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Mac Mini with 30" Cinema Display...

netdog

netdog

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 6, 2006
5,760
38
London
It says on the Apple Store site that the Mini will power a 30" ACD. I am wondering if anybody here has any experience doing this. Will it run at full resolution? Will driving such a large display slow down the Mini?
 
if it's listed on apple's site somewhere, it's definitely a mistake. the maximum resolution supported is 1920 by 1200, too small for a 30" acd.
 

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netdog said:
So it will run it at a resolution like a 30" HDTV then?

Running video, I wonder if the faster Mini would drop frames.
Click to expand...
I hear different stories on how a single link DVI port will interact with a monitor that requires a dual link one.

The video card has no impact on video playback for the Mac mini.
 
Mac mini, new or old cannot run a 30 inch Cinema Display, period.

Now big screen HDTV's that's another story. Should be able to power most if not all HDTV's. Their resolution is no where near the quality of the 30 inch ACD.

jon
 
siurpeeman said:
if it's listed on apple's site somewhere, it's definitely a mistake. the maximum resolution supported is 1920 by 1200, too small for a 30" acd.
Click to expand...

Damn. I really don't want to be connecting and unplugging my MBP all the time from the keyboard and display and USB hub, and I don't want some big, honking Mac Pro. Such a powerful beast would really be overkill for me.
 
Sorry, but you are out off luck, the mac mini can't power the 30 inch cinema display because it lacks the dual link dvi. I have a mac mini G4 and they are great machines, as long as you don't expect them to run HD video flawlessly, FCP or high end video games.

At first I used a 17'' display whit my mini, but then I changed to a 22'' and I did started noticing problems that where not there before having the big screen, basically when playing several videos at the same time, (but this is not a problem if you don't edit videos), or watching a high resolution video full screen on the 1600x1050 resolution. Any other time is a really responsive machine and I had no regrets using it.
 
I guess what we need is a Mini Pro....just a MBP in a Mini case without the monitor. It really sucks that Apple forces us to use an all-in-one or a big, honking Mac Pro if we want something better than a MacBook in a box.

If I am going to shell out for a 30" display, I don't want the computer built into the case. I want to be able to upgrade my computer but keep the display for many years to come.
 
Have you considered getting a Dell monitor, they are really nice, and I would be surprised if you can't run a 27'' UltraSharp from Dell whit the mac mini given the low resolution the 27 runs at. And if rumors are true and Leopard is resolution independent, the low resolution won't be a problem.
 
cruzrojas said:
And if rumors are true and Leopard is resolution independent, the low resolution won't be a problem.
Click to expand...

I can confirm that Leopard is indeed resolution independent - as long as you are using a CRT screen. Otherwise, don't hold your breath.
 
weckart said:
I can confirm that Leopard is indeed resolution independent - as long as you are using a CRT screen. Otherwise, don't hold your breath.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Uhm no, Resolution independence means that you can configure your screen to "look" the same regardless of which resolution you're on. Think of something like same-sized text or readable window titles in FCP on displays with a large resolution, you'd basically be getting more crispness without getting sizes too small to use.

What you're thinking about currently exists and has been for the past 15 years :)
 
iJon said:
Mac mini, new or old cannot run a 30 inch Cinema Display, period.

Now big screen HDTV's that's another story. Should be able to power most if not all HDTV's. Their resolution is no where near the quality of the 30 inch ACD.

jon
Click to expand...

No, it'll run it. It just wont run it at it's native resolution...
 
I know you already have a MacBook Pro, but maybe you could find another one with broken screen and/or super drive cheap on eBay. Then you could just put that in draw with all the wires coming out of the back. With an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, hard drive, dvd burner and all that stuff.
Or something like that.
 
edesignuk said:
Silly Apple for not putting an adequate GPU in a £399 entry level computer to power a professional £1200 display :rolleyes:

How very dare they!
Click to expand...

I'm not suggesting that a £399 Mini should run this monitor, but they could sure make something a lot smaller than a Mac Pro with 8 drives bays and room for 32GB of RAM and a minimum of 4 cores which are very RAM hungry. For goodness sakes, there is no Mac in a small form that isn't a bottom of the line machine, and there isn't anything between that and a Mac Pro that doesn't force you to buy an attached monitor. Apple is the only major computer company in the world to miss this gap which is surely the core of the market. The Mini hasn't been a hit, though it certainly has its place and I do admire it. That said, I would suggest that a middle-tier headless Mac in a nice small form with plenty of GPU and and Santa Rosa (800 FSB, x3100 minimum) would sell quite well. Such things sell well for everyone else, but we Mac users are forced to buy either an all-in-one or a laptop to get such a machine. Seems silly to me.
 
I see that the 30" ACD has firewire ports and USB ports. I am wondering if I am missing something. I am hesitant to hook up my MBP because I see attaching firewire, USB, Ethernet and DVI every time I want to "dock" into my home keyboard, mouse, drives, etc., but maybe I've got this wrong.

Does the dual-DVI carry the USB and Firewire feeds to the ACD? This would mean that I could just attached the DVI and ethernet and I'd be ready to go. Is that how it works?
 
Sesshi said:
Indeed. How also really, really silly of Dell to provide an adequate GPU in a £420 entry level computer to power a professional £1200 display :p
Click to expand...
How dare you sweep in and rain on my parade! :p

netdog, you are right, there should be something other than a Mac Pro able to power a 30". We've been over it time and time again, the idea of a headless iMac where you could change video cards (allowing for a dual link DVI capable one), hard drives easily etc. A lot of people seem to want it, but Apple just aren't up for it. Incredibly arrogant company, sadly.
 
It's a frustrating situsation. I run a MBP into my 30inch Cinema Display at home but disconnect each day because the MBP would be the first thing to go if I were burgled. So I have to run the LAN cable, DVI and one firewire into the MBP each time I set up. You can buy some third party docking stations but they look untidy against a sweet MBP/30 Inch ACD setup on your desk...
 
Sorry dude. It just won't work. Don't waste you money. BUT of course if you do buy one and it doesn't work, I'll buy the monitor from you :) ha ha.

The Stig
 
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