Mac Mini 2018 HDMI Issues

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Level 1

8 points

Mac Mini 2018 HDMI Issues

Hi. I just received my 2018 Mac Mini i7 3.2 mac mini(out of the box, straight from Apple). I have 3 other minis (2010 and two 2012) all connected using an apple HDMI to DVI adapter, plugged into my Samsung monitor. My first attempt to boot up the 2018 Mac Mini resulted in a screen of "snow" (like those old TV) -- no picture at all. All digital static. I had to unplug the HDMI cable, restart everything. Every time I start up the mac I get a different monitor issues. Sometimes the screen is completely black, sometimes it's the digital snow but I know the computer has booted up. It's not the cables because there are zero issues when I unplug the HDMI cable and plug it into the other mac mini and never a problem in the past or except with the 2018 Mac Mini. Any ideas?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Dec 6, 2020 2:24 PM

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Answer 1

NYC2LA Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 7, 2020 2:52 AM in response to hcsitas

Hi All. I'm still experiencing the same Mac Mini 2018 monitor reliability issues as many other users. Does anyone have any similar experiences or helpful suggestions? As mentioned above, it's worked reliably for a long time with similar gear so I'm wondering why now it's no longer working. Thanks for your help.

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Answer 2

Dec 7, 2020 2:07 PM in response to NYC2LA

After almost two years of dealing with the issue (HP 2503 2K display connected to 2018 Mac mini via Apple HDMI->DVI adapter), I gave up and treated myself to an LG UltraFine 4K display connected to USB-C.

The later updates to Mojave helped a lot but did not entirely get rid of the issue. Then Catalina seemed to regress, and the problem seemed to get worse with updates.

I did all the usual tricks, such as inputting the password into the fuzzy, gray screen; turn off the display for a second or two and then turn back on, and so forth. I just got tired of dealing with it.

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Answer 3

NYC2LA Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 7, 2020 6:08 PM in response to confuciousDayzd

That's unfortunate. It's so unpredictable. Sometimes the screen stays black when i turn it on, sometimes it goes black halfway through the boot up, and sometimes I get a screen of digital snow. After some more research, it seems that's the only solution to what's a known problem. I have a perfectly good Samsung monitor that's worked for years. Seriously, Apple, HDMI has been around forever. It's an easy recall fix. A brand new screen-less mac mini that can't use the video port? No excuse. Thanks for weighing in, CD.

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