Help me find a monitor for my mac mini
June 30, 2016 12:19 PM Subscribe
I want a 23"/24" monitor for my mac mini. I do a lot of writing/reading PDFs + long texts plus fair amount of photo editing. Speakers wanted.Not sure if webcams in monitors are worth it. Would be used in sunny room in FL, so anti-glare advice welcome as well. Thanks.
Going to offer my usual advice here.
1. Avoiding monitors that don't quote 178 degree field of view avoids a lot of bad technologies. No, they don't really have 178 degree field of view, but the ones that quote 178 will get you 30-40 degrees before the color gets all screwy.
2. Since you said "photo editing" you need something that can be calibrated. Most monitors come with completely screwed up color out of the box. You can either find one that's not terrible (reviews can help), or spend $100ish to get a color calibration puck. (I have a Spyder4.) If you don't do this, you're likely to get surprised when you go to print.
posted by doomsey at 1:33