"Settling" on the M2 512GB, 16GB?

[nikikaly21]

So, I have a lower-end 4k display that is not playing nice with my M2 Pro Mac Mini with neither HMDI or USB-C to Displayport. Lots of flickering, white stripes, and lag.

I think it's the monitor because I had similar image issues with the M1 series minis.

I'm thinking of returning the M2 Pro mini and "settling" on the M2 Mac Mini, 512GB, 16GB memory. I could spring for a good 4k USB-C display with the difference saved.

Anyone with the M2, 512GB, 16GB recommend it? I hardly render 4k video, but watch quite a lot of youtube and live sports, and use arcade apps, 10-Chrome tabs, news, office, etc... I think I need USB-C to USB-C monitor for the best experience, but not necessarily the M2 Pro.

 

[now i see it]

That monitor won’t play nice with any Mx Mini.
Time to replace the monitor.

 

[caskibum]

My older Dell P2715Q plays really nicely with both my M1 Max and my work 13" Intel MBP. You could likely find one in good shape "on the cheap" and keep the M2 Pro... ?

I'm running a TON of stuff on my work MBP with 16GB, so given the workload you've specified, I expect you'd be just fine to downgrade the mini as well to spend more on a monitor. I've had an ok experience with a U2723QE as well, which would get you to a USB-C native monitor, but I don't feel like it's a real upgrade over the old monitor from 2015. It's brighter...

I don't think you go wrong either way - the M2 w/ 16GB would do what you've said, or you could shop up a good used 4K display that plays nice with the Mac and keep the Pro.

 

[NeonNights]

I have a budget 43" Hisense 4K TV that was only $250 and it works fine with my M1 base Mini over HDMI. No flicker or lag.

For OP's use, the base M2 Mini is way more than adequate. Heck, if you can find a used base M1 Mini for less then that will also easily meet your needs too.

 

[gusping]

So, I have a lower-end 4k display that is not playing nice with my M2 Pro Mac Mini with neither HMDI or USB-C to Displayport. Lots of flickering, white stripes, and lag.

I think it's the monitor because I had similar image issues with the M1 series minis.

I'm thinking of returning the M2 Pro mini and "settling" on the M2 Mac Mini, 512GB, 16GB memory. I could spring for a good 4k USB-C display with the difference saved.

Anyone with the M2, 512GB, 16GB recommend it? I hardly render 4k video, but watch quite a lot of youtube and live sports, and use arcade apps, 10-Chrome tabs, news, office, etc... I think I need USB-C to USB-C monitor for the best experience, but not necessarily the M2 Pro.

I just returned an M2 Pro due to it not playing nice with either of my 4K monitors (rarely woke both monitors after sleeping), no matter what connection I used (USB-C, HDMI and DP). My Intel mini is fine 99% of the time with the same monitors. I think minis and AS Macs in particularly are just buggy still. It's a shame, but I refuse to pay £1,500+ for a buggy Mac mini. I suspect the M2 mini uses the same chips that deal with the USB-C display to HDMI/DP conversion, and so will also not work well.

 

[netdudeuk]

I had to try two Dell USB-C cables and two different ones from Amazon before I got a reliable connection with an I5 MBP. It's still dodgy for a while with a Lenovo T14. The same cable worked perfectly with a base M2 Mini. That's with a Dell 34" UW.

 

[nikikaly21]

My older Dell P2715Q plays really nicely with both my M1 Max and my work 13" Intel MBP. You could likely find one in good shape "on the cheap" and keep the M2 Pro... ?

I'm running a TON of stuff on my work MBP with 16GB, so given the workload you've specified, I expect you'd be just fine to downgrade the mini as well to spend more on a monitor. I've had an ok experience with a U2723QE as well, which would get you to a USB-C native monitor, but I don't feel like it's a real upgrade over the old monitor from 2015. It's brighter...

I don't think you go wrong either way - the M2 w/ 16GB would do what you've said, or you could shop up a good used 4K display that plays nice with the Mac and keep the Pro.

I agree, I think I need to "get to a USB-c native monitor" to have the best shot. It's a shame there's slim pickings under $500, but the Dell P2715Q may be a good option.

Need to shop around/research more.

 

[nikikaly21]

I have a budget 43" Hisense 4K TV that was only $250 and it works fine with my M1 base Mini over HDMI. No flicker or lag.

For OP's use, the base M2 Mini is way more than adequate. Heck, if you can find a used base M1 Mini for less then that will also easily meet your needs too.

I considered the M1. Most reliable places for a new M1 Mini, 512GB, 16GB had them at $1049 - $1099, so about a hundred or so more than the same M2 configuration directly from Apple. Used options were hit or miss, some didn't have 16GB, others were without 512GB. I think the M2 release made the M1s more popular, lol.

But, I agree that the M2 Pro may not be worth the extra $300. It's a "nice-to-have" but haven't edited or rendered anything in years. I just want a quick, lag-free MacOS machine with high fidelity image with large monitors.

