2018 Mac Mini with a large display?

[MikeGS3]

Hi guys,

I’m looking for some help. I want to replace my 2015 27inch 5k iMac with a new Mini and monitor. I run my iMac resolution at 2048 x 1152 (as below) and sit just over a meter away. But ideally I want a larger monitor that I could still give a similar resolution. I’m happy to go as large as 43 or 46, and setting it further back. Can the Mini support that size and a suitable resolution without an extenal GP?

I'm pretty useless on monitor tech (deu to using iMacs for the last 6 years), so don't really understand all this resolution stuff. I don't really care about 5k necesarill, it's mor important for me to get a large display and be able to sit further away (for optimized mixing stuido ergonmics and accoustics purposes).

Any advice appreciated

 

[gusping]

Providing you have at least 16GB RAM and don't do anything that's graphics intensive, any scaling on a 4K monitor is fine.

 

[bigtomato]

I would agree you need the 16gb of ram. I have a setup with 4k but with 32" monitor and works great. At the end of the day don't think it makes a difference what size of monitor because 4k pushes the same amount of pixels regardless. Thus far work like a charm. I opted for the i3, quad core and have done video editing and other things with no problem. Very inexpensive compared to iMac.

 

[Fishrrman]

If you want a LARGE display, you might consider full 4k (running pixel-for-pixel) on a 43"-50" display... possibly a high quality 4k tv.

For anything smaller than 43" (you might get away with 40"), I would think 4k (at full resolution) would be just "too small" to be useful or pleasant on the eyes.

Speaking only for myself (with 70-year-old vision), I prefer 1080p on 27", or 1440p on 32".
But that's just me.

 

[MikeGS3]

Thanks guys that’s great. I know what to start looking for now!

I plan on buying the i7 6 Core Mac Mini with 8GB of Apple Ram, and upgrading it with 2 x 16GB sticks from Crucial.

I will be using it mostly for music production using Logic Pro.

 

[gusping]

Thanks guys that’s great. I know what to start looking for now!

I plan on buying the i7 6 Core Mac Mini with 8GB of Apple Ram, and upgrading it with 2 x 16GB sticks from Crucial.

I will be using it mostly for music production using Logic Pro.

Sounds perfect, enjoy! Decided on the screen size yet? A nice 32" 4K monitor should be good enough for you. I don't think you need to go all out and go 40+"

 

[MikeGS3]

So I think I may settle on this 4k TV. Seems to have good reviews whereever I search.

Samsung UE43NU7400 43-Inch 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart TV

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07D769...olid=3J27Z54ORQCPB&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
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Sounds perfect, enjoy! Decided on the screen size yet? A nice 32" 4K monitor should be good enough for you. I don't think you need to go all out and go 40+"

Cheers. I'm not sure how big I need to go, so I thought about going 43 to position the monitor a good 1 meter 25cm away. I'm nostsure I could easily read the fonts in Logic that far away on a 32 inc, but I just don't know at this stage, so might be a bit of trial and error.

 

[mickgonzo]

Thanks guys that’s great. I know what to start looking for now!

I plan on buying the i7 6 Core Mac Mini with 8GB of Apple Ram, and upgrading it with 2 x 16GB sticks from Crucial.

I will be using it mostly for music production using Logic Pro.

I don’t think the new Mac Mini’s are upgradable. Your pretty much stuck however you buy it. I believe everything is soldered onto the logic board.

 

[DeltaMac]

I don’t think the new Mac Mini’s are upgradable. Your pretty much stuck however you buy it. I believe everything is soldered onto the logic board.

That would be incorrect. The 2018 mini has RAM in sockets, not soldered.

 

[MikeGS3]

That would be incorrect. The 2018 mini has RAM in sockets, not soldered.

Correct, there a few Youtube vids, showing the whole end 2 end process. It's a little involved, but worth it for the cost saving, especially if you want 32GB or more.

 

[harriska2]

I have the 40” 4k on the mini and love it.

 

[Robejazz]

So I think I may settle on this 4k TV. Seems to have good reviews whereever I search.

Samsung UE43NU7400 43-Inch 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart TV

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07D769...olid=3J27Z54ORQCPB&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
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Here’s a question I have .... I’m not very monitor knowledgeable either so maybe someone can chime in. Would the TV linked above work as a Smart TV And a monitor ? Not at the same time, of course, but I’d like to have both options on my desk. How it displays my computer is important to me .... I have the LG 4K that Apple sells. Will this look similar as a monitor.

Thanks.

 

[harriska2]

I have the older 40” 4k Samsung version and yes, it works as a full on smart tv. I hook an ethernet to it and it lets me connect to netflix, amazon, etc. using a nice remote. No picture-in-picture while using it on a computer - it might be different with the newer version. Mine has this external hdmi connector box and using the remote, I can switch between 4 computers. Sadly, I have 3 connected. Geez, I’m a computer hog. I love it. Pretty good quality, not as nice as my son’s mbp retina but it is very useable.

 

[MikeGS3]

Hi Guys,

I ended up buying this Samsung 40inchSamsung UE40NU7120.

