Which monitor Resolution and size for Mac mini?

dannyjo22 · 10 Feb 2022 at 21:16

I've been waiting months for a dell monitor to come back in stock, wanting another UltraSharp Dell but two new options have just been released from Dell.

I'm about 60cm from my screen and currently use a 24 inch dell which was used with my pc. Now I've switched to Mac mini and I have no idea how these will scale on the monitors.

Option 1, 2722DE 27 inch 2560x1440 resolution
Option 2, New U2723QE 27 inch 4K
Option 3, New 3223QE 32 4K

I know I will likely be fine with option 1 and the text and UI size are fine but the text could do with being a touch sharper. Will 27 inch 4k make everything too small? So is 32 a better option using the scales like options?

Combat squirrel · 14 Feb 2022 at 10:57

27 inch 4k is absolutely fine - Mac OS scales up icons/desktop brilliantly without issues, much better than windows.

Captain · 14 Feb 2022 at 12:18

I’m currently using a 32” 4K screen with a Mac mini M1 and it scales brilliantly, sharp text and not too small.

dannyjo22 · 15 Feb 2022 at 09:42

Does the scaling cause much strain on the system? I’m so torn with a monitor and reading MAC rumours forum is causing me a headache. So many issues using standalone monitors with scaling and sizing or even just waking the monitor. I think I will try the 27 4K and 1440 and return one.

HACO · 16 Feb 2022 at 16:10

dannyjo22 said:
Does the scaling cause much strain on the system? I’m so torn with a monitor and reading MAC rumours forum is causing me a headache. So many issues using standalone monitors with scaling and sizing or even just waking the monitor. I think I will try the 27 4K and 1440 and return one.

Non-int scaling (e.g. 1.5:1, like running a 4K monitor in 1440p@2 mode (5K) then scaling it down to 4K) puts some strain on the GPU but any modern mac (especially the M1 ones) should be able to handle it with ease. Some older Intel ones with integrated GPUs struggled with it.

dannyjo22 · 3 Mar 2022 at 14:54

Well just to update incase anyone else finds themselves in the same position.

I went for the 2723QE 27 inch 4k screen. Dells new monitor and I'm blown away. Pricey at just over £600 but I wanted all the hub options to save me buying another external hub due to the mini only having limited USB ports. Text sharpness, size far outweighs my expectations.

Feek · 6 Mar 2022 at 17:22

dannyjo22 said:
Well just to update incase anyone else finds themselves in the same position.

I went for the 2723QE 27 inch 4k screen. Dells new monitor and I'm blown away. Pricey at just over £600 but I wanted all the hub options to save me buying another external hub due to the mini only having limited USB ports. Text sharpness, size far outweighs my expectations.

OK, this is really interesting. I have a budget to replace my 27” iMac but if an updated Mac mini comes along first, I could be tempted to max one out and get a pair of these monitors with it.

LiE · 6 Mar 2022 at 17:26

Feek said:
OK, this is really interesting. I have a budget to replace my 27” iMac but if an updated Mac mini comes along first, I could be tempted to max one out and get a pair of these monitors with it.

I wish I could be content with 160ppi but once I saw retina 220ppi everything else looks blurry. Hopefully the rumours of a consumer level monitor from Apple turn out to be true.

Feek · 6 Mar 2022 at 17:44

LiE said:
I wish I could be content with 160ppi but once I saw retina 220ppi everything else looks blurry.

I have an Asus VG289Q 28" attached to my iMac and I genuinely can’t see a difference between it and the iMac screen.

LiE · 6 Mar 2022 at 17:49

Feek said:
I have an Asus VG289Q 28" attached to my iMac and I genuinely can’t see a difference between it and the iMac screen.

I genuinely wish I was the same but I can tell very easily.

dannyjo22 · 6 Mar 2022 at 18:42

Feek said:
OK, this is really interesting. I have a budget to replace my 27” iMac but if an updated Mac mini comes along first, I could be tempted to max one out and get a pair of these monitors with it.

Yeah I have fretted for ages on a monitor and I'm really happy with sharpness of the text. I also much prefer the non shiny screens. It has a bit of backlight bleed that I only notice playing Gears of war in the dark on loading screens. But tbh I've never seen an IPS panel that I've been happy with for backlight bleed if I go looking for it or photograph it. Out of curiosity I took a picture of the backlight bleed on my old trusty dell 2407 and the whole panel has leakage

They do a 32 inch version of the new monitor too but 27 is enough for me. The built in ports are a life saver when the M1 mini has only two of each.

Feek · 8 Mar 2022 at 09:24

@dannyjo22 What are you doing for sound? It's just occurred to me that of course, the Mac mini sound won't be anywhere near as good as the built in iMac speakers.

dannyjo22 · 8 Mar 2022 at 11:40

Feek said:
@dannyjo22 What are you doing for sound? It's just occurred to me that of course, the Mac mini sound won't be anywhere near as good as the built in iMac speakers.

tbh I use the rubbish built in sound on the mini because I rarely require sound. If I do I pop in my AirPods or if I’m using the Xbox I use a headset. I did think about using my sonos or buying a dedicated speaker set but I don’t really have the need.