Monitor choices and my new Mac mini m4

Most Monitors/Displays will work with the M4 Mac mini.

see > Connect a display to Mac mini - Apple Support

Tip: the M4 Mac mini's are cable picky and the cheap factory supplied display cable should be replaced with a high speed USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI to HDMI cable.

for example > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NVV76FH/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?

for example > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HXPZ1PQ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?

Spanielfan wrote:

I am having a frustrating time trying to select a new monitor for my mini m4 computer. I have read that you can’t use a 4k monitor and that I’d be better off with choosing a qhd monitor.

Sounds like you've been fed misinformation. You can use 4K monitors.

I'm using a 27" 4K monitor with a M1 Max Mac Studio. Displays Settings offers five "resolutions":

• Retina "looks like" 1920x1080 (Larger Text)
• Retina "looks like" 2560x1440
• Retina "looks like" 3008x1692
• Retina "looks like" 3360x1890
• 3840x2160 (More Space)

I would expect a M4 Mac mini to offer similar choices, at least for monitors attached via USB-C, and likely for ones attached via HDMI, as well.

In the four Retina modes, the Mac draws on a canvas with twice as many pixels in each direction as the "looks like" setting. Then it fits the canvas onto the actual display.

In terms of physical size of text and objects,

• "Looks like" 2560x1440" is a good fit for a 27" display. In this mode, the Mac would be drawing at 5K detail, and a 27" 5K display (like the Apple Studio Display) would be sharper than a 27" 4K one. (That 27" 4K display would still have 2.25x as many pixels per square inch as a 27" 2560x1440 display.)
• "Looks like" 3008x1692" is a good fit for a 32" display. In this mode, the Mac would be drawing at 6K detail, and the 32" 6K Apple Pro Display XDR would be sharper than a 32" 4K display. The difference being that if you have to ask how much the Pro Display XDR costs, you can't afford it!

So 27" 5K or 32" 6K is the "best quality; cost is no object" choice; and some people might recommend sticking with 27" 2560x1440 displays to avoid non-integer scaling. But you can use 4K displays and there can be advantages to using a 4K display over a 2560x1440 pixel one.

Take a look at LG Monitors, I like the quality of the build and have had very good luck with any and all products from them. Our local COSTCO has them most of the time.

Plus the return policy on monitors at COSTCO is fast and easy.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

There's a lot of misinformation on the internet.

Any monitor with an HDMI cable will work. I have a 27" 1080p and a 27" 4K both made by Philips and bargain basement.

Whether it's worth spending the extra for 4K (over 1080p) is debatable as for all normal work I can't see any difference and until recently I had a working 2017 27" iMac with a 5K Retina screen.

You can't see a difference between 27" 1920x1080 and 27 "like 2560x1440"?!?!

I have a bit of trouble reading very small print with the aid of glasses, and yet I still find that 27" "like 1920x1080" produces uncomfortably large text.

Choose 1920x1080 over ['like"] 2560x1440 ("to save money"), and you'll also get only 56% as much workspace.

There's a lot of misinformation on the internet.

Any monitor with an HDMI cable will work. I have a 27" 1080p and a 27" 4K both made by Philips and bargain basement.

Whether it's worth spending the extra for 4K (over 1080p) is debatable as for all normal work I can't see any difference and until recently I had a working 2017 27" iMac with a 5K Retina screen.

Regarding the quality of HDMI cables my experience is different from many on this forum. I have been buying them for the last 20 years when required and have always gone for the bargain basement ones on Amazon/Ebay and Pound Shops and never had a problem. Never spent more than 3 quid.

They have all been used and re-used for years on different computers, TVs, Recorders, DVDs etc. always worked perfectly and are still going strong.

You're welcome.

I have the 4K monitor set to 1080p output so the print is the same comfortable size. Same with the 5K iMac.