Looking for M1 Mac Mini Monitor Suggestions

Lbang4buckenthusiast on 20/06/2022 - 21:40

Hi all,

First time poster, long time lurker!

I am looking to set up a M1 Mac Mini for my partner, she is currently using the 5k iMac but its really slow now.

She works from home, does Photoshop, Illustrator here and there.

I cant really splash cash for the 5k LG displays or the apple monitors.

Just wondering if there are any good ultrawide 3K or 32 inch 4K options out there to transition to?

I'd get her 27 inch but she said she wants a bit more screen real estate.

Thanks in advance guys. My budget is around 600.

I also looked into Luna Display but I dont know how well that works with the 5K imac. If anyone has experience with it, please do share.

Cheers guys!

Computing Apple Computer Computer Peripheral LCD Monitor Mini PC

Comments

  • Hybroid on 20/06/2022 - 22:35
    +3

    Since you're a "bang4buckenthusiast", struggling to believe a 2020 iMac even with a base spec 6-core i5 is "really slow". It may just need a reformat and fresh OS install or possibly new SSD if it's failing somehow.

    $600 is not going to cut it for professional Photoshop & Illustrator user that's used to the iMac 5K display. It's not just about size and resolution but brightness and colour reproduction too which is surely most important to them.

    https://support.apple.com/kb/SP821

    • AustriaBargain on 20/06/2022 - 23:30
      +1

      5k iMac was introduced 2014, not 2020. OP really should have specified exactly what iMac 5k she is using. Though looking at the geek bench for the 2014 i5 iMac compared to the Mac Mini M1, it seems the iMac is still much more powerful:

      https://browser.geekbench.com/v3/cpu/1057778

      https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/mac-mini-late-2020

      Unless I confused the models or something here, didn't exactly put a lot of time into researching it. It says the 2014 iMac has a fusion drive, I don't know how the fusion drive compares to a SSD so I don't know if it'd be worth upgrading the drive to get more speed.

      EDIT: never mind, one test is geek bench 3 and the other is geek bench 5.

      • Hybroid on 20/06/2022 - 23:49
        +1

        Ah there are much older 5K iMacs. Well if it is indeed one with a fusion drive (which is a normal slow HDD with SSD cache) then same advice applies. Upgrade that to a newer SSD for much cheaper than a whole new setup.

      • freefall101 on 21/06/2022 - 10:20

        Fusion drive is far slower, it's basically using the SSD to cache a bit.

        2014 iMac is demolished by the M1. Even the 2020 iMac is thanks to far faster memory and storage access.

        • BargainBenno on 07/07/2022 - 07:48

          You can plug in a external fast ssd to the imac and it will be faster too.

    • bang4buckenthusiast on 21/06/2022 - 15:03

      She uses the 2015 model, it's got the i5 and Im not sure whats wrong with it but even powerpoint is super slow.

      I've called a few repair places but they really dont want to open up and deal with the iMac.

      The quotes have also been crazy around 650 to do a clean etc.

      Every shop I've asked (ive asked 3) has told me to just get a new one.

  • p1 ama on 20/06/2022 - 23:28

    If you already have a 5K iMac, you can get one of those PCBs that let you adapt the display and you can continue using that display with the Mac Mini.

    • bang4buckenthusiast on 21/06/2022 - 15:04

      I would totally 100% do that if i knew what i was doing! :(

  • freefall101 on 21/06/2022 - 10:34

    While it sounds a bit trite, she probably needs to move closer to the screen. 4K on 27" is the same real estate as 4K on 32". That said, the price difference usually isn't massive between the two.

    Anyway, Dell has some good prices + 20% off on ebay. Their 4K monitors are always a good value for money buy - https://www.ebay.com.au/str/officialdellaustraliastore

    $600 is hard to get prosumer level 4K monitors thought with good colour reproduction.

    • bang4buckenthusiast on 21/06/2022 - 15:04

      Thank you so much! I'll have a browse!

    • AustriaBargain on 21/06/2022 - 15:47
      +1

      Macs use scaling so although it is a 5k screen with a 5120 X 2880 resolution the "effective" resolution by default is something like 2048 X 1440, hence the "retina" branding. Of course you can change the scaling option to make it true 5k resolution and she may well have done that.

  • BargainBenno on 07/07/2022 - 07:52

    I use the 1440p dell which is the perfect resolution for imac. The 4k is good too but the text is more as crisp.

  • svteng on 15/12/2022 - 18:17

    I think you just need a good 10bit monitor usually from LG under 100hz is less than $900.

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