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I don’t know if I should give the M1 mini another chance… I was having all sorts of issues

S

Sarah Hamilton

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 19, 2021
109
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I got my M1 mini during the extended Christmas period last year. I thought I’d try it out and I loved it. Until…

I started experiencing screen flickering issues and horizontal lines appearing and a keyboard typing lag when the mini was awoken from sleep.

I tried new cables and a new monitor the issue persisted, so I returned it for a full refund. Since then I’ve been using my 2016 MBP which is painfully slow for the tasks I need it for.

The mini is perfect for me price and fork wise as I don’t need the portability but I’m really worried about these issues still exiting. Is anyone still having these issues or has Apple ironed them out?

Does the M1 mini only work with a certain type of monitors?
 
I wouldn't buy an m1 Mini.

Wait for the new Mini that is "coming soon".
It will probably have the "m1pro" CPU.
I predict it will arrive before the New Year.

Can you hold out that much longer?
 
At this point, I can't see it being silently launched before Christmas. More likely be part of the Spring event with the refreshed 27" iMac.
 
@Sarah Hamilton The M1 mini has problems waking from sleep with some monitors.
forums.macrumors.com

Mac mini M1 compatible monitor list

Hi all ! With the threads multiplying about monitor choices for the Mac mini M1 and since I got many likes about my proposition to create a wiki thread listing compatible monitors, I decided to create a wiki thread where everyone could contribute. If you have a monitor which is compatible with...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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vatbrain said:
@Sarah Hamilton The M1 mini has problems waking from sleep with some monitors.
forums.macrumors.com

Mac mini M1 compatible monitor list

Hi all ! With the threads multiplying about monitor choices for the Mac mini M1 and since I got many likes about my proposition to create a wiki thread listing compatible monitors, I decided to create a wiki thread where everyone could contribute. If you have a monitor which is compatible with...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
Yes, I know. This is what I encountered. Waking from sleep gave me Bluetooth lag, and constant flickering on greys. Even F the setup screen.
 
Love my M1 mac Mini.

No issues with a 24" Samsung monitor (HDMI), Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse.
 
I love my M1 mini too, which I bought as an Apple refurb. I use with a Dell 27" 4K monitor connected via DisplayPort, and don't have any issues. I use a wired mouse and a Logitech bluetooth keyboard (K380).
 
WildSky said:
I love my M1 mini too, which I bought as an Apple refurb. I use with a Dell 27" 4K monitor connected via DisplayPort, and don't have any issues. I use a wired mouse and a Logitech bluetooth keyboard (K380).
Click to expand...
Can you tell me which Dell monitor you are using? I am using the S2817Q and I was getting flickering on greys. Why the refurb?
 
Sarah Hamilton said:
Can you tell me which Dell monitor you are using? I am using the S2817Q and I was getting flickering on greys. Why the refurb?
Click to expand...
My Dell is the U2718Q, a 4K. I've had it since January 2020 and have also used it with an 2018 Mac Mini, an M1 MacBook Air, and two PC laptops.

I tend to buy Apple refurbs because they're an excellent value, I trust Apple's refurbishment process (described on each refurb category page), the same warranty as new products, and the option to buy Applecare+ for it. It's also a good way to get a CTO Mac (or other device) without the long wait.

I noticed that you didn't mention how you had connected your display, whether via DisplayPort or HDMI. Perhaps changing that might make a difference.

Also I agree with @Fishrrman about waiting for the anticipated new mini.
 
WildSky said:
My Dell is the U2718Q, a 4K. I've had it since January 2020 and have also used it with an 2018 Mac Mini, an M1 MacBook Air, and two PC laptops.

I tend to buy Apple refurbs because they're an excellent value, I trust Apple's refurbishment process (described on each refurb category page), the same warranty as new products, and the option to buy Applecare+ for it. It's also a good way to get a CTO Mac (or other device) without the long wait.

I noticed that you didn't mention how you had connected your display, whether via DisplayPort or HDMI. Perhaps changing that might make a difference.

Also I agree with @Fishrrman about waiting for the anticipated new mini.
Click to expand...
Hey dude

I think I'll wait until Black Friday for the M1 Mini, I can't wait for 6 months. It'll push me back massively with my work and my Macbook Pro 2016 is struggling so bad.

