Random Black Screens

I'm experiencing the same issue as well. I get a black screen 2-3 times or more a day. It doesn't seem to be triggered by anything specific. Sometimes it will go black for 1 second or black and then to snow for 1-2 seconds and then back to normal. It happens totally random and I could be playing Diablo III or just doing nothing at all.

I've called apple and they had me unplug everything and reset the PRAM (which didn't fix the issue). They said to call back if I experience it anymore and set up an appointment to take it to the Apple Store for evaluation.

I've tried three difference monitor makes and three different HDMI cables. I have the stock 2.3 Quad i7 Mac Mini (2012) and i'm using HDMI to the monitor. I hope there will be an update to address this soon.

Hi Everyone, same issues here. Just got the mid range late 2012 mini. Upgraded to 16 GB of RAM. I'm not using the adapter. I'm running HDMI to HDMI from the mini to my Denon receiver. All of the symptoms discussed in this thread and I'm having a hell of a time with XBMC.

dogmusic said:

Absolutely sure. Wasn't even touching the mouse.

Anyway, my left corner is set up for a different task.

There's a random problem going on.

Click to expand...

my hot corners are blank so i don't set things off.

Hmmm, this seems related.

http://communities.intel.com/message/171244

I remember i had black screens at my mid 2011 mac mini base model the first days i bought it but they never appeared again since then.....

I bought the mid Mac mini with an 2.3 i7 cpu last friday and I also experience these random blackouts about maybe once every 2 or 3 hours. I don't think this is a driver problem because it also happens in Bootcamp with Win 7.

Did anyone try to remove one memory module? According to the Intel forum this could help. I can not try it as I am waiting for my memory upgrade and I am not sure OSX will run with only 2GB if I pull out one of the stock ram modules.

I was having this with the HDMI-DVI adaptor and a 23" Cinema Display, but switched to an MDP-DVI adaptor and the same display and it hasn't manifested since. (Fingers crossed!)

Here's hoping we get a fix soon!

Spoke with Apple Italia support today, they weren't aware of this issue but put it on file. They leaned on the "it's this specimen's hardware issue" rather than a generic problem, but the woman I spoke to was open to the suggestion that it may indeed be an issue on Intel's side. She had me reset the SMC and the PRAM (the latter of which I had already tried on my own) and suggested I bring it in for repair if it happens again. The alternative would be trying a MDP-DVI adapter, but I'm really not keen on spending €29 to work around an issue that should (and hopefully will) be clearly solved by Apple.

At this point, since it seems that Apple is proactively contacting issues in the US who have reported the same issue AND that Intel admitted there's an issue with the chipset, I'm fairly confident that we will see a firmware upgrade within a few weeks. After all, it's pretty common for Apple to release firmware upgrades shortly after new machines are released.

Thanks for the update jollino.

I think I will wait till it's fixed before buying my Mini.

I have been waiting months so another week or so won't hurt.

Alan

asimmd said:

Thanks for the update jollino.

I think I will wait till it's fixed before buying my Mini.

I have been waiting months so another week or so won't hurt.

Alan

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I think it's pretty clear by now (though pending official word from Apple) that this can and most likely will be fixed via software, so I'd say you can safely buy now. In the end it's a minor inconvenience, depending on how often you get it and how fast your monitor reacts. Mine takes a couple of seconds, but it only happens once or twice a day — sometimes never, or maybe it just happens when I'm not looking at it — so it's not a big deal for me. It'd be much worse if, say, it froze or anything like that...

(I just ordered a webcam for my mini and 2x4 GB. Goes to prove how much I love this little fellow here, especially coming from a 2006 iMac! LOL)

I am now using MDP-HDMI and have had no problems so far.

Has anyone tried the fix from Intel to see if it works?

http://communities.intel.com/message/171244

You remove one memory stick and let it run in single-channel mode.

There's a BIOS fix from Intel of course that lets you use dual-channel memory, but Apple needs to implement that.

I would just like to know if this works

crotach said:

Has anyone tried the fix from Intel to see if it works?

http://communities.intel.com/message/171244

You remove one memory stick and let it run in single-channel mode.

There's a BIOS fix from Intel of course that lets you use dual-channel memory, but Apple needs to implement that.

I would just like to know if this works

Click to expand...

I haven't tried this yet but I will probably later tonight. I added 16 GB of memory to mine and still have the same issues. But if it's related to the dual channel configuration then that makes sense.

Last night was painful using the new Mini. Randomly the display would go snowy. The only way to get the video back to normal is turn off my receiver and then back on. Frustrating.

