very basic Mac Mini / Monitor question

[wfriedwald]

you can tell I haven't bought any new hardware in many years!

Very basic question:

just bought the new Mac Mini (on its way even as we speak!)

and also a new monitor to go with it :
ASUS VE278Q Black 27" 1920 x 1080 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 300 cd/m2 ASCR 10,000,000:1

what I need to know: I know that this unit has a displayPort. (I was advised that this connects directly to the mini)

so: what cable do I need to get to connect to the thunderbolt port on the Mini to the DisplayPort on the monitor?

(such a simple question I am almost ashamed!)

any suggestions welcomed.

w

 

[F-Train]

I just purchased a monitor for the first time in years, so I know the feeling

As I understand it, that monitor has an HDMI port. That means that you can run an HDMI cable directly from the monitor to the HDMI port on your Mac mini. No need for an adapter, and the HDMI port on your mini won't go to waste.

You may or may not find that a 27", 1920x1080 monitor works for you. If you've tried the monitor already, and are happy with the image, well and good. If you haven't tried it, I suggest that you read this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hdmi-cable-fuzzy-text-dell-monitor.2159969/ To use the technical jargon so popular on this forum, the pixel density of your monitor (apparently 82 ppi) is almost identical to the pixel density of the monitor discussed in that thread (81 ppi).

 

[wfriedwald]

thanks! yes! there is an HDMI port. I was hoping to attach that to my projector... and use one of the (four!) thunderbolt ports for the monitor. But I guess I can switch it back and forth...

just looked at the recommended thread - very involved. will go through it and see what I can come up with ... hopefully the 27" monitor will look okay for text!

thanks again!

w

 

[F-Train]

thanks! yes! there is an HDMI port. I was hoping to attach that to my projector... and use one of the (four!) thunderbolt ports for the monitor. But I guess I can switch it back and forth...

just looked at the recommended thread - very involved. will go through it and see what I can come up with ... hopefully the 27" monitor will look okay for text!

To use one of the Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, you just need a USB-C to HDMI or USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or cable.

 

[dmsea1]

thanks! yes! there is an HDMI port. I was hoping to attach that to my projector... and use one of the (four!) thunderbolt ports for the monitor. But I guess I can switch it back and forth...

just looked at the recommended thread - very involved. will go through it and see what I can come up with ... hopefully the 27" monitor will look okay for text!

thanks again!

w

And if you do go HDMI to USB-C/Thunderbolt, make sure you get the HDMI - USB-C cable that supports 4k - there is a difference on the cable - best bet is Amazon, of course.

 

[jasnw]

You will find that the cable is the easy part. Getting the resolution/DPi, etc resolved to your liking may prove tricky. If not, you got lucky! Let us know how this works out for you.

 

[wfriedwald]

okay, thanks to our good buddy Pastrychef, I found this one:
https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-uni-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Pixelbook/dp/B075V27G2R

BUT now I'm worried about getting the resolution right! somehow I was assuming that I could just plug it in and that would be all! I guess I'll just keep adjusting the resolution until it looks okay... hopefully not much more to it than that.

Just checking everything on my current set-up, have two DVI monitors, and the resolution on both is set to "Default for Display."

thanks for your continued support!

w

 

[Fishrrman]

"okay, thanks to our good buddy Pastrychef, I found this one:
https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-uni-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Pixelbook/dp/B075V27G2R
BUT now I'm worried about getting the resolution right!"

That cable looks like it should work fine.
Just plug it in and use it.

One thing I'm wondering:
Why did you buy a display with a "TN" panel in it?
Definitely less desirable than would be a display with an IPS panel.

Look at this one, also from ASUS:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B17C5KO/ref=emc_b_5_t

 

[wfriedwald]

why? because of ignorance! Monitors are not my area of expertise. (this is the first time I've heard of either TN or IPS.) I asked a few friends about my particular ASUS and they said, yes, it would be a good fit for the Mac Mini, so I left it at that. But thanks for the additional info - we shall see what happens when the Mini arrives.

thanks again,

w