I have a 2011 Mac Mini (MC816LL/A ) with a graphic card. About two years ago, the display failed and I had to get it repaired and the technician told me it was due to graphic card problem. Same problem happened last year and the diagnosis was the same. I used to observed that the mac would get heated and the fan used to work most of the time because I could make out because of the fan noise. Last week again the display would not come nor could I hear the sound of the "Happy Mac" when switching on the Mac Mini. I have 16 GB of Ram and two hard disks - one 128 GB SSD and one 1 TB Hard Disk. I would be grateful if someone can identify the source of this problem and the steps I should to take to prevent its recurrence.
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Third time mac mini (MC816LL/A) has the same problem
- Thread starter Abdulhaq
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Your AMD Radeon HD is probably dying. Or is very close to that...
In a computer, that is 10 years old, many things can go wrong (anything on the logic board, PSU ...)
It is just a matter of time.
This is not the sturdy G3 on G4 machines (or anything older). These can last you 20+ years without bigger problems. OK, condensators can leak here and there (and must be changed), the same can be said for CMOS battery, maybe you must swap the graphic card, PSU and HDD.
But outside from these, the logicboards should last longer. Yes, they were simpler built back than with lesser elements ...
The only thing I can think of, is to swap the logicboard for a "newer" 2011 one.
Even if you do a reflowing of the soldered GPU, it will last in best case for some months and than fail again.
www.ifixit.com
In a computer, that is 10 years old, many things can go wrong (anything on the logic board, PSU ...)
It is just a matter of time.
This is not the sturdy G3 on G4 machines (or anything older). These can last you 20+ years without bigger problems. OK, condensators can leak here and there (and must be changed), the same can be said for CMOS battery, maybe you must swap the graphic card, PSU and HDD.
But outside from these, the logicboards should last longer. Yes, they were simpler built back than with lesser elements ...
The only thing I can think of, is to swap the logicboard for a "newer" 2011 one.
Even if you do a reflowing of the soldered GPU, it will last in best case for some months and than fail again.
SOLVED: 2011 Mac mini GPU failed (Radeon 6630M) - repair options? - Mac Mini Mid 2011
Sadly you're between a rock and a hard place ;-{ Reflowing or reballing doesn't fix things. Replacing the GPU is your only option in saving your logic board. Not may people have the right gear to do this. Replacing the logic board I think is a good option but it will also limit you! You see...
www.ifixit.com
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Shall a I buy an identical mid 2011 Mac Mini but with 2.3 GHz processor and without the dedicated graphic card (I think the graphic card has been the culprit for all my mac mini problems). The price of this mac mini (about USD 75.00) is the same as would cost me to repair this computer the fourth time. I can use my 16 GB ram as well as the SSD and HD from the old computer in this computer. I have a 2019 Macbook Pro which I use for serious work and this mac mini is normally used for leisurely browsing using Apple's excellent trackpad, magic mouse and wireless keyboard. I would like to know if the 2.3 GHz mac mini has a history of being plagued with the same problems.
The problem is, we are talking about a 10 years old computer/technology. Even if you buy a "new" Mac mini 2011 with Intel HD 3000, there isn't any guarantee, how long it will last.
But yeah, if you can get one cheap, then go for it! And mount you other components inside ...
Maybe you can look around for a 2012 model, that has the much faster USB 3.0.
But yeah, if you can get one cheap, then go for it! And mount you other components inside ...
Maybe you can look around for a 2012 model, that has the much faster USB 3.0.
Even the 2012 now requires bigger workarounds to get graphics card support on Monterey.
I’d certainly want to be paying significantly less to get a 2011 rather than a 2012 at this point. Even with a 2012 you’d want to pay significantly less than for a 2018 or M1 Mini.
I’d certainly want to be paying significantly less to get a 2011 rather than a 2012 at this point. Even with a 2012 you’d want to pay significantly less than for a 2018 or M1 Mini.