Short interference (snow like) Mac Mini i7 (Late 2012)

I have connected my screens the other way around this time.

Hi, thanks for the report, but can you try with the monitors the original way?

Fixed!

In case no-one has seen it yet, its available from Apple here Download

BDAqua wrote:

I have connected my screens the other way around this time.

Hi, thanks for the report, but can you try with the monitors the original way?

I think the blackouts were still happening on the HDMI output but the monitor that is connected seems to handle them differently. The Formac monitor just shows some slight 'tearing' at the bottom of the screen. You have to be looking directly at it to see it.

Performed the FFI update and so far not seen anything untoward, but it was happening so irregularly.

I will post again if anything happens, which I sincerely hope not! 🙂

I think the update partially fixes the problem. I no longer get the black screens randomly while playing flash games, watching videos, etc. However, I still get the snow screen when my display wakes up from sleep. About 50% of the time it never comes back and I have to power cycle my monitor.

I'm using the HDMI to DVI adapter on an Acer H233H 23" display. As the display supports HDMI, I'm going to try buying a cable and see if a direct connection without the adapter works. There's obviously a problem with HDCP negotiation still.

I would agree with you Lucas. Recently I've purchased the mini display port to dvi adapter in the hopes that the snow like interferance would be resolved (thinking that it was only HDMI related). Not the case, I'm still getting the snow interference from time to time.

This is my first Mac (I've still got my Windows box hooked up)....hoping Apple fixes this soon, because I like the experience so far.

Jason

Crap, this kind of tears it for me. I was just about to purchase a Mac mini 2.6GHz. I guess I'll wait until a new hardware update is released.

A firmware fix was released over a month ago that resolved this issue. Thats why this topic went from very active to almost no one posting about the issue.

The two posts prior to mine suggests that the firmware release was a partial fix and that issues still remain. If I'm going to drop upwards of a $1,000 on a new Mac mini I don't want any issues. My Mac Pro was rock solid and I'd like my next mac to be as well. 🙂

The firmware fix has resolved things for almost everyone. Those still having issues may have other compatibility problems or even defective hardware. You're talking 2 users out of tens or even hundreds of thousands of users.

That's great news, but I didn't see a lot of follow up posts on this thread acknowledging that the fixed worked for them. Some posters even indciated that they returned their Mac minis. Is there another thread I should be looking at?

It would be great if previous posters could update this thread to indicate if the fixed worked for them.

Of course there aren't any follow up posts. How many people are going to take the time to come back to say it worked really? You can see on the macrumors forums that some did respond to say it worked fine. Most people have no need to come back to a support forum once their support issue is resolved.

You don't call the cable company after their tech comes out to tell them that he fixed it.

Well perhaps you have a lot more discretionary income than I do, but I'm not dropping a grand on something until I'm sure it works. Perhaps posting a link to something that substantiates that the fix was effective might be more helpful than critizing me for asking for some user feedback.

BTW, here's the fix for interested parties:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1616?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Not to totally slam the Mac mini, becuase I do think it's an awesome computer, but here is another issue that's yet to be resolved that's making me hesitant about buying the latest generation:

http://blog.macsales.com/15990-shielding-resolves-usb-3-0-conflict-with-bluetoot h

Thought I would chip in here, I had my first MacMini 'captured' by Apple in order to sort the HDMI problem. I received the replacement machine and applied the 1.7 EFI update and have not encountered any problems running dual monitor using both the HDMI and MDP outputs.

As regards USB3 and bluetooth, I have two USB3 hard drives a Hitachi 1TB Touro and a G-Technology 1TB drive, These are both 2.5" formfactor bus powered external drives. Initially when I had just the 1TB Touro I sat it directly on top of the MM and this did cause problems with my bluetooth trackpad. Moving the drive so it sat alongside the MM and all my bluetooth problems have gone away. With both drives running, one acts as a Time Machine drive the other a Carbon Copy Clone Drive, I encounter no problems using bluetooth.

So yes if you want to have a USB3 drive on top of the MacMini you will encounter problems, sat alongside no problems.

I am very pleased with the performance of this new MM, and USB3 for conventional 'mechanical drives' fair zips along 😀

Hope that helps?

Thanks Philip. That helps a lot. Are you using two DVI monitors? If so, what adapters are you using?