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2018 Mac Mini Review

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Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#171

Post by thirdsun »

Side discussion: What are everyone's thoughts when it comes to external HiDPI monitor options to use with this Mac Mini?

Ideally I'd want 5K displays (I'm used to the iMac 5K) but it seems that LG's UltraFine is the only real option and the rest of the industry has settled on 4K/UHD at 27 inches, which results in a) limited screen real estate due to an effective resolution of 1080p at 2x scaling and b) slightly less pixel density.

I maybe fine with b) but both issues considered I'm seriously wondering why UHD displays at 27" are so popular - it seems like a subpar and regretful combination. Are my worries unwarranted?

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#172

Post by myrandomcomment »

dagw wrote: post #118
SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just stick the Pi to the back of your TV with some self-adhesive PCB risers. No case required.

What do you use as a remote? Also does RP+Kodi do Netflix/Amazon/HBO etc. streaming in a nice way?

No and that’s the issue. Works great for your local / NAS media. Lots of plugins for all sorts of things, except, Netflix, Amazon, XM. I still use the TV apps for that.

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#173

Post by someguydave »

bluegreyred wrote: post #158
someguydave wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now that I think about it, axing the optical audio ports was probably a deliberate move by Apple to nudge home TV users of mac minis into using Apple TVs, where they have way more control over the interface and content. edit: apparently Apple TV doesn't have optical audio either.

Don't judge, maybe the next version of the mac mini will be waterproof!

lol

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#174

Post by thirdsun »

basejumping wrote: post #168
thirdsun wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that really an issue with Intel's integrated GPUs? Honestly asking. I'm considering a Mac Mini, but there's no way I'm going back to low PPI displays and the lack of affordable 5K / 27" options concerns me (in my opinion 4K/UHD at 27" is a borderline unusable combination with its effective resolution of 1080p - feel free to convince me otherwise). If those few 5K options can't be driven smoothly by an Intel GPU, i…

Looking to buy a 4k 27 inch external monitor for my 2018 macbook. What's the problem with it and why is it not better than a 1080p?

It's better than 1080p as it is much sharper and crisper, but 1080p at 27 inches results in rather large UI elements. An effective resolution of 2560x1440px (as seen in any iMac 27) seems like the proper resolution for a display of that size.

Read more about it here: https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays/

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#175

Post by dexterdog »

matt4077 wrote: post #164
torben-friis wrote: post #11

A $2500 desktop computer with integrated graphics? Honestly, it feels like a bit of a joke.

It starts at $800, and you can instantly save $600 even for this top-of-the-line model by installing RAM yourself (it's user-upgradable again). The model & price reviewed here is the "let's not stop people from throwing money at us" option.

The RAM is upgrade-able on a Mac? Who put his neck on the line to get that option into the final product? That man is a hero.

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#176

Post by Blaiz0r »

dagw wrote: post #118
SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just stick the Pi to the back of your TV with some self-adhesive PCB risers. No case required.

What do you use as a remote? Also does RP+Kodi do Netflix/Amazon/HBO etc. streaming in a nice way?

With a Rpi over HDMI you can use your remote on most tvs if they support the CEC standard.

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#178

Post by antsar »

thirdsun wrote: post #171

Side discussion: What are everyone's thoughts when it comes to external HiDPI monitor options to use with this Mac Mini? Ideally I'd want 5K displays (I'm used to the iMac 5K) but it seems that LG's UltraFine is the only real option and the rest of the industry has settled on 4K/UHD at 27 inches, which results in a) limited screen real estate due to an effective resolution of 1080p at 2x scaling and b) slightly less…

Nobody's forcing you to use 2x scaling. I use two 27" UHD displays with Debian/GNOME. The system-level scaling factor is 1, and I adjust application zoom levels as needed.

I typically divide each display in half, and each half comfortably fits one browser window, mail client, terminal, Spotify, etc.

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#179

Post by tomduncalf »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #107
tomduncalf wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% this, but for people who don't make money from using the computer I can see how the high prices are a real problem

But Apple's strategy has never been to go after the price-sensitive market. Complaining that their prices are way higher than commodity parts you can piece together yourself makes zero sense. That's like complaining that a Ferrari is way more expensive than a Honda.

Yep, good point. I read someone online commenting that Apple's "price sensitive" option are second-hand devices as they (historically) remain updated and working well for a long time. Hopefully the new 3rd generation keyboard will stand up to years of use - I'm not at all confident that my 2017 will have much resale value due to the keyboard issues.

Re: 2018 Mac Mini Review

#180

Post by cmer »

thirdsun wrote: post #171

Side discussion: What are everyone's thoughts when it comes to external HiDPI monitor options to use with this Mac Mini? Ideally I'd want 5K displays (I'm used to the iMac 5K) but it seems that LG's UltraFine is the only real option and the rest of the industry has settled on 4K/UHD at 27 inches, which results in a) limited screen real estate due to an effective resolution of 1080p at 2x scaling and b) slightly less…

I too am disappointed by the lack of 5k options. The iMac 5k display is truly outstanding and I wish there were other options. The 1080p aspect ratio is not great in my opinion.

Something you might want to consider is this 32" 4k monitor: https://www.benq.com/en/monitor/designer/pd3200u.html

It has great reviews, and while it's a bit different from what you're looking for, you might be able to run it at a higher resolution and get more screen real estate. Food for thought...

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