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Faulty mini macs?
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My display looks fine through the VGA adapter...
Not that I'll need the adapter in a couple days! I'm getting a 17" LCD with a DVI input!
Not that I'll need the adapter in a couple days! I'm getting a 17" LCD with a DVI input!
AstroManLuca said:My display looks fine through the VGA adapter...
Not that I'll need the adapter in a couple days! I'm getting a 17" LCD with a DVI input!
I'm sure it's fine - I wasn't trying to say it's a common problem, but it /has/ been a complaint some people have, so saying there are no problems with the Mini would just be false.
Of course, then there're the complaints about the RAM, video card and HD speed, but that's not anything to do with faulty hardware. For a rev A machine, it appears to have surprisingly few problems.
I have been wavering, almost making up my mind to get a Mini, but I've almost decided to put that $500+ towards an iMac at their next update. Still wavering ...
When I first got my mini i connected it via VGA to my lcd tv, I didn't notice any dimness at all. But when I bought a DVI cable (crazy expensive.. whats up with that?), and used it with the same monitor.. it was like night and day... I would say there is a problem with VGA dimness as compared to DVI, but nothing drastic that could ruin a computer experience.AstroManLuca said:
plinden said:
My friend had this same problem. I loaned him my display adapter and the problem went away..
Most of the issues come from faulty Display adapters, and or cheap ones made with high resistance metals.
like anything computer related, trial and error would fix many of the complainers issues.
When I get my LCD I'll try connecting both the VGA and the DVI connectors and see if there's any difference.
Heh. Dual inputs rock
Heh. Dual inputs rock
I have mine hooked up to a KVM switch with an older G4 right now and there is a VERY slight dimness to the Mini vs. the G4. Not a deal breaker by any stretch. I only notice it when i switch. I will just calibrate it after I send teh G4 back to my dad and won't be using the KVM Switch anymore.
plinden said:
so I'm not the only one! the difference is huge from the mini to my powerbook in terms of brightness.
My Mini has been faultless, it does have a slightly dimmer display so you know what i did? I turned it up . about 10%. I allready was running the LCD NEC display at less then half brightness. MacMini is a very sweet machine.
about 10%. I allready was running the LCD NEC display at less then half brightness. MacMini is a very sweet machine.I just purchased a Mini and have been using it for a few days. When I first got it, I was kinda dissapointed at the HD performance. Since then I've upgraded to a 7200rpm 60gig and I'm pretty happy with it right now.
One thing that I do think is a problem is that airport reception....sucks. The walls in this apartment aren't thick by any stretch of the word and I barely got a 50% signal on my mini when the router was in the next room. My iBook would have 90%+ in the same location. I've since moved the router to the desk next to the mini and I still don't have reception as high as the iBook did when it was in the next room.
One thing that I do think is a problem is that airport reception....sucks. The walls in this apartment aren't thick by any stretch of the word and I barely got a 50% signal on my mini when the router was in the next room. My iBook would have 90%+ in the same location. I've since moved the router to the desk next to the mini and I still don't have reception as high as the iBook did when it was in the next room.
I though I saw this same thing posted elsewhere. Anyway xbench is not really memory hungry, it's more just testing the raw system speed. So the numbers being [about] the same makes sense.wilmor42 said:
ColdZero said:
Yes, AirPort reception is one of my complaints. My PC is sitting on the floor about 1 foot away from the Mini. It gets about 90% signal and the Mini goes between 50-65%. My iBook in the same location gets about 90% as well. Oh well, not really too big a deal I guess. Not like the thing gets moved at all.
I have my Mini and my PC on a KVM. The video on my LCD through the VGA adapter is a little dimmer than my PC. Maybe like 5%. But it isn't anything worth complaining about.
Otherwise, this is a great machine for the price. I have hardly used my PC at all and my iBook is only being used in class since I bought the Mini. If I didn't have to turn on the PC to use the KVM, it would never be used again.
At the outset I will say that my mini is so fault faultless, both with VGA on a range of monitors, and with DVI on my new 17" LCD, however, these are the issues that have been raised with it so far:
VGA display - dim, fuzzy or washed out. Many times caused by loose connections in the mini/DVI adaptor/VGA cable, sometimes by poor DVI adapters where the problem went away with a replacement and sometimes by poor calibraryion that can be corrected in the display preference pane. In some cases none of these fixes appear to work and some are suggesting the mini outputs below the standard level required for VGA.
DVI display - dark areas full of green or red 'static'. Some people have reported successful resolution by replacing the DVI cable, some people say this hasn't helped.
Displays general - reports exist of users who suffer from displays that go blank when the log in screen appears or when the screen goes from grey to blue, or at random when working. It seems that some monitors aren't being autodetected. These issues are normally fixed by manually entering display resolution and settings.
