Feed
 

What to look for in a new monitor for a Mac mini

Avatar David Fleetwood
We are planning to change the monitor used with our 2020 M1 Mac mini, hoping to get a sharper image.
Any advice on what spec's should we be looking for in a new monitor? Current 27inch ASUS monitor has a max. resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 60Hz. Would still like a 27inch screen but not thinking of stretching to an Apple display! Thanks

Re: What to look for in a new monitor for a Mac mini

Avatar Stuart Affleck
Whether you just want 'sharper', or if you think you might appreciate a larger work area from time to time, 4K will probably be your best bet. 1440p panels will give you a higher resolution, and therefore sharper, but 4K will offer still more than that. Any panel of 4K and above will enable 'retina quality' scaling, not just Apple displays. 5K panels- like the Apple Studio Display- are £££££ and rarer than a rare thing, Dell discontinued their model and LG no longer sell theirs in the UK. Also little or no real advantage over 4K in many respects. I can't say I've ever looked at an iMac 5K or Studio Display and thought 'that's so much sharper than my Dell'. Some argue that you have to use 2x scaling for best performance and quality- but the performance hit of using other 'looks like' resolutions is tiny and you can always sit a few inches further from your screen. Unless you're seriously into gaming, 60Hz panels will be fine, IPS probably still better tech than TN or VA for overall quality. There are lots of good options at £250-300 from Dell, LG and many others. Had a Dell P2175Q for a few years now, run it at 'looks like' 3008x1692 usually, and very happy with it.

Re: What to look for in a new monitor for a Mac mini

Avatar Eleanor Spenceley
I have a 5K Apple Studio Display and absolutely love it. The resolution and brightness are absolutely beautiful. But yes, they are expensive...

I'd avoid the Samsung I reviewed here some months ago and recommend 27in for a 4K is probably the ideal resolution, a 4K monitor in a larger screen does make things a little 'bitty' to me.

I also bought LG Monitor UltraFine Ergo 27UN880, it has a really useful stand and you can have it in portrait mode it you like. Brightness is not as good as the Apple but the quality of screen is still really good (Apple uses LG for its own monitors) and at 1/3 the price of an Apple 5K was a good buy.

I think the 27UN880 could have been replaced by now, so they might be available at a very good price atm if you can still find them!

Re: What to look for in a new monitor for a Mac mini

Avatar David Fleetwood
Thanks for these very helpful replies which will narrow down what to look out for - 27in and 4K in particular!

Re: What to look for in a new monitor for a Mac mini

Avatar Stuart Affleck
https://www.imore.com/mac/best-monitors-for-mac-year seemed apt.
 
Feed