Display for Mac mini M1

[4419867]

I have decided on a Mac mini M1 and need to buy a display, but I don't know which one. 🤷‍♀️

People recommend 4K but what scaling do you use then? Many people seem to prefer 1440p scaling but it's not native on macOS on a 27-inch 4K display (may affect the performance). Running 1440p on a 27-inch QHD display would, however, be native by default which seems reasonable since the old Apple Thunderbolt Display was a 27-inch QHD display (non-Retina).

However, I think 1440p scaling on a 27-inch 4K display is still too small for me (myopic and want to avoid eyestrain/bending forward). So I want to run 1080p scaling which also is "native" on a 27-inch 4K display (doesn't affect the performance). However, I wonder if I get any added value by choosing a 27-inch 4K display when I scale to 1080p instead of a 22-24-inch FHD display? Do I get any more space? I guess I get more of a Retina-effect?

What I'm looking for:

* Height-adjustable foot/stand
* IPS panel
* DCI-P3 color range and sRGB (preferably color calibrated from the factory but it's not a requirement)
* Preferably 400 cd/m2 in brightness or higher.
* USB-C
* HDMI (wants to be able to connect other devices eg Windows)
* USB-A would be good.
* Headphone jack only desirable if placed on the side or under the display (not on the back)
* Built-in speakers would be nice but that's not a requirement either.

Looking at the following:

LG 27UP850 for around $500 (4990 SEK). 27-inch. The only bad thing I have heard about the display is that the USB-C port is fragile. Not sure what I think of the moon-shaped foot/stand. Otherwise, this one seems popular with the Mac mini M1.

HP U28 for around $450 (4490 SEK). 28-inch. Looks nice. Color calibrated from the factory. Lacks built-in speakers.

BenQ EW2880U for around $550 (5490 SEK). 28-inch. Not as bright as the others (only 300 cd/m2) but I like the remote that it comes with. Not white or silver like LG and HP, but I like its brown color too. No USB-A port but better placed headphone jack.

I guess scaling will be the same on both 27 and 28 inches?

Any other suggestions? I prefer to stay below $600 (~6000 SEK), but the cheaper the better.

 

[Fravin]

LG 27UP850 for around $500 (4990 SEK). 27-inch. The only bad thing I have heard about the display is that the USB-C port is fragile. Not sure what I think of the moon-shaped foot/stand. Otherwise, this one seems popular with the Mac mini M1.

This one is great, I have one, hooked on M1 Mini. Suberb image quality.

I use an 8k HDMI cable, as we have too many bad reports about the USB-C video output on M1 Macs. It isn't branded related. But M1 Macs are sensitive to External Displays.

 

[4419867]

This one is great, I have one, hooked on M1 Mini. Suberb image quality.

I use an 8k HDMI cable, as we have too many bad reports about the USB-C video output on M1 Macs. It isn't branded related. But M1 Macs are sensitive to External Displays. View attachment 2001399

Looks nice, but do you run 4K scaling? The UI looks very small in the picture. Doesn't even appear to be scaled to 1440p. How can you read anything? 😛

Why 8K HDMI cable and not regular HDMI cable? What does 8K provide? Interesting that you use it instead of USB-C though. Does the display wake up without any problems and do you get the scaling options? Wondering if the scaling options require a USB-C connection or not.

 

[BeatCrazy]

LG 27UP850 for around $500 (4990 SEK). 27-inch. The only bad thing I have heard about the display is that the USB-C port is fragile. Not sure what I think of the moon-shaped foot/stand. Otherwise, this one seems popular with the Mac mini M1.

I have this one (maybe one letter off) and used it until very recently until I got my Studio Display.

I used the USB-C input, and didn't have any issues. I scaled to 2560x1440 and that was the right scaling for my eyes. Ultimately, I wanted higher PPI, as I'm very sensitive to the quality of text rendering, so I went with the Studio Display, also running 2560x1440.

 

[Fravin]

Looks nice, but do you run 4K scaling? The UI looks very small in the picture. Doesn't even appear to be scaled to 1440p. How can you read anything? 😛

Why 8K HDMI cable and not regular HDMI cable? What does 8K provide? Interesting that you use it instead of USB-C though. Does the display wake up without any problems and do you get the scaling options? Wondering if the scaling options require a USB-C connection or not.

Actually it is scaled for "looks like 1440p". I use the Dock in its minimum size, with magnification effect. That's why you think it's small. 😃

The 8K HDMI Cable was a suggestion under this thread and will advise you to buy one, the shortest as possible. I tried the USB-C output, using multiple cables, USB-C - Display Port, HDMI-HDMI, USB-C - HDMI, multiples dongles and whatever. The only thing that worked solid rock was that 8K cable. And I mean seriously: buy it as soon as possible.

The Display does wake from sleep with no issues.