Good to know about Hisense, though. My living room has a 4k 65'' Hisense so I think I'm going to connect the Mini to it later on today to see how it goes.

 

[nikikaly21]

I just returned an M2 Pro due to it not playing nice with either of my 4K monitors (rarely woke both monitors after sleeping), no matter what connection I used (USB-C, HDMI and DP). My Intel mini is fine 99% of the time with the same monitors. I think minis and AS Macs in particularly are just buggy still. It's a shame, but I refuse to pay £1,500+ for a buggy Mac mini. I suspect the M2 mini uses the same chips that deal with the USB-C display to HDMI/DP conversion, and so will also not work well.

I don't know what's the deal these days! I remember my favorite ever Mini was the first one with 1TB Fusion Storage that came out around 2012. I could plug that little beast into any monitor and it was up and down amazing.

Now, it seems you have to be very, very careful with the Minis cause if you don't feed them the right monitor they just freak out. I also refuse to "spring" for the Apple Display. At their price it's not a spring, it's a leap!

I'm going to try to make the new setup work but need to do a lot of monitor research.

 

[gusping]

I don't know what's the deal these days! I remember my favorite ever Mini was the first one with 1TB Fusion Storage that came out around 2012. I could plug that little beast into any monitor and it was up and down amazing.

Now, it seems you have to be very, very careful with the Minis cause if you don't feed them the right monitor they just freak out. I also refuse to "spring" for the Apple Display. At their price it's not a spring, it's a leap!

I'm going to try to make the new setup work but need to do a lot of monitor research.

Yep. It is incredibly frustrating. I don't know what to do. Will the M2 non-pro be any different? I doubt it. I may give it a few months (for software updates, just in case they make a difference....) and try a 16GB/512GB M2 non-pro mini. Much cheaper. I have nothing to lose at this point. If that fails, I will wait until the M3 mini and try again, begrudgingly.

 

[NeonNights]

I considered the M1. Most reliable places for a new M1 Mini, 512GB, 16GB had them at $1049 - $1099, so about a hundred or so more than the same M2 configuration directly from Apple. Used options were hit or miss, some didn't have 16GB, others were without 512GB. I think the M2 release made the M1s more popular, lol.

But, I agree that the M2 Pro may not be worth the extra $300. It's a "nice-to-have" but haven't edited or rendered anything in years. I just want a quick, lag-free MacOS machine with high fidelity image with large monitors.

Good to know about Hisense, though. My living room has a 4k 65'' Hisense so I think I'm going to connect the Mini to it later on today to see how it goes.

Depending on your needs, there's this other interesting thread regarding HDMI 2.0 vs 2.1 between M2 and M2 Pro, not a concern though if you're gonna connect a monitor with Thunderbolt.

I also want to point out that I just discovered my Hisense is clipping highlights when driving 4K60. The colors and picture quality look great at both 4K30/4K60 but I recently noticed that Finder and Activity Monitor rows are missing the alternating white/gray color scheme when doing 4K60. At 4K60 all the rows are white background instead of alternating color scheme. Other than that, I can't tell a difference and both modes look great.

 

[Honza1]

If you are using HDMI, see if you can set the specs monitor will use. And pick older, if needed. I have el cheapo 4k display which does play nice with Display port, but when I used HDMI, M1 mini had difficulties with waking it up and even colors were weird sometimes. I think I figured this out as Monitor HDMI port was trying different specs on Mini and mini was trying different specs on the display. And they could not agree on anything useful, I think. After setting HDMI specs on monitor, it started wake quickly and behaved as it should.

 

[NeonNights]

If you are using HDMI, see if you can set the specs monitor will use. And pick older, if needed. I have el cheapo 4k display which does play nice with Display port, but when I used HDMI, M1 mini had difficulties with waking it up and even colors were weird sometimes. I think I figured this out as Monitor HDMI port was trying different specs on Mini and mini was trying different specs on the display. And they could not agree on anything useful, I think. After setting HDMI specs on monitor, it started wake quickly and behaved as it should.

This is a great point! @nikikaly21 , on my Hisense I changed HDMI mode from "Auto" to "Standard". Auto will sometimes select 1.4 spec, but Standard is fixed at HDMI 2.0 spec.

 

[mr_jomo]

I agree, I think I need to "get to a USB-c native monitor" to have the best shot. It's a shame there's slim pickings under $500, but the Dell P2715Q may be a good option.

Need to shop around/research more.

The LG 32UN880 Ultrafine Ergo is currently just under $500 on Amazon and plays very well with the M2 minis over usb-c.

 

[gusping]

The LG 32UN880 Ultrafine Ergo is currently just under $500 on Amazon and plays very well with the M2 minis over usb-c.

Native USB-C? Instead of USB-C to DisplayPort? My LG monitor goes black for 1 second every 45-60mins when using a native USB-C cable. Doesn't happen with HDMI or any other connection. Very odd.