I hate that these things are not tested extensively before sending them into production.

What I'm wondering is, if some people are not having problems at all, then that seems like it would be hardware related and not software, would it not?

Count me among those having this problem too. About once a day, the monitor just goes to snow. This usually happens when the machine is under high load (gaming or movie encoding). I have a base 2.5Ghz i5 with 8GB of RAM.

I am using a Samsung monitor using the included HDMI to DVI connector. Hopefully Apple will issue a quick solution.

Makavillin said:

Last night was painful using the new Mini. Randomly the display would go snowy. The only way to get the video back to normal is turn off my receiver and then back on. Frustrating.

I hate that these things are not tested extensively before sending them into production.

What I'm wondering is, if some people are not having problems at all, then that seems like it would be hardware related and not software, would it not?

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You really believe that Apple doesn't test these machines extensively before sending them into mass production? They've been tested for months before they ever see daylight.

Everyone should try the fix from the Intel board. Remove one stick of memory then test and report back.

I'm personally not going to try that, I get the blinks very rarely and I'd rather get one extra blink per day than working with 2 GB only (my 2x4 GB is still on its way so I'm stuck with stock RAM.)
I'm sure Apple will release a firmware upgrade soon, this is not an unfixable hardware problem.
Quoting a post from the Intel board:

This issue is a BIOS issue specifically with the Memory Reference Code (MRC) version 1.4.0.0 or older. Please contact your system or motherboard manufacturer for a system BIOS update for your system or motherboard that includes MRC 1.5.0.0 or newer.
If you have a system with 2 or more memory modules and are comfortable with removing all but one of them so that your memory is in single channel mode, try and remove all but one of them and the issue will go away. This can be used as a workaround until you are able to update your system BIOS from your system or motherboard manufacturer that includes MRC 1.5.0.0 or newer.

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Makavillin said:

Everyone should try the fix from the Intel board. Remove one stick of memory then test and report back.

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It may be that it didn't come up during testing, in the end all they did to the Mini was a very minor change compared to, say, the iMac. The backstabbing of secrecy...

Makavillin said:

Everyone should try the fix from the Intel board. Remove one stick of memory then test and report back.

Click to expand...

It's not really a fix and requires us to work with 1/2 our normal memory. Apple will post either a firmware or software update to correct it at some point here. We just need more people to take the 5 minutes to call Apple and report the issue. Just let them know you want it documented. The more reports they have the better as it will allow them to see that it is a widespread issue and not just something that the occasional customer is experiencing.

Makavillin said:

Last night was painful using the new Mini. Randomly the display would go snowy. The only way to get the video back to normal is turn off my receiver and then back on. Frustrating.

I hate that these things are not tested extensively before sending them into production.

What I'm wondering is, if some people are not having problems at all, then that seems like it would be hardware related and not software, would it not?

Click to expand...

it is both. hdmi port and some but not all displays. so the the software/driver does not allow the handshake between every single display when you use hdmi port.

Same problem here. My wife's has a black screen for a second every hour or so. Mine is worse and the black screen lasts for 5-45 minutes from what I've seen so far. Rebooting doesn't fix it either, and it's very frustrating to stare at a blank monitor. Doesn't seem to matter if I'm doing high or low intensity tasks.

I'll try the half-memory suggestion when I get home tonight. 16GB is probably overkill anyway. I'll probably try a non-HDMI adapter if that doesn't work.

Haven't called Apple yet, but I guess I will to have it documented. Fingers crossed for a software fix.

Just called Apple to document the problem. The rep didn't even tell me to do anything since he knows the standard troubleshooting does nothing. Said the more people that call in the faster Apple might recognize it's a problem and release a fix.

I called Apple and they told me to reset my PRAM.

I'm running on a single stick of RAM right now, and I'll have to play a lot of Diablo III tonight for scientific purposes.

OldSchoolMacGuy said:

It's not really a fix and requires us to work with 1/2 our normal memory. Apple will post either a firmware or software update to correct it at some point here. We just need more people to take the 5 minutes to call Apple and report the issue. Just let them know you want it documented. The more reports they have the better as it will allow them to see that it is a widespread issue and not just something that the occasional customer is experiencing.

Click to expand...

Yeah sorry, didn't mean fix, but a workaround to see if it works.

I pulled one memory stick, played about 20 minutes of Diablo and the screen just went black again. Blargh. Can't decide if I want to order a mDP to DVI adapter or send it back for a replacement. I know a replacement may have issues as well, but a 1-2 second black screen would be a major upgrade from the 5-45 minute black screen I'm getting now.