Originally Posted By: Dignan
I'll try blasting it with some canned air first and see if that fixes things.

Thanks for the encouragement, folks. I might attempt a replacement.

John, that video was pretty good, but judging by another one I watched she skipped the removal of at least three connectors smile I think I found an iFixIt video though.
It has been a long time since I was last inside a Mac Mini, but I seem to recall the fan and heat sink arrangement were such that a proper cleaning required modest disassembly. Depending on the model/generation, it may be rather straightforward to open it up and blast the dust directly off the various parts.
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Former owner of two RioCar Mark2a with lots of extra stuff