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Monitor upgrade for mini 2012, need suggestions

al404

al404

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 24, 2011
550
35
Novara, Italy
I have a Mac mini 2012 with 2 dell U2412M 1920 x 1200

I would like to upgrade to one monitor.

I'm a Web developer / coder

I would not consider curved because I think they may be tricky when checking alligments and straight lines

And I'm not sure I I should go with a 32 2560 X 1440 that is more in my budget or look at 34 3440 x 1440 that are much more expensive and looks with a strange aspect ratio. I'm not even 100% sure that Mac mini can hold single monitor with 3440 x 1440.

I also think that on a 3440 x 1440 it may very difficult to see what is on screen side. Is the same reason that is pushing me to switch to a single bigger monitor, I can hardly use second monitor farder side.

On my actual monitor font size is good, on iMac 27 that had before Mac mini was too small. I spend a lot of time reading text / code.
 
2012 can handle 3440x1440 so I think you're fine if you want to go with just one monitor but I think a dual monitor is better for a developer. I can't see myself with one monitor when working.
 
mountain said:
2012 can handle 3440x1440 so I think you're fine if you want to go with just one monitor but I think a dual monitor is better for a developer. I can't see myself with one monitor when working.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind that the HDMI port on the 2012 Mac Mini is apparently only capable of supporting 1920x1080 out. You may therefore be stuck with upgrading to a higher definition monitor with the Displayport and keeping one of the smaller Dells as a secondary monitor.

I recently got a 25" Dell u2515h which supports 2560x1440 using the Displayport and is a nice compact size for the desktop. I was always of the understanding that a second monitor would be restricted to 1920x1080 from the HDMI port.

I have seen some higher end monitors that allow daisy chaining but I don't think the 2012 model can support that, especially I seem to recall reading that one of the Thunderbolt docks that you can get can't do that either - I stand to be corrected of course.
 
mountain said:
2012 can handle 3440x1440 so I think you're fine if you want to go with just one monitor but I think a dual monitor is better for a developer. I can't see myself with one monitor when working.
Click to expand...

with my actual setup second monitor is on my right with a 30° angle and if i set editor on primary monitor and browser on second i always need to turn my head

i mostly use my second monitor to put Skype and other documentation
 
Budget?
2012 can do 2560x1600 (which gives you 1600 vertical lines, which is ideal for code etc.
These displays are unfortunately a bit more expensive than a lot of 4k displays...
In fact, e.g. the NEC PA302 is about as expensive as a 27" rImac....
 
I´m in the same boat.. Think I might just get a 4K monitor and live with the less then perfect picture until I upgrade my computer. Seems wasteful to spend money on a new "low res" screen when what ever computer I get next will support the full resolution of the 4K or 5K screen.. I think the 5K screen might look OK on the mini.. It will probably look as the old iMac when you use it.. But when you upgrade it will look like the new iMac :)
 
Well...
I got the old 30" HP LP3065 as a hand-me-down from my boss (was sitting in storage anyway).
Not sure if I'd have spend two grand, either. Though, at some point, due to the FX-rate, it was down to about 1500 here ;-)

These (in German) are all "Class 1 pixel fault" displays:
https://www.alternate.de/Hardware-P...0&filter_5306=6&showFilter=true#listingResult

If you can stretch your budget a bit, you can reach for the Fujitsu.
Lot's of people go with Dell, but you only get their pixel-perfect units if you buy from them - and then it's much, more expensive.

http://www.prad.de/new/monitore/test/2013/test-fujitsu-p27t-7-led.html

Not sure if I would bother for the Class 2 displays.
 
sublunar said:
Bear in mind that the HDMI port on the 2012 Mac Mini is apparently only capable of supporting 1920x1080 out. You may therefore be stuck with upgrading to a higher definition monitor with the Displayport and keeping one of the smaller Dells as a secondary monitor.

I recently got a 25" Dell u2515h which supports 2560x1440 using the Displayport and is a nice compact size for the desktop. I was always of the understanding that a second monitor would be restricted to 1920x1080 from the HDMI port.

I have seen some higher end monitors that allow daisy chaining but I don't think the 2012 model can support that, especially I seem to recall reading that one of the Thunderbolt docks that you can get can't do that either - I stand to be corrected of course.
Click to expand...
The 2012 Mini will support 1920 x 1200 on its HDMI port
 
I would get a 30" DVI Cinema Display and dual-link Mini Displayport adaptor for max resolution (2560x1600). These are the last of the matte displays which as a coder I imagine you will love. Plus they are a work of art - much nicer than the current versions.
 
The prices 2nd hand 30" ACDs fetch are truly out of this world.
It was discontinued in July 2010. Any unit you buy now would have five years of service on its back, easily.
I would think really, really hard about buying one.
The problem is that those in great condition are sold at insane prices - and those that aren't aren't worth anything (IMO).
The DVI adapter has its own quirks. AFAIK, there are basically two or three revisions - and only the last one is known to work reliably.
Sometimes, settling for less gets you more. This is IMO such a case.
 
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al404 said:
I would like to upgrade to one monitor.
Click to expand...

I've used many, many setups. There are pros and cons to each. My favorites in red.
  • One 16x9 - Not enough vertical pixels. This is the worst setup by far, IMHO, even if it's the most common. Perfect for viewing 16x9 entertainment content of course.
  • One 16x10 - Perfect for one window. When using two windows side-by-side, they are both too narrow.
  • One 21x9 - My favorite setup for home. One window is a bit too wide. Two windows side-by-side are great. Games are wonderful. Perfect aspect ratio for widescreen movies, although there are technical challenges to overcome.
  • Two 16x9 - Nice to have two different windows with a monitor dedicated to each, but it's just way too wide.
  • One 16x9 landscape and one 4x3 portrait - My favorite setup for work. It's not way too wide like two 16x9, but you still have dedicated monitors for two different windows. Some content is better wide and some is better tall, so you've got both covered. The only problem is that 4x3 monitors are hard to come by these days.
  • One 16x9 landscape and one 16x9 portrait - The portrait monitor is too tall and not wide enough. Second worst setup.
I wouldn't worry too much about the effect of an ultrawide curved monitor. In fact, technically it is correcting for the pincushion effect you'd get on an ultrawide flat monitor, unless you are sitting too far away from it.
 
mountain said:
2012 can handle 3440x1440 so I think you're fine if you want to go with just one monitor but I think a dual monitor is better for a developer. I can't see myself with one monitor when working.
Click to expand...

Is that 100% confirmed? I have a 2012 2.3 i7 Mac mini and I want to get an LG ultra wide monitor but I can't see anything definite that it's supported.
 
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