Late 2014 Mac Mini Teardown Reveals Soldered RAM

iFixit has published a teardown of the new 2014 Mac mini finding soldered RAM and a more difficult to open casing.

Highlights:
● The backside of the Mini remains almost identical to the previous iteration. The only change is the omission of a FireWire port in favor of an extra Thunderbolt 2 port.
● The Mac Mini Late 2014 retains the model number identifier of A1347, but is distinguished by the EMC number 2840.
● There’s a solid door where there was once handy access to the RAM and fan. A rare T6 Torx Security screwdriver is required to open it.
● The computer features a quieter Advanced Hydraulic Bearing fan
● The RAM is soldered to the logic board.

Mac Mini Late 2014 Repairability: 6 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).
● There’s no glue anywhere inside that needs to be removed while disassembling the Mini.
● With the proper tools, disassembly is straight-forward and simple.
● T6 Torx Security screws are intended to lock you out of your Mini, and make it hard to clean the fan or replace the hard drive.
● The CPU is soldered to the logic board and not user-upgradeable.
● The RAM is now also soldered to the logic board, and not user-upgradeable.

Full teardown on iFixit.