Best Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display for an 2012 i7 Mac Mini?

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Level 1

4 points

Best Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display for an 2012 i7 Mac Mini?

Hi all,

I was looking at a suitable monitor upgrade for my Mac Mini and ideally would prefer to stay within Apple. I currently use an older 20-inch Cinema Display (silver aluminium sides), but wondered if the Thunderbolt Display would work, or perhaps the 24-inch or 27-inch Cinema Displays (with the black bezel). What are my best options?

Any help gratefully received.

https://everymac.com/monitors/apple/studio_cinema/specs/apple-led-cinema-display-24-inch-specs.html

2012 Mini spec…

2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

RAM 16GB

1TB SSD

Mac mini, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 14, 2020 6:18 AM

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Answer 1

samtenor

Level 4

2,074 points

Sep 15, 2020 5:23 PM in response to Yetizone

Here is a screen shot from my 2012 Mac Mini i7 (my favorite workhorse).

I use 27" Thunderbolt display and enjoy every bit of it.

[Image Edited by Moderator to Remove Personal Information]

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

91,030 points

Sep 14, 2020 7:50 AM in response to Yetizone

Yes the Cinema Display that you linked will work with your 2012 Mac Mini.

If someone I knew wanted to give me one for free or real real cheap, then I could find a place for it. But honestly, I would not go shopping for one or pay a lot for a 10 to 12 years old Display. I wound suggest looking at and getting a new or newer display (Samsung, LG, ASUS, ViewSonic, etc) with Display Port and HDMI inputs.

Personally I run dual 21.5" Samsungs on one of my 2012 Mac Mini's and a 24" LG on the other 2012 Mac Mini.

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Answer 3

Yetizone Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 14, 2020 11:02 AM in response to den.thed

OK, perfectly understood - taste is of course very personal! I'm based in the UK, unfortunately there are no retailers locally so its going to be a leap of faith.

Re 27-inch monitor: I’ve been researching a little and If I wanted to utilise the the Mac mini's full 2560x1600 resolution for a 27-inch display, which port would I use on the Mac and which adapters would I need etc?

Apologies for the basic questions, but I've never bought a non Apple display before.

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Answer 4

Yetizone Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 14, 2020 12:25 PM in response to den.thed

My 2012 Mac Mini just has the Thunderbolt and HDMI port on the back, so is the Thunderbolt port the same as Mini Display Port? And I just plug in a Mini Display Port to Display Port cable between Mac and display?

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Answer 5

Yetizone Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 14, 2020 8:16 AM in response to den.thed

Thanks den.thed, much appreciated. OK, what models do you recommend, ideally 24"? Assuming I need both Display Ports and HDMI?

Any guidance most welcome as I'm out of touch with what's out there!

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Answer 6

den.thed

Level 10

91,030 points

Sep 14, 2020 12:42 PM in response to Yetizone

Yes and yes that is correct.

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Answer 7

den.thed

Level 10

91,030 points

Sep 14, 2020 10:11 AM in response to Yetizone

You're welcome. I can't do that, because you might not like the Display that I pick out. You don't need both Display Port, HDMI or USB-C, but it gives you the option and the ability to move it to a newer Mac Mini in the future.

I'm not sure where you are geographically located, so it's hard to recommend a retailer like BestBuy, Frys, Staples, Office Depot, etc.. where you could go and look for yourself.

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Answer 8

den.thed

Level 10

91,030 points

Sep 14, 2020 12:11 PM in response to Yetizone

The best Display for the older 2012 Mac Mini, is one that has HDMI or DisplayPort input and then use a Mini DisplayPort to Display Port cable.

The better Display but next best for the older 2012 Mac Mini, is one that has HDMI and USB-C. The problem here is, that the 2012 Mac Mini can only use the HDMI input using an HDMI cable.

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Best Apple Cinema Display or Thunderbolt Display for an 2012 i7 Mac Mini?

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