Wavy Lines with VGA LCD

[mini_me]

I have one of the new batch of Mac minis. I also have a Dell 15" flat panel (DELL E153FP) LCD VGA monitors. I'm using the VGA->DVI adapter that Apple provided. The problem: I get what seem like wavy lines of pixels. They can be seen on the desktop, the dock and application windows. They wavy lines don't seem to appear at the edge of drop-down menus. My current setting is 1025x768 @ 60Hz.

I also have the "muddy" looking fonts in the menu bar -- fonts just don't seem smooth or distinct.

What are my options and possible cures? Thanks.

Ed

[blazer]

Try it on another display or send it back and get another one. Your mini could have a bad video card. Doesn't your Dell LCD have a DVI connection?
_________________
1.42GHz Mac mini
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini (2009)
2.5GHz Core i5 Mac mini (2011)
24" Dell LCD & 42" Sharp TV
EyeTV 250 Plus
1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G iPod nanos
16GB 3G iPhone

[mini_me]

This Dell LCD is analog without a DVI port. The "wavy line" problem seems intermittent, since after the computer has been on a while, the display appears normal. I'll need to watch to see at what moment the display gets 'wavy.'

[blazer]

You might want to check those thumbs screws on the DVI to VGA adapter and make sure they're tight.
_________________
1.42GHz Mac mini
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini (2009)
2.5GHz Core i5 Mac mini (2011)
24" Dell LCD & 42" Sharp TV
EyeTV 250 Plus
1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G iPod nanos
16GB 3G iPhone

[Susurrus]

Is this a new Dell? It seems weird that it "warms up" and the problem goes away. Does it ever come back once the monitors been constantly on and it went away?
_________________
Computer Engineer
Junior, Brown University
15" NC8430 HP Laptop
1.42Ghz PPC Mac Mini, 1Gb RAM, 1st Gen
40GB G4 iPod
2GB Black iPod Nano

[blazer]

[mini_me]

A trip through Apple's support pages turned up a thread on this subject with a solution that seems to work for me. A shop that uses many minis also has the flickering problem and the cure (although a bit cumbersome) is to turn off then back on the monitor -- the flickering goes away. I haven't tracked how long this solution works before the flickering returns, but it certainly beats buying a new monitor.

On a side note: much has been made of the gray-white video output of the mini. While exacting color calibration is needed in the graphics field, off-white should not hamper the majority of mini users. As a fellow closer to 60 than 16, a dimmer screen can often be better for my eyes.

Much has been made of some of the mini's mistakes, but let's keep them in perspective. The mini is Apple's most inexpensive computer, excepting the iPod. This allows people a taste of Apple. Just as you wouldn't buy a VW and complain of its lack of horsepower or storage capacity, you wouldn't get a mini and expect the performance of a G5.

[leftplay]

[Susurrus]

[bubba]

Try this first. Download SwitchResX and see if any different non-standard resolutions fix the problem (1280x1024 @ 57hz fixes my DVI fuzzyness). If this does fix the problem, simply uninstall SwitchResX and your non-standard resolution still stays in the Displays options.

If that doesn't work, try a different DVI->VGA converter (they are like $4 at my local computer store). I've heard of this fixing issues because Apple's converter is a POS.
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Your signature sucks.