Apple / Mac new hardware discussion

[fuse]

My M2 Pro Mini arrived earlier this week too but I'm currently getting dicked about with regards to the monitor I bought to go with it, so it's currently sat in the box not doing anything. Exciting but also very frustrating at the same time.

(don't buy from Misco, the arseholes)

[fuse]

Sacked off Misco and Ebuyer instead came good on the monitor; arrived within 24 hours of order placed and now I'm set up and getting all excited over all these pixels. It is delightful to have so much screen space and still have everything so sharp.

Downsides? The stand for the monitor is a bit on the ugly side and is also too deep for the riser I use, so I'm definitely going to accelerate my plans to VESA mount it. I've also splashed out on a new mouse too seeing as this one's nearly old enough to drink legally.

[doodledude]

Sacked off Misco and Ebuyer instead came good on the monitor; arrived within 24 hours of order placed and now I'm set up and getting all excited over all these pixels. It is delightful to have so much screen space and still have everything so sharp.

Downsides? The stand for the monitor is a bit on the ugly side and is also too deep for the riser I use, so I'm definitely going to accelerate my plans to VESA mount it. I've also splashed out on a new mouse too seeing as this one's nearly old enough to drink legally.

What monitor did you go with?
I've a MacBook M1 Pro and have thought it would be nice to use a bigger screen.
Difficult to know what specs are best as I always rely on Apple screens for my Macs!

[fuse]

What monitor did you go with?
I've a MacBook M1 Pro and have thought it would be nice to use a bigger screen.
Difficult to know what specs are best as I always rely on Apple screens for my Macs!

Went with the LG 27MD5KL - the cheapskate's Apple Display it's very nice though. As [MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] had forewarned, it's a hell of a leap from what I was on before (2013 iMac 27").

[doodledude]

Went with the LG 27MD5KL - the cheapskate's Apple Display it's very nice though. As [MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] had forewarned, it's a hell of a leap from what I was on before (2013 iMac 27").

Nice! I use a 27" 5k iMac in my studio so I imagine the screen is similar to that but maybe better specs as mine is from 2017 and I don't imagine mine has IPS.

[wakka]

I think it is actually very similar to the screen you have, in fact the actual panel I think is the same @doodledude

If you're looking for an extra monitor for your MacBook Pro that has a similar feel to an Apple one, you need one that has high pixel density.

Basically, a 24" should be 4K, a 27" should be 5K, and a 32" should be 6K.

There are only two 27" 5K monitors - the LG that fuse got, and the Apple Studio Display. Samsung have one on the way too, the Viewfinity S9, but haven't announced price yet.

For 32" 6K monitors there's only Apple's £4500 one as far as I know, but Dell have got one on the way this year. Will probs be multi thousands though.

There are more options at the 24" 4K bracket. LG do one for about £250 (haven't tried it so can't speak to the quality - will prob be fine but not as good as the one built into your MBP).

I personally use a 24" 4K monitor, a super cheapo one from 'Electriq' that sadly isn't available any more, and it does have that nice high density feel. Colour reproduction and brightness leaves a lot to be desired next to my MBP's built-in screen, but it does the job.

[doodledude]

I think it is actually very similar to the screen you have, in fact the actual panel I think is the same @doodledude

If you're looking for an extra monitor for your MacBook Pro that has a similar feel to an Apple one, you need one that has high pixel density.

Basically, a 24" should be 4K, a 27" should be 5K, and a 32" should be 6K.

There are only two 27" 5K monitors - the LG that fuse got, and the Apple Studio Display. Samsung have one on the way too, the Viewfinity S9, but haven't announced price yet.

For 32" 6K monitors there's only Apple's £4500 one as far as I know, but Dell have got one on the way this year. Will probs be multi thousands though.

There are more options at the 24" 4K bracket. LG do one for about £250 (haven't tried it so can't speak to the quality - will prob be fine but not as good as the one built into your MBP).

I personally use a 24" 4K monitor, a super cheapo one from 'Electriq' that sadly isn't available any more, and it does have that nice high density feel. Colour reproduction and brightness leaves a lot to be desired next to my MBP's built-in screen, but it does the job.

Thanks for that, good info there.
Whatever screen I get needs to be high-density or 'Retina' as I'm used to that now.
A 24" would be ok for connecting up to my MBP.
I remember updating from a 21" iMac to my current 27" one and always thought I'd be too big, but now I'd struggle with a smaller screen!

[wakka]

Yep was thinking you'd be after high density/Retina

On the 24" side, here are two options from LG

Low end

High end

The high end one will have better colour reproduction and accuracy, from what I've read about the Ultrafines at least.

Also the high end features USB-C for a single-cable connection to your monitor (your laptop will charge off the monitor). However it doesn't have HDMI so can't be used for much other than your Mac.

[doodledude]

Yep was thinking you'd be after high density/Retina

On the 24" side, here are two options from LG

Low end

High end

The high end one will have better colour reproduction and accuracy, from what I've read about the Ultrafines at least.

Also the high end features USB-C for a single-cable connection to your monitor (your laptop will charge off the monitor). However it doesn't have HDMI so can't be used for much other than your Mac.

Interesting, I'd need good colour accuracy as I'm a graphic designer.
Also would want HDMI as well for the flexibility to connect to PS5 or something like that.

[speedlolita]

Just got my adapter in to use my M1 Air with my 27" 1440p Dell gaming monitor. After using the MacBook display for a week the 1:1 scaling is looking pretty rough lol, at least it is 165Hz though. I suppose 5K on a 27" operates like 1440p but with the nice "retina" clarity.

[CMcK]

Interesting, I'd need good colour accuracy as I'm a graphic designer.
Also would want HDMI as well for the flexibility to connect to PS5 or something like that.

Apple screens are all factory calibrated and accurate. More manufacturers have started doing and usually make it a feature but you’ll generally pay extra for it. Slightly OT but a few years back I bought a Dell with certified factory calibration as a 40th gift for a friend who is into photography. He was pleased until he used it. He discovered all of the photos he had taken and processed for years had a yellow tint!

[wakka]

I suppose 5K on a 27" operates like 1440p but with the nice "retina" clarity.

Yeah, exactly that. In 'Display' under Systems Settings you can move a slider to choose whether to have 'more space' (closer to 1:1) or 'larger text' (everything scaled bigger), and the default is generally 50% of native resolution as usable space. So on my 24" 4K monitor everything is sized as if it was 1080p. On a 24" that looks good, but it would probably look a bit fisher price at a 27" or above.

Interesting, I'd need good colour accuracy as I'm a graphic designer.
Also would want HDMI as well for the flexibility to connect to PS5 or something like that.

Ah gotcha. I don't really know if that exists, since 24" 4K monitors are uncommon (only Mac users really want such a high res on a small display). You might have to compromise with a 27" 4K, for which there are tons and tons of options.

You would need to run the interface scaled so everything wasn't too big. It would work fine but wouldn't be quite as crisp.

[fuse]

Downsides? The stand for the monitor is a bit on the ugly side and is also too deep for the riser I use, so I'm definitely going to accelerate my plans to VESA mount it. I've also splashed out on a new mouse too seeing as this one's nearly old enough to drink legally.

Went with a Logitech G502 mouse on a friend's recommendation, and fitted the VESA plate / mounting arm on the weekend. Still need to work out a sensible HDD option and transfer some data off my old iMac, but for the most part am all set up and very happy.

[wakka]

Nice dude! That's a slick setup.

Glad to hear you're happy with the new machine and monitor.

[speedlolita]

Love the setup fuse, and the glimpse into your paradise of games.

That Mac Mini looks a lot smarter than my gaming PC. lol