, but better than letting the sticks just collect dust in a drawer.