 

[4419867]

Actually it is scaled for "looks like 1440p". I use the Dock in its minimum size, with magnification effect. That's why you think it's small. 😃

View attachment 2001707 View attachment 2001703


The 8K HDMI Cable was a suggestion under this thread and will advise you to buy one, the shortest as possible. I tried the USB-C output, using multiple cables, USB-C - Display Port, HDMI-HDMI, USB-C - HDMI, multiples dongles and whatever. The only thing that worked solid rock was that 8K cable. And I mean seriously: buy it as soon as possible.

The Display does wake from sleep with no issues.

Aha, yeah, the dock looks tiny 😅 You can just hide it as well

Why as short as possible? I found one on sale at a local store with 0,5 meter cable. Is that short enough?

Regardless, thanks for the tip, really! I've been nervous about this with waking up the display and flicker, so it feels good to know what to do from the start. 👍 I assume Windows and other devices work flawlessly regardless of the cable with any display. 😁 So there I don't have to think about it. If I want to try USB-C, a cable is usually included anyway.

I'm aware of the problems with the M1 Mac but it doesn't feel as bad if there are solutions and the Mac mini is quite cheap (seen good price drops too). Also cheaper to upgrade in the future than if I had chosen the iMac (which I have considered).

 

[4419867]

Just discovered that the cable has a 10 year warranty. Geez! Must be a good cable then I feel. 👌 Brand: Nikabe

 

[Fravin]

Why as short as possible? I found one on sale at a local store with 0,5 meter cable. Is that short enough?

I actually don't know why, but people are saying the shorter the cable the better connection you have. Don't know why. 😂

0,5mt looks fine.

As a side note, M1 MacMini is the better computer I ever had. You will love it!

 

[4419867]

I actually don't know why, but people are saying the shorter the cable the better connection you have. Don't know why. 😂

0,5mt looks fine.

As a side note, M1 MacMini is the better computer I ever had. You will love it!

Hehe, ok. 😅 Well, the cable doesn't have to be that long when the computer is close to the display. Longer cable will also be more expensive.

Glad to hear you're happy with your M1 Mac mini (despite its display issues). Have you had any problems with Bluetooth? I want to buy Keychron K3 v2. 😁

 

[Fravin]

Have you had any problems with Bluetooth? I want to buy Keychron K3 v2. 😁

Even with the flickering, M1 MacMini is a loveling of a computer. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.

But the Bluetooth dropouts was. I almost returned my Mini because of that.

And here goes the pro tip. Don’t use the USB-A ports. Again, I don’t have a clue why you can’t use that ports 😅😂🤣. But no matter what, don’t. Just leave them unplugged.

As soon as you plug something to one of the USB-A port BT starts going crazy as hell.

It might be somewhere in those old threads. Will look for it.

 

[fishingfromakay]

Hello, I am using a LG 32UP83A with the mini and a Zeskit Maya 8K 48Gbps Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable and like it very much. In regards to the Moon Shaped stand it is different yes lol but it works as it should, there is enough room to put the mini in the moon shaped area. It has speakers but they aren't the best. I bought a cheaper 3 piece speaker set and it is much better. I have connectted it using both HDMI and USB-C and have been using the HDMI with no problems as it leaves the USB C available for anything else. If the monitor was to get stolen I would order the same one again. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[4419867]

Even with the flickering, M1 MacMini is a loveling of a computer. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.

But the Bluetooth dropouts was. I almost returned my Mini because of that.

And here goes the pro tip. Don’t use the USB-A ports. Again, I don’t have a clue why you can’t use that ports 😅😂🤣. But no matter what, don’t. Just leave them unplugged.

As soon as you plug something to one of the USB-A port BT starts going crazy as hell.

It might be somewhere in those old threads. Will look for it.

Good to know. I remember hearing somewhere that those who didn't have problems with Bluetooth used a USB-A dongle (Logitech MX Keys). However, heard that someone had problems despite this and one solution was an extension cable (so that it comes further from the Mac mini?).

What do you do if you want to use the USB-A ports? I need to use 2-3 USB-A ports. Would a hub solve the problem? Still inconvenient with USB ports on the back so a hub would be handy too.

Also heard that Bluetooth problems disappear if you use wired network connection (Ethernet) instead of Wi-Fi. Something about Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interfering with each other. This is something I want to do anyway for more stable Internet connection, then maybe Bluetooth works better as well.

How does the USB-C ports work? If you want to connect something else to the Mac mini via USB-C (YubiKey, hard drive, webcam etc.).

 

[Fravin]

I have two TP-Link's USB-A 3.0 UH700 Hubs, hooked in chain. The first one uses an USB-C cable connected to Mini. The second uses an USB-A connected to the first one.

Right now, I have a Laser Printer, an inkjet printer, a WebCam, an external DAC, 2 external HDDs and 3 external SSDs running in USB3. And when I need to connect a thumb drive I do it on the hubs.

