Monitor QHD for Mac Mini/Mac Pro

[Andrea Filippini]

Hi everyone,
I'm searching a monitor QHD (2560x1440) for my Mac Mini and also for a next Mac Pro.
I read that maximum resolution through external display is 2560x1600 so QHD seems a good choice.
I have found a Lenovo Q27Q (https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/accessories-and-monitors/monitors/lenovoQ27q) and it seems very good.
What do you think about it?
Any advice is very appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Fishrrman]

Will 1440p on a 27" display be "readable" to you?
It's a personal question that you have to answer for yourself before you buy.

I believe "looks like 1440p" is the default display resolution on the 27" iMac.
Do they appeal to you?

Myself (with old eyes) ... that's a little too small (text displayed at normal sizes).
I prefer 1440p on a 32" QHD display.
But again, the 27" form factor may be fine for you.

 

[Boyd01]

I got a 32" BenQ PD3200Q three months ago for my 2018 Mini. Love it, text is just the right size for me at native resolution. I have used an 11" MacBook Air for the past 7 years and got pretty used to tiny text, but didn't want to deal with that on a desktop system.

PD3200Q｜32-inch 2K QHD sRGB Designer Monitor

PD3200Q covers 100% sRGB and 100% Rec.709 color spaces. Amazing Delta E ≤ 3 ensures superb accuracy.

www.benq.com

 

[Andrea Filippini]

Will 1440p on a 27" display be "readable" to you?
It's a personal question that you have to answer for yourself before you buy.

I believe "looks like 1440p" is the default display resolution on the 27" iMac.
Do they appeal to you?

Myself (with old eyes) ... that's a little too small (text displayed at normal sizes).
I prefer 1440p on a 32" QHD display.
But again, the 27" form factor may be fine for you.

Do you think 27" display 2K is difficult to read?
On iMac 21.5-inch 1920x1080p (70 cm from eyes) I read very well.

I got a 32" BenQ PD3200Q three months ago for my 2018 Mini. Love it, text is just the right size for me at native resolution. I have used an 11" MacBook Air for the past 7 years and got pretty used to tiny text, but didn't want to deal with that on a desktop system.

PD3200Q｜32-inch 2K QHD sRGB Designer Monitor

PD3200Q covers 100% sRGB and 100% Rec.709 color spaces. Amazing Delta E ≤ 3 ensures superb accuracy.

www.benq.com

Thank you for the info.
It has the same brightness (300cd/m2) of Lenovo so I think could be a good alternative.

 

[Boyd01]

According to this article, your iMac screen is 102 ppi (pixels per inch). I have had a 23" Apple Cinema Display that I bought in 2006 and continued to use until I got my new Mini. I always really liked that screen and it is 100 ppi, so I shopped for another screen with a similar dot pitch.

My 32" BenQ screen is 92 ppi, so text is just a bit larger and I actually like that. The screen in your link doesn't specify ppi, but the BenQ 27" QHD monitor is 109 ppi. So text will be a bit smaller than it is on your iMac. I'm sure many people would consider that to be fine, and I certainly would have found it usable, but just not as large as I'd prefer. I am over 70 years old though.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Apple explicitly lists what each Mac's maximum graphics resolution support is. The Mac mini 2018 can drive two displays:

"One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one display with 4096-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0"

per their own support document at:

Mac mini (2018) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

support.apple.com

No one needs to "guess" or speculate at what this Mac mini can do.

I recently switched from an LG 27" 4K@60Hz monitor ("UI looks like 1920x1080p") to a Dell 32" QHD 2560x1440p@165Hz monitor. I'm not quite as old as Boyd01 but I'm not young and my poor eyesight will never get better.

It turns out that my eyes rather enjoy a big-ass monitor; most kids will think that the text is "too big" [sic]. But their eyes aren't as old and tired as mine...

One thing, macOS is better at HiDPI display than Windows 10. I got tired of how crappy a lot of Windows 10 apps looked scaled on my 4K display that I figured a 1440p display at full (100%) native resolution would be a better user experience.

The 32" QHD display isn't behaving like a "Retina" display on my Mac but it took a few scant days for me to get used to the lower resolution. My Windows PC output looks a lot better.

 

[justashooter]

I have had the Asus pb258q for about 4 years and really like it, it is 100% sRGB, test I've read show it to by around 71% AdobeRGB. I am a full time photographer so that is important to me. It has been really realiable, it rotates to verticle, if you need that, and has DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI/MHL2.0, Dual-link DVI and VGA connections. Love the sliding height adjustment also. Runs about $300. There is also a 27 inch version, PB278Q for $80 more.

PB258Q | Monitors | ASUS USA

ASUS PB258Q 25" monitor delivers the stunning, crisp and lifelike images by its greater resolution of 2560x1440 (WQHD), 100% sRGB color space, and rich I/O connectivities to let you see more crisp and true-to-life content on the screen in a edge-to-edge frameless design.

www.asus.com

Cheers!

 

[ght56]

I'm a big fan of QHD. I recently upgraded older QHD Dells to their current flagship QHD UltraSharps, the U2520D. It is a bright USB-C monitor with a built-in hub (MST-capable) and provides power/charging. Panel quality is exceptional...there isn't a single bad pixel or even a hint of bleed, and this display has very good colorspace handling, including DCI-P3 (some reviewers noted its reproduction of blacks is its weak point.) It plays very well with my MacBook Pro's True Tone...it is my first matte/anti-glare display and I was a bit worried about this blending with the glossy of my MBP, but turns out it works very well in practice. I always felt 24 was a bit small but 27 was starting to get a little blurry...25 inches works well for me although I sit reasonably close to the display and would probably go larger if my viewing distance was further. It is a bit on the pricy spectrum for QHD, and it only does the entry level HDR (I believe HDR 400 8-bit?) but overall I am extremely satisfied with it.

Computer Accessories and Peripherals

Shop Dell’s high-quality computer accessories like keyboards, mice, webcams, batteries and more. Enjoy great deals and build your ideal PC setup for home or business.

www.dell.com

Dell UltraSharp U2520D Review

The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is the replacement to the Dell U2518D and it's a good overall monitor. It's very good for office use because it has wide viewing angle...

www.rtings.com

 

[fhopper]

My new one is a Samsung "Business" S24851 24" USB C monitor (Rotation is required spec for me) which is lovely but my menu bar is missing and the speakers are not recognized over the USB C either. I am not sure how many gremlins are at work, hopefully just one. Any thought on either issue?

 

[uller6]

My home office has large windows and gets too much sunlight, so most external displays don't get bright enough for daytime use (even with curtains). I just picked up a Dell S2719DC, which advertises brightness up to 600 nits (realistically I think it's around 450). It's 2560x1440 resolution, and looks really sharp alongside my iMac Pro. It's a great monitor and I highly recommend it, especially at 1/3 the price of the LG ultra fine 5K displays.

Another thought: the monitor you posted only has DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. I've had bad experiences with DisplayPort connections to Macs with 10.14 and 10.15. External monitors won't reliably turn back on after sleep, lose their positions/rotations after restarts, and occasionally flicker on/off repeatedly for unknown reasons. The Dell S2719DC has HDMI and USB-C input, and the USB-C input has none of the issues that I've previously experienced.