4k at 60Hz Via Displayport on Late 2014 Mac Mini

I just bought a 2014 Mac mini and a 2017 Philips UHD 43" TV to go with it. As you point out, using a straight HDMI connection will provide 4k at 30hz. My issue is that at 4k, menu bar, dock and any open windows are absolutely tiny. So based on an internet video I found from a tech group, using one of the Thunderbolt ports instead of a direct HDMI connection along with a software app called SwitchresX would allow a 4k 60hz connection and fix my text size problem. So I went to Best Buy and bought a MiniDisplayPort/HDMI adapter and switched the connection one one of the Mini's thunderbolt ports and installed the SwitchresX software. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGE EXCEPT FOR USING THE THUNDERBOLT PORT INSTEAD OF THE HDMI PORT.

I took the adapter back to Best Buy and spoke to one of their Geek Squad Mac experts. He said that as far as he knows there is not way to get 60hz 4k video out of the current Mini. As for my text problem at 4k, he said it may be an underscan problem in the Philips TVs which I am trying to verify. Meanwhile I am running at 60hz 1080p.

I Googled and could not find that information. Guess we will just have to wait until users test it after it is available.

I couldn't find an answer anywhere yet. But it seems to have emerged nonetheless. The answer is: the Mac Mini (Late 2014) does NOT support 4K 60Hz. How I concluded this is as follows.

Intel gave an official statement to a related question on their forum, repeated below. Then, we find on Wikipedia that all variants of the processor indeed have type i5/i7-4xxxU, hence it does not support 4K 60Hz. This is the same reason that the most recent 15" rMBP does support 4K60, but the 13" rMBP does not.

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1. Re: Intel DH87RL and 4K/60Hz over Display Port

allan_intel May 26, 2014 10:13 AM (in response to Weilburger)

Thanks for joining the graphics community.

I understand you are looking for 4K screen resolution specifications.

This type of resolution is supported on 4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family (Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 5200 / Intel® Iris™ Graphics 5100, Intel® HD Graphics 5000 / 4600 / 4400 / 4200)

See the following supported screen resolutions through DP 1.2

DisplayPort* 1.2 / eDP*

H-Processors: 3840 x 2160@60Hz

U-Processors: 3200 x 2000 @60 Hz, 3840x2160@30Hz

*Embedded display port.

Please check additional information about graphics controller here:

https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/quick-reference-guide-to-intel-process or-graphics

Allan.

Good work

I presume you are saying that the new Mac mini has a 'U' type processor and hence that is the reason it does not support 4K at 60Hz. As it does have a HD Graphics 5000 chip which otherwise would support 4K at 60Hz.

Well it is not entirely clear which Haswell chips support 4K at 60Hz, but the statement from Intel (and the specifications manual) at least specified this for the Mobile chips. The difference between the H and U variants is actually not their graphics chip, but it is the amount of power they are allowed to consume.

For example, their statement leads me to believe that even the i5-4200H, which has HD4600 graphics, but is rated at 47 Watt, can do 4K 60Hz. While the i7-4578U, the fastest proc available in the new Mac Mini, and which has HD5100 graphics, can not output 4K 60Hz. Both the cpu and gpu of the 4578U have faster turbo rates than the 4200H, so for sure Intel actually includes 4K 60Hz based on the power rating.

I can confirm that i am running a 2014 Mac Mini connected to a Lenovo LI2821 4k monitor via Display Port 1.2 cable and I can only get 3840x2160 at 30hz. No 60hz.

How does the display look running at 4K @30hz?

Does it almost look retina?

Apple updated their information on Friday for Yosemite:

Using 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac - Apple Support

With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:

• MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)
• iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
• Mac mini (Late 2014)
• MacBook Air (Early 2015)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)

Are you sure the late 2014 mac mini's support 4k @ 60hz? Have you or anyone else actually tried this?

According to the list on the page they only explicitly state these machines being capable of 60hz,

"With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:"

• MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014 and later)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)
• iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
• MacBook Air (Early 2015)

What they do say about the late 2014 mac mini's is this,

"You can use 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with these Mac computers:"

• MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 and later)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)
• iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
• Mac mini (Late 2014)
• MacBook Air (Early 2015)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)"

I have the same issue, currently running a 4K Dell P2415Q with the vendor mDP to DP cable and can only run @30HZ, I just bought a 1.2 DP cable to see if I can run @60HZ, all update once its done, and yes I am running on a macmini (late 2014).

rodr1go, Any success on that attempt? We have a rMBP and a P2715Q with the vendor cable that should support this, and thus far we're seeing 30hz.

Does the monitor have a setting for using DP 1.2? I have a 4K Dell P2415Q and in order to get 60Hz you have to set the monitor via it on-screen settings, to use DP 1.2

Unfortunately mac mini does not support 4k @60Hz so I returned mine and I am looking to get an iMac instead.

mac mini will not run @60Hz and that is specified in the apples 4K support page.