Replacing RAM chips costs hundreds and rarely makes sense.

Usually several hundred dollars, and even then it’s a gamble. You’re paying for skilled labor, specialized equipment, and the risk of damaging the board — which is real.

The problem is that soldered RAM isn’t meant to be swapped. Unlike desktop DIMM slots, these chips are tightly integrated into the motherboard’s design. A rework station, proper flux, hot air gun, and steady hands are required. A decent shop won’t touch it for under $150–200 for labor alone, plus the cost of the RAM chips (if you can source them). For a laptop, expect $200–400 total. For a MacBook with Apple Silicon? Forget it — those are basically unupgradeable.

Even if you pay, there’s no guarantee the new chips will work perfectly. Timing, voltage tolerances, and firmware compatibility can cause instability. Many repair shops simply refuse the job because the failure rate is high and the customer is never happy.

Just buy a machine with the RAM you need from the start.