I have a mid 2014 21.5 inch iMac that I want to replace. I am considering a new mac mini with a new monitor. I have always been an iMac guy so I have no experience matching monitors to a mac mini. My needs, I think, are modest. I don't game, edit videos, do complex photo stuff, etc. I am an attorney with aging eyes whose only uses are email, word processing, web surfing, PDF reading, Skype/zoom/MS teams video chats, video/you tube consumption. The monitor must have a web cam, mic, and speakers. The performance and text clarity must not be below that of an (older) iMac, but I don't want to pay for performance I don't need or won't discern. I will also want to move up to the 24 to 32 inch range, and ideally it will be just plug and go. In short, I want to plug in the monitor and have an iMac-like experience. Any recommendations? Note: my motivation in moving to a mac mini is that it seems that the monitors last much longer than the computer. I will buy a low end mac mini - don't need high performance and storage - and will be able to get a new one sooner than I can afford to replace an entire iMac.
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Help me pick a monitor for new mac mini to be similar to iMac mid 2014 21.5 inch
- Thread starter wjrlaw
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If you want 32", I recommend a (non-4k) 1440p "QHD" display.
LOTS of screen real estate with these and text is very readable.
If you want 4k (the equivalent of "retina"), then get a 27" 4k display. It will "look like" 1080p, but text and images will be very sharp.
A list that might be of some help:
IPS Monitor List: Best AHVA, PLS & IPS LCD Displays
LOTS of screen real estate with these and text is very readable.
If you want 4k (the equivalent of "retina"), then get a 27" 4k display. It will "look like" 1080p, but text and images will be very sharp.
A list that might be of some help:
IPS Monitor List: Best AHVA, PLS & IPS LCD Displays
I have been contemplating this for 2 days now. I went with a pair of 4k Dell U2720QM 27 Inch UltraSharp 4K, they have VESA mount capability, USB-C Display Port, lots of connectivity. I hope this Mac Mini is faster than my 2015 MacBook Pro. It's feeling sluggish after the last round of updates of the OS. I couldn't wait any longer for a Mx Series 16" MacBook Pro. I am in the middle of building XCode Apps.
I have old eyes too.
My main monitor today is a Dell S3320DGF, a 32" QHD (2560x1440p) monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate. While it is considered an excellent gaming monitor it is quite capable for general purpose productivity tasks:
www.tomshardware.com
Read the review very carefully as it does not fulfill your entire wishlist of features. I run this monitor at its native resolution.
As far as I know, there are very few quality monitors with built-in webcams. You will have a much broader range of choices if you loosen your criteria and consider an add-on webcam. Note that built-in monitor webcams are usually very restrictive for adjustments.
My last Dell monitor lasted thirteen years before it died.
My backup monitor which lives in another room is an LG 27UL850-W, a 27" UHD (4K@60Hz) monitor that does have speakers but no webcam. This is considered a fine productivity monitor although it has adaptive sync. On my Mac, this functions as a HiDPI monitor, thus the 3840x2160p display has a "user interface looks like 1920x1080p" which effectively makes it a Retina monitor.
The 32" monitor is rather big but I've placed it back farther on my desk than the 27" monitor.
You are really going to limit your choices to a handful of options by insisting on the built-in webcam.
But so be it.
Best of luck.
My main monitor today is a Dell S3320DGF, a 32" QHD (2560x1440p) monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate. While it is considered an excellent gaming monitor it is quite capable for general purpose productivity tasks:
Dell S3220DGF Gaming Monitor Review: High-Performance Work and Play
A 32-incher fit for office work and speedy gaming.
Read the review very carefully as it does not fulfill your entire wishlist of features. I run this monitor at its native resolution.
As far as I know, there are very few quality monitors with built-in webcams. You will have a much broader range of choices if you loosen your criteria and consider an add-on webcam. Note that built-in monitor webcams are usually very restrictive for adjustments.
My last Dell monitor lasted thirteen years before it died.
My backup monitor which lives in another room is an LG 27UL850-W, a 27" UHD (4K@60Hz) monitor that does have speakers but no webcam. This is considered a fine productivity monitor although it has adaptive sync. On my Mac, this functions as a HiDPI monitor, thus the 3840x2160p display has a "user interface looks like 1920x1080p" which effectively makes it a Retina monitor.
The 32" monitor is rather big but I've placed it back farther on my desk than the 27" monitor.
You are really going to limit your choices to a handful of options by insisting on the built-in webcam.
But so be it.
Best of luck.
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I don’t think you will find built-in webcams on the latest good monitors because they all have minimal bezels now, unlike the iMac. I have a logitech 1080P webcam (922) that also has quality mic. The monitor above looks to be a good choice from @Erehy Dobon . My webcam was $60 before they became such a hot item.