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4K Monitors for Mac Mini M1

Hi All,


I have got my new and Shiny mini M1 this week. I am currently using it with my old 24inch monitor.


now it is search time for new two 4K 27inch Monitors.


could you advise what kind of Monitor I should look for my M1 for best 4K resolution.


Should I go for with HDMI monitors?

Should I go for Display Port using USB-C to DP cable?

Should I go for USB-C monitors which are costlier than above two?


Regards

JM

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Dec 18, 2020 2:11 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 18, 2020 9:08 AM

After a great deal of reading and research, I purchased the recently released LG 27UN850-W. To say that I have been pleased with the choice would be an understatement. It is all I hoped for, and more, in that it solved the problem my previous monitor had with not waking up with my M1 Mac mini.


I disagree with VikingOSX on this: "One consideration is that if you opt for a 4K display, everything will appear smaller on the screen"


With a 4k display set in preferences to use its native "default for this display" resolution, what you see visually on screen with a 27" 4k monitor is exactly the same size as what you would see on a 27" 1080p monitor. Bear with me as this takes a bit (at least it did for me) to wrap your brain around. A 1080p monitor is 1920x1080 while a 4k monitor is 3840x2160. If you double 1920 you get 3840 and double 1080 get 2160. What Apple does is use a scaling factor. For each single pixel on 1080p, the 4k monitor displays four pixels, in a 2 x 2 grid. Double the horizontal (1920 = 3840) and double the vertical (1080 = 2160).


Bottom line, on screen, you have 4 times as many pixels making up the screen content, yet at the same visual size as 1080p. Packing 4 times as many pixels into the same physical space results in much sharper text, lines, curves, etc. What VikingOSX said would be true with different display resolution settings, but that is not how Apple intended it to be set for a 4k monitor.


The concept above is exactly how built in Apple displays work. Retina display is essentially all about packing in a high pixels per inch count. With a 27" 1080p monitor, you get 6,653 pixels per square inch. With a 27" 4k monitor, you get 26,628 pixels per square inch.


I have attached a screenshot of my LG 27UN850-W and you can see that the UI and text is not proportionally tiny or hard to read. Click it and open it up to full size to see.

42 replies

Jan 18, 2021 1:41 PM in response to TrafGib

Hi,


I have finally bought two Lenovo 28 inch 4K monitor L28u. I got very good deal over Christmas.

It has HDMI and Display Ports.

I have attached one monitor with HDMI and second with USB-c to Display port in my Mac mini M1.


I don’t have any flickering or wake up issues with both the monitors.


I don’t see any difference with HDMI or USB-c ports connectivity on my Mac mini.


overall very good purchase and pleased with these monitors.


one thing to mention as I use these monitors for office work, coding, excels, word documents etc. I am more comfortable with 2560x1440 resolution than 3840x2160 as with 3840 although I get more space but fonts are too small.



JM

Jan 19, 2021 10:14 AM in response to JMavi

Good deal. I took what you said literally, so I misunderstood what you were saying.


"I am more comfortable with 2560x1440 resolution than 3840x2160 as with 3840 although I get more space but fonts are too small."


I thought that you had actually changed your screen "resolution" to 2560x1440. Instead, you just have scaled the text to the "Looks like 2560x1440" setting. Makes sense now!

Feb 5, 2021 7:03 PM in response to IanSalt

My issue was purely with waking from sleep. I could press keys, move the mouse, and the monitor stayed off. From the sound output of the Mac, I could tell that it came to life. It simply didn’t trigger the monitor in a way that it did so as well. All I had to do was cycle the power on the monitor and all was good.


Once it was awake, the output was fine. Well, as fine as 1080p can be anyway! I didn’t reach out to Dell because I wanted a 4k monitor and knew I was replacing it. There is no way that I could go back to 1080p again.

Feb 22, 2021 11:43 AM in response to TrafGib

Hello.... your reply was very helpful to me. I currently have a 2010 27" iMac with a 27" Benq monitor with an equivalent resolution to the mac. I am about to pull the trigger on a new Mac and weighing the pros and cons of iMac vs the new Mac Mini with M1. I am truly leaning towards the Mini, with the consideration of using the old Mac and Benq as monitors, however... the idea of a widescreen monitor rather than two really appeals to me. Do you know of a widescreen monitor that will give me the best resolution? I am a graphic designer.


Thank you for your help, very much appreciated!

May 7, 2021 3:55 PM in response to JMavi

Oh, Man! I finally decided to go with the Mac Mini (16GB/512GB). And, now I see all the issues with monitors. Several Apple Techs and BH Techs told me I will not have any issues. Now, I am doubtful after seeing so many posts to the contrary. I have an Ultra Wide 34" LG Monitor (HD, NOT 4K) bought in 2016.


I am running Catalina on my Mid-2014 MacBook Pro (2.5GHz, i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage). After two swollen battery issues, I decided to get something newer. I use a clamshell setup and never take the laptop anywhere, so it's always hooked up to an outlet. I decided that the new MacBook Pros are too expensive. Now, I'm wondering if I should go with the 2018 Mac Mini with Intel.


I design websites and print graphics (no video graphics work). Use Adobe CC and MS Office for Mac (primarily for Outlook). I have two 6TB external drives (one for Time Machine and one for all my design files).


Thanks for any Monitor advice you can offer!

Jun 1, 2021 7:28 PM in response to yyy65

Same monitor that I am using, with no issues. Out of the box default should have been correct. Did you change the resolution? The resolution setting should be set as “Default for this monitor” which is 4k 3840x2160. No farting around with scaling needed, as that “default” does so on its on, resulting in a looks like 1080p setting. This is how a Retina display works. A single 1080p pixel scales up to 4 pixels (2 vertical & 2 horizontal). So, a 4 pixel box for each single 1080p pixel value. This retina scale up is what increases the size of the text, while simultaneously making it ultra crisp.

Jun 2, 2021 1:29 AM in response to JMavi

I'm using a Samsung C49G95TSSC 49" monitor (it's a 5k monitor). It's fantastic ! I had to mess with some settings to get it all to work on my displayport. There is only 1 frustration (when you reboot, you need to unplug the displayport cable and plug it back in and it works again...not so bad because I don't reboot much). But the screen size is fantastic and super clear

Jun 7, 2021 2:09 AM in response to JMavi

I'm in the same boat, my 2012 iMac died and now I'm in the market for a new desk top, was looking at the new iMac but really want the bigger one, but that might be a while off so I'm leaning towards a Mac Mini M1 but so confused with the monitors.


I found this ViewSonic 4k which sounds good but is HDMI okay to connect it or do I need an adaptor to use USB-C?


https://www.umart.com.au/ViewSonic-31-5in-4K-UHD-HDR-FreeSync-VA-Monitor--VX3211-4K_45354G.html


I've got speakers so do't need to use any built into the monitor.

Jun 7, 2021 6:33 AM in response to Craig Best

HDMI works. and allows you to leave the limited USB4/Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports open. However, reconsider the downside of going with 4k monitors larger than 27". With a Mac, the display is all about DPI (dots per inch). With 4k on a 27" monitor you get 163.18 DPI. When you go 4k on a 31.5" monitor it drops to 139.87 DPI. Bottom line, 4k resolution contains a fixed number of pixels. The larger the monitor, the more you are spreading out those pixels, reducing sharpness and clarity. Apple products always target a DPI around 215 to 220 +/-. That is why you see the new 24" iMac jump up to 4.5k, so the DPI increases. To me, the extra screen real estate, above 27", is not worth the drastic reduction in DPI and picture quality.

4K Monitors for Mac Mini M1

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