M1 Mac; 4K@60Hz, non USB-C Monitor: Which connection should I use?

[iObama]

Hi all!

This may be a dumb question, but please forgive me, as our M1 Macs haven't come in yet and I haven't been able to test. (I also don't have a ton of hands-on experience with third-party 4K monitors in macOS in general.)

I'm putting together an M1 Mac mini setup with a Dell 4K Monitor for a colleague. The monitor (S2721QS) has DisplayPort and HDMI connections. Some reviews on Amazon say the "text is blurry" on macOS, some say it's fine.

What would you recommend as far as connection? HDMI-HDMI? USB-C to HDMI? USB-C to DisplayPort? For 4K@60, are there pros/cons to any of these options in terms of scaling? Are the USB-C conversion options even... options?

Thanks so much for your time, and hope you're all having a great Thursday

 

[Graham King]

I also have a 4K 60hz monitor with DisplayPort and hdmi inputs and I have an M1 MBP on the way. I’m hoping to use the CalDigit TS3 hub which has a DisplayPort out on it.

 

[archer75]

I can't speak to the M1 mini but I have the intel mini and use HDMI to HDMI and it works great.

 

[Graham King]

Before I sold my 2019 Mac Pro I used this USB-C to displayport adapter and that worked well for me. I can test it when my M1 gets here.

uni USB C to DisplayPort Cable for Home Office (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable [Thunderbolt 3/4 Compatible] for MacBook Pro/Air, iPhone 15 Pro/Max, XPS, Surface

📌Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. 📌Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. 📌Important Note 3: The final...

www.amazon.com

 

[iObama]

I can't speak to the M1 mini but I have the intel mini and use HDMI to HDMI and it works great.

Before I sold my 2019 Mac Pro I used this USB-C to displayport adapter and that worked well for me. I can test it when my M1 gets here.

uni USB C to DisplayPort Cable for Home Office (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable [Thunderbolt 3/4 Compatible] for MacBook Pro/Air, iPhone 15 Pro/Max, XPS, Surface

📌Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. 📌Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. 📌Important Note 3: The final...

www.amazon.com

Awesome, thank you both! I have a feeling the "text is blurry" crowd is using an older HDMI cable, as I know Apple has the M1 minis spec'd for one 4K@60 monitor over HDMI.

Congrats on the new machine, Graham!

Anyone who has an M1 already, please feel free to confirm

 

[jdb8167]

I have a M1 MacBook Air connected with an HDMI port and didn't notice any difference from using a Display Port connection (except I had trouble getting the Display Port to connect.) Nothing looked blurry on my cheap 24" 4K LG.

 

[babatunde22]

I have a M1 MacBook Air connected with an HDMI port and didn't notice any difference from using a Display Port connection (except I had trouble getting the Display Port to connect.) Nothing looked blurry on my cheap 24" 4K LG.

What resolution did you run it at? Mine looks blurry on my 24 cheap 4K monitor.

 

[jdb8167]

What resolution did you run it at? Mine looks blurry on my 24 cheap 4K monitor.

I'm generally using 2560x1440 since I spend a fair amount of time screen sharing with my MacPro and that is the native (non-Retina) resolution with the connected Thunderbolt Display. Seems fine. I'm using a cheap 24" 4K LG 24UD58B if that means anything.

 

[Selfie]

Awesome, thank you both! I have a feeling the "text is blurry" crowd is using an older HDMI cable, as I know Apple has the M1 minis spec'd for one 4K@60 monitor over HDMI.

Congrats on the new machine, Graham!

Anyone who has an M1 already, please feel free to confirm

M1 Mini, 4K LG monitor, using HDMI-HDMI I'm seeing no issues. 4K@60Hz.
I read that using USB-C to USB-C results in slower throughput from USB-A ports, so I stuck with HDMI.

 

[scgf]

I have a 24" LG 24UD58 4K monitor and use a USB C -> DisplayPort cable. I am running at 60Hz and have the display scaling set to 2048x1142. Everything looks nice a crisp - better than I ever expected since I have heard Mac's don't always work well with external monitors.