Which monitor should I pick for Mac mini M4? (2K vs 4K confusion)

[Nooob]

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to get a monitor for my Mac mini M4 and I’m stuck between going for a 2K or 4K option. I’ve read that macOS has some scaling issues with 4K monitors, so I’m not sure if it’s really worth stretching my budget for one, or if a good 2K display would be just as fine.

My budget is limited, but I can stretch a little if a 4K monitor would give me a noticeably better experience. On the other hand, if scaling makes things look weird and there isn’t much difference in sharpness between 2K and 4K on macOS, I’d rather save the money.

Here are the monitors I’ve shortlisted (current sale prices in India):

2K options:

BenQ GW2790Q – $170

LG 27U631A – $159


4K options (budget range):

LG Ultrafine 27US500-W – $193

Acer CB272K – $198

LG 27UP650K-W – $250

LG 27UL500 – $278

BenQ EW2790U – $284


From what I’ve read, LG and BenQ seem to be the safer picks. MSI, Acer, and Samsung budget models don’t seem to have great reviews, and Dell tends to be too expensive.

Right now I’m leaning toward BenQ because of their quality control, but I’m still undecided between the 2K and 4K route.

If anyone here has used these monitors (or similar ones) with a Mac, I’d really appreciate your advice on which way to go.

Thanks!

 

[Bigwaff]

If anyone here has used these monitors (or similar ones) with a Mac, I’d really appreciate your advice on which way to go.

I still use Apple 27” Thunderbolt 2K Display. 2K at 27” is perfect for me… but then I’m not using it for anything requiring fine detail, just general web browsing, etc.

 

[Nooob]

I still use Apple 27” Thunderbolt 2K Display. 2K at 27” is perfect for me… but then I’m not using it for anything requiring fine detail, just general web browsing, etc.

Yeah so 2k isn't too blurry from far right i mean not noticable? Right

 

[MarkC426]

Yeah so 2k isn't too blurry from far right i mean not noticable? Right

Similar to @Bigwaff I use two 27” Dell ultrasharp QHD displays.
Any 27” 4k monitor will generally be used at a lower resolution (1920x1080) than a 2k QHD display (2560x1440), but in highDPI mode, so everything looks like on an iPhone or iPad, crisp and sharp.
You don’t gain any extra screen space though.
Personally I would not benefit, as my screens looks sharp anyway.

I recommend a QHD 27” (2560x1440) over 1920x1080.
27” screens work best at 5k as it’s double (2560x1440).

There is also performance overheads to consider.
I do a lot of graphical work, so don’t want to over stress the GPU with high Rez displays.

People will say it doesn’t matter, but that’s nonsense, if your Mac has to upscale and refresh at 4k it IS working harder.

 

[Nooob]

Similar to @Bigwaff I use two 27” Dell ultrasharp QHD displays.
Any 27” 4k monitor will generally be used at the same resolution (2560x1440) as a 2k QHD display, but in highDPI mode, so everything looks like on an iPhone or iPad, crisp and sharp.
Personally I would not benefit, as my screens looks sharp anyway.

There is also performance overheads to consider.
I do a lot of graphical work, so don’t want to over stress the GPU with high Rez displays.

People will say it doesn’t matter, but that’s nonsense, if your Mac has to upscale and refresh at 4k it IS working harder.

So you dont need to change the scale I mean u keep at the default scale right? I.e 1440p

 

[MarkC426]

Apologies, see my edited post above… 🥴

A 4k will be 1920x1080 hDPI
A 5k will be 2560x1440 hDPI
A 27”’ QHD will be 2560x1440

You can run either at native 4k or 5k but everything is tiiiiiiiiny…..🤪

 

[maflynn]

So you dont need to change the scale I mean u keep at the default scale right? I.e 1440p

I have a LG ultra wide, and I need to scale it down to 1080p because the text is too small at native resolution. macOS does a poor job at scaling, so the crispness is rather poor when not running at native.

I'm considering a 27" 5k, because the way macOs handles scaling, a 27" 5k at 1440p should be crisp.

 

[Fishrrman]

These days, NOTHING LESS than 4k.
I'd consider 27" to be "the minimum" as well.

As mentioned above, the "default" setting for the MacOS with a 4k display is 1920x1080 ("1080p"). But because this is "HiDPI mode", pixels are "doubled" in each direction, and the image will be VERY sharp.