I haven't got my Mini yet, that should arrive next week sometime. I've tested it with my work Dell laptop running Windows 10, the display settings says it's running at 3840 x 2160 at 60Hz, I'm using this HDMI cable: [URL='https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FK0YGLO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1']HDMI Cable 4K Ultra HD -4m HDMI Cord - compatible with (HDMI 2.0a/b, 2.0, 1.4a, 4K HDMI Cable, HDMI to HDMI, 4K@60HZ,1080p FullHD, UHD, 3D, High Speed[/URL], which says it should be able to run at 60Hz up to 3ft... but the cable is actually 4ft. And the resolution the Samsung UE40NU7120 is reporting is only 30Hz.

Would this be solely down to the cable, do you think or could there be something else at play?

So far it looks like the screen size fits my needs, but will only know fully once I get the Mac Mini and test it with that.

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[harriska2]

My 40” Samsung had to be set to - is it UHD? - to do 60. Look through the Samsung menu or google it. My mini and 2 other Windows 7 machines all do 60 at 38xx x 2xxx

 

[MikeGS3]

Hi Guys,

My Mini arrived a little over a week ago. I spec'd it as i7 6 core, 512 SSD and added 32GB of Crucial RAM. As mentioned in a previous post, I'm running it with this Samsung 40'" monitor Samsung UE40NU7120 at 3480 x 2160 @ 60HZ.

I am finding however when on the web especially forums such as this, or busy websites, when loading new or refreshing pages, the fans are running quite loud. Does anyone think getting an eGPU would help improve on this?

I also use the machine to run Logic Pro music production sessions and the fans are running quite hard when I have a relatively busy session going. So I'm keen to try and improve on this even if it means paying out. I've looked into:

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8G GDDR5 Dual HDMI/DVI-D/Dual DP Graphics Card and
Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box, Thunderbolt 3-to eGPU PCIe Card Expansion System (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

Thanks in advance

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[harriska2]

I’ve never heard my fan and I have a 40” Samsung running at the same resolution. Even when converting movies I don’t hear it. And I certainly can hear high frequencies. Weird.

 

[macdos]

Might be an Adblock extension going at 100% on a core. Take a look in the Activity monitor.

I switched to Ad and stuff blocker when I saw that Adblock behaved like this.

Hi Guys,

My Mini arrived a little over a week ago. I spec'd it as i7 6 core, 512 SSD and added 32GB of Crucial RAM. As mentioned in a previous post, I'm running it with this Samsung 40'" monitor Samsung UE40NU7120 at 3480 x 2160 @ 60HZ.

I am finding however when on the web especially forums such as this, or busy websites, when loading new or refreshing pages, the fans are running quite loud. Does anyone think getting an eGPU would help improve on this?

I also use the machine to run Logic Pro music production sessions and the fans are running quite hard when I have a relatively busy session going. So I'm keen to try and improve on this even if it means paying out. I've looked into:

Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8G GDDR5 Dual HDMI/DVI-D/Dual DP Graphics Card and
Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box, Thunderbolt 3-to eGPU PCIe Card Expansion System (GPU-350W-TB3Z)

Thanks in advance

 

[MikeGS3]

You have the exact set up I'm working towards (including the 40"+ screen) , so I'm really curious as to why your fan is working overtime. When you hear your fan running hard, would you mind posting a screenshot of your activity monitor, sorted by CPU? Let activity monitor run for 30 seconds or so before you take the screenshot.

Usually for me, when the fan is roaring and I'm browsing the web, it's some tab on my browser that's eating up the CPU (It's usually Chrome. Safari's better about it.)

I will do. Also I’ll give Safari a go. I typically use Firefox.

 

[MikeGS3]

Hi Guys,

It seems as though either with just doing a restart of the Mini (not the fist one, but maybe I had installed a few audio apps since the last) or with the latest version of OSX Mohave 10.14.4, this has drastically improved the fan issues. They are literally whisper quiet now, on both web browsing and running Logic Pro.

In the release notes Apple do say they fixed some issues with various Macs running external displays, so something tells me this might be related. Thought I'd update as it may help other users too.

Anyway for now I am definitely in the happy camp with my purchases. Hopefully it will stay that way.

 

[archer75]

I use a 34" dell ultrawide at 3440x1440. Works great!

 

[petercw2]

this is a helpful thread as I've been considering a Mini w/ a 43" 4K/HDR display from Vizio or TCL (crazy good bargains) - but worry what the trade offs will be. *subscribed*

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[petercw2]

Do you have links to the specific displays you're considering?

Sure

TCL 43" 5 Series
Vizio 43" e-Series

Both of these can be had for well under $500. Both are not just 4K and HDR but Dolby Vision compatible. I have the 55" 6series TCL and it is the most ridiculous bang for the buck I've ever found in all my snobby audio/video-phile existence. What I'm concerned about is 1) the mini's ability to run this without tons of fan noise/heat and 2) the resolution/DPI/font issue. This will be mounted on a wall about 24" from my desk chair and I fear the only way I'll ever know is to just buy the stuff, set it up and try it. But always lurk around these forums for like-minded people who may have already done that.
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TCL 43" 5 Series
Vizio 43" e-Series

I'll add what I've commented on in other similar threads. The DPI for these is 102, which is basically the same as my 2011 27" iMac (109), and I'm happy with so I assume I would be with these as well. But the new iMacs at 5K 27" are pushing >200DPI - but I love screen property and the idea of a 43" screen with different windows for multitasking (hey, the 2pm EPL game in an upper window!) seems to be a dreamy solve. but. I'm sure there are many here who would encourage otherwise and those are the reasons I am seeking out.