I use all that stuff taped under the desk.

I work with Airdrop a lot, so turning Wi-fi off never became an option.

 

[4419867]

I have two TP-Link's USB-A 3.0 UH700 Hubs, hooked in chain. The first one uses an USB-C cable connected to Mini. The second uses an USB-A connected to the first one.

Right now, I have a Laser Printer, an inkjet printer, a WebCam, an external DAC, 2 external HDDs and 3 external SSDs running in USB3. And when I need to connect a thumb drive I do it on the hubs.

I use all that stuff taped under the desk.

I work with Airdrop a lot, so turning Wi-fi off never became an option.

Nice 👌 I've also considered attaching a hub under the table top but I'm not sure how. If the hub requires a power source, I also have to think about the cable length as I have a sit/stand table. Curious about what yours looks like, could I see a picture?

 

[StoneJack]

Good to know. I remember hearing somewhere that those who didn't have problems with Bluetooth used a USB-A dongle (Logitech MX Keys). However, heard that someone had problems despite this and one solution was an extension cable (so that it comes further from the Mac mini?).

What do you do if you want to use the USB-A ports? I need to use 2-3 USB-A ports. Would a hub solve the problem? Still inconvenient with USB ports on the back so a hub would be handy too.

Also heard that Bluetooth problems disappear if you use wired network connection (Ethernet) instead of Wi-Fi. Something about Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interfering with each other. This is something I want to do anyway for more stable Internet connection, then maybe Bluetooth works better as well.

How does the USB-C ports work? If you want to connect something else to the Mac mini via USB-C (YubiKey, hard drive, webcam etc.).

Might be related to Logitech receivers. Generally, the USB-A and BT ports on the back of mini are shielded by the thick metal case, resulting in unstable connection. Therefore, the best solution for any Logitech USB A receiver to use a simple USB hub or an extender cable to move it where it is not shielded by the Mini's metal body, and you will get a very good connection. I had the issue with Logitech receivers for a very long time and it was my solution to that. Since then I always have a stable Logitech (keyboard and mouse) connection. BT is a bit different beast though and at the end of the day, it might be that Apple's BT antenna is just too weak and also shielded by metal. On my PCI E bluetooth card, it is solved by a large antenna I put behind the computer, but I am not sure if it possible on Mac mini, as it uses a newly written BT 5.0 stack. Alternatively, you can invest in a Mac USB-A BT dongle, usually up t0 BT 4.2, which also do the job well, especially if placed also on that same extender/hub cable

 

[fishingfromakay]

Hello, I have both the Logitec MX Keys for Mac and the Logitec M510 mouse. I had trouble getting them to work via BT. I used their USB Unifying receiver and was able to connect both of them to the one receiver. So far they are working well.

 

[4419867]

Might be related to Logitech receivers. Generally, the USB-A and BT ports on the back of mini are shielded by the thick metal case, resulting in unstable connection. Therefore, the best solution for any Logitech USB A receiver to use a simple USB hub or an extender cable to move it where it is not shielded by the Mini's metal body, and you will get a very good connection. I had the issue with Logitech receivers for a very long time and it was my solution to that. Since then I always have a stable Logitech (keyboard and mouse) connection. BT is a bit different beast though and at the end of the day, it might be that Apple's BT antenna is just too weak and also shielded by metal. On my PCI E bluetooth card, it is solved by a large antenna I put behind the computer, but I am not sure if it possible on Mac mini, as it uses a newly written BT 5.0 stack. Alternatively, you can invest in a Mac USB-A BT dongle, usually up t0 BT 4.2, which also do the job well, especially if placed also on that same extender/hub cable

Thanks for the information. Maybe they should have placed Wi-Fi/BT on the front or have an opening such as the Apple logo on the iMac so that it is not blocked by the Mac mini's aluminum body. Wondering if the same problem exists on the new Mac Studio.

Great tips with Bluetooth dongle and/or USB hub.

I neither have nor plan to buy the Logitech MX Keys (that was just an example). I myself am interested in Keychron K3 v2 which also supports cable connection.

Hello, I have both the Logitec MX Keys for Mac and the Logitec M510 mouse. I had trouble getting them to work via BT. I used their USB Unifying receiver and was able to connect both of them to the one receiver. So far they are working well.

Good to hear. I've also heard that Logitech's USB receivers usually solve people's Bluetooth problems. Don't know how to do if you have Keychron K3 v2 that does not come with any dongle. On the other hand, it can be connected via cable as well.

 

[4419867]

Nevermind.

 

[Fravin]

Nevermind.

I read it. And was thinking before writing back. I was wondering IF i would buy MacMini gain, knowing all the issues I got through.

Yes. I would. And I would love to know the troubleshoots before hooking it up. As I said before, this is my best computer so far. And I have had several Macs and PCs.