As for which display...
I have a Dell Ultrasharp, which is "mid-upper" price range for 27" 4k, but a friend also has a "non Ultrasharp" Dell 27" 4k which looks... well, nearly the same. For less money.

I know that LG products look great, but the only experience I had with an LG display-type deivce was a tv that failed about 6 months out-of-warranty, which could not be repaired (no parts available). That soured me on the LG line...

Final thought:
I'm using "BetterDisplay" with my Dell, and it runs @2048x1152 very nicely, as sharp and clean as the default 1080p setting. Gives me "just enough more" screen real estate (for old eyes...).

 

[MacCheetah3]

I came across this doing research on another thread and it does a decent job explaining HiDPI.

 

[Nooob]

Thankyou for your amazing response guys 😄
I bought dell S2725QC at 295$

 

[dade]

Could a 32-inch 4K be a good compromise compared to a 27-inch 4K where the text at native resolution is too small or is it just a gimmick?
I use a imac 27 non retina for CAD drawing with ArchiCAD.
grazie
davide

 

[MacCheetah3]

Could a 32-inch 4K be a good compromise compared to a 27-inch 4K where the text at native resolution is too small or is it just a gimmick?
I use a imac 27 non retina for CAD drawing with ArchiCAD.
grazie
davide

Some feel HiDPI, looks like 1920x1080 (FHD), makes the GUI feel too big on a >24-inch monitor. Though things seem fine for me.

 

[maflynn]

Some feel HiDPI, looks like 1920x1080 (FHD), makes the GUI feel too big on a >24-inch monitor. Though things seem fine for me.

What monitor are you running? The second picture looks too small - at least for my old eyes.

 

[MacCheetah3]

What monitor are you running?

MAG 321UP QD-OLED

MAG 321UP QD-OLED is the latest MSI QD-OLED panel, these displays exhibit the best picture quality when gaming and provide an ultimate immersive gaming experience with a super-fast 0.03ms response time.

www.msi.com

The second picture looks too small

Agreed.
Which is probably why Windows, by default, also does 2x/200% — although, it’s technically, really 4x/400% — scaling on high-resolution (e.g., UHD) displays/monitors.

 

[MarkC426]

MAG 321UP QD-OLED

MAG 321UP QD-OLED is the latest MSI QD-OLED panel, these displays exhibit the best picture quality when gaming and provide an ultimate immersive gaming experience with a super-fast 0.03ms response time.

www.msi.com

Agreed.
Which is probably why Windows, by default, also does 2x/200% — although, it’s technically, really 4x/400% — scaling on high-resolution (e.g., UHD) displays/monitors.

What resolution is the second image…?
Is it native 4k?

 

[MacCheetah3]

What resolution is the second image…?
Is it native 4k?

Yes.

 

[avkills]

Wish I could find a 7680 x 3200 monitor so I could have the same real estate as my 3840x1600 but running in HiDPI so it looked better.

Oh well.

I think I would go with the 4k and run in HiDPI at 1920x1080 for a 27", or a 5k one and run HiDPI at 2560x1440.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Wish I could find a 7680 x 3200 monitor so I could have the same real estate as my 3840x1600 but running in HiDPI so it looked better.

Oh well.

Yeah. You’d need an 8K monitor, such as the Dell UP3218K, to get UHD HiDPI.
Would that be Ultra HD Plus (UHD+) or Ultra Ultra HD (UUHD)? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8K Monitor: Dell Ultrasharp UP3218K | Dell USA

Experience realistic images like never before on the award-wining, world’s first 31.5" 8K monitor featuring Dell PremierColor.

www.dell.com

Use an 8K display with your Mac - Apple Support

Certain Mac models support external displays with 8K resolution, higher refresh rates of up to 240Hz when using 4K resolution, and expanded support for variable refresh rate (VRR).

support.apple.com

When 8K display is within reach of $1,000 USD, not the current $4,000 USD, I’ll consider one.

What resolution is the second image…?
Is it native 4k?

I think I would go with the 4k and run in HiDPI at 1920x1080 for a 27", or a 5k one and run HiDPI at 2560x1440.

As a depiction and reminder, using resolutions that aren’t equal to or quadruple (2x vertical, 2x horizontal) the native causes an out-of-scope frame buffer, which impacts performance — how much varies, of course.