M1 Mac Mini DisplayS Issues

[jakeyboy999]

Morning all.

This is a bit of a long shot Q, but I have to ask for my own piece of mind.

I bought an M1 Mini June 2021, so it was one of the early ones. I paired it initially with a Dell 3221QS curved 4k monitor. Not brilliant but OK.

Over the year, I lost my Music Library (Corrupted file, but Apple have never seen an issue like mine before) and every few months it would go haywire and keep rebooting itself. In all I must have wiped the machine about 4 times. It's been into apple twice and they can never replicate the issue so refuse to admit any issue. It could be a peripheral and in March when it started again, i tried in on a Samsung TV and the issue didn't replicate where it did on the Dell monitor.

After some discussions with Dell, they swapped it out, but by then I had bought a 4k LG Ultrafine Ergo as it had many better reviews than the Dell. I also wanted USB C connectivity.

Yesterday, the Mac started rebooting again and after managing to stabilise it after an hour, I noticed that the Mini would not connect by USB C - it just says it's not connected and the monitor goes to sleep. But HDMI connections work.

So my question is (and I appreciate it sounds a bit weird), but I have had 2 monitors go off in 6 months, both after spells where my Mac has gone into a reboot cycle. Could my MAc be causing this in any way at all? Or am I just being unlucky?

Would be interested in your views.

Thanks all

 

[BanditoB]

I seriously doubt that the Mac mini is causing these display issues as it simply outputs a signal to the monitor and little else is occurring. I would highly recommend that you check the manufacturer's websites for updated firmware for the monitors. This can oftentimes resolve strange issues such as what you are experiencing.

Another thing that I've noted over the years using Macs is that sometimes when they crash and reboot, they will crash again and again after various amounts of time, even though they restart. I have found that powering them off and waiting 15-30 seconds and then powering them back up again will solve this problem.

Your mini sounds like it has some sort of intermittent motherboard issue that only crops up occasionally. I've only run into this kind of an issue once before, though it was on a Windows PC, in all my years of computing, so it's very rare, but can happen. I'm surprised that the Apple techs didn't replace it as a precautionary measure. Perhaps if you take it in again and explain the situation with it recurring irregularly but continuing to experience issues, they will consider replacing the motherboard.

Good luck to you!

 

[jakeyboy999]

Many thanks for your response. They ordered a motherboard for when I took it in (as a potential) but as they couldn't replicate the issue, did not use it. If it happens again, I will be pushing for it!

Cheers

 

[satcomer]

This usually happens when you use cheaper USB C cables! I say get from MonoPrice.com and use that cable!

 

[jakeyboy999]

I have been using the LG one supplied, (With Dell, they only suggest using their cable and I did have trouble with alternatives). It's a useful thing to consider though. Thanks

 

[Hastings101]

I know it seeeems like the Mac Mini shouldn’t be the cause of the issue… but I personally have had display issues with both the previous Intel model and the M1 Mini model. From the frame rate/resolution not setting right, to the Mini not outputting video at all until rebooted several times, displays never waking from sleep until a forced shutdown of the mini, the display screen booting up green, and I’m sure other issues I’ve forgotten about over time. This was with 3 or 4 different monitors (I had assumed they were broken or not Mac compatible), trying variations of display port/thunderbolt/usb-c/HDMI.

I no longer use Mac Minis and have not yet experienced these problems with my M1 Air or my Windows PC. I would assume the M1 Air is literally an M1 Mac Mini with a screen so perhaps I had a couple of Mini lemons in a row. Clearly not everyone has these problems or we would have had MiniGate or whatever by now on the front page lol.

 

[jakeyboy999]

I know it seeeems like the Mac Mini shouldn’t be the cause of the issue… but I personally have had display issues with both the previous Intel model and the M1 Mini model. From the frame rate/resolution not setting right, to the Mini not outputting video at all until rebooted several times, displays never waking from sleep until a forced shutdown of the mini, the display screen booting up green, and I’m sure other issues I’ve forgotten about over time. This was with 3 or 4 different monitors (I had assumed they were broken or not Mac compatible), trying variations of display port/thunderbolt/usb-c/HDMI.

I no longer use Mac Minis and have not yet experienced these problems with my M1 Air or my Windows PC. I would assume the M1 Air is literally an M1 Mac Mini with a screen so perhaps I had a couple of Mini lemons in a row. Clearly not everyone has these problems or we would have had MiniGate or whatever by now on the front page lol.

although it hasn't been extensive, my M1 MBP 16" has not replicated any of these issues either. I think there might be something in what you say

 

[brb408wpb]

I am driving two HP 4K monitors with my MacMini M1. One uses HDMI and the other USB-C/Lightning port. I was using the cable provided and would intermittently get issues where the video would stop outputting USB/LP. I bought a certified cable, and that helped, but still never solved the problem. I can operate for a month with no issues, then for some reason, the signal would drop again. My fix is to connect the USB/LP monitor with an HDMI cable, change that monitor input, unplug and replug in the USB/LP, switch back to that input on the monitor, and I am back in business. So I've learned to live with it. The better cable seems to have helped, but it didn't rid me of the problem.