Mac mini (2011) - Monitor flashing issue with DVI


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Anyone know what might be causing this? When I first started using this Mac mini, I used HDMI, but I got annoyed that the monitor never sleeps (I use an ASUS, and they didn't think of putting in anything that would auto sleep the monitor, so it stays Blue when the Mac goes to sleep).

 

I finally switched over to DVI last year and I get this flashing issue that you see at the 3 second mark. I slowed the video down so it is more noticeable, but it is so annoying.

 

 

I looked it up to see if this is a known issue with the Mac mini and couldn't find anything specific to this particular issue. I don't have the money right now to go out and buy another DVI cable and it turn out not to be it. So I thought I'd get some suggestions from you all before spending any $$$.

 

Thanks  :D

 

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Do you have any graphics problems via HDMI? 

 

2 things to check quickly - make sure the DVI connection is secure at both ends, and that there's no dust/lint in the ports. A quick blast with compressed air will do no harm. Secondly, does it do the same thing if you leave it at the boot selector screen (hold ALT while you power on), or when you boot it into recovery mode (CMD + R when you power on).

 

 

If you don't have another DVI display/cable to try it with, I'd recommend booking an appointment at your local Apple store. They will have DVI monitors which they can use to test it with, to see if it's your cable and/or display.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I appreciate the suggestions Brian, but apparently my mini decided it wanted to solve the problem for me; unfortunately, the way it solved that issue was by completely dying on me.

 

The other day I heard it reboot itself, so I just assumed that maybe it did an update and auto-restarted on me, so I didn't pay any attention to it at the time. Later that day when I finally needed to do some work, I noticed that I couldn't get it to come on, so I did a hard reboot. I get the startup sound with no issues there, but then nothing happens. The monitor doesn't come on at all, even though the mini itself does give any other warning sounds, the fan comes on normally.

 

The only thing I can think of is the logic board is kaput  :/ Looking it up, a replacement logic board is $400, whereas a brand new mini starts at $579.

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Here's a small update and maybe you all can give me some advice/guidance:

 

After my Mac mini crashed and burned, I decided, instead of spending $400 on replacing the logic board, I'd just save up and buy a brand new one once they're updated to Haswell. Until then, I pulled my MBP (2010) over to use as my desktop replacement for the time being. I have been using my iPad more and more as a notebook replace for the vast majority of my work that I use to need my MBP for.

 

Anyway, I plugged the mini-display to dvi adapter in and connected it to my ASUS VW266H monitor and noticed that it was doing the exact same thing the Mac mini was doing, but even worse. Whereas the mini was doing it every few minutes, the MBP is now doing it every few seconds.

 

Changed cable, still no difference. I don't have another monitor to test. I did notice that it wasn't doing the flickering on the login screen, the startup screen, etc. Weird right? So I rebooted into Windows and it doesn't do it there.

 

So, my guess is, this has got to be a software related issue, right? I would rather not have to reinstall Mavericks from scratch, but if I have to, I will.

 

Thoughts? (Thanks for the help in advance :) )

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I would again suggest that you take your MBP into an Apple Store, they should be able to plug it into one of their displays and test it there. It's actually a fairly common issue so I am assuming they've had people do this before and hopefully they'll be able to offer an accurate solution. :)

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I had the same issue with my mini, I think mines mid-2011 as well (at work I cant be sure).  I'm using a Dell 24" monitor via HDMI.  Mavericks fixed the issue for me.

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I had the same issue with my mini, I think mines mid-2011 as well (at work I cant be sure).  I'm using a Dell 24" monitor via HDMI.  Mavericks fixed the issue for me.

I wish it did for me. I even did a full reinstall, but nothing. And I've double-checked to make sure all firmware updates are done too. Oh well, not a massive deal right now. I'm learning to live with it for the time being until I can afford a new 13" MBP :) 

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  • 1 month later...

So there's definitely something wrong with my logic board.

 

My ethernet port on the mini stopped working, since this device isn't covered under warranty, I decided just to get a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and use it, well, when I plug it in, it kills my HDMI port. When I do screen sharing from my MBP, I load up System Information and the system crashes. Unplug the adatper and reboot it two or three times, HDMI starts working again.

 

I have found a few places that have 2011 Mac mini replacement logic boards, but the cheapest I can find is $399 (eBay). For another $200, I can get a brand new Mac mini.

 

What's your thoughts? Save up and buy a brand new one (hopefully an updated model by the time I get that kind of money) or get a replacement logic board?

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