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Decision: M1 vs 2020 iMac
- Thread starter omeletpants
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Yeah I understand. There are absolutely trade offs going with any external monitor (unless you go for the pro xdr). It was a no brainier for me as my iMac was old and no longer supported.
For you…some of the issues are non issues - no need for a webcam or good quality in built speakers. I’m quite into music production so always intended to move beyond my iMac speakers anyway so that didn’t impact on me.
In your position, there are no issues with waking anymore or colour space or resolutions - all resolved with software updates. You’ll lose your ambient light sensor and keyboard shortcuts but the latter can be fixed with a small download.
What you need to decide really is whether you’re willing to trade bigger screen real estate for lower pixel density. The advantage for me is comfortably running a desktop with more available space. I can comfortably fit more in and run more stuff ‘side by side’. The screen is absolutely not as sharp though. It is absolutely noticeable but you don’t look at the monitor and think it’s ****. It’s not blurry…it’s just not ‘best in class’ sharp like the iMac.
I also love the smaller bezels and the absence of the iMac chin. The matte screen is also a bonus for me. The monitor is black plastic and there is no glass so doesn’t look iMac premium. Again…it’s not ****.
I honestly don’t know what I’d do in your position. Your current iMac is outstanding. It does not need replaced. But I get the perceived insecurity of being on an Intel platform when apple are moving in a different direction. I think I’d actually be inclined to sit tight and see how the land lay a year from now. There may be even better monitors available then. And faster m1 mac minis. But I wouldn’t criticise anyone for making a different decision.
Probably not helpful. Just some alcohol induced ramblings.
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You and the others have provided great input. Just realized that I'm retired and have plenty of time on my hands to test. I'm going to order the monitor, stand, Satechi hub, SSD card and mic. They can all be here by Thursday which gives me plenty of time to test side by side with the iMac and if I don't like the new set up, return everything. If I like it I will just sell the old iMac.
Thanks again
Thanks again
The cables that came with the LG 32UN880-B are high quality and will work well. I had the USBC to DisplayPort to connect the Mac AirBook M1 to use that DisplayPort on the LG. The sleep issue has been a non issue for me for some time.
Actually both, although I'm thinking it is not needed any more. I just swapped the cables back on the Mini to test.
Hope you'll like the new set up. Please let us know how this works out for you. I would recommend you use a higher resolution than 1600x900 and simply increase/decrese the font size (press command key plus + or -key at the same time) as needed. That will give you more real estate in either system.
I have mine set up at ‘looks like’ 3008 x 1692. It works pretty well for me. Gives me more screen real estate whilst still being legible
Agreed. Like the OP, I also have a 2020 iMac (though with a somewhat higher spec). It's working great for everything I need to do (which doesn't include video editing) and see no point in replacing it in the next few years or so. The bezels and chin don't bother me at all.
If I had an Intel MacBook I would probably feel differently of course.
I was playing around with the display settings and tried to approximate what you suggested I run on the new system which is 3008X1692. The closest I could get was 2880x1620. The attached picture is a screen shot and everything is incredibly small. Is this similar to what I should expect to see at 3008x1692. If so, thats far too small
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Well your screen will be bigger so it won’t look so small. What do you have your iMac currently set to?
2880x1620 is what I use on the iMac and very close to 3008X1692. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm guessing you might be visually impaired. Many years ago I made frequent visits to the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and the visually impaired people that worked there used extra large monitors and fonts. I have a friend who has the 2020 27" iMac and uses the 2048x1152 due to vision. With me it is hearing, I have Cochlear processor that sticks to my head.
Checking the M1/LG, it does offer 1600x900 and more scaling options that the iMac.
Checking the M1/LG, it does offer 1600x900 and more scaling options that the iMac.
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Ah ok. That’s much lower than the default iMac resolution so it’s unlikely you’ll want to be going with the resolution I use. That’s ok though. There will be options that suit you
This is hilarious. For the 15 years I have used macs I have always used the 1600x900 resolution because it feels comfortable. I like the Safari content to fill the screen. Never thought of playing with different resolutions. I don't feel that I'm losing sharpness on the pictures, videos or text, so maybe I just have low standards
I'm going to use the next 4 days before the monitor arrives and try to get used to higher resolutionsYou’re not losing sharpness. Your screen is 5k so it’s displaying 5k. Your mac is basing the outputted screen image on a 1600 x 900 resolution but your mac is using the extra pixels to smooth and upscale the fonts. It is actually displaying 5120 x 2880 but at 1600x900 size.
