- Best Monitor For Mac Mini
- Best Samsung Monitor For Mac Mini 2012
- Best Samsung Monitor For Mac Mini 2011
Best Mac monitors & displays 2018 Even if you have an iMac or MacBook you might want a second screen. And those with a Mac mini or Mac Pro will need a display of some kind.
Feature
By Roger Fingas
Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 07:16 am PT (10:16 am ET)
If a MacBook Pro is your primary computer, you're probably going to want a big-screen monitor for your desktop. These are some of the top-rated options compatible with Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C, in no particular order.Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 07:16 am PT (10:16 am ET)
Dell U3818DW
Best Monitor For Mac Mini
Truly a behemoth, the U3818DW ($874.99) is a 38-inch, 3,840-by-1,600 IPS panel which not only has USB-C, DisplayPort, and HDMI connections, but additional USB 3.0 ports, 9-watt speakers, and integrated Bluetooth. As with all of the monitors on this list it can charge an attached MacBook, in this case supplying 95 watts of power, enough to run and charge a 15-inch MacBook Pro without issue.BenQ PD2710QC
For people looking to keep costs semi-reasonable, the PD2710QC ($549.99) is a 27-inch, 2,560-by-1,440 IPS display that supplies up to 61 watts to an attached laptop. Beyond USB-C, ports are limited to DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, and 3.5mm audio.
Dell S2718D
Still less expensive is the 27-inch S2718D ($348.95). This delivers 2,560-by-1,440 resolution, but you will make some sacrifices — there's no DisplayPort option, and power delivery is capped at 45 watts, which is only enough to slow down battery drain on a MacBook. There are at least audio-out and two USB 3.0 ports.
LG 27MD5KA UltraFine 5K
The 27-inch UltraFine 5K was designed in cooperation with Apple, and as its name suggests, supports resolutions up to 5,120 by 2,880. This hits 99 percent of the P3 color gamut, and provides up to 85 watts of power via Thunderbolt 3, while also including a camera and three USB-C ports, the latter capped at 5 gigabits per second. You'll pay a hefty fee: it typically retails for $1,299.95.
Acer XR382CQK
Back to the big ones — the XR382CQK ($949.99) measures 37.5 inches, and runs at 3,840 by 1,600. It's also marketed as a gaming monitor, with an incredibly fast 1-millisecond response time. MacBooks are connected via a USB 3.1 Type-C port, and four USB 3.0 ports are provided for peripherals. Other video options include DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0, and MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) 2.1.
Asus Designo MX27UC
The Designo MX27UC ($525.19) is 27-inch 4K monitor notable for its slim design, while having a decent assortment of ports on the back: USB-C, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, and two Type-A USB 3.1 connections. You can also plug in external audio, but the monitor's speakers are rated at just 3 watts.
Best Samsung Monitor For Mac Mini 2012
LG 27UK850-W
The 27UK850-W ($594.90) is another 27-inch, 4K USB-C display, and indeed even has bezels similar to those on the Designo. Secondary ports include DisplayPort, two HDMI, and two USB Type-A options.
Samsung C34H890WJN
Samsung is big on curved displays, a prime example being the 34-inch C34H890WJN ($699.99). This one has a 3,440-by-1,440 panel in a 21:9 ratio, and ports for USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, 3.5mm audio, and three USB 3.0 peripherals.
Samsung CJ79
Best Samsung Monitor For Mac Mini 2011
This one ($899.99) was just announced. Like the C34H890WJN it's a 34-inch, 3,440-by-1,440 monitor, the main difference being the replacement of USB-C with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one of which can deliver 85 watts to a connected MacBook. Other ports include HDMI, DisplayPort, and two USB 3.0 connections.
After years of silence on the Mac Mini front, fans of Apple's diminutive desktop computing slab had given up hope of ever getting a replacement. But Apple's delivered a great upgrade with its 2018 models. And there's only one possible drawback.
In addition to modernizing the connection options with USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, updating to HDMI 2.0 and offering a 10-gigabit Ethernet option, Apple fixed one of the big complaints about the 2014 model: soldered memory. Upgradable memory is back, and it takes two industry-standard DDR4 SO-DIMMs.
But like most Apple products, you can't upgrade it at home. Instead you'll have to take a trip to a service center. This undercuts one of upgradeable memory's perks: The option to buy less expensive memory elsewhere. But if it's going to be another four years until Apple updates the Mini again, then every little bit of upgradability helps.
We tested the 'cheap' entry-level model, equipped with an Intel Core i3-8100B, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. There isn't much to say about how it feels to use. It's similar to the old model. It drove a Dell Ultrathin 27 S2719DC display via Thunderbolt without any unexpected issues (and at the monitor's maximum 75Hz refresh rate). The speakers are still kind of tinny, but the system still has the quaint 3.5mm headphone jack that Apple's dropped from its other products.
The B series of the Core processors are recent low-profile, thermally capped versions of their desktop counterparts designed for embedded systems and mini PCs. This is how Apple was able to switch from the last generation's mobile processors while keeping essentially the same design and without increasing its fan noise or noticeable heat. The i3 wouldn't really stress the small box's cooling system so we can't speak to how it would handle a more demanding processor.
But the new generation of the Core i3 delivers performance almost on par with the previous generation's i5. This Mini's processor fares well against last year's midrange iMac, though that uses a mobile version of the processor with very low power. Apple will probably switch the to the new generation of CPUs for the iMac in 2019, so the Mini won't necessarily remain comparable. (We didn't retest the 2014 Mac Mini for comparison, but Apple would have had to actively try to slow it down in order to deliver worse performance than those four-year-old components.)