What does CTO mean?

And I connected my display via USB C to Display Port and tried HDMI too. It made no difference. Do you reckon it was a faulty M1? I'm scared because there's so many people reporting this see here,

Mac Mini (M1) 2020, LG UHD monitor flicke… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com discussions.apple.com
 
CTO means custom to order for the options you can add to your device.

There was nothing wrong with returning your Mini of course, but there was also an option to have it diagnosed by Apple to find out if it was defective. I haven't read the link you provided, but even if there was nothing wrong with your Mini, there are a heck of a lot of displays out there and there's bound to be issues for some users. There's no guarantee that all peripherals will work 100% of the time for all users.
 
WildSky said:
CTO means custom to order for the options you can add to your device.

There was nothing wrong with returning your Mini of course, but there was also an option to have it diagnosed by Apple to find out if it was defective. I haven't read the link you provided, but even if there was nothing wrong with your Mini, there are a heck of a lot of displays out there and there's bound to be issues for some users. There's no guarantee that all peripherals will work 100% of the time for all users.
Click to expand...
I didn’t have time to let Apple diagnose it. I will buy another on Black Friday… and go from there. Really hope I don’t need to buy another display. Do you know why my display may be problemsome at all?
 
Sarah Hamilton said:
I didn’t have time to let Apple diagnose it. I will buy another on Black Friday… and go from there. Really hope I don’t need to buy another display. Do you know why my display may be problemsome at all?
Click to expand...
I'm not able to help diagnose the issue with your display. But hope you get a great mini on Black Friday!

Edit: I suppose while you're waiting, maybe you could ask a friend to connect their laptop to your display to help narrow down whether it's the display itself.
 
WildSky said:
I'm not able to help diagnose the issue with your display. But hope you get a great mini on Black Friday!

Edit: I suppose while you're waiting, maybe you could ask a friend to connect their laptop to your display to help narrow down whether it's the display itself.
Click to expand...
I’ve tested a windows machine, and my mbp 2016 and a Xbox, no issues at all…
 
Are you using an Apple cable?

Sometimes aftermarket cables do not play well with Apple.
 
ipsedixit said:
Are you using an Apple cable?

Sometimes aftermarket cables do not play well with Apple.
Click to expand...
Apple don't do a USB C to display port do they? My monitor only has display port, mini display port and hdmi. Even with using the Mac mini directly from the hdmi to the monitor it does not function correctly.
 
I had a lot of issues until I got a high quality HDMI lead. Now its pretty much flawless. Samsung LU32J590, Apple Magic keyboard and Logitech MX Master 3. I say pretty much flawless because sometimes when the monitor sleeps, it sticks on the screensaver, but it still wakes up fine.
I also have a Samsung T5 ssd connected, a Cheap Seagate USB3 HDD and an Anker USB3 hub a 3dconnexion SpaceExplorer and a Creative webcam.

The bluetooth on my 2018 I5 Mac mini still craps out once every couple of days and I can't remember the M1 Mini doing it ever. I bought the M 1 mini in December, just after launch.
 
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I just recently traded in my base M1 Mini back to Apple and ordered a 16GB version. I as well had issues with waking from sleep. My solution was to use a Thunderbolt to display port cable which solved the wake from sleep issue. My new Mini does not seem to have any issues and is now a really nice computer. Mine is used for office type productivity and is really more than I could ask for in a small desktop.
 
Look at "the differences" between the m1 MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models.

The differences between the m1 Mini and the upcoming m1pro Mini will be roughly the same.

That's why it's worth waiting for.
 
Fishrrman said:
Look at "the differences" between the m1 MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models.

The differences between the m1 Mini and the upcoming m1pro Mini will be roughly the same.

That's why it's worth waiting for.
Click to expand...

Doesn't really work if the user needs their machine now. No one here knows when or if the next Mac mini is coming out. Highly doubt after the MacBook launch they're going to just pop out of nowhere in another month and go 'Oh and theres one more thing..'. They would've done that Monday if they were going to this year, these chips are pretty big news for them.
 
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