Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Recommended monitor for Mac mini?

TheGreenBastard

TheGreenBastard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 1, 2012
361
109
Halifax
No way in hell am I going to purchase the thunderbolt display, which is more expensive than the base model mini, which I'm getting (i5). So which monitor do you guys recommend?


Also, any recommendations on additional ram? I don't think think paying $100 for a 4 gb upgrade is worth it. And mouse/keyboard setup? Not a huge fan of the wireless Apple mouse and keyboard, which are $69.99 each. Any suggestions for those? I feel like I can probably get a better mouse/keyboard for cheaper.

This is my first Mac, so go easy on me.

Thanks!
 
costabunny

costabunny

macrumors 68020
May 15, 2008
2,466
71
Weymouth, UK
The Asus PB278Q seems to have very good reviews.

Personally I use a ProLite 27" 1080P model and its fine for my needs (will add a second one one day)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-PB278Q...UTF8&colid=263VYY5QLE7MB&coliid=IT4ZJSVU0FC1E

RAM wise goto Crucial (I got my 16GB kit for £55 including postage). I think OWC is also popular across the pond.

as for keyboard/mouse well any mouse will work, and there are a bunch of non-apple mac compatibles around. Logitech do some nice ones.
 
TheGreenBastard

TheGreenBastard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 1, 2012
361
109
Halifax
costabunny said:
The Asus PB278Q seems to have very good reviews.

Personally I use a ProLite 27" 1080P model and its fine for my needs (will add a second one one day)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-PB278Q...UTF8&colid=263VYY5QLE7MB&coliid=IT4ZJSVU0FC1E

RAM wise goto Crucial (I got my 16GB kit for £55 including postage). I think OWC is also popular across the pond.

as for keyboard/mouse well any mouse will work, and there are a bunch of non-apple mac compatibles around. Logitech do some nice ones.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks.

That monitor is a little out of my price range. I only have about $1100 to work with, and I want to have a little bit left over. I'm a student, so I'm a little tight on cash.

As for that ram, I couldn't find the same (or even similar) priced ram on the Canadian amazon.
 
S

SAIRUS

macrumors 6502a
Aug 21, 2008
817
515
Reasons I recommend a 32" led hdtv? Well as a college kid, you're gonna be cheap. That said you wanna be THAT guy.

You're the guy with the 32" tv, that is connected to the internet and can watch literally whatever he wants.
 
TheGreenBastard

TheGreenBastard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 1, 2012
361
109
Halifax
COrocket said:
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-U2713HM-...UTF8&qid=1357176086&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+2713

This could work. High quality and comparable to the apple display for $350 less. Or u can pick up a 27" 1080p monitor for around $300. I've had good luck with Samsung models. Depends on your budget.
Click to expand...

Read my post above.

Also, CO, what's it like to add in an ssd? Did it come stock, and are there two HDD bays?

----------
SAIRUS said:
Reasons I recommend a 32" led hdtv? Well as a college kid, you're gonna be cheap. That said you wanna be THAT guy.

You're the guy with the 32" tv, that is connected to the internet and can watch literally whatever he wants.
Click to expand...

Right now I'm staying with my parents, and have a 42" HDTV, but it's not really ideal for a computer (atleast for me)

I'm going to be rooming with some friends next summer, so a tv could be good then, but for now, I just want some good, cheap, and nice.

However, if I could get a smokin deal for a monitor, Mac mini, third party ram upgrades, and a mouse/keyboard and still not exceed my limit of $1100, then I might consider it. Also I want this all by tomorrow. I start university in exactly one week and want everything set up to my preferences. I know, I'm inpatient.
 
C

COrocket

macrumors 6502
Dec 9, 2012
485
12
I put in the SSD myself. It is cheaper that way. I removed the original hard drive and the SSD is what i boot from. I found it pretty straightforward. If you are looking at doing it, this is a really good guide I used that outline the steps

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+Mini+Late+2012+Hard+Drive+Replacement/11716/1

There are two HDD bays. If you want to add a second, you need to purchase a cable. There is space under the original spot and requires more disassembly for installation
 
TheGreenBastard

TheGreenBastard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 1, 2012
361
109
Halifax
COrocket said:
TheGreenBastard said:
Read my post above.

Also, CO, what's it like to add in an ssd? Did it come stock, and are there two HDD bays?

