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Can I use my 40" Samsung smart TV as monitor for 2011 Mac Mini?

D

divergordon

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 8, 2009
6
0
Glasgow, Scotland
Hi all
I have a G4 iMac (1.25 Ghz "lamp" model), and I love it dearly. However, I feel the need for an upgrade. I'm on the verge of buying a 2nd-hand mini from eBay.
I'd consider buying a new one from apple, but I would want to max it out with a larger HDD & SSD, so the comfort factor of a purchase direct from "on high", ie the warranty, would be invalidated.
I have 2 questions:

1: Will I be able to use my 40" Samsung LED HDTV as a monitor? It has 4 HDMI ports and I already use a PS3 with it.

2: Can I max the memory to 16 Gb?

Any comments on my plan are greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any advice offered. I've been an avid reader of this site for a while now and have learned heaps. So, thanks for that as well guys.:)
 
bounou

bounou

macrumors 6502
Jun 6, 2012
354
110
divergordon said:
I'd consider buying a new one from apple, but I would want to max it out with a larger HDD & SSD, so the comfort factor of a purchase direct from "on high", ie the warranty, would be invalidated.
Click to expand...

Replacing the RAM will not invalidate your warranty, and nothing stops you from swapping out the HDD when you need to bring it into the shop :)

I would also mention a 40 inch TV used as a monitor is not exactly the best experience possible, 1080p on a 40 inch screen is not that great when it's a few feet from your face, some people don't mind but even my 27 inch thunderbolt display feels grainy since i got the new rMBP, first world problem i guess hehe
 
Last edited:
A

andymann

macrumors newbie
Jul 21, 2012
10
0
bounou said:
Replacing the RAM will not invalidate your warranty, and nothing stops you from swapping out the HDD when you need to bring it into the shop :)

I would also mention a 40 inch TV used as a monitor is not exactly the best experience possible, 1080p on a 40 inch screen is not that great when it's a few feet from your face, some people don't mind but even my 27 inch thunderbolt display feels grainy since i got the new rMBP, first world problem i guess hehe
Click to expand...

How about if its across the living room? I'm considering doing the same thing and just keeping a trackpad and wireless keyboard by my couch. Is it going to look bad at a proper distance?
 
Outrigger

Outrigger

macrumors 68000
Dec 22, 2008
1,765
96
andymann said:
How about if its across the living room? I'm considering doing the same thing and just keeping a trackpad and wireless keyboard by my couch. Is it going to look bad at a proper distance?
Click to expand...

40" across the living room would be kinda small, depending on the size of your LR. If you're going to use it mainly as a media pc/web, photo browsing, I think attaching a TV would be perfect. However, if you're going to use it for photo/video editing, writing docs, then a TV isn't really suitable.
 
A

andymann

macrumors newbie
Jul 21, 2012
10
0
Outrigger said:
40" across the living room would be kinda small, depending on the size of your LR. If you're going to use it mainly as a media pc/web, photo browsing, I think attaching a TV would be perfect. However, if you're going to use it for photo/video editing, writing docs, then a TV isn't really suitable.
Click to expand...

Well, I have a 55" about 15-18' away. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it, since I do need a computer anyway for remote work, to get a mac mini an put it there where my cable box use to be and use it for internet streaming. I cut the cable years ago in favor of netflix and hulu, but my ps3 is starting to crap out on me, so... :confused:
 
Outrigger

Outrigger

macrumors 68000
Dec 22, 2008
1,765
96
andymann said:
Well, I have a 55" about 15-18' away. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it, since I do need a computer anyway for remote work, to get a mac mini an put it there where my cable box use to be and use it for internet streaming. I cut the cable years ago in favor of netflix and hulu, but my ps3 is starting to crap out on me, so... :confused:
Click to expand...

I have a samsung 55' smart tv, and I tried airplay mirroring from my mba. Truth be told, the quality of the picture is pretty subpar. I'm sure through direct connection, it would look better, but its just the fact that the size of the pixel of a 55" tv is so large that text just would not look sharp. If all you're looking to do is watch movies and youtube, I guess that should be fine, although still not the same.
 
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