MacUpgrades.co.uk offers a wide range of fixed price upgrades and repairs for your Apple computers. You can drop in to our offices in Sawston, Cambridge or if you are not local you can either have us collect or send in your computer yourself. Sameday fitting is available for most items, contact us for details. We also offer on site installation services and training on your premises.
Macupgrades offers a wide range of on-site services for your Apple equipment. We offer all of our upgrade services, and most of our repair services too.
All our engineers have at least 15 years of experience with Apple hardware and software
Enter your serial number into the box below for specific upgrades for your machine. Each upgrade has been tested in the machine we list it for. Compatability is 100% guaranteed or your money back.
How to find your serial number in software
You can find your Mac's serial number in Apple System Profiler: Select the Apple Menu > About This Mac, then (depending on the version of OSX you are running) click the System Report button or the More Info button. This brings up System Profiler, and on the Hardware Overview that is displayed by default you should see your serial number, and be able to copy/paste it. The procedure does vary slightly between different versions of OSX.
If you can't boot your Mac
If your Mac is not working, the serial number is printed on the computer casing but the location varies. Here are the main locations of serial numbers on Apple computers.
Unibody MacBook Pro - Laser etched onto the base.
MacBook, Early MacBook Pro, PowerBook G4 - Inside the main battery bay. Remove battery to locate.
iBook (White) - Under the keyboard. To lift keyboard, pull back on the release tabs between the F-keys.
Intel iMac, iMac G5 - Underside of the foot/stand.
iMac G4, iMac G3 - Underside of the iMac.
Mac mini - On the underside of the Mac mini.
Mac Pro 2006-2012 - On rear of machine near graphics card ports.
PowerMac G5 - On lower chassis under side panel. To remove side panel, lift lever on rear of Mac.
PowerMac G3, PowerMac G4 - Label on the back of the Mac.
Your Mac's Model Identifier can be found in System Profiler. You can use the drop-down menus above to be taken to a page that displays upgrades specifically for your exact model.
COVID Update (Jan 2021): Online orders and mail-in repairs/upgrades are happening as normal. Collection and drop-off are operating by appointment - please call us on 01223 833 412 to book a slot.
Mac mini (PowerPC) Upgrades
This
page covers all the upgrades we sell for Mac minis with a PowerPC
G4 processor, made in 2005 and 2006. Choose the type of upgrade you
are looking for from the tabs below.(Not
the right Mac? See here for
more Mac minis, or here for
all Macs.)
If you want specific upgrades for your exact model, choose it from the Model ID links below, or enter your serial number here:
This page refers to the PowerPC G4 based Mac mini computers. It does not cover the newer Intel based models, which are dealt with here.
Announced in January 2005. the Mac mini was Apple's attempt to build on the popularity of the iPod by releasing a lower end consumer machine. Internally the Mac mini is essentially an iBook without an LCD, presented in a fantastically small white perspex case.
The machines were targeted at Windows PC users in an attempt to tempt them to try the Mac platform.
The Mac mini was introduced as a 1.25 and 1.42 GHz configuration. They had USB, FireWire, Ethernet and DVI - they did not ship with Gigabit ethernet or FireWire 800.
Apple's specifications for the Mac mini G4 can be found here.
How to Identify these Machines
The Mac mini form factor is instantly recognisable due to its small size (about the size of two CD jewel cases stacked on top of each other).
This PowerPC Mac mini does look similar to the subsequent Intel based Mac mini, and the easiest way to tell them apart is to use Apple System Profiler and check the CPU type. Also the PowerPC Mac mini has two USB 2.0 ports, whereas the Intel version has four.
Memory Upgrades
The Mac mini can accept up to 1GB of memory. There is only one slot available, so remember when upgrading that you are going to lose your existing chip.
There are none available.
Difficulty 4 /5 - Difficult
Apple recommends professional installation for the RAM - to protect you and your investment. Improperly fitting the RAM or damaging the insides by doing this yourself MAY invalidate your Apple warranty.
We can sell you the RAM but cannot support you through the installation.
CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drive Upgrades
The Mac mini came with either a slot loading Combo or Superdrive optical mechanism. We offer internal upgrades, and we also sell a range of external optical drives for use with the Mac mini.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 5/5 - Very Hard (internal)
The optical drive on the Mac mini is not classified by Apple as a user installed part. Mac Upgrades can install drives for you, please contact us for details.
You can purchase the drive for installation yourself, but Mac Upgrades cannot provide instructions or support for the install process.
Internal Hard Drive & SSD Upgrades
The Mac mini uses a laptop 2.5" hard drive for its internal storage. This means that they have a much lower capacity, and higher cost, than those for a normal desktop computer.
Professional installation is highly recommended as your warranty may be voided by an incorrect installation.
If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.
Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 4 / 5 - Difficult
Apple recommends professional installation for the hard drive - to protect you and your investment. Improperly fitting the HDD, or damaging the insides, by doing this yourself MAY invalidate your Apple warranty.
We can sell you the HDD but cannot support you through the installation. If you like we can install the drive for you.
Graphics Cards and Displays
The Mac mini has all of its components on one logic board. Consequently it is not possible to upgrade the graphics cards on these machines.
There are no graphics card upgrades available for these Macs
Expansion Card Upgrades
The Mac mini has all of its components on one logic board and has no PCI or PCMCIA sockets. Consequently it is not possible to upgrade the connectivity on these machines.
There are no expansion cards available for these Macs
Keyboards & Mice
The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.
This Mac can use any of the following external hard drives.
3.5" USB Enclosures
2.5" USB Enclosures
Complete Machines - Refurbished
Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.
There are none available.
Repair Services for this Mac
Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact
us for a quote.