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
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.
Hi there, I recently got the same monitor for my M1 MacBook Pro and am using the usb-c to usb-c connection but not getting any audio. How did you solve this problem?
I don’t believe USB-C carries an audio signal - only video, power and data. I use the headphone jack to connect to my HK Soundsticks for audio.
I don’t believe USB-C carries an audio signal - only video, power and data. But I may be wrong. I use the headphone jack to connect to my HK Soundsticks for audio.
Thanks a million.
Sorry - typo. "Would it be possible to use the HDMI cable instead of the Thunderbolt to keep the 5K resolution,
I have the very same question. Have you received a response as to whether or not that the 27UD 880-W is compatible with the M1 Mac mini? And, are there any known technical concerns with this LG Model?
One consideration is that if you opt for a 4K display, everything will appear smaller on the screen, and unless you have acute vision, you may find that you need a special computer eyeglass prescription. It also means that you want a better quality display that resolves text as very sharp, and not blurry.
I tried my new M1 mini on a 4K HDR 40 inch TV via HDMI and the text was porous and I new it would give me significant eye strain, even with that computer prescription. There are two different 27 inch LG displays in the online Apple store that are compatible with the M1 mini: 1) 4K Ultrafine, and 2) 5K Ultrafine.
I wanted more desktop than offered by a 27 inch display, and did not want the issues that users of 34, 39, 49 inch gaming displays were experiencing with their resolution. I opted for the 32 inch LG 32UN800-B 4K HDR-10 Ultrafine Ergo monitor which was at the same price point as the 27 inch LG 4K UltraFine offered by Apple, and includes an ergonomic and articulating stand. I am using this with a Belkin 4K HDMI 2.1 cable that I purchased from Apple, and the anti-glare results on this display are superb. There is no keyboard control of audio, or screen brightness, but that is not an issue for me as there are alternatives.
Further to your question, folks using conversion cables, or adapters, such as USB-C to DisplayPort seem to have a higher incidence of problems with their displays not waking up when their computer comes out of sleep.
Unless you are planning to attach a laptop to the monitor that could take advantage of charging via the USB-C cable, you really don't need a monitor with a 4k monitor with a USB-C port. If you are seeking a 4k monitor specifically for use with your Mac mini, then HDMI to HDMI is all you need for 4k 60hz performance, and you will have a higher likelihood of no issues with the monitor waking up.
Since my M1 mini experienced the waking problem with my first monitor (high-end Alienware) and zero problems with my new LG 4k, I was contacted by an Apple tech (as a result of posting here) to runs some tests and provide feedback. In my case, we were able to pin down the problem to the Alienware monitor and not the M1 Mac mini. So, heads-up as you shop for monitors, since the one you select can make a bid difference in whether you have issues or not.
I disagree with VikingOSX on this: "One consideration is that if you opt for a 4K display, everything will appear smaller on the screen"
I never owned any Mac with Retina display. Went from 27-inch Late 2013 iMac, or 2014 MacBook Air to 27 inch Acer display via DisplayPort at 2560x1600 resolution to the new M1 mini and the 4K LG 32 inch display. That why things appeared much smaller than prior experience, and I had to make some settings adjustments to compensate.
Resolution wise, what does a 32" 4k monitor end up being?
27" 4k is best viewed at 3840x2160. With 32", do you maintain the 2160 vertical and just get additional horizontal pixel count?
If not, I could foresee things stretching and getting a little wonky. In another post, a user was inquiring about 2 27" monitors and the need to use two different cables. I wondered how the wider format monitors would work out, but have no experience with what resolutions end up getting used.
Mac mini M1 will show me this when connect my external 4K monitor? my macbook air does, but my actual mac mini 2014 don't.
4K Monitors for Mac Mini M1
