Entry level mini and HiDPI on 4k TV

[asus]

Hi,
I just received my 2015 samsung 55JU7100 UHD TV, it has hdmi 2.0 inputs, unlike 2014 models it is working fine at 3840x2160 @60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma.

I know that 2014 mini can only output 3840x2160 @30Hz on hdmi connection (or dp, but anyway, tv has only hdmi).

I was thinking to buy cheapest mini just as a temporary solution before some other option comes out (dp to hdmi 2.0 adapter, so I can use MBP dp to hdmi 2.0. or maybe new mac mini with hdmi 2.0, or whatever.., so I can run it @60HZ)

But, is it powerful enough to run 4K display in HiDPI modes?

Just for some internet browsing, light photo editing etc.

Anyone tried that?

(sorry for my english )

 

[paulrbeers]

Hi,
I just received my 2015 samsung 55JU7100 UHD TV, it has hdmi 2.0 inputs, unlike 2014 models it is working fine at 3840x2160 @60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma.

I know that 2014 mini can only output 3840x2160 @30Hz on hdmi connection (or dp, but anyway, tv has only hdmi).

I was thinking to buy cheapest mini just as a temporary solution before some other option comes out (dp to hdmi 2.0 adapter, so I can use MBP dp to hdmi 2.0. or maybe new mac mini with hdmi 2.0, or whatever.., so I can run it @60HZ)

But, is it powerful enough to run 4K display in HiDPI modes?

Just for some internet browsing, light photo editing etc.

Anyone tried that?

(sorry for my english )

The only HiDPI mode you can get is 1080P. Since the Mini's do not have Iris Pro (only HD5000 or HD5100), it can only do a max of 3840x2160 which means in HiDPI it runs at 1080P. In order to do something like HiDPI @ 1440P, it would need to render the screen at 5120x2880 which the the GPU can not do.

Using a TV, this is probably adequate for your needs.

For a 4K monitor, this isn't good enough IMHO. A 27" 4K monitor at a 1:1 would render text and icons too small but at 1:2 the 1080P would be too large of text. Now a 24" 4K monitor would be okay (not ideal, but okay).

 

[asus]

Thanx.

What about 699$ mini, that one has iris gpu (but not pro)?

Yes 1080p HiDPi for tv should be ok, for using it from a distance, and I can go 1:1 4k when I'm closer and want more space.

But I guess it's better to buy 13" rMBP with iris pro, and in a few months when dp to hdmi 2.0 becomes available, I can use it at 60Hz, and experiment with other HiDPI modes, like 1440p.

I'd prefer mac mini for this what I need, but apple doesn't care about mini any more it seems

 

[paulrbeers]

Thanx.

What about 699$ mini, that one has iris gpu (but not pro)?

Yes 1080p HiDPi for tv should be ok, for using it from a distance, and I can go 1:1 4k when I'm closer and want more space.

But I guess it's better to buy 13" rMBP with iris pro, and in a few months when dp to hdmi 2.0 becomes available, I can use it at 60Hz, and experiment with other HiDPI modes, like 1440p.

I'd prefer mac mini for this what I need, but apple doesn't care about mini any more it seems

The 2013's and 2014's MBP's and Mid-Mac Mini's have just IRIS (HD5100), not IRIS Pro (HD5200). Only the 15" MBP have Iris Pro (HD5200).

Now the 2015 13" MBP might be able to do better than 3840x2160 in the image buffer, I just don't know enough about it at this point.

 

[asus]

Yes, I was talking about 2015 13".

I didn't find any first hand experiences on this subject, so I was hoping someone maybe tried that.

And here where I live, I can't buy it and then return if it doesn't work, I'll be stuck with it.
Also it is much more expensive compared to states. I guess I should change country first

 

[tfoutz99]

Same Question, new update

I just saw your question, and I thought you'd be interested to know that apple updated their 4k monitor page. It now says:

With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
Mac mini (Late 2014)
MacBook Air (Early 2015)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)​

With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (4096x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:

Mac Pro (Late 2013)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)​

Here's a link to my thread I just made on a similar topic, asking someone to verify this is the case with OS X 10.10.3