Anybody using 30" ACD with the new Mac Mini?

Yes, I am using the Early 2009 Mac Mini (not the expensive one, the cheaper one) here's my mini configuration:

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM -1x1GB <= Upgraded to 4 GB
120GB Serial ATA Drive <= Upgraded to 500 GB
SD 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)

with a 30" Apple Cinema Display. I'm connecting via the mini-displayport adapter via Apple's:

150I DISPLAYPORT TO DUAL-LINK DVI-INT MB571Z/A

which was $99 dollars. It is mostly fine (no pixel problems or distortion that I can see running at 2560x1600),

but ....

the one non-normal issue I'm having is black screen flashes at uneven time intervals. 20 minutes, then not for an hour, then 4 minutes apart. I came to this discussion group to check out possible fixes. Bet I'll have to wait for a firmware update.

Anyway, it works, but Apple does not make it easy for you to figure out that it will work.

billm:
Has your screen ever flashed a few minutes after turning the mac on? Or have you only seen it under heavy load or after using it for awhile? I ask because it sounds like the gpu (graphics) is overheating. I'd install a temperature monitor app. Lately (from their 8series and on) the nvidia gpu's have been flaky in high-temp conditions.
As for a temp monitor app I'm not sure what the popular one is for macs.

I wish Monoprice would come out with a mini display port to display port cable to use with the Dell 3008WFP.

Screen flashed often. No just after the Mini is turned on. I will install a temp monitor app and then post the results. I doubt that temperature is the issue thought because I've got this Mini on a wire 3 tier paper sorter without anything under it, under my desk. This allows free flow of air around 100% of the Mini's surfaces. The mini is cool to the touch on top and warm underneath.

That said, I thank you for the idea!!! Will post back here on how it worked out.

b

Here is the temp data on my Mini:

CPU A Heatsink 53 degrees C
CPU A Temperature Diode 54 degrees C
CPU Core 1 55 degrees C
CPU Core 2 54 degrees C
Hard Drive Bay 1 54 degrees C
Northbridge Position 1 63 degrees C
Smart Disk 53 degrees C
Wireless Module 62 degrees C

Program is Temperature Monitor V4.6 by Marcel Bresink (Thank you Marcel!!!)

the VRAM spec is misleading. even with the cheaper model, you will get 256MB of VRAM if you up the system RAM to 2GB or more.

@billm - can you get a GPU (video card) temperature reading?

I have just purchased a base model Mini and hooked it up via dual-link adaptor to 30" cinema display at native resolution (2560x1600). so far so good, but I'll report back. i am upgrading the RAM and HD myself, so should have interesting comparison...

I am considering buying a new Mac mini to connect to my 30" Apple Cinema Display as well (replacing my present MacBook Pro so it can become truly mobile). I am keenly interested in this topic so if anyone has similar problems to the ones mentioned in the other threads (or to billm's), please post.

No pixel or distortion on 30" ACD connected to
mac mini 2.26, w/ 1 Gb ram worked great with dual link cable.
Added 4Gb ram, still no problem.
Have not seen any of the problems described in the dual link product page.
When rlogging into my G5 PPC dual through the network via the mac mini,
the G5 window on top of the mac mini 30" ACD window has occasional lines,
only restricted to the superimposed window.
But never on direct connect ACD to the Mac mini.

okay i can report that there ARE problems.

i still have base model, i.e. 1GB RAM, 128MB VRAM. general use of the computer is fine at max resolution. however full-screen modes such as Front Row or iTunes Visualizer have slight pixel streaking noise. it's not terrible, but it's definitely not great. both are usable. also there is a moment of ugly flickering noise when switching resolutions, e.g. when entering/exiting iTunes visualizer full-screen. for me, this is not a deal breaker. but problems with DVD player ARE a deal-breaker. the flickering pixel noise is substantial enough that you can't enjoy a movie. this pixel noise happens whether you are full-screen or not!

i am waiting for my RAM upgrade to arrive. i will install and test again and report back. if same problem persists with more VRAM, i'm afraid i will have to return the Mini. very disappointing.

by the way, i tested with the included mini-DVI to DVI adaptor and everything plays fine (on 30" cinema display) - but resolution is limited to 1280x800. everything also plays fine at 1280x800 with the dual-link adaptor. so i suppose one workaround is to switch to that resolution when playing movies. but that seems pretty crappy to me.

have you tried fullscreen modes and/or DVD player? if yours works fine, perhaps my adaptor or Mini video card can be replaced. an Apple manager told me nvidia messed up video cards to the extent that apple sued them, and won. so who knows.

new report: workaround switching resolutions for watching movies does NOT work well. some of the time when switching back to native resolution, the entire screen is streaked and double-imaged and unusable. only a restart fixes it.

Hey,
I must admit you all have experience / problems with applications I do not use.
Sorry I can't add more.
Hope Apple or someone comes up with a solution.comes up with a solution.

well, just launch itunes and show visualizer fullscreen (from View menu), and tell us what happens... or stick a DVD in...

I see people on another forum say they don't have a problem with the 30" Dell 3008WFP or 30" ACD using the MDP-DL DVI adapter. Also one said he had no problem using both the 30" ACD and 23" ACD in dual monitor mode with the new mini.

I've been running my 30" ACD from a macbook pro, and also an eSata RAID0 array (via PCI express card). So I bought a Mac Mini to run the screen and a Newer miniStack v3 to run the eSata. Still about 1/2 the cost of a Macbook Pro and having the MBP portable is great.

The flashing I've been observing is worse when the Mini is hot (i.e. over CPU over 50 degrees C). It was also worse when I booted the mini from a 500 GB hard drive that had my Macbook OS and software on it. I put the original 120 GB hard drive that came with the Mini, back in, and ran the boot up registration and the flashing has been much reduced. So, there may be a driver that matters on the Mini's OS build from Apple.

So, when the Mini is cool, the flashing isn't a large deal. Not worth loosing the Macbook Pro's freedom anyway.