Help me understand output resolution and monitor choices?

LloydL wrote:

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I understand an eGPU might be of benefit, but that’ll have to be down the road.

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In terms of just using for display, eGPU for your application really

has no benefit.

However, since you have mentioned you do photo work. and video

production, many of the apps leverage the use of the graphical

processing power of discrete GPUs. Some will simply not even work

on systems with the integrated graphics or will be molasses slow

even on the 2018 Minis. So, down the road, it may be a consideration

to improve your workflow speed.

I had seriously considered a new MacMini/Display replacement for

my 2013 27" iMac, but my photo work and apps would pretty

much require me to buy an eGPU as well.

BTW, in a normal desktop environment and my photo use, I find

the 27", 2560x1440 combo to work fine (I actually have 2), especially

with any "light table" form of viewing photo sessions.

For starters have a look at > Use 4K displays, 5K displays, and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac - Apple Support

Then over to > https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/12/07/how-to-pick-the-best-monitor-for-your-new-mac-mini

FWIW, I went with a 27" Dell 4K monitor with my 2018 Mac mini. It is connected via a "Premium High Speed" HDMI cable (there are different HDMI cable levels with the premium level supporting 4K @ 60Hz and HDR). This worked perfectly with my mini running Mojave. Interestingly, after upgrading to Catalina, I was having issues getting a video signal to my Dell via this direct HDMI connection. I opted to use a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter which resolved this.

As the others have mentioned, the display size will matter when it comes to higher resolutions. I believe 27" is the minimum size where 4K is useable.

A few things that you may find helpful in narrowing down your display selections are:

• Available video port: For 4K, look for any or combinations of the following: HDMI 2.0+, DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort 1.2+, or Thunderbolt 3.
• For general use, Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz) is plenty. For photographic work both Quad HD (2560 x 1440 @ 60Hz) or DCI 4K (4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz).
• Display size: This is very subjective, but I would suggest 27" or greater for 4K. Better still, I would recommend a 32" display.

4K is overkill for standalone monitors 27” or under (too many pixels for the real estate). eGPU is too, nobody honestly understands what it’s for, especially Apple. Best avoided. As for resolution 2560x1440 on 24-27 with HDMI is imo just right, unless you prefer a larger display in which case Thunderbolt 4K is better. LG is the only one offering certified Thunderbolt 3 ($$$$). If you have any money leftover, expand RAM. Good luck.

Again, FWIW. I found anything displayed originally at 4K to be too small. I just used the System Preferences > Display > Display tab > Resolution = Scaled and choose a setting that worked best for me.

The key here is the overall display size. The smaller the display, the smaller the text will appear at higher resolutions. That's why 27" is the minimum I suggest for 4K.

I had the exact problem with the hdmi connector on the Mac mini after upgrading to Catalina . Using a usb c to hdmi adapter worked perfectly . I am running a lg 33” 4 k display

I had a sneaking suspicion that I wasn't alone on this one. Thanks for letting me know.

Yea it drove me crazy