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4K display scaling?
- Thread starter patseguin
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Understood...just surprised that a 2018 Mini would be so slow when you're scaling.
Go for it !!! 16 GB with 512 GB SSD seems the perfect price/performance ratio. Chose 1 TB if you feel safer.
Yeah I forgot to post what I configured. 16GB RAM and 2 TB SSD
I've got a new 4K LG monitor. Hooked it to my 2014 mini. Problem is at the 4k resolution i can't read any of the safari toolbars or mac mail. Is there a way to increase those font sizes and still keep the 4k? So far I've had to drop resolution to 1920x1080 with scaled checked. Also the refresh rate only shows 30 hertz a
I think this would be best asked in a new thread, but I'll offer my thoughts even if I'm far from an expert on the topic.
No. If you set the screen resolution in System Settings to 3840 × 2160 (4k) all elements on screen will be quite small, because there are so many pixels, and most graphic elements in macos, like menus, text, and windows have their size set in number of pixels.
(Btw, the default view in display settings is three "zoom" icons. If you cntrl-click on one of them you get your resolution options in number of pixels, and more than the three.)
There are options to have the menu bar set to 'large', and finder windows can be set to have 16 pts font size instead of the default 12, but those don't make a very big difference.
Best thing you can do is to choose the screen resolution to what works best for you, and forget about 4k. You could get a 65 inch screen, and 4k would work, but you'd get a pain in the neck, or keep the smaller screen and just move closer.
Point is, you want a high resolution, everything will be smaller.
As an example, my setup is:
Main screen is a 55" TV set to 1600 x 900. I can read text from across the room, and I use it for most things, from browsing to photo editing to mixing audio to watching tv. Underneath it I have a 32" that I can sit close to when I need finer control but it also is set to 1600 x 900.
Lots to say about this, but I'll leave it there for now.
People tend to get 4k, 5k screens thinking it must be 'better', but forget about these things. Most important thing is to get the right size monitor for the viewing distance you want, and then choose the screen resolution that fits your needs.
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Ben gives good advice.
For a 4k 27" display, the default setting is "looks like 1080p" (1920x1280).
With this setting, the pixels are "doubled" in both height and width. So each "pixel" is actually FOUR pixels. The result is a very clear image. But some folks find it to be overly "large" for their tastes (I don't).
An alternative setting might be "looks like 1440p" (2560x1440).
However, this uses "scaling" and may appear less clear to the eye than does 1080p.
Also, the Mac is using up GPU power for the image processing, and it could impact performance.
For a 4k 27" display, the default setting is "looks like 1080p" (1920x1280).
With this setting, the pixels are "doubled" in both height and width. So each "pixel" is actually FOUR pixels. The result is a very clear image. But some folks find it to be overly "large" for their tastes (I don't).
An alternative setting might be "looks like 1440p" (2560x1440).
However, this uses "scaling" and may appear less clear to the eye than does 1080p.
Also, the Mac is using up GPU power for the image processing, and it could impact performance.
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