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Looking for a 1440 @ 6o Hz Display for 2014 Mac-mini and 2018 MacBook Pro

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bubbahotep68

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 18, 2007
46
27
Greetings!

When the pandemic hit and I started working from home, I purchased a 4K display from Monoprice to use with my 2018 15" MacBook Pro.

I've never been super happy with the display. It never has been as sharp and clear as I had hoped (I was hoping 4K would bring near Retina-like clarity and of course it didn't.) Instead of running at 4K I have to run it 1440 so that I can read text without straining. I also had to replace my USB-C dock with one that supported 60 Hz. The dock I was using only supported 30 Hz and at that rate I had two choices--super blurry "low resolution" options at 60Hz or sharper resolutions at a very jittery 30 Hz. Replacing my USB-C dock with a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 dock got me to 60Hz with the display which helped immensely.

Since then, I have purchased a 2014 Mac-mini (2.6 GHz Core i5, 16 GB of RAM, Intel Iris Graphics) for my kids to use. I've set it up at my desk. When I connect the Monoprice display to this Mac-mini using a DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort cable, I am not given 1440 @ 60Hz as an option to pick from. I can choose 1080 @ 60 Hz. If I hold down the Option key and click on scaled or use a 3rd party utility such as EasyRes, I can pick a "low resolution" 1440 @ 60 Hz which looks absolutely horrible. My options via HDMI are similar.

On top of all of this, the display has started running hot and is making a buzzing noise. Monorprice no longer carriers this model of display. They are willing to take it back and give me a store credit for the display IF I can ship it back in the original box with all accessories. No replacement display. No credit to my credit card. Anyway...

I am therefore looking for a display that both my 2014 Mac mini and and 2018 MacBook Pro can run at 1440 at 60Hz. (The Mac mini is supposed to be capable of this via its Thunderbolt 2 ports.) Hopefully without breaking the bank.
 
I have an Asus PB258Q that fits those specs. It is a 25" 2560x1440, 60Hz. Height adjustment slides about 5", rotates 90 degrees, tilt and swivel. I use it for Photoshop editing, some spread sheets, business stuff, etc., running out of a 2012 MacBook Pro with displayport connection. It also connects via hdmi, vga, and dvi. I've had it about 3 years, I love it. Runs about $300. https://www.asus.com/us/Commercial-Monitors/PB258Q/
 
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justashooter said:
I have an Asus PB258Q that fits those specs. It is a 25" 2560x1440, 60Hz. Height adjustment slides about 5", rotates 90 degrees, tilt and swivel. I use it for Photoshop editing, some spread sheets, business stuff, etc., running out of a 2012 MacBook Pro with displayport connection. It also connects via hdmi, vga, and dvi. I've had it about 3 years, I love it. Runs about $300. https://www.asus.com/us/Commercial-Monitors/PB258Q/
Click to expand...


Thanks for the suggestion. I will check it out. I was looking at the ASUS ProArt display. I figured my MacBook Pro would run it at 60Hz. The question is will the Mac-mini?
 
It may also be that Apple did not implemented a driver to run that resolution with a higher res screen. Testing with my screen, running a lower resolution than its native 2560x1440, the graphics and especially the text turns to mush. The HDMI connection on the 2014 mini will drive 4k but only at 30Hz. With the Asus PB258Q you could have the MBP plugged in via minidisplayport and the Mini via HDMI, then use the monitor menu to change the input to use. From reading some forums the mini should supply 2560x1440 via hdmi.
 
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My recommendation for 1440p is a NON-RETINA, NON4k "native 1440p" resolution display in the 32" size.

A list that might be of some help:

IPS Monitors: List of the Best LCD Panels

Updated list of IPS monitors (also AHVA, PLS and other In-Plane Switching based tech) that offer the best color accuracy and wide viewing angles.
www.pchardwarehelp.com www.pchardwarehelp.com
 
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theSeb said:
I am pretty sure that your Mac Mini only supported 4K at 30 Hertz via the Thunderbolt 2 ports as well. The internet here says the same

Can the Mac Mini (Late 2014) support 4k d… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com discussions.apple.com

So buying at non 4K monitor with a native 1440p resolution would be the best course of action as per the last post above
Click to expand...


I guess this is where I made my mistake in thinking. I knew that the Mac-mini could not drive a 4K display at 60 Hz via HDMI; only 30 Hz. I thought that 60 Hz was supported via Mini DisplayPort, maybe not at 2160 but at other resolutions such as 1440 and 1600; however, I did not think this was dependent on the native resolution of the monitor. That was my mistake. My Mac-mini sees the display as 4K (as all of those pixels need data) no matter what resolution I set it to.
 
Running a 4K Display in one of the “scaled retina’ resolutions is still 4K with some clever scaling. Running that monitor at a non scaled lesser resolution will result in a garbage experience, as you have discovered.
 
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Some of the displays on these lists run at 75 Hz or 144 Hz. Obviously the Mac mini cannot drive the screen at that rate. How does it affect the image of one of these displays if it is driven at just 60 Hz?
 
I cannot speak for all displays nor your Mac mini 2014 however running 30Hz on my Mac mini 2018 looks fine. I just tried it then switched it back to 144Hz.

This display (Dell S3320DGF) is a 32" QHD (2560 x 1440 pixel) monitor that runs at 165Hz via the DisplayPort connector (my gaming PC drives that port).
 
Apart from paying more (potentially unnecessarily unless you have a gaming PC too) it will be perfectly fine. Refresh rate does not impact the picture quality, only the motion
 
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It's noteworthy that of the three main LCD panel types (TN, VA, IPS), the most expensive display technology (IPS) is the one with the slowest refresh rate.

The cheap TN panels have the best response performance. The VA panels have the best contrast. Each technology has improved over the years and there's more overlap, especially between VA and IPS panels.

A cheap LCD monitor will likely support refresh rates beyond 60Hz.

Personally, I would opt for a monitor that isn't a model that fulfills the bare minimum specifications since I tend to hold onto monitors for a long time (I bought a Dell 24" 1080p monitor in 2005 that died thirteen years later).
 
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I have a Dell S2719DC display. It's 27", 1440p @ 60 Hz, and has both USB-C and HDMI inputs. It's also super bright so I can use it during the daytime in my office that's half windows. It also uses almost no electricity. I highly recommend it!

www.dell.com

Computer Accessories and Peripherals

Shop Dell’s high-quality computer accessories like keyboards, mice, webcams, batteries and more. Enjoy great deals and build your ideal PC setup for home or business.
www.dell.com
 
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There is another thing that we haven't discussed much and that is blurry/not sharp text on non-retina resolutions in Mac OS.

If you search through this subsection (accessories) you will see people complaining about the text blurriness

example:
forums.macrumors.com

External Display Recommendations - Ultra Widescreen vs Retina

Hey all! I'm in the market for a new monitor. My primary computer usage is for software development. I've been racking my brain, looking at all sorts of monitors, and was wondering what y'all are using, or if there are any in particular that you love or I should avoid. Based on prices I've seen...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

Let me share my thoughts. My work consists of staring at text all day. Most of it in an IDE, but also some Excel, Powerpoint, Word and email.

I have a 4K Dell monitor running at scaled "retina" resolution and it looks fabulous. Next to it I have my old 24" 1920x1200 Apple Cinema Display that my wife bought for me ages ago. The wife gets upset if I get rid of anything she bought as a gift, even if they are outdated electronics, so I hold onto it because it refuses to stop working. Of course the text looks much better and sharper on the Dell, but I does not look bad on the ACD. It's just not as sharp.
 
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