Mac mini 2020 to new monitor. Displayport or HDMI?

[James O.]

Hey folks...

This place has been so helpful to me in the recent past, so I am back again for some of that good Mac advice!

I have the newest Mac mini and have a new Dell monitor coming soon. Pretty new model.

It has one full size displayport input, and two HDMI inputs. I'd like to get the clearest image when doing work tasks with the monitor via the Mac, and also plan to use for my PS4 and PS5 when that arrives.

Is HDMI out of the Mac mini sufficient? Will I lose anything by using the Mac mini HDMI port such as resolution?

My follow up question would be: if I decide to go with displayport on the monitor with the Mac, is it a simple matter of a USB-C cable to displayport?

Thanks very much!

 

[Erehy Dobon]

You should not lose resolution but you may not get peak refresh rates with an HDMI-to-HDMI connection depending on the resolution and refresh frequency specifications of your new monitor.

If it's a 4K @ 60Hz UHD monitor it should run fine. A different monitor might give different results.

I have

• Mac mini 2018 running Mojave 10.14.6
• Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box + Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 graphics card
• Dell S3320DGF 32" QHD monitor (2560x1440p, max. refresh 165Hz), 1x DisplayPort 1.4 connector, 2x HDMI 2.0 connectors
• custom built Windows PC with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER graphics card

I am using the DisplayPort connection with my Windows PC; I want 165Hz w/adaptive sync for gaming.

My Mac mini's HDMI port is connected directly to the monitor's first HDMI port and I am getting the slightly slower 144Hz. I'm okay with that since I don't do any gaming with my Mac mini anyhow. All of the games that I can run on the mini run better on the Windows PC.

If I turn on my eGPU, it feeds HDMI to the second HDMI port on the monitor. That also runs at 144Hz.

It's up to you to decide which device connects to which port on your new Dell monitor based on your own individual usage case.

For me, nothing I do on my Mac mini merits the best monitor connection (i.e., the DisplayPort). But that's just me...

 

[James O.]

You should not lose resolution but you may not get peak refresh rates with an HDMI-to-HDMI connection depending on the resolution and refresh frequency specifications of your new monitor.

If it's a 4K @ 60Hz UHD monitor it should run fine. A different monitor might give different results.

I have

• Mac mini 2018 running Mojave 10.14.6
• Dell S3320DGF 32" QHD monitor (2560x1440p, max. refresh 165Hz), 1x DisplayPort 1.4 connector, 2x HDMI 2.0 connectors

With an HDMI input, my monitor will run at 144Hz maximum. With a DisplayPort connection, it will run at 165Hz with adaptive sync (AMD FreeSync2 or Nvidia G-Sync Compatible).

I am using the DisplayPort connection with my Windows PC; it has a GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER card and I want 165Hz w/adaptive sync for gaming.

My Mac mini's HDMI port is connected directly to the monitor's first HDMI port and I am getting the slightly slower 144Hz. I'm okay with that since I don't do any gaming with my Mac mini anyhow. All of the games that I can run on the mini run better on the Windows PC.

My monitor thats on it's way is the Dell S2721DGF and it has the same resolution specs and yours it seems. 165 Hz and 2560x1440p. So I would expect pretty similar performance to what you're getting. Is there a specific HDMI cable that you think would be best? I am a little confused with respect to various HDMI standards. I'd like to get one for my PS4/PS5 as well to make sure everything runs it's best.

Looks as though my monitor comes with an HDMI cable, but not sure if they put something decent in the box or not.

thanks for your help!

 

[Erehy Dobon]

The Dell owner's manual will recommend that you use the cables included with the monitor which is what I'm doing. Feel free to download the manual PDF from Dell's support site while you are waiting for your monitor to be delivered.

The cables included by Dell appear to be quite good and thicker than the average cable. That is no surprise from a company like Dell. In fact, their cables are so thick I struggled a bit to get them installed in the cable raceway that I attached underneath my desk.

This is my second Dell monitor. The first one (a 24" 1080p model) lasted thirteen years.

As for your upcoming PS5, read that device's owner's manual carefully. If it comes with a cable, most likely the owner's manual will also recommend you to use the included cable.

Whenever I am in need of a high quality cable for an additional connection, I buy from a reputable merchant like Monoprice. They will explicitly specify the standards compliance (e.g., HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4) and usually will also list the bandwidth, not just on the website list but on the packaging itself. I have a couple of their 8K HDMI cables. Label them as such before you plug them in so it is clear what it is. That way they won't end up with a connection where high-bandwidth performance is meaningless.

 

[Boyd01]

I have a BenQ 2560 x 1440 monitor connected to my 2018 Mini with a Belkin USB-C to Displayport cable (B2B103-06-BLK). No problems whatsoever. There are several threads here about problems with HDMI on the new Mini, this is one of them

Mac Mini 2018 HDMI failes after OS upgrade / patch

This is #macmini2018hdmigate ... Mac Mini 2018 -> no HDMI after OS Upgrade is a known problem. Apple support confirmed to me today that they know that and are working on a solution. The problem started with Mojave 10.14.6. The only permanent solution today is to go back and stay on Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

I don't know how serious these issues really are, but decided it would be safer to go with USB-C. I also have a Sony 1080p production monitor that I will eventually connect with HDMI for use as a preview screen in Final Cut Pro, but have not been working with video recently so have not tried it yet.

 

[Fishrrman]

As mentioned, try the cables that come in the box first.

I'd suggest trying the displayport first:
USBc (Mini end) to displayport (display end)

See how that works.
You want to be on the lookout for the "black screen at boot" glitch that is common to the 2018/20 Mini. If this bothers you, then try the HDMI cable.

But try the displayport first...