Long time lurker ... infrequent and diffident poster. Tend to read and listen a lot and say/write very little 🤐
I am in need of some assistance/feedback on changes I would like to make to my setup.
Current setup is iMac 5K 27” 20217 i5 512GB, 32GB. Second screen is Dell P2415Q via USB-3/DP in portrait mode to right hand side. iPad Pro 12.9, iPhone 12 Pro Max and several Apple TV complete the setup. All works well.
I tend to work on code quite a bit. Not professionally but for my own projects though I am quite competent and productive. Second screen helps and I had been considering a third to left. Also was wary of change of iMac coming up as now over 3 years old and I like the kit on AppleCare coverage (as I cannot fix or service most things Apple these days, something I am not that sure of or impressed by given a desire to reduce waste and encourage reuse). Main apps and typical usage tends to be CodeRunner, VSCode, MacVIM, terminals to RPI, Dash For docs, browser for search and lookup, Marked and Pandoc etc. Nothing too onerous on hardware. Don’t do much with photos or videos other than to manage my own photos (occasional fix rather than edit), some pixel art editing for games and graphics I work on, YouTube for video.
I am resisting my desire to over-spec everything so looking at the M1 Mini with 8/256. I also like idea of a mini in the early M era as I can keep the rest of my desk and change out the mini easily enough (as close as I can get to servicing my own kit these days). Raises query on monitor.
On my Windows 10 machine (i7 Gigabye Brix, 16GB, 1TB SSD, LG 21:9 24” 2560x1080) and Raspberry PI 400 (LG 21:9 2560x1080 24”) I have 21:9 monitors. I actually prefer these to two monitors as I find I make more use of the space due to the lack of split. I also find I don’t notice the PPI or lack of highDPI and when move back to the 16:9 on iMac (even with second screen) I find I miss the expanse more than I welcome the highDPI. As long as PPI is over 100 I tend to find it usable and unobtrusive.
One thing that I really miss when I come back to Mac from Linux on PI and Windows 10 is the menu. On each the menu follows app. Even on single screen iMac the menu can demand a move in vision (up and left generally) and change in focus distance (see below) noticeable in a slight delay in focus and perceptible gap in concentration. When the monitor is in portrait 9:16 this is really exacerbated.
It made me think I could declutter my desk and consider an Ultrawide on the mini. From there it moved quickly. I like the wider 3440x1440, 3840x1440 or even the new LG 3840x1600. In 32-35” these have similar PPI to the 21:9 I use. Then there is the emerging 5120x1440 in 49” which is awesome looking. This also opens up to idea of curved or flat. On 32” flat is just about acceptable based on dimensions. Above that curve has advantages. On 49” Curve is essential. Curve also adds fixed focus which is useful as my eyes are a bit older these days and I suffer from migraines and wear intermediate glasses so like the fixed distance for focus.
Background out of the way now the questions. I cannot attend any local stores or other users to look at kit. Aside from CoVid-19 restrictions locally I have health issues and must remain very cautious so I am almost exclusively at home and online now.
Would the mini M1 in 8/256 work for my workload? I am aware I will change this as the MX comes along and would like to change early so minimise losses - SSD and memory never seem to fare well in resell and almost never work in Apple trade-in.
Does anyone have any experience of ultra wide on M1 and performance? I am sure the M1 would drive the 3440 and 3840 but wondered if it would work on the 5120?
The menu on a wide monitor would be way off to left and off the focus of the app. Does anyone have any feedback on this? Are there any solutions to adjust the menu - even an option to centre the menu bar for the app would be useful much as I do on VIM with status line and on Windows with various “tweak tools”.
Thanks in advance for any opinions and feedback.
A
I am in need of some assistance/feedback on changes I would like to make to my setup.
Current setup is iMac 5K 27” 20217 i5 512GB, 32GB. Second screen is Dell P2415Q via USB-3/DP in portrait mode to right hand side. iPad Pro 12.9, iPhone 12 Pro Max and several Apple TV complete the setup. All works well.
I tend to work on code quite a bit. Not professionally but for my own projects though I am quite competent and productive. Second screen helps and I had been considering a third to left. Also was wary of change of iMac coming up as now over 3 years old and I like the kit on AppleCare coverage (as I cannot fix or service most things Apple these days, something I am not that sure of or impressed by given a desire to reduce waste and encourage reuse). Main apps and typical usage tends to be CodeRunner, VSCode, MacVIM, terminals to RPI, Dash For docs, browser for search and lookup, Marked and Pandoc etc. Nothing too onerous on hardware. Don’t do much with photos or videos other than to manage my own photos (occasional fix rather than edit), some pixel art editing for games and graphics I work on, YouTube for video.
I am resisting my desire to over-spec everything so looking at the M1 Mini with 8/256. I also like idea of a mini in the early M era as I can keep the rest of my desk and change out the mini easily enough (as close as I can get to servicing my own kit these days). Raises query on monitor.
On my Windows 10 machine (i7 Gigabye Brix, 16GB, 1TB SSD, LG 21:9 24” 2560x1080) and Raspberry PI 400 (LG 21:9 2560x1080 24”) I have 21:9 monitors. I actually prefer these to two monitors as I find I make more use of the space due to the lack of split. I also find I don’t notice the PPI or lack of highDPI and when move back to the 16:9 on iMac (even with second screen) I find I miss the expanse more than I welcome the highDPI. As long as PPI is over 100 I tend to find it usable and unobtrusive.
One thing that I really miss when I come back to Mac from Linux on PI and Windows 10 is the menu. On each the menu follows app. Even on single screen iMac the menu can demand a move in vision (up and left generally) and change in focus distance (see below) noticeable in a slight delay in focus and perceptible gap in concentration. When the monitor is in portrait 9:16 this is really exacerbated.
It made me think I could declutter my desk and consider an Ultrawide on the mini. From there it moved quickly. I like the wider 3440x1440, 3840x1440 or even the new LG 3840x1600. In 32-35” these have similar PPI to the 21:9 I use. Then there is the emerging 5120x1440 in 49” which is awesome looking. This also opens up to idea of curved or flat. On 32” flat is just about acceptable based on dimensions. Above that curve has advantages. On 49” Curve is essential. Curve also adds fixed focus which is useful as my eyes are a bit older these days and I suffer from migraines and wear intermediate glasses so like the fixed distance for focus.
Background out of the way now the questions. I cannot attend any local stores or other users to look at kit. Aside from CoVid-19 restrictions locally I have health issues and must remain very cautious so I am almost exclusively at home and online now.
Would the mini M1 in 8/256 work for my workload? I am aware I will change this as the MX comes along and would like to change early so minimise losses - SSD and memory never seem to fare well in resell and almost never work in Apple trade-in.
Does anyone have any experience of ultra wide on M1 and performance? I am sure the M1 would drive the 3440 and 3840 but wondered if it would work on the 5120?
The menu on a wide monitor would be way off to left and off the focus of the app. Does anyone have any feedback on this? Are there any solutions to adjust the menu - even an option to centre the menu bar for the app would be useful much as I do on VIM with status line and on Windows with various “tweak tools”.
Thanks in advance for any opinions and feedback.
A