You’ll have the same option on the 32” monitor but it is only 4k resolution so when it upscales from your 1600x900 it won’t have quite as many pixels to smooth the fonts which is why they won’t look just as sharp as they do right now.
You’ll have the same option on the 32” monitor but it is only 4k resolution so when it upscales from your 1600x900 it won’t have quite as many pixels to smooth the fonts which is why they won’t look just as sharp as they do right now.
So now just waiting. Monitor should be here on Friday. Seen a number of comments where people have been disappointed by a dull picture until they disabled HDR. Anyone have similar expereince? Any settings that you would recommend I change?
Avoid HDR. The monitor doesn’t have enough nits. I’d just set to DCI-P3 as this will get you closest to the imac in terms of colour space. Also, download that monitor control software which was discussed on the other thread as this will re-enable your keyboard volume and brightness buttons.
M1 all the way.
My M1 Pro 14" MacBook is the snappiest machine I've ever used. Period.
The regular M1 has the same CPU cores, just half of them, but my Pro spends most of its time doing "normal stuff" mostly idle so I'd wager your regular M1 will be similarly snappy in general use, and definitely faster and more responsive in general use than any intel machine you'll get outside of the Mac Pro.
Additionally, IMHO its now definitely time to get on the Apple Silicon train, as intel support is going to be phasing out over the next couple of years.
What a terrific suggestion. Let's me have the larger font these old eyes need and a higher resolution. Never knew this existed
There is also anoter way to do this and once set up makes it easier if you want to use the mouse rather than the keyboard shortcut.
Right click on the top toolbar in Safari to customize the and add/drag the AA icon into the bar. Then just click on the icon as needed to increase/decrease font size on the web page. This example show the AA icon already added.
Put the new system together this afternoon and here are my observations and plan moving forward:
-The LG monitor was very good and came within 3-5% of the 27" retina. The color, clarity and vibrancy was the difference. Viewed side by side, you could see the slight difference on the print. The Retina blacks and white were very strong while the mini print skewed towards grey and the whites are dirtier. No amount of monitor adjusting could change it. 2020 iMac at 2048x1152, mini at 2560x1440. Brightness was fine even though I'm adjusting between 90 and 100
-Had issues with the LG recognizing then dropping the USBc connection. Things are better with HDMI. The sleep function works fine
-Panel was uniform with no dead pixels
-I got a defective VIVO stand that wasted 45 minutes of my time
-The main issue was migration assistant. On my 2017 to 2020 iMac migration every setting translated perfectly. Today, it seemed to pick out Oct 16, 2021 and the migration date and missed 1/2 my settings in Safari bookmarks, Mail, mouse scroll direction, no password fill-ins, my music is not in the player. Talked to apple and I did the migration procedure again and all the settings transferred accurately.
-The biggest negative is that my son has been playing a game for years and when we tried to open it on the mini there were numerous errors that asked us to adjust some settings and make changes we were not familiar. He will kill me if we cant resolve
I really like the big screen and the M1 is noticeably faster on safari, opening apps and start up
The game is a deal breaker and the longer I look at the retina in comparison, the LG seems a little dull in comparison
-The LG monitor was very good and came within 3-5% of the 27" retina. The color, clarity and vibrancy was the difference. Viewed side by side, you could see the slight difference on the print. The Retina blacks and white were very strong while the mini print skewed towards grey and the whites are dirtier. No amount of monitor adjusting could change it. 2020 iMac at 2048x1152, mini at 2560x1440. Brightness was fine even though I'm adjusting between 90 and 100
-Had issues with the LG recognizing then dropping the USBc connection. Things are better with HDMI. The sleep function works fine
-Panel was uniform with no dead pixels
-I got a defective VIVO stand that wasted 45 minutes of my time
-The main issue was migration assistant. On my 2017 to 2020 iMac migration every setting translated perfectly. Today, it seemed to pick out Oct 16, 2021 and the migration date and missed 1/2 my settings in Safari bookmarks, Mail, mouse scroll direction, no password fill-ins, my music is not in the player. Talked to apple and I did the migration procedure again and all the settings transferred accurately.
-The biggest negative is that my son has been playing a game for years and when we tried to open it on the mini there were numerous errors that asked us to adjust some settings and make changes we were not familiar. He will kill me if we cant resolve
I really like the big screen and the M1 is noticeably faster on safari, opening apps and start up
The game is a deal breaker and the longer I look at the retina in comparison, the LG seems a little dull in comparison
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Yeah it won’t look as sharp as the iMac. The only way of replicating that retina level pixel density will be to buy an 8k monitor or the apple Pro XDR. No amount of adjusting will get round the basic maths of the situation.