Hard drives - regular noise like a marble being dropped. This is something I have noticed on mine, though I also note the same noise (quieter) on a Sony Vaio and 2 IBM Thinkpads, so it's not mini-specific. Some claim this is a sign of failure, but my Vaio has made this noise since day 1 and it's done the equivalent of 100,000 miles with no sign of failure, so I doubt it's a 'failure' issue so much as an annoyance to some (I don't really notice mine unless I listen for it). Seagate make some of the drives used in minis (including mine) and seem to be indicating their belief this is normal (well, they would, wouldn't they) and that they are going to release a firmware update to reduce or eliminate the noise.
Noisy fan - the mini is typically very quiet, but some make noises that are described as likely caused by a fan with a fauly bearing. Not many complaints about this, but some.
Noisy combo or superdrive - it's normal for this drive to be rather loud when it spins up, but some report it stays nosiny once its running.
Again, I don't have any of these issues on my mini. I've tested it on a number of VGA CRT monitors and 3 separate analog LCD panels and had good and consistent results on each, and on a DVI LCD and had truly excellent display quality. My mini makes no annoying noises, runs quietly and behaves itself as perfectly as any system I've had. I'd have no hesitation in recommending it.
VGA display - dim, fuzzy or washed out. Many times caused by loose connections in the mini/DVI adaptor/VGA cable, sometimes by poor DVI adapters where the problem went away with a replacement and sometimes by poor calibraryion that can be corrected in the display preference pane. In some cases none of these fixes appear to work and some are suggesting the mini outputs below the standard level required for VGA.
DVI display - dark areas full of green or red 'static'. Some people have reported successful resolution by replacing the DVI cable, some people say this hasn't helped.
Displays general - reports exist of users who suffer from displays that go blank when the log in screen appears or when the screen goes from grey to blue, or at random when working. It seems that some monitors aren't being autodetected. These issues are normally fixed by manually entering display resolution and settings.
Hard drives - regular noise like a marble being dropped. This is something I have noticed on mine, though I also note the same noise (quieter) on a Sony Vaio and 2 IBM Thinkpads, so it's not mini-specific. Some claim this is a sign of failure, but my Vaio has made this noise since day 1 and it's done the equivalent of 100,000 miles with no sign of failure, so I doubt it's a 'failure' issue so much as an annoyance to some (I don't really notice mine unless I listen for it). Seagate make some of the drives used in minis (including mine) and seem to be indicating their belief this is normal (well, they would, wouldn't they) and that they are going to release a firmware update to reduce or eliminate the noise.
Noisy fan - the mini is typically very quiet, but some make noises that are described as likely caused by a fan with a fauly bearing. Not many complaints about this, but some.
Noisy combo or superdrive - it's normal for this drive to be rather loud when it spins up, but some report it stays nosiny once its running.
Again, I don't have any of these issues on my mini. I've tested it on a number of VGA CRT monitors and 3 separate analog LCD panels and had good and consistent results on each, and on a DVI LCD and had truly excellent display quality. My mini makes no annoying noises, runs quietly and behaves itself as perfectly as any system I've had. I'd have no hesitation in recommending it.
Another issue I heard about is with the USB ports not giving out much power, and the system crashing if a device tries to draw too much power out of it.
As for my mini, it's faultless. Everything works as it should. I haven't tried the VGA adapter since I have a LCD display. The USB issue seems fine to me, but I don't really have any high-powered USB devices (like a self-powered harddrive).
I do agree with the above posts about the airport reception: it sucks. The iBook I had before this pwns the mini in airport reception. Oh well, internet works fine, if not a bit slow, with it, and if I find it really bothers me, I have a airport express that I can use as a sort of external airport if you know what I mean.
As for my mini, it's faultless. Everything works as it should. I haven't tried the VGA adapter since I have a LCD display. The USB issue seems fine to me, but I don't really have any high-powered USB devices (like a self-powered harddrive).
I do agree with the above posts about the airport reception: it sucks. The iBook I had before this pwns the mini in airport reception. Oh well, internet works fine, if not a bit slow, with it, and if I find it really bothers me, I have a airport express that I can use as a sort of external airport if you know what I mean.
new Mini
Just got my 1.42 G mini yesterday. It works fine with my VGA monitor, there are several people who've had problems with that. There is a program to transfer files from my old mac via firewire. That worked but I accidently created a new profile, so now I can't access all my photos. The program did transfer my address book and mp3s. So far so good, just be careful when transferring files between computers.alexprice said:
I am using my mini in my home theater setup. I use a projector set at 1024x768, it's native resolution, and wow, if you have never tried computing with a 100 inch monitor, it is quite the experience! No problem with dim display in this setup. Games are fabulous, and surfing the net is awesome.
No problems with my Mac Mini 1.42 w/512mb and the display with the vga adapter. I'm a switcher and the thing is awesome.