Hi everyone.
I’m considering buying a new monitor for a Mac mini m4.
I have read many reviews which indicate some monitors don’t work well with Mac.
my priority is for word processing, so a 4k or 5k should give the clearest text…right?
apparently not…some people recommend 1440p and upscaling etc ???
I have seen some recommendations for:
Asus ProArt PA279Cv 16:9
BenQ MA27OU Mac 16:9
BenQ RD28OU Programming Monitor 3:2
all available on Amazon.
AppleStudio Yes please but not at £££ that’s £1400 and it isn’t even ergonomic.
non adjustable stand!
so what are you guys using that give crisp clear text and reduced eye strain?
thanks for the fast reply.
I just need clear text, maybe I’m spoiled with the text on the much smaller iPhone and iPad. The difference is significant and warrants an upgrade to my 1080P 27" Viewsonic Elite.
I bought a BenQ RD280U and liked it so much I bought a second one. Mind you, as a lifelong forced-to-use-Windows person who just went mac a few years ago, I was used to 1440p. But I also did a lot of Excel work, so having three monitors is my preferred set up.
I first added a BenQ 32-inch 1440 to my two 27 inch monitors, and went with that for a few years. But when one of the 27-inchers died, I decided to try a 4k. My old eyes and cheap nature precluded a 5k.
I was going to buy a 32-inch BenQ 4K, but before I did, I rotated my 32-incher and realized the aspect ratio for it was not nice rotated. For me at least. Even the 27-inch in portrait mode always left me wishing it was a bit wider.
So the 28-inch intrigued me enough to try it, and as I said, I loved it so much I bought a second one. The text clarity is just so, so nice for a writer. That extra inch from 27 to 28 is like when Spinal Tap turns the amps up to 11; for me, anyhow.
Ironically, my older 27-inch got stolen by a granddaughter who games, so at the moment, I have the two 28-inch RD280Us side by side in landscape, with the BenQ 32-inch in portrait off to the side. It’s used mostly for email and the browser and music player, etc.
I think my ultimate set up is going to be a BenQ 32-inch 4k in the middle of the two RD280U, once my budget recovers.
Text is very clear. One other comment, the Dells seem to be more robust than most others. I had an LG 5k 27" which was a lovely screen, but oh so cheap plastic ands flimsy looking.
Whichever you think of buying, check that it is an IPS screen, not VA which a lot of suppliers, even Samsung use on their lower cost units.
By far the best review site for monitors is rtings, they have incredibly detailed display breakdowns and great tools to search and sort by featutes important to you:
4K (well HiDPI really) and up is non-negotiable, the improvements in clarity for text overshadow any other single monitor feature hands down. What i mean by HiDPI is that you can have a 40" 4K display or a 27" 4K display, and text clarity will be different because the important measure is pixel density at a given viewing distance. But in general 4K on a 27" display should be fine.
Note that 4K OLEDs are starting to emerge, which should exceed IPS displays in terms of both colour fidelity and temporal response.
Don’t forget about AOC, a chinese brand that should undercut Korean or Japanese manufacturer prices while still using great panels. I have the AOC U27U2DP, 4K nanoIPS HRD400 with USB power delivery for my macbook + builtin ethernet and USB hub which cost me ~£325 here in China.
Thank you so much for the informative reply.
Based on your comments about the RD280U, I’m really tempted now.
How does it fair for general surfing and occasional YouTube?
I have a 31.5 Dell UltraSharp 4K USB-C monitor and am happy with it. It has an adjustable stand and I like that the cables can be managed nicely in the back. I dock a MacBook Air with it right now but am considering getting a Mac Mini. Before that, I had an 27" LG 4K monitor and was happy with that. I think the 27" is a bit more comfortable eye-strain wise if you don’t need to put windows side-by-side often.
thank you for your reply.
I’m just concerned about reports that Mac doesn’t scale well to some monitors.
I just need lots of eye strain and clear crisp graphics.
btw, the Mac mini scored slightly better on performance than MacBook M4, but the graphics appear not as sharp.
thank you for sharing the info on your monitors.
What’s the model number of your Dell?
thanks
General surfing is great; there are enough options with the BenQ software that you can go for better color, better dark room viewing settings, less eye strain, along with the HiDPI for words. Switching is easy.
I don’t watch too much video from You Tube or any streaming services on them but that’s because I do this activities to relax while in my easy chair, and then I use my iPad, more out of habit since I’ve been doing it that way for years.
The build quality for them is very good. I can’t compare them to Apple monitors since I’ve never owned one of them, but these are very sturdy. Certainly they went for a well-built feeling and not a thin-as-can-be design, which is how they sell them for less, I’m sure.
Customer support has been good, too, in that the first one I bought was a pre-Black Friday deal that “will be the lowest price you can get” and then the actual Black Friday deal was $35 less. When I complained, they immediately sent me the $35 difference, and apologized.
I’m pretty sure you’ll love it for Word Processing once you turn on the HiDPI, and set the resolution to what is large enough for your setup. I was worried about all the scaling issue and DPI and all that, but for my old eyes, the crisp text is paramount.
Oh, that’s good to know! I’ll have to look into the graphics info.
It’s the Dell UltraSharp U3223QE - 4K IPS Black Monitor - USB-C 90W - RJ45 -KVM - 32 in. Here’s the Dell listing if you want to look at the specs. I live in the Netherlands and ordered from Bol.com where it’s available for less $. Looks like it’s available on amazon.com, not sure about the UK’s Amazon page.
Thank you for this reply.
The crisp text is definitely of paramount importance to me.
It’s crazy!
On my iPhone it’s crystal clear with small txt.
On my iPad it’s crystal clear.
On my Mac mini with a view sonic elite monitor @ 1080p it resembles a Vic20 connected to an RF converter which connects with coax to a 50hz interlaced CRT in 1980.
Btw. It was significantly better with MacBook connected to the same monitor.
I just found out that M4 10/10 core Mac mini is not the same graphics as MacBook M4 10/10 core.
The HiDPI you mention sounds interesting too.
Thank you
I don’t really understand this, Apple’s GPU is the same in both cases (i.e. it was an Apple Silicon macbook)? Irrespective of the GPU though (even if it was an Intel Mac), display scaling and text rendering is the job of the OS at a level way above the GPU hardware itself, so perhaps you were using a different cable and thus forced a legacy output on one rather than the other?
Hi.
Same cable and monitor.
Remove from MacBook Pro M4 and placed into Mac mini.
I was not anticipating any issues like this.
After seeing the poor display quality I did some research on line.
Dependant on how you phrase the search.
I actually got some detailed reports from Mac forums but just now I found these.
See pics.
I can only assume that Apple have dumbed down the graphics or it’s a design issue.
But it does appear quite prevalent.
This behaviour is only apparent on 3rd party monitors. So spending £1400 will ensure no issues .
I’ve ordered a 4K monitor.
Even on the MacBook Pro my 1080p was lacking, so either way I need to upgrade.
Might even get some weaker glasses so I can sit further back
Just a quick thank you to everyone who took time to engage with me on this subject. thank you.
I decided on the RD280U, omg!
A total game changer, it’s so crisp and clear.
I don’t own an Apple monitor but comparing this to my iPad, iPhone 15 and MacBook, I have to say it’s pretty much on par.
I can wholeheartedly endorse this at less than a third of the price of Apples cheapest offering.
thanks once again everyone.
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