I don't think the actual iMac is a good offer as the MacMini is. The ability to match your own display, keyboard and mouse is something that I require from my computer's choices. With an iMac you will be tied with the keyboard and mouse that came to it (ok, you can just trow it on a drawer, but remember they cost you something). When you will sell it you will have to sell it with the keyboard and mouse attached, so you can't make money off they.

The iMac display is a good one, but it has only 24 inches and are stuck in the glass. So you will be forced to like the glass reflexions.

And, off course you can upgrade a MacMini setup easier than an iMac one. Just replace the MacMini with a new one (pr a MacStudio, or even a MacPro) and you are good to go. Well, with the iMac you will face the same questions you are dealing right now: Should I have an iMac or a Mini? Or a PC instead?

Pro tip: You can share the whole setup with a PC (for gaming?) using a MacMini.

 

[4419867]

I read it. And was thinking before writing back. I was wondering IF i would buy MacMini gain, knowing all the issues I got through.

Yes. I would. And I would love to know the troubleshoots before hooking it up. As I said before, this is my best computer so far. And I have had several Macs and PCs.

I don't think the actual iMac is a good offer as the MacMini is. The ability to match your own display, keyboard and mouse is something that I require from my computer's choices. With an iMac you will be tied with the keyboard and mouse that came to it (ok, you can just trow it on a drawer, but remember they cost you something). When you will sell it you will have to sell it with the keyboard and mouse attached, so you can't make money off they.

The iMac display is a good one, but it has only 24 inches and are stuck in the glass. So you will be forced to like the glass reflexions.

And, off course you can upgrade a MacMini setup easier than an iMac one. Just replace the MacMini with a new one (pr a MacStudio, or even a MacPro) and you are good to go. Well, with the iMac you will face the same questions you are dealing right now: Should I have an iMac or a Mini? Or a PC instead?

Pro tip: You can share the whole setup with a PC (for gaming?) using a MacMini.

Glad you read anyway, I didn't want to include others in my decision anxiety. 😅

It's not that important to choose a keyboard as I don't dislike Apple's own, but I'm interested in a mechanical keyboard. Still thinking of buying the Magic Trackpad though. The advantage of a different keyboard, however, is that I can use it with more devices. Therefore, I wouldn't buy the Magic Keyboard with Mac mini. Don't need TouchID as I've already ordered YubiKeys.

In fact, the iMac 24 doesn't even have a 24-inch display, it's actually 23.5-inch. Size isn't a big problem for me but reflections can be. Even more the fixed stand/foot. Really prefers height-adjustable stand/fot (no desire to spend money on a monitor arm).

Yes, it will be easier and cheaper to upgrade in the future. Although it's not important to share the display with other devices right now, I still appreciate the opportunity.

I will probably choose Mac mini after all, just got a little anxious but I may not get all the problems myself. Still good to know how I solve various problems if they arise.

 

[Fravin]

You don't know when you will face a real deal on a PS5 or a Nintendo Switch... Better saying you never know how will you react! lol

 

[4419867]

You don't know when you will face a real deal on a PS5 or a Nintendo Switch... Better saying you never know how will you react! lol

Not sure what you mean but I'm not a gamer. Never played PC games or modern TV games. 😄

Btw I would like to see a picture of how you have arranged USB hubs, cables and HDDs under the table top. 😊

 

[Fravin]

Please, keep in mind that nothing is visible, so I didn't taped it with simmetry on mind!

 

[Kaikidan]

Even with the flickering, M1 MacMini is a loveling of a computer. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.

But the Bluetooth dropouts was. I almost returned my Mini because of that.

And here goes the pro tip. Don’t use the USB-A ports. Again, I don’t have a clue why you can’t use that ports ???. But no matter what, don’t. Just leave them unplugged.

As soon as you plug something to one of the USB-A port BT starts going crazy as hell.

It might be somewhere in those old threads. Will look for it.

I don't know the specifics but USBA 3.1 circuitry causes interference in 2.4ghz devices, like mouse dongles and bluetooth which also operates on 2,4ghz. I had sucess on mine running a TPLINK UH700 hub with no bluetooth interference, computer is inside a wooden cabinet, HUB goes outside and sits bellow the monitor, no BT interference, yesterday I managed to still get audio from the computer on my earbuds from the kitchen, more or less 10-12m alway with walls and with the computer inside a "wooden cage". Funilly enough, the HUB causes interference on the mouse dongle connected to it....

Inside the cabinet is also my server, a Lenovo M70q connected to yet another UH700 which is connected to 5 external HDDs, this one don't cause eletromagnetic interference also, even being close to the mini.

 

[4419867]

Please, keep in mind that nothing is visible, so I didn't taped it with simmetry on mind!

View attachment 2002897

Thanks! Not important with symmetry under the table. 👍