*** The official 2023 and 2024 Mac mini thread (it has the M2 chip, the M4 chip and everything!) ***

As I've posted in the Storage Drives forum I ordered a UGREEN M.2 40Gbps NVMe Enclosure for £57.49 ex VAT inc GST reduced from £99.99 inc VAT. I can't order stuff from Ali Express as they don't deliver here so couldn't order the cheaper Hagibis.

I had a 1.92TB Corsair Force MP510 NVMe drive plugged into one of the M2 slots on my PC motherboard that I wasn't really using so took it out and installed it in the UGREEN enclosure. Got this result with AmorphousDiskMark...

ZmmQhqo.jpeg

Full review of the enclosure here https://www.pcworld.com/article/2583028/ugreen-cm642-ssd-enclosure-review.html
 
QQ for all those who've not gone down the road of Apple Studio display for their minis - I'm almost ready to order the BenQ PD2705U 4k monitor to replace my nearly 7 year old Dell U2515H. After much googling and reviewing of scaling and performance degradation - has anyone on here actually noticed any detrimental impact to making this move?

I've been having a play with scaled resolutions on my Dell and using activity monitor/top etc I can't see any negative impact at all of forcing a scaled resolution. Unless I'm missing something then the scaling issue isn't an issue at all? I've even used Better Display and seen it's made a positive impact to the picture on the Dell so I'd plan to use it again on the BenQ and I'l likely be driving the BenQ at 1440p (but looking forward to better quality picture and the useful KVM functionality).

Any real world experiences from you guys? I have the m4pro mini with 24GB if it's relevant.

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I've been down the exact same path as you for what its worth my conclusion is :-
  • Scaling issue has been made out to be a massive thing when in reality for most users it isn't an issue.
  • Studio display is a fantastic piece of kit, but not without compromises.
  • 4k Monitors are fine for most people with a Mac. Are they as good as a Studio display? Probably not, however I got 2 dell 27inch 4k monitors, premium monitor arms, Desk Mic, Edifier speakers and still had change left over from the price of Apple Studio Display.
Hope the above the helps.
 
My ten pence worth: I’m now using a LG 27UQ750 27” 4k, previously had a 27” Dell 1440. Yes, it’s not a Studio display, but it’s “professional” enough and more than good enough for what I’m doing… plus, Xbox Series X looks great on it for downtime, as well as the Switch connected to it! Mac mini M4 base connected to it, and the USB-C connection I hook up the MBP M3 Pro every so often.

No issues with scaling and performance to be honest. I realise there’s some benchmark willy waving in YouTube videos etc, but for me it all just works and the money I’d have blown getting a Studio display means more bar tab on the next cruise instead!

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For me it's PPI / Text Sharpness. On MacOS it's very noticeable to me when you're not using something which MacOS is designed around which is the 'retina' display, and I find the text blurry. However, not everyone see's this, or has a problem with it.

It's one of the very few things I notice, 60Hz vs 120Hz I don't notice, Jelly-scrolling etc I don't notice, but on MacOS using a none-native resolution just absolutely sucks for me for some reason.
 
Ok thanks all - some great insight and feedback there. I'll get it ordered then. It's a much greater PPI than my present monitor so it's going to look a bit nicer anyway. I'll likely keep the Dell and use it in portrait mode next to the BenQ.
 
JKD said:
Ok thanks all - some great insight and feedback there. I'll get it ordered then. It's a much greater PPI than my present monitor so it's going to look a bit nicer anyway. I'll likely keep the Dell and use it in portrait mode next to the BenQ.
Click to expand...

There is an app call Better Display which people use that gives more fine tuning to help with any DPI issues.

FYI, I uses a 4k+ monitor and it's fine. I don't use it in its 4k resolution even, it's far too small!

My side monitor is a 3k one, which due to the size of it being 16", it has the same DPI has a 5k Apple Studio Display.

pm7jkeD.jpg
 
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Raymond Lin said:
There is an app call Better Display which people use that gives more fine tuning to help with any DPI issues.

FYI, I uses a 4k+ monitor and it's fine. I don't use it in its 4k resolution even, it's far too small!

My side monitor is a 3k one, which due to the size of it being 16", it has the same PPI has a 5k Apple Studio Display.

pm7jkeD.jpg
Click to expand...
Ha yes I saw that posted somewhere else during a late night over analysis session! Is the one on the right OLED as well? That's a really good idea.
 
JKD said:
Ha yes I saw that posted somewhere else during a late night over analysis session! Is the one on the right OLED as well? That's a really good idea.
Click to expand...

The left is IPS 60hz and right is OLED 120hz. I have limited desk space so this does the job perfectly as my side monitor for email and background media consumption.
 
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thewanted said:
Does anyone know how much free space the 256GB version has with a freshly installed copy of macOS and nothing else?
Click to expand...

I have

Lightroom, Photoshop, Firefox, Chrome, VLC, Speediest, Adblock and a couple of other things install and over 139GB left.

I personally don't need a larger internal as my data is stored elsewhere.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I have

Lightroom, Photoshop, Firefox, Chrome, VLC, Speediest, Adblock and a couple of other things install and over 139GB left.

I personally don't need a larger internal as my data is stored elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I think 256GB will be fine. The only thing I use a computer for these days is a web browser.

Can always get one of those nice little Samsung USB-C flash drives to store media on for travelling. 512GB in a tiny package for ~£47.
 
thewanted said:
Can always get one of those nice little Samsung USB-C flash drives to store media on for travelling. 512GB in a tiny package for ~£47.
Click to expand...
Probably better off getting one of these…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CM8WL1ZM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

1TB for £63.95. I’ve got one as a Time Machine backup drive, not quite as small as one of them Samsung USB C flash drives but much faster and still very portable, even comes with a little bag to carry it in.

Speed wise I got this when connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port…

fQX9bq0.jpeg


You won't get that on a Mac mini Thunderbolt port, only on a compatible PC as it defaults to 10Gbps on a Thunderbolt port. It'll still be quicker than a Samsung USB-C flash drive though and arguably better value for money.

Its a fair bit smaller and lighter than my external NVMe enclosure.
 
nlel1975 said:
Probably better off getting one of these…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CM8WL1ZM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

1TB for £63.95. I’ve got one as a Time Machine backup drive, not quite as small as one of them Samsung USB C flash drives but much faster and still very portable, even comes with a little bag to carry it in.

Speed wise I got this when connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port…


You won't get that on a Mac mini Thunderbolt port, only on a compatible PC as it defaults to 10Gbps on a Thunderbolt port. It'll still be quicker than a Samsung USB-C flash drive though and arguably better value for money.

Its a fair bit smaller and lighter than my external NVMe enclosure.
Click to expand...
NVMe enclosure's would probably end up cheaper per TB I imagine? There are 2TB NVMe drives from around £90ish.
 
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