Advice for dual monitor with new Mac mini

[ryanbsmith]

Hi everyone, I currently have a 2017 27" iMac and love the display, but I want to change my desk setup and have matching displays mounted to a monitor arm. I'm going to switch to the new Mac mini because it's finally good enough to compete with the iMac, and I've assumed that I'd be adding an eGPU to the mix.

I understand that the LG Ultrafine 5k is very close to the quality of the iMac display, but I know that the Mac mini alone can't drive them both at full resolution. After researching eGPU's I realized that the Blackmagic is the only one that has dual Thunderbolt 3 ports. The Blackmagic is expensive, its future is uncertain since the Pro version was discontinued, and the integrated card isn't upgradeable. On top of all that the Apple Store now estimates 10-12 weeks to ship!

All of these issues has me second-guessing the LG Ultrafine 5k displays -- so I'm looking for some advice...

Will I be disappointed with a 4k display after having the iMac display these past few years? If there is a 4k display that will rival the iMac's then I'd love to take a look at it.

Do I understand correctly that the Mac mini will run dual 4k displays at full resolution? I would still add an eGPU, probably the Razer Core X.

Thanks in advance for any comments!

 

[barbu]

If it was convenient, I’d just try the 4K monitor and return it if you don’t like it.

 

[frou]

The bigger (physically) the 4K display is, the less favourably it will compare to the iMac you're used to in terms of sharpness.

For a 4K (3840x2160) display to have the same pixels-per-inch figure as your iMac, it would have to be 20-inch.

IMO some of the Blackmagic range being discontinued isn't really a factor worth worrying about. The thing to worry about is the overpriced-ness. But then again, some of us that use non-Blackmagic eGPUs (e.g. me with the Sonnet) have had to spend extra to retrofit high-end PSUs and Fans to get them to be quiet.

 

[wardie]

The bigger (physically) the 4K display is, the less favourably it will compare to the iMac you're used to in terms of sharpness.

For a 4K (3840x2160) display to have the same pixels-per-inch figure as your iMac, it would have to be 20-inch.

Wow I hadn’t done the math but just did the calculation I never realised there was such a big difference in pixels from “4K” to “5K”, more than the tag implies. Goes from 8.29 Megapixels to 14.75 Megapixels, 78% increase.