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2018 Mac mini has Serious Trouble Syncing with Display via either HDMI or DisplayPort

2020-01-29 • SEND FEEDBACK |

Related: 2018 Mac mini, Apple, Apple Core Rot, computer display, display connectivity, DisplayPort, Mac mini, Mac Pro, Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 3, weather events

Update Feb 1: today, I was unable to get the 2019 Mac Pro to work with the NEC PA271Q even once. After 20 minutes, I gave up and had to connect an LG 5K display so I could wipe the Mac Pro I was sending back. I could actually hear a high frequency noise from the display which I associate with a second or two of attempted video sync. Whether this is a hardware or softwase issue is unclear, but it’s a new behavior that I associate with macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina and perhaps the newer Thunderbolt 3 chipsets—could be a hardware compatibility bug.

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I bought a 2018 Mac mini back in May, hoping to use it as a 24 X 7 server. But that can’t work because rebooting (which has to be done sometimes) frequently meaning usually the Mac mini will not sync up with the display!

Options for Connecting a Display with Mini DisplayPort or DisplayPort input to a Mac with Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C.

Without a display, I cannot use Apple Remote Desktop. And driving 30 or 300 miles to the server room every time the Mac mini has problem is unacceptable, let alone a hard reboot.

This display syncing on the 2018 ac mini has been a problem since May, so it is both Mojave and Catalina. Before Mojave, I never had significant display syncing issues. With the Mac mini it is a terrible problem, and on the 2019 Mac Pro on Catalina, it is just as bad.

Mac mini display syncing details

Sometimes it can take 5 minutes just to get the display working and I dare not reboot or let the machine sleep or I have to do it all over again, often with a hard power on/off (very bad idea).

The Mac mini won’t sync ANY of these:

A real display via DisplayPort using a Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort adapter
A real display with a Mini DisplayPort cable via the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock.
NewerTech HDMI Headless 4K Display Emulator. This is what I had planned on using for the 2018 Mac mini for a display. Without it, display performance is horrible as the GPU gets disabled.

Apple, I want my money back for this useless POS Mac mini you tech-porn poseurs sold me. I have $1600 into the Mac mini which cannot function as it ought.