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Mac mini or Studio M4
- Thread starter michelg1970
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Maybe that was me, I wrote about how many tb4/tb5 disks could be connected.
Studio and Mini are limited to only 2 drives max at the same time.
More info here at MacRumors:
Mini limitation reports
Studio limitation reports
So if someone needs to connect 3 or more tb4/tb5 disks then disks need to be connected via self powered hub.
Why Apple is doing this to us? Always have something not working or limited. Even we are willing to pay for the Studio, the expensive machine is limited unlike advertised.
If I connect two displays via the thunderbolt ports at the same time. Either have both powered by the Mac or via a power adapter. Then, plug in a NVMe SSD Enclosure. Will the speed of the SSD drop?
Yes, it's not acceptable, they should have it mentioned on the products site.
The Studio selling point is more ports, but well, here we are...
I think no, if it will be connected to Mac directly via tb4/tb5.
If the speed will drop then we need to return those Macs back to apple.
Any disk connected not directly to Mac via shared port, will loose some speed because the bandwidth will be shared between devices when used together at the same time.
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If ever there was a company that understands its market it is Apple - it knows how to use its name and "leave them wanting more" combo to keep us all coming back to buy again in 2-3 years the latest. I hate this practice.
While there are other threads discussing this sort of thing, tell us what you consider a 'good' monitor and a 'reasonable' price.
1.) 27 or 32"?
2.) 4K or 5K resolution?
3.) Is USB-C DisplayPort Alt. mode fine or do you need it to be Thunderbolt?
4.) Is a 60-Hz refresh rate okay, or are you determined to have higher?
5.) What will you do with it? Generalist casual home use, professional photo/video work, some gaming, etc...?
6.) What is a 'reasonable' price?
For a 27" 4K display in the $300 - $500 range, there are scads of options. For an affordable 5K 27" display, the roughly $800 Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV gets strong reviews.
I monitor-shopped in late 2024, and finding good, reasonably priced displays for a Mac Mini wasn't the problem; trying to decide amongst a bunch of potential good options was the problem. Here's the thread with my display hunt adventure.
Hey.
Well, a good price for me is certainly not the absurd ASD price or that of the monitors that are aping it. Something under £600.
The 5K ones are just too expensive and my understanding is that at 4K resolution 27 inch is actually better than 32 inch for sharpness.
4K/120, good picture quality, bright, not something that is too dim for bright lighting or daylight, ideally decent HDR performance.
It wouldn't be for gaming, just for productivity. But i've had my current monitor for a long time and I want a significant upgrade. After seeing Promotion on various devices at the Apple Store I'd really like 120hz.
I'd be using it with an M4 Mac Mini. I've held off buying one because trying to identify a good monitor that doesn't have some fatal flaw has been driving me crazy.
You have some 'drive me crazy' desired parameters there. Let's take a look.
So let's say the 'floor' of mainstream brand name 5K 27" displays is $800. Not a huge price, but not pocket change, either. If that's your idea of too expensive, it's a serious constraint because of what else you want.
It's the 120-Hz thing that's going to wreck it it for you. I just went to Amazon, went to Departments, Computers, Monitors, then put in 4K level resolution and 120-Hz refresh rate.
I was ready to tell you you're on a unicorn hunt for a brand name 4" 27" 120-Hz display well under $800, but I found something...seems hard to believe and I haven't figured out what I'm missing, but I'll explain at the end of this post.
$349.99
Reputable brand, 27", 4K, 120-Hz refresh rate...around $350? And the contrast rating looks good for an IPS panel! Sold through Amazon, and mentions 'the Dell Store,' so sounds legit. USB-C connectivity. A little hub functionality.
It seems too good to be true yet looks legit. Judging from the currency symbol you used you're not U.S.-based and I don't know whether this is an option for you, but if it is, and there's not some glaring drawback I'm missing, this might be what you're looking for.
The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV is around $800 U.S. and offers USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode; the ViewSonic® ColorPro® VP2788-5K lists around $950 but searching suggests prices around $850, maybe lower, and it's Thunderbolt 4, which I consider a plus. Before that, my choice for a 5K 27" display would've been the ASUS, but if I were picking now, I'd want to compare these 2 closely.
So let's say the 'floor' of mainstream brand name 5K 27" displays is $800. Not a huge price, but not pocket change, either. If that's your idea of too expensive, it's a serious constraint because of what else you want.