 

[mr_jomo]

Native USB-C? Instead of USB-C to DisplayPort? My LG monitor goes black for 1 second every 45-60mins when using a native USB-C cable. Doesn't happen with HDMI or any other connection. Very odd.

Native yes - zero issues 🤩

 

[Gitex]

So, I have a lower-end 4k display that is not playing nice with my M2 Pro Mac Mini with neither HMDI or USB-C to Displayport. Lots of flickering, white stripes, and lag.

I think it's the monitor because I had similar image issues with the M1 series minis.

I'm thinking of returning the M2 Pro mini and "settling" on the M2 Mac Mini, 512GB, 16GB memory. I could spring for a good 4k USB-C display with the difference saved.

Anyone with the M2, 512GB, 16GB recommend it? I hardly render 4k video, but watch quite a lot of youtube and live sports, and use arcade apps, 10-Chrome tabs, news, office, etc... I think I need USB-C to USB-C monitor for the best experience, but not necessarily the M2 Pro.

Hi- similar issues with M2 Pro, 16GB/512GB. macOS Ventura 13.2. I read through these posts after experiencing intermittent episodes where the screen on my monitor (LG UltraView 24MD4KL-B) goes black for a second, sometimes several times in a row. One time it was out for several minutes. It may go hours without doing this. AppleCare guy said to check the cables. I used the ThunderBolt cables which came with the monitor (only ones I have). This seemed to work for a bit, perhaps even a few days. But the problem recurred.
I did see references to this being an issue with BigSur in postings on other sites, from 2020-2021. But it's not been fixed in the new OS version, if that's in fact what it is.
Strangely, while I was simultaneously connected to my other monitor (LG 27ML600M-B) via HDMI, this would also intermittently go black at the same time. Running as separate displays, not mirroring. I have never had any problems with the HDMI monitor previously, and it works just fine with my Dell laptop.
LG support was impressively unimpressive, shall we say. Zero insight or troubleshooting with me. The recommendation was that I ship the monitor to their facility so that a licensed technician can review, repair (if necessary), and return. I enjoy the 500 nit, 5k resolution display of the UltraView, but this thing cost over $600 and I think it's reasonable to expect reliable performance. Strongly considering returning it as I am within the window for another 2 weeks or so.
However, after reading the many posts here, I wonder if the issue is in the MacMini... Maybe I just have to settle for a 4k monitor and/or put up with the flickering?

 

[gusping]

Hi- similar issues with M2 Pro, 16GB/512GB. macOS Ventura 13.2. I read through these posts after experiencing intermittent episodes where the screen on my monitor (LG UltraView 24MD4KL-B) goes black for a second, sometimes several times in a row. One time it was out for several minutes. It may go hours without doing this. AppleCare guy said to check the cables. I used the ThunderBolt cables which came with the monitor (only ones I have). This seemed to work for a bit, perhaps even a few days. But the problem recurred.
I did see references to this being an issue with BigSur in postings on other sites, from 2020-2021. But it's not been fixed in the new OS version, if that's in fact what it is.
Strangely, while I was simultaneously connected to my other monitor (LG 27ML600M-B) via HDMI, this would also intermittently go black at the same time. Running as separate displays, not mirroring. I have never had any problems with the HDMI monitor previously, and it works just fine with my Dell laptop.
LG support was impressively unimpressive, shall we say. Zero insight or troubleshooting with me. The recommendation was that I ship the monitor to their facility so that a licensed technician can review, repair (if necessary), and return. I enjoy the 500 nit, 5k resolution display of the UltraView, but this thing cost over $600 and I think it's reasonable to expect reliable performance. Strongly considering returning it as I am within the window for another 2 weeks or so.
However, after reading the many posts here, I wonder if the issue is in the MacMini... Maybe I just have to settle for a 4k monitor and/or put up with the flickering?

I think the black flickering is more frequent amongst LG monitors. Do you have a another monitor you can try?

 

[kodabear]

I think the black flickering is more frequent amongst LG monitors. Do you have a another monitor you can try?

Re: LG Monitors flickering........I'm running 2 LG Monitors, a 27" and a 32" one with HDMI to HDMI and the other via TB3 cable to a 2020 M1 MacMini with no issues for over 2 years.

 

[gusping]

Re: LG Monitors flickering........I'm running 2 LG Monitors, a 27" and a 32" one with HDMI to HDMI and the other via TB3 cable to a 2020 M1 MacMini with no issues for over 2 years.

Good! It's by no means a fact, just seems more common than other manufacturers. For me, my LG monitor goes black for 1-2s every few hours. I don't do anything serious on my daily driver Mac, so it's fine. Again, I don't have the issue on my Windows PC, so it is definitely something Mac related.

 

[Gitex]

Returned the monitor to Amazon today. Using 1920x1080 27" LG monitor via HDMI and no problems.
Trying to work up the courage to try (buy) another 5k monitor... maybe a Dell? Saw the Apple Studio Monitor and it is certainly impressive, but starts at $1599!

 

[Kelvinsin]

removed