Monitor Resolution Correct? (2018 Mini / LG 5K Ultrafine)

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Level 1

22 points

Monitor Resolution Correct? (2018 Mini / LG 5K Ultrafine)

I have my 2018 Mac Mini connected to an LG 5K Ultrafine display using the cable supplied with the monitor (Thunderbolt/USB-C). The two are said to be compatible by Apple and indeed they are in that the display works fine and looks really good, but…

If I use Apple Logo>About This Mac> Display, the resolution is given as 5120 x 2800 (5K) but in System Preferences>Displays>Scaled the Default resolution says "Looks like 2560 x 1440". Which resolution is correct and if the lower one, what have I done wrong to not get 5K?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on May 15, 2022 2:45 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

20,497 points

May 17, 2022 4:49 AM in response to macfan7

macfan7 wrote:

Thanks tbirdvet - is there no way to change my resolution to 5K to take full advantage of the monitor's pixel count?

If you were to set it to map display data to 5K, everything, especially text, would be very tiny.

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Answer 2

karina184

Community Specialist

May 16, 2022 7:04 AM in response to macfan7

Hey macfan7,

We'll be happy to help out with your resolution issues on the external display.

You can use these steps here to change and manually adjust the resolution you would like: Change your Mac display’s resolution - Apple Support. You may also want to look here If your external display isn't detected or appears blurry when connected to your Mac - Apple Support to ensure that the Mac supports the resolution you are looking for.

Cheers.

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Answer 3

tbirdvet

Level 6

14,369 points

May 16, 2022 7:23 AM in response to macfan7

The scaled is what you want and it is correct. I have the same monitor. That is the 5K default value so you can see the letters etc. The 5K pixels are condensed together in the 2560 x 2800 to provide the required sharpness and detail. I also have a 27" iMac and have the same resolution.

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Answer 4

macfan7 Author

Level 1

22 points

May 16, 2022 8:02 AM in response to karina184

Thanks karina184. The spec for my Mini says it will drive a 5K monitor. I assumed that would be at the 5K resolution - 5120x2880 not that it would condense it to half that. Is my assumption incorrect and a 2018 Mac Mini can only drive a 5K monitor at 2560x1440?

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Answer 5

tbirdvet

Level 6

14,369 points

May 16, 2022 4:45 PM in response to macfan7

You are using the pixel count for it to be readable. If you indeed could set the resolution to native 5K it would so small as it would be useless. This may help explain:

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/imac-aluminum-tapered-edge-faq/how-to-run-imac-retina-5k-at-full-resolution.html

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Answer 6

macfan7 Author

Level 1

22 points

May 16, 2022 8:05 AM in response to tbirdvet

Thanks tbirdvet - is there no way to change my resolution to 5K to take full advantage of the monitor's pixel count?

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