The 4K part is easy; a 27" 4K reputable brand name and model display is probably going to run somewhere in the $400 - $600 range, I'm thinking? During the holiday shopping season I picked up this Dell U2723QE 4K 27" 'open box' display off Woot and with tax it was $320.50. Amazon had it new on sale for close to $435 + tax, IIRC, around that same time.
It's the 120-Hz thing that's going to wreck it it for you. I just went to Amazon, went to Departments, Computers, Monitors, then put in 4K level resolution and 120-Hz refresh rate.
I was ready to tell you you're on a unicorn hunt for a brand name 4" 27" 120-Hz display well under $800, but I found something...seems hard to believe and I haven't figured out what I'm missing, but I'll explain at the end of this post.
Reviews I've read suggest HDR tends to be underwhelming on IPS panel-based displays, so if this is a big deal, you may be looking to OLED and that's a whole other 'rabbit hole to go down,' beyond the scope of my post.
Just now at Amazon:
Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC - 27-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) 120Hz 16:9 Display, AMD FreeSync Premium, sRGB 99%, Integrated Speakers, 1500:1 Contrast Ratio, Comfortview Plus - Ash White
Visit the Dell Store$349.99
Reputable brand, 27", 4K, 120-Hz refresh rate...around $350? And the contrast rating looks good for an IPS panel! Sold through Amazon, and mentions 'the Dell Store,' so sounds legit. USB-C connectivity. A little hub functionality.
It seems too good to be true yet looks legit. Judging from the currency symbol you used you're not U.S.-based and I don't know whether this is an option for you, but if it is, and there's not some glaring drawback I'm missing, this might be what you're looking for.
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Thanks, I’ll respond to this properly later.
I think I’ve looked at that Dell and like many of these monitors I think it has so-so picture quality and some complaints on Amazon.
I’ve seen the ProArt you mention suggested many times across forums, articles and YouTube reviews. But it’s just too expensive - £692 on Amazon UK at the moment.
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That listing has no current reviews on Amazon; Dell has been in the process of releasing or preparing to release new models. I suspect you saw comments and complaints on a previous model.
I did see a recent thread discussing some hypothetical flickering issue (not specific to this model). My Dell U2723QE I'm happy with.
A Dell employee with a private YouTube channel has a review on it, and specifically stated it supports MacOS.
Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC
Michael O'Hanian
An aggravation is Dell has quite a number of models released over time, and it's necessary to pay close attention to the number and letters on a model lest one get side-tracked into a review on the wrong one. Like this:
Dell S2725QS And S2725QC 27″ 4K 120Hz Monitors Launched - Explained All Spec, Features And More
From that review: "Dell has expanded its S-series — now part of the Dell Plus lineup in China — with two new 27-inch 4K monitors: the S2725QS and S2725QC. The standout difference? The pricier S2725QC model includes a handy pop-up USB-C hub, bumping the price up to 2,499 yuan ($344), while the base model lands at a more wallet-friendly 1,999 yuan ($275)."--------
Display shopping can indeed be a headache. I hope your hunt goes well.
QC doesn't "just" has the popout USB-C hub, it also supports a single cable solution where you can just use one USB-C cable for Data+Audio+Video+Power delivery to your attached device. So if you have a Mac this is very convenient as with a single cable, you get to use the hub, output video and audio, and charge your Mac at the same time. Unlike the QS one where one would have to have a dock or DP cable and then a separate data cable to make the built-in hub work, and yet another charging cable for your Mac to charge. And once you get into the market for hubs you would quickly realise that quality PD hubs are almost or more expensive than the premium charged for PD Usb C monitor.That listing has no current reviews on Amazon; Dell has been in the process of releasing or preparing to release new models. I suspect you saw comments and complaints on a previous model.
I did see a recent thread discussing some hypothetical flickering issue (not specific to this model). My Dell U2723QE I'm happy with.
A Dell employee with a private YouTube channel has a review on it, and specifically stated it supports MacOS.
Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC
Michael O'Hanian
An aggravation is Dell has quite a number of models released over time, and it's necessary to pay close attention to the number and letters on a model lest one get side-tracked into a review on the wrong one. Like this:
Dell S2725QS And S2725QC 27″ 4K 120Hz Monitors Launched - Explained All Spec, Features And More
From that review: "Dell has expanded its S-series — now part of the Dell Plus lineup in China — with two new 27-inch 4K monitors: the S2725QS and S2725QC. The standout difference? The pricier S2725QC model includes a handy pop-up USB-C hub, bumping the price up to 2,499 yuan ($344), while the base model lands at a more wallet-friendly 1,999 yuan ($275)."
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Display shopping can indeed be a headache. I hope your hunt goes well.
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