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Monitor for 2018 Mac Mini?

T

torquex

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 24, 2013
5
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So I've got a new Mac Mini on order to replace my old 2011 iMac 27 and I'm looking for some advice on which monitor would be best.

Ideally something like a 27 inch at 2560x1440 resolution would be perfect for my needs - not really looking for a 4k/5k monitor.

Thanks for any advice.
 
I have a 27" 2011 iMac as well and am wondering if I could somehow use it as the display for a new Mac Mini .....
 
Yes I have a 2014 Mac Mini plugged into my 27" 2011 iMac. You just need a Thunderbolt cable (and the adapter to 3 for new Mini).
Even if your iMac suffers from display blanking with graphic card fault, you can still switch the monitor to target display mode, oh and screen share the iMac through the Mini lol.
 
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I'd like to go back to the OP's original question - what's a good 27" monitor if you don't really need/want a 4k/5k monitor? I haven't gone monitor shopping in a long time, and the other monitor-query threads here are all talking $1000+ hardware. I'm more interested in the $400-$600 range.
 
Fozziebear40 said:
Yes I have a 2014 Mac Mini plugged into my 27" 2011 iMac. You just need a Thunderbolt cable (and the adapter to 3 for new Mini).
Even if your iMac suffers from display blanking with graphic card fault, you can still switch the monitor to target display mode, oh and screen share the iMac through the Mini lol.
Click to expand...
How do you switch the imac to target display mode if the screen blanks like it does on mine? Does this still work even if the screen has lines running through it due to that bad video card? Also my desktop won't even load, it stays at the grey screen with the apple logo. Will this still work?
 
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jasnw said:
I'd like to go back to the OP's original question - what's a good 27" monitor if you don't really need/want a 4k/5k monitor? I haven't gone monitor shopping in a long time, and the other monitor-query threads here are all talking $1000+ hardware. I'm more interested in the $400-$600 range.
Click to expand...

For your budget I would go 4k. I really like the BenQ EW3270U 32" 4k HDR Monitor because it's flicker free and can be found for under $600. Or check out some of the cheaper non 4k monitors from BenQ.
 
torquex said:
So I've got a new Mac Mini on order to replace my old 2011 iMac 27 and I'm looking for some advice on which monitor would be best.

Ideally something like a 27 inch at 2560x1440 resolution would be perfect for my needs - not really looking for a 4k/5k monitor.

Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
I just ordered the HP Business Z27, 4k ($550). It's very well-reviewed (Wirecutter, et al.) and has the connectivity I need. I realized after ordering that it does not have speakers, which is kind of a bummer. I don't need audiophile sound quality, but I need more than the Mac Mini internal speaker. So I'll have to get some external speakers too.
 
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jasnw said:
I'd like to go back to the OP's original question - what's a good 27" monitor if you don't really need/want a 4k/5k monitor? I haven't gone monitor shopping in a long time, and the other monitor-query threads here are all talking $1000+ hardware. I'm more interested in the $400-$600 range.
Click to expand...
I would recommend looking at the BenQ SW700PT. It is in you price range and gets excellent reviews. https://www.benq.com/en-us/monitor/photographer/sw2700pt.html
 
I have a 2008 Mac Pro with dual monitors. Is there anyway I can use those with a 2018 Mac mini? If not, is there any reason not to go with an iMac?
 
I guess they are called VESA Plug and Display.
02ca01572736644ce5e6664fe3b09464.jpg
 
Kingmanarts said:
I guess they are called VESA Plug and Display.
02ca01572736644ce5e6664fe3b09464.jpg
Click to expand...
That is a Dual-Link DVI-D connector and getting a proper active adapter that will support the full 2560x1600 resolution and actually connect to a Thunderbolt 3 port is not worth the time or money. Some may dispute this, but you will spend $300-$400 for the active adapter and the Thunderbolt 3 dock that has a single DisplayPort input (OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock).

I would really cut my losses and either buy a 4K DisplayPort or USB-C or TB3 display or simply get a new iMac once an updated one ships.

Someone may have come up with a solution and if you only need 1920X1080p resolution, you might find a cheaper solution, but it will eat up two Thunderbolt 3 port to do it and be a rat's next behind the Mac mini.

Trust me, I tried to get an old 30" Apple Cinema Display up and running on my 2016 MacBook Pro using just a USB-C to USB-A adapter and the Apple Dual Link DVI adapter I had laying around along with a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, but the TB3>TB2 adapter does not support DisplayPort signals, so you still have to get a dock in the middle to encapsulate the DP single over Thunderbolt and "sneak" then past the adapter. It's just not worth the time or money.

If someone has come up with a tenable, not horribly janky solution, I encourage you to prove me wrong.
 
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Fozziebear40 said:
Yes I have a 2014 Mac Mini plugged into my 27" 2011 iMac. You just need a Thunderbolt cable (and the adapter to 3 for new Mini).
Even if your iMac suffers from display blanking with graphic card fault, you can still switch the monitor to target display mode, oh and screen share the iMac through the Mini lol.
Click to expand...

So my graphics card on my iMac 2011 is faulty (although some stuff still show up like boot screen) but are you saying the monitor will still work connected to the mini? But if the OS won’t load how can I switch to target display?
 
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