I put in the SSD myself. It is cheaper that way. I removed the original hard drive and the SSD is what i boot from. I found it pretty straightforward. If you are looking at doing it, this is a really good guide I used that outline the steps

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+Mini+Late+2012+Hard+Drive+Replacement/11716/1

There are two HDD bays. If you want to add a second, you need to purchase a cable. There is space under the original spot and requires more disassembly for installation
Click to expand...


Thank you very much for the guide.
Click to expand...
 
Pharmscott

Pharmscott

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2011
624
2
Sacramento, CA
thekev said:
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSha...F8&qid=1357177196&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+u2312m

This doesn't seem like a bad option for a budget display. With ram you can go for 8 or 16GB cheap from Crucial. Remember to test the sodimms just in case you receive a bad stick. If you happen to swap out the drive, remember that Apple doesn't consider that user serviceable in case you ever need to send it in for warranty service.
Click to expand...

I have the U2412 and love it. Great bang for the buck and it has a native Display Port connection. Also, 16x10 is better than 16:9 unless all you do is watch movies.
 
thekev

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
Pharmscott said:
I have the U2412 and love it. Great bang for the buck and it has a native Display Port connection. Also, 16x10 is better than 16:9 unless all you do is watch movies.
Click to expand...

I was looking up reviews on them. They sound better than anything else I could find in that price range. There are displays I really like once you get to $500+, but that would exceed the OP's budget. I don't know if the hdmi issue is still present on the HD4000, but as you point out native displayport means you don't have to worry about that. 16:9 is used specifically to cut costs. That's also why you'll see a lot of 1080 displays. They can share panel designs with televisions.
 
G

gamingdiva

macrumors newbie
Apr 22, 2013
1
0
Raynarayan said:
I would like to suggest to go with TN or "twisted nematic
Click to expand...

A TN panel is nice... unless you need color accuracy. That being said if you don't, then something like the VS247H-P is cheap and good for under $150. Here's a good article that has some good Mac Compatible monitor choices:

http://brandonhart100.hubpages.com/hub/top-mac-monitor

It looks like there are some pretty cheap IPS options available as well...
 
M

MaxinMusicCity

macrumors regular
Mar 20, 2013
187
69
Nashville
Re Monitor for MacMini

I bought a Samsung S20B380H through BestBuy and have found it to have a beautiful display on my 2012 MacMini. The cheaper S20B350H is being used on my late 2009 Mini with equally good results. These are both 20" models but larger sizes can be found. The Prices were less than $180 each shipped.

:apple:
 
KylePowers

KylePowers

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2011
1,688
197
Don't get a TV, but get a monitor with a TV tuner. They'll typically have better refresh rates and color gamuts (since they're made with computing in mind first, rather than second). I had a 24in Samsung monitor a few years ago that was 1920x1200, and it was awesome. Had built-in speakers and a TV tuner as well, so it was great.
 
designs216

designs216

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2009
1,046
21
Down the rabbit hole
TheGreenBastard said:
No way in hell am I going to purchase the thunderbolt display, which is more expensive than the base model mini, which I'm getting (i5). So which monitor do you guys recommend?


Also, any recommendations on additional ram? I don't think think paying $100 for a 4 gb upgrade is worth it. And mouse/keyboard setup? Not a huge fan of the wireless Apple mouse and keyboard, which are $69.99 each. Any suggestions for those? I feel like I can probably get a better mouse/keyboard for cheaper.

This is my first Mac, so go easy on me.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well the Dell U2410 won't win any points with monitor snobs but I think it's a decent display with lots connections and 3 year warranty. Crucial is a good place to get RAM and even has a handy configuration tool right on their home page. OWC is another good vendor for RAM. I like the Apple extended keyboard but you could go to Best Buy and try the non-Mac offerings as they will work with your Mini. Like you, I'm not crazy about the Mac mouse -- I switch back and forth between it and the MS Wireless Mouse 5000.
 
W

Weerez935

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2012
187
0
TheGreenBastard said:
No way in hell am I going to purchase the thunderbolt display, which is more expensive than the base model mini, which I'm getting (i5). So which monitor do you guys recommend?


Also, any recommendations on additional ram? I don't think think paying $100 for a 4 gb upgrade is worth it. And mouse/keyboard setup? Not a huge fan of the wireless Apple mouse and keyboard, which are $69.99 each. Any suggestions for those? I feel like I can probably get a better mouse/keyboard for cheaper.

This is my first Mac, so go easy on me.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
This is what I'm going to get:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=140913504191
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom