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masucci2

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 3, 2011
40
2
nj
Help!!! I have a 2010 Mac mini that I use for a home theater computer. I run snow leopard and recently updated to El Capitan. That's were things went crazy, it would freeze and video output wasn't right the only way I could turn it off by holding the power button. I used time machine and went back to snow leopard and alls well. I thought maybe I should do a clean install of snow leopard and start fresh and try again. I Installed Yosemite this time, I didn't load any movies or songs and had the same thing happen? Back to snow leopard and alls well. The only thing I see in log is this. Nvda (OpenGL) exception exception type=and=Graphics engine error (gr error5)? Only happens with Yosemite or El Capitan not in snow leopard? Any help is appreciated in advance. 2010 Mac mini 2.4ghz 8gb ram 320gb hard drive.
 

grcar

Suspended
Sep 28, 2014
292
127
The only thing I see in log is this. Nvda (OpenGL) exception exception type=and=Graphics engine error (gr error5)? Only happens with Yosemite or El Capitan not in snow leopard? Any help is appreciated in advance. 2010 Mac mini 2.4ghz 8gb ram 320gb hard drive.

Someone may correct me but I believe Apple has no active products containing Nvidia graphics. With no corporate relations between them, it is understandable that Nvidia and Apple stopped updating the graphics software drivers to make the old Nvidia chips compatible with new MacOS.

This problem is also a concern with the Mac Pro pedestals running Nvidia graphics cards.
 
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masucci2

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 3, 2011
40
2
nj
Someone may correct me but I believe Apple has no active products containing Nvidia graphics. With no corporate relations between them, it is understandable that Nvidia and Apple stopped updating the graphics software drivers to make the old Nvidia chips compatible with new MacOS.

This problem is also a concern with the Mac Pro pedestals running Nvidia graphics cards.
[doublepost=1471353849][/doublepost]So I would need a new graphics card?
 

jpietrzak8

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2010
1,053
6,100
Dayton, Ohio
Someone may correct me but I believe Apple has no active products containing Nvidia graphics. With no corporate relations between them, it is understandable that Nvidia and Apple stopped updating the graphics software drivers to make the old Nvidia chips compatible with new MacOS.

Actually, I'm running my 2010 Mini just fine under El Capitan. (I'm writing this message from it right now.)

I don't know what problem the OP is having, but I suspect it must be something more subtle than just the OS version alone. I can play videos or graphics-intensive games just fine. Never had a crash yet.

EDIT: masucci2, can I ask if you have tested your RAM? The GeForce 320M is an integrated graphics card, and as such uses the machine's main RAM. I know that modern versions of OS X use a lot more memory than before, so perhaps the machine under the more recent OS is touching a bad spot on one of your RAM sticks?
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
Actually, I'm running my 2010 Mini just fine under El Capitan. (I'm writing this message from it right now.)

I don't know what problem the OP is having, but I suspect it must be something more subtle than just the OS version alone. I can play videos or graphics-intensive games just fine. Never had a crash yet.

EDIT: masucci2, can I ask if you have tested your RAM? The GeForce 320M is an integrated graphics card, and as such uses the machine's main RAM. I know that modern versions of OS X use a lot more memory than before, so perhaps the machine under the more recent OS is touching a bad spot on one of your RAM sticks?

Dear OP upgrade your 2010 Mac Mini to 16gbs of ram -- Mushkin has a 2010 Mini specific set of ram. I use it on all my '10 mac minis and 2010 13" macbook pros... very fast, solves graphics problems.
 

jpietrzak8

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2010
1,053
6,100
Dayton, Ohio
Dear OP upgrade your 2010 Mac Mini to 16gbs of ram -- Mushkin has a 2010 Mini specific set of ram. I use it on all my '10 mac minis and 2010 13" macbook pros... very fast, solves graphics problems.

Actually, I'm running my 2010 on just 8 GB of RAM. Very fast, no graphics problems.
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
Actually, I'm running my 2010 on just 8 GB of RAM. Very fast, no graphics problems.

? I was addressing the OP, not you. He wrote he was having graphics problems.

I'm just saying what works best on 2010 Minis (of both speeds).

16gbs of a matched pair of Muskin ram.
 

masucci2

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 3, 2011
40
2
nj
I did the ram test last night both slow and fast test and it passed. I have 8gb now. I'll bump it up to16 and go from there.
 
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jpietrzak8

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2010
1,053
6,100
Dayton, Ohio
? I was addressing the OP, not you. He wrote he was having graphics problems.

