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mac mini monitor suggestions

post #1 of 19
8/6/05 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
Perhaps I'm paranoid, but I thought I remembered that when mac minis came out there was some fuss about certain monitors not working well with them. Cetain monitors had dim displays while connected to the mini.

Any Mac Mini users with monitors that your happy with please share with me your make and model. My mini is coming in the mail this week and I need to pick up a monitor soon. I'm looking to spend between $350-$500 on a monitor between 17 & 19 inches. (I love the apple displays but even the 17 inch one seems a bit pricey)
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post #2 of 19
8/6/05 at 8:39am
check dell.com they have some really nice monitors cheap...you can get a 20.1" widescreen for around 500$
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post #3 of 19
8/6/05 at 9:20am
Quote:
Originally posted by Voncaster
I love the apple displays but even the 17 inch one seems a bit pricey

The smalest Cinema Display offered by Apple at the moment is 20 inch, there is no 17 inch CD!

I went for the Dell 2005FPW, which should arrive next week.
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post #4 of 19
8/6/05 at 12:55pm
If your on a budget, I've got an IIyama Prolite E481S and it works and looks a treat with the mini.

I'd just love to have a new apple display \
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post #5 of 19
8/6/05 at 4:00pm
I'm using a dell 2005fpw 20.1" widescreen(which i got with a coupon off slickdeals.net) new from dell for $359 shipped. same monitor as the Apple 20" but with an ugly Dell logo. Looks fantastic with the mini. very bright!
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post #6 of 19
8/6/05 at 4:31pm
i have this and it works ace
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post #7 of 19
8/8/05 at 12:21pm
has anyone had any experience formac displays? They look pretty good and seem like a good deal too. Just wondering.
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post #8 of 19
8/8/05 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally posted by timmy o'tool
has anyone had any experience formac displays? They look pretty good and seem like a good deal too. Just wondering.

Yes, i have the old 17 version of whats they have now, Got it about 2 years ago.

It is ok but nothing special. Not as sharp as me IIyama and that was half the price
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post #9 of 19
8/9/05 at 3:40pm
Basically _any_ monitor with digital input (DVI) will work great with the Mac mini, but apparently some old analogue monitors (VGA input) were dim. I haven't seen this myself, but people were reporting it when the Mac mini came out. I haven't heard it reported again since, so it might not be an issue anymore.

That being said, if you're buying a new monitor anyway, spend a few extra $$$ (sometimes as little as 10 bucks more) and get a screen with DVI input. Even an el cheapo $200 17" flat panel display (1280x1024 resolution) will work fine. Just make sure it has DVI for that nice digital quality.
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post #10 of 19
8/10/05 at 4:02pm
I use a 17 inch CRT Dell monitor that I got from Fry's (outpost.com) for $70
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post #11 of 19
8/10/05 at 8:22pm
Wait for the next Dell 20" deal... that's what I'm going to do. These things were going for less than $400 shipped recently.
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post #12 of 19
8/11/05 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Robin Hood
Basically _any_ monitor with digital input (DVI) will work great with the Mac mini, but apparently some old analogue monitors (VGA input) were dim. I haven't seen this myself, but people were reporting it when the Mac mini came out. I haven't heard it reported again since, so it might not be an issue anymore.

My old Viewsonic monitor is quite a bit dimmer when running from the Mac Mini Vs. my PC (switch between them via KVM.) The Dell 20.1 FP (mentioned above) should work great. Used one at my last job and was exceptional.
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post #13 of 19
8/17/05 at 1:23pm
I recently bought a Syntax 27 inch LCD HD ready TV. It claims a Wide XGA 1280 x 720 Resolution via a DVI (or VGA) connection. Is the Mac Mini powerful enough to drive this monitor? Any thoughts on if that resolution would look funny on this size monitor?
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post #14 of 19
8/17/05 at 10:19pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Kishan
I recently bought a Syntax 27 inch LCD HD ready TV. It claims a Wide XGA 1280 x 720 Resolution via a DVI (or VGA) connection. Is the Mac Mini powerful enough to drive this monitor?

I cannot comment from experience, but it should work just fine.

Quote:
Any thoughts on if that resolution would look funny on this size monitor?

That is a pretty low resolution for such a large display, however I'm sure it'd be perfectly usable. Try it and see, you've got nothing to lose (aside from the price of a DVI cable if you don't already have one)
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post #15 of 19
8/17/05 at 10:38pm
Samsung SyncMaster 730B works well. The backlight shows through a bit at the edges, which is noticeable with full-screen dark images, but generally it's quite good. It also has a fast pixel response time.
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post #16 of 19
8/17/05 at 11:03pm
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post #17 of 19
8/18/05 at 4:31am
Quote:
Originally posted by mikef
I cannot comment from experience, but it should work just fine.

That is a pretty low resolution for such a large display, however I'm sure it'd be perfectly usable. Try it and see, you've got nothing to lose (aside from the price of a DVI cable if you don't already have one)

Thanks for the reply MikeF. What is the native resolution of the MacMini? Is it widescreen? I read on the apple website that it supports a max of 1920X1200, but I would think this would stress out the wimpy little video card that is in there.
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post #18 of 19
8/18/05 at 6:11am
My video card was choking at high 1920 x 1440. Im running 1400 x 1050 now and its great.
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post #19 of 19
8/18/05 at 9:03am
Quote:
Originally posted by Kishan
What is the native resolution of the MacMini? Is it widescreen?

Since it doesn't ship with a monitor, there is no native resolution. I run my 9200-based card (same chipset as the Mini) on a desktop at 1280x1024 with no problems, so it'll definitely handle 1280x720.

Quote:
I read on the apple website that it supports a max of 1920X1200, but I would think this would stress out the wimpy little video card that is in there.

I agree. It would work, but probably be too slow for serious work.
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