Looking for an ideal monitor for a Mac Mini M4

[stop.the.clocks]

Hi guys,

The 'Studio Display' is just miles beyond my means. I've am using a pair of nice 27" Dell monitor in and am very happy with the dual monitor display setup. However I'd like to go 32"

So, I'm hoping someone can eliminate some confusion for me here.

With the example below, about half way down the page they have noted:

"Works with devices on macOS®*
Tested with devices on macOS, this USB-C monitor is ready-to-work with Mac® devices."

However, this is isn't mentioned in the 32" variation.

Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC

Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC | Dell USA

Shop the Dell 27 inch 4K USB-C Monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium, 120Hz refresh rate, dual 5W speakers, and 4-star eye comfort.

www.dell.com

So, which is the variable here to look out for?

Also, for what reason will some work with it and others will not?

I have 'BetterDisplay' installed and it is a wonder of an application, allowing variable resolution and scaling. So I'm wondering if the issue can be solved with a software solution.

Many thanks

 

[gilby101]

In your title you say "ideal". With a Mac that means 27" 5K or 32" 6K. Anything else is a compromise around text size and fuzziness - this may or may not matter, only you can decide.

Don't dismiss 5K 27" without looking at those from Samsung, ASUS, etc. which are similar in price to the Dell 32" 4K.

Regarding 4K monitors, pretty much any are compatible with Macs. Both say compatible with macOS with the caveat that not all features may work. I was going to say that Dell is always a safe and good choice and that the 32" is just as compatible as the 27". But I do notice that the 32" has a very different audio configuration and power. You need to ask how compatible that is with a Mac - probably not using its full features.

Other differences are the inbuilt USB hub (5 Gb/s in both cases) and power delivery.

If you do much photo or video work you will want to look at the colour spec, which looks better with the 32" (99% DCI-P3).

 

[drrich2]

ASUS is expected to release a 6k 32” display for around $1,200.

5K 27” displays can be had from ASUS, Viewsonic, BenQ and some others.

I’m not knocking the Dell you mentioned, just wanted to be sure you knew a 6K 32” is expected from ASUS.

 

[stop.the.clocks]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys 🙂

@gilby101 - "Ideal" was too ambiguous, when using the word I had this table in mind. Ie. Retina display compatible.

Mac external displays for designers and developers

If you’re considering an external display for your Mac, there’s a few important decisions to make. Apple doesn’t sell external displays any more, so you can’t just default to their wisdom. That’s an issue, because not all displays are well suited for Macs.

bjango.com

My budget is around $500AUD (give or take)

I'm wondering if there were any other recommendations.

Regarding the 27" models that you mention. I also have a A Samsung, though it is 4K, not 5K.

I suppose what I also mean when saying "ideal" is to get as much out of the Mac Mini M4's capabilities as possible, but I really do prefer a 32", since buying 2x 27" 5K monitors would be out of my price range.

@drrich2 Thanks for the heads-up. The monitors you mention would be awesome but too much for what I need.

 

[ajr123]

I don't think you'll find any monitor in the same ball park as $500AUD that meets the recommendations of 220ppi in the bjango site you linked to.

220ppi, particularly for a 32" monitor = top of the price range

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"My budget is around $500AUD (give or take)"

If you like the 27" displays you have now, perhaps you'd better stick with them.
Hmmm...
I don't see you mentioning whether these two displays are 4k or 1080p ??

If they're 1080p, then perhaps you might prefer a single 4k 32" display?

Be aware that Acer will be releasing the first 32" 5k display sometime this year:
Predator XB323QX, scroll down the page:

Acer Announces Predator Helios AI Laptops with New Intel Core Ultra Processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs

Acer also announced the all-new slim Predator Helios Neo 16S AI laptop and Predator XB323QX gaming monitor

news.acer.com

No idea as to what the price will be yet.

 

[marvin_h]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys 🙂

@gilby101 - "Ideal" was too ambiguous, when using the word I had this table in mind. Ie. Retina display compatible.

Mac external displays for designers and developers

If you’re considering an external display for your Mac, there’s a few important decisions to make. Apple doesn’t sell external displays any more, so you can’t just default to their wisdom. That’s an issue, because not all displays are well suited for Macs.

bjango.com

My budget is around $500AUD (give or take)

I'm wondering if there were any other recommendations.

Regarding the 27" models that you mention. I also have a A Samsung, though it is 4K, not 5K.

I suppose what I also mean when saying "ideal" is to get as much out of the Mac Mini M4's capabilities as possible, but I really do prefer a 32", since buying 2x 27" 5K monitors would be out of my price range.

@drrich2 Thanks for the heads-up. The monitors you mention would be awesome but too much for what I need.

On a lark I decided to pick up a 40" Vizio 4k TV. It has a 4-4-4 color input mode, so my Mac was able to send it a proper computer signal. (It's also a wide color and HDR display, should I want to use it that way.) And it has a lot of internal controls for things like color space tracking, grayscale and white point adjustment, if I want to bust out a light meter and calibration software.

I was really surprised how well this $200 USD display looks. Is it as good as my sisters official Apple Studio display? Probably not. But I'm not doing professional color grading of Hollywood movies. And my monitor cost almost TEN TIMES LESS than hers (and mine is much larger -- its like having two displays in one.)

Really the only downside is that it does NOT automatically turn on when I wake my computer up. I have to press the power button on the display. (That said, it DOES turn itself off automatically when my Mac sleeps.)

The purists may purse their lips at this blasphemy, but for my budget it was a home run.