Yes he did. And you're saying that 16 GB of RAM would fix the graphics problems.

I'm simply asking why. I've never seen any graphics problems that can be fixed by having 16 GB of RAM...
[doublepost=1471433333][/doublepost]
I did the ram test last night both slow and fast test and it passed. I have 8gb now. I'll bump it up to16 and go from there.

I hope that helps, but yeah, the sheer quantity of RAM won't have an effect on graphics.

One more test you could try is to place just one stick of RAM into the machine at a time, and see if it runs. This is a fairly quick way to determine whether one of the two sticks is bad.

And, of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree; the problem might be something else entirely.
 
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California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
Yes he did. And you're saying that 16 GB of RAM would fix the graphics problems.

I'm simply asking why. I've never seen any graphics problems that can be fixed by having 16 GB of RAM...
[doublepost=1471433333][/doublepost]

I hope that helps, but yeah, the sheer quantity of RAM won't have an effect on graphics.

One more test you could try is to place just one stick of RAM into the machine at a time, and see if it runs. This is a fairly quick way to determine whether one of the two sticks is bad.

And, of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree; the problem might be something else entirely.

This is the product number for the Mushkin Ram 977019A DDR3 SODIMM (2x8GB) 16GB PC3-8500 SODIMM Apple 1.5v

Having a matched pair of Mushkin Mac Mini 2010 ram proved some extra benefits; there was a discussion here on MR years ago about this... and also how picky the 2010 Mini and 13" macbook pros that year were about ram; the OP could be having a ram issue simply because how picky these machines were about ram.

I never ran my 13" MBP 2.66ghz or my numerous 2010 Mac Minis WITHOUT this Mushkin ram matched pairs at 16gb... never had a problem...

(The Muskin ram has a special number specifically for the 2010 13" MacBook pro and 2010 Mac Minis --Mushkin 977019A DDR3 SODIMM (2x8GB) 16GB PC3-8500 SODIMM Apple 1.5v MacBook Pro/Mac Mini)
 
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jpietrzak8

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2010
1,053
6,100
Dayton, Ohio
Having a matched pair of Mushkin Mac Mini 2010 ram proved some extra benefits; there was a discussion here on MR years ago about this... and also how picky the 2010 Mini and 13" macbook pros that year were about ram; the OP could be having a ram issue simply because how picky these machines were about ram.

Wow. Gotta say, I've never heard of Mac Minis being picky about RAM before. I'll have to try and look up that discussion.

I'm actually running a pair of cheap used RAM sticks I got from Other World Computing. I don't even know who the manufacturer is. It's a matched pair, and designed for the 2010 Mini's max RAM speed (1067 MHz). No problems at all.
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
Wow. Gotta say, I've never heard of Mac Minis being picky about RAM before. I'll have to try and look up that discussion.

I'm actually running a pair of cheap used RAM sticks I got from Other World Computing. I don't even know who the manufacturer is. It's a matched pair, and designed for the 2010 Mini's max RAM speed (1067 MHz). No problems at all.

At 16gbs the 2010 Mac Minis and 13" 2010 MBPs were VERY picky.

Search MR re: mac mini 2010 ram. That's where I heard about the correct Mushkin ram, and the benefits of having matched pairs.

Macs have been notorious in years past for pickiness (i.e high standards) for ram. The PMG5's for example.
 

masucci2

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 3, 2011
40
2
nj
I received my mushkin ram today,installed it and now it shuts off during boot up? I got 16gb mushkin 997019. However I also updated my MacBook to 8gb and installed the 4gb from the MacBook into the mini and it's fine. The memory from the MacBook is crucial. Idk where to go at this point. I could not find the 997019a?
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
I received my mushkin ram today,installed it and now it shuts off during boot up? I got 16gb mushkin 997019. However I also updated my MacBook to 8gb and installed the 4gb from the MacBook into the mini and it's fine. The memory from the MacBook is crucial. Idk where to go at this point. I could not find the 997019a?

The Mushkin 997019a (the "a" is for Apple) is what you should have purchased.

Call Mushkin and ask them to exchange it; back in the day the company Patriot Ram did this for me on some ram for my 2009 Mac Mini.

I looked up the number and I see Mushkin might have changed its product number on this 2010 Mac Mini specific ram. (It also works on the 13" 2010 Macbook Pros (same Apple chipset). Talk to Mushkin about it.
 
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