32 inch monitor 4k or QHD for 2018 Mac mini

[davidjacobs21]

I have a 2018 Mac mini on the way to me. Right now I have 27inch phd monitor. I want to upgrade to 32 inch. Im wondering if I should get 4k or QHD in the 32 inch size. Does the Mac mini run better on either one. Which resolution would you suggest. The Mac I'm getting has 8gb of ram but I will probably upgrade that myself.

Thanks

 

[Boyd01]

I went with a 32" QHD (2560x1440) screen and love it. Text is a good size to read while sitting a reasonable distance away from a big screen, the dot pitch is about the same as a 24" 1080x1920 screen. Am sure that 4k would still be readable, but everything would be a bit smaller than I prefer and I'd probably end up sitting pretty close - but this is all a matter of personal preference, and I'm in my 70's. Regardless, I'd get whatever looks best to you at the native resolution. IMO, you should avoid using scaled resolutions with the Mini's internal graphics chip, it has to work harder which affects performance and raises temperature.

 

[ashleykaryl]

Unless you have really excellent eyesight the QHD is going to be much easier to work with for text size and it's sharp enough for general usage. I wish Apple would include a simple text size option within the OS like they do for laptops when using external displays. That way you could have 4K and larger text.

EDIT: Scratch that last comment. I just hooked the mini up to a 4K 27" BenQ I have here and it gave the option for text sizing just like on the laptop. I tried it in the past on my Mac Pro that runs Mojave and it wasn't possible, so I don't know if this came with Catalina or simply on newer machines. At that point I would say you should be fine with either QHD or 4K.

 

[Boyd01]

I just hooked the mini up to a 4K 27" BenQ I have here and it gave the option for text sizing just like on the laptop.

Where are you seeing the text size option? Are you saying there's a global way to change the text size in the Finder and all applications? I didn't think that was possible either. When I got my 11" MacBook Air in 2013, I found text hard to read and was able to adjust the size within various applications, but not globally.

Now, if you go to the Display Preference pane, you can choose a scaled resolution for the monitor, but this is a bad idea IMO, for the reasons I posted above.

 

[ashleykaryl]

It was under the display settings in system preferences as shown in the attachment, however this only appears when hooked up to the 4K display and I don't have this option on the QHD display. I am hooked up to the 4K display now as I type this and it's super sharp, but with good text size for old eyes.

It may also be that this option wasn't available when I tried on the Mac Pro because that has a 3rd party RX560 graphics card. I had long been under the impression this was only possible with the laptops and it was only after reading this thread that I figured it was worth trying again.

I've just checked a few apps and this appears to be system wide looking great. I'll report back later if I find anything further of interest.

 

[aevan]

I have a 2018 Mac mini on the way to me. Right now I have 27inch phd monitor. I want to upgrade to 32 inch. Im wondering if I should get 4k or QHD in the 32 inch size. Does the Mac mini run better on either one. Which resolution would you suggest. The Mac I'm getting has 8gb of ram but I will probably upgrade that myself.

Thanks

For 32” - definitely 4K. At that size you’ll notice the benefits of higher resolution and new macOS is really made for retina screens.

 

[Boyd01]

It was under the display settings in system preferences as shown in the attachment

OK, thanks for the screenshot. But that is not a "text size" setting however. It is just showing text thumbnails as an example of what a scaled resolution will look like. That setting doesn't change the text size, it scales everything (pictures and text) to the size you select.

This brings me back to what I have posted above - it's a bad idea to use scaled resolutions on the new Mini. The graphics chip needs to work harder to change the scale of everything. This results in performance and heat problems, and when it gets hot the fans will run on high. This has been discussed a lot here, it's a limitation of the onboard Intel graphics chip. Computers with dedicated graphics cards (like the iMac and MacBook Pro) can handle this better, or you could add an external GPU on the Mini.

 

[ashleykaryl]

I assure you it changes the size of the text within the interface.

 

[Boyd01]

OK, sorry I don't have a 4k screen or a retina Mac so I haven't seen that option before. But I see there is actually an option like this now. However, the question remains about how much harder the graphics chip has to work and what problems that might cause. There are several threads here about performance issues when using the scaled settings, and since I don't have a 4k screen I haven't followed them too closely.

 

[ashleykaryl]

I've not used it for more than 5 minutes and that was nothing especially demanding. It seemed fine from what I saw, however I'll give it another go later. The reason I ended up with a 32" QHD previously was that the interface was far too small for comfort on the Mac Pro, which lacks this option with a 4K display.

If you want to work with heavy video etc the mini might struggle with this, but I would be surprised if it was a problem for general use.

 

[Boyd01]

Big 13-page thread on 4k monitor issues here. Like I said, have not followed it too closely but might be worth a read if you're considering buying one.

