monitor specs for programming on the new mini

Discussion in 'Mac Accessories' started by DonUSA, Dec 5, 2012.

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  1. DonUSA, Dec 5, 2012

    DonUSA macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2011
    #1
    Do you have favorite monitor specs to hook up with a 2012 mac mini?

    refresh rate?
    screen size?
    resolution?
    eIPS or TN?

    My 20" iSight iMac G5 PPC monitor set at 1280x800 is very easy to read all day.

    Will be used primarily for writing and reading code all day (html, css and so on) with text editors and Content Management Systems as well as reading related articles online. Also photo editing and the typical related things a website developer does.

    Budget is around $300 - $400.

    Any dual monitor set ups with one monitor tilted?

    Live in a small town away from the stores and will buy online, so all suggestions welcome!
     
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  2. lixuelai, Dec 5, 2012

    lixuelai macrumors 6502a

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2008
    #2
    How good is your eye sight?

    Assuming your eye sight is good I would suggest either 1x27" 2560x1440 (one of the Korean ones that runs ~$300) or 2x24" 1920x1200 or 2x20" 1600x1200 (in portrait).

    For $400 you can easily get IPS for whichever option you go with. Refresh rate doesn't really matter.
     
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  3. Mr. Retrofire, Dec 5, 2012

    Mr. Retrofire macrumors 603

    Mr. Retrofire

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2010
    Location:
    www.emiliana.cl/en
    #3
    Quartz (the Mac OS X GUI) uses 60 Hz.

    22", 23" is pretty good, IMHO. The only problem is, that NEC, Eizo and other brands do not have high resolution displays in this size, only in 27". 1920x1200 (16:10) is perfect for me.

    2560x1600, if possible. 1920x1200 is acceptable. 2560x1440 is 16:9, and not really useful for longer texts (DTP, programming, et cetera).

    TFT Central shows the known problems in current displays:
    http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm

    Your display should use one of the newer IPS technologies or better tech, like Samsung PLS. I must say your budget is a bit low. Good displays cost at least 500 US$. Yes you can buy cheaper displays, but they have a lot of problems (see TFTCentral, Amazon reviews and other independent tests).
     
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  4. DonUSA, Dec 8, 2012

    DonUSA thread starter macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2011
    #4
    Thanks for the monitor suggestions

    Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is the technical expertise I was hoping to get. The links are appreciated.

    Noticed there are a lot of really old models still for sale, and some 24" 1080p's that seem to be tv panels put on a monitor stand. Am looking for a traditional monitor.

    Ordered the stock i5 mac mini today, online at J&R's website. No plans to run apps that use 4 cores any time soon.

    Have decided a dual monitor setup is what I need. Using arms to get them off the table.

    As I don't have any monitor at all I looked for a cheap 19" monitor to get going for now and then noticed the $150 ASUS VS Series VS228H-P Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR).

    It is 16:9 rather than the suggested 16:10 ratio. The pixel size is what I like. It has great reviews at egghead though they seemed to be Windows folks, and has been set up vertically in a dual monitor setup. Comes with cables, 3 year warranty, energy efficient. Is TN though. So, will use it for a while and if it works fine with code may keep it in tallscape for code and email.

    Thanks for the mention of the Samsung PLS. A posting elsewhere highly recommended PLS and am considering this one: Samsung SyncMaster S24A850DW - LCD display - Super PLS - LED backlight - 24" - widescreen - 1920 x 1200 / 60 Hz - 300 cd/m2 - 1000:1 (dynamic) - 5 ms - 2xDVI-D, VGA, DisplayPort - matte black . This one is 16:10 and seems to be just what I need.

    Thanks!
     
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