Officially giving up on the Mac Mini 2018 + 4K monitor dream

I'm getting the i5 Mac Mini and will probably stay at 8 gigs of RAM for a while. I buying this computer as a desktop replacement for media consumption and word processing for the next 6-8 years. I was dreaming of getting something like the LG 27UK850 4K monitor and scale it at 1440p so that...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Monotremata]

I just got a 27" IPS Samsung last week and have been running it at the scaled setting that 'looks like QHD', haven't really noticed any drag in performance or serious heating in Logic Pro so far. Guess it depends on what you're doing with it though, Im not a '100 tracks and 50 virtual instruments per song' type. Been playing a bunch of the Baldur's Gate remaster and a lot of MAME, doesn't seem any worse. Mac gets hot while playing but it did that with my old 1080 32" Samsung TV too. If I see anything start to choke guess I can always turn it back up. Its not bad, just a little more straining when it comes to reading. But then again, I am overdue for a new eye prescription heh.

 

[Machspeed007]

There's a night and day difference in running a 4k monitor on the mini with or without an eGPU. At least in my experience.

 

[Fishrrman]

"wondering if I should get 4k or QHD in the 32 inch size. Does the Mac mini run better on either one. Which resolution would you suggest."

I suggest a NON 4k 32" display. In other words "QHD".
It will look good at native resolution 2550x1440, and because it's not scaling it will be a very "light load" on the Mini's internal GPU.

If you get a 4k 32" display, BE AWARE that the Mac OS will present it in HiDPI mode ("looks like 1080p") as the "default". Text will be sharp, but LARGER. You may not like this.

Of course, you can then "scale" the display to "looks like 1440p", but this is going to "put the load on" the GPU. The Mini may run hotter and noisier as the fans speed up under load.

RE RAM:
You'll want at least 16gb for the best performance (since the Mini automatically "ropes off" 1.5gb of RAM for GPU use). I got 16gb "from the factory" because of the hazards of opening/installing additional RAM (some get the job done without problems, but others "go in" and then break something in the process...)

 

[davidjacobs21]

Thanks for all the suggestions. My minis is coming in today. Right now I'm looking at these two LG Monitors. First one is QHD and the second is 4k. What does everyone think? Im upgrading the ram too. Just haven't decided if Im going to 16gb or 32gb. I don't do any video editing or anything really strenuous.

1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088YN9LBK/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088G1PKKN/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[iMi]

Well, I have the LG monitor in the 27" variant, which I will be selling because I also have the 5K UltraFine. I was going to use the LG for the PC beast, as a gaming device, but the refresh rate and lack of gaming features pushed me to buy a QHD gaming monitor anyway. Plus, I went from 27" to 32" for more immersive experience.

Having said that, if you plan on working on the Mac (and even do decent, non-competitive gaming) then you should go with the 4K LG. You can adjust the scaling. The difference in image quality will be palatable. It took me a long time to get used to the reduced resolution on the PC rig. I still can't stand it for anything other than games. I have been spoiled by the 5K iMac, now the MBP and the UltraFine.

I find the crisp screen to leave me less tired and with fewer tension headaches at the end of a long day. That is my personal experience, of course. Another way to look it is this - you can always run the 4K monitor at QHD resolution, but you will never be able to run the QHD monitor at 4K, no matter what you do.

Edit: Also consider pixel density. QHD will look sharper on 24" or 27" monitor then it will on something as large as 32" because you have a lot more real estate to cover with the same number of pixels. This is typically offset by the viewing distance, but if you use the machine for productivity then you'll want to sit closer to the monitor and take advantage of the real estate, which is what I do. That's when higher pixel density will pay off, in my opinion.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Right now I'm looking at these two LG Monitors"

If it was me, I'd look at something else other than LG.

I've only had experience with one LG product (a 26" tv), and that proved to be so unsatisfactory that I'll never buy one of their products again.
But perhaps that's just me.

I'd suggest either Viewsonic (3-year warranty) or HP.

 

[AAtte]

32” 4k is perfectly fine with 100% scaling. I have LG 32ul950.

 

[Matfarsan]

So if I get this right If i buy a QHD monitor it will not scale on a 32" but have to scale on a 27"?

 

[Boyd01]

That is completely up to you. It depends on what size text you are comfortable with. For me, QHD on 32" screen is just about perfect.

 

[Geoc1]

Thanks for all the suggestions. My minis is coming in today. Right now I'm looking at these two LG Monitors. First one is QHD and the second is 4k. What does everyone think? Im upgrading the ram too. Just haven't decided if Im going to 16gb or 32gb. I don't do any video editing or anything really strenuous.

1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088YN9LBK/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088G1PKKN/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Which monitor did you end up going with? How did you connect the two monitors to the mini? Daisy chain or DP to MDP and HDMI to HDMI?

 

[CC88]

Go with 16 or 32gb for 4K external monitor. I saw a big difference then with 8gb base.

 

[Fishrrman]

"So if I get this right If i buy a QHD monitor it will not scale on a 32" but have to scale on a 27"?"

"QHD" is NATIVE 1440p (2560x1440) -- there is no "scaling down" of the image.
1440p looks best (to me) on a 32" display.

A "4k" display IS "scalable", regardless of the display size.
So... whether the display is 27" or 24", if it's 4k, then it's scalable, and the default image for the Mac will be "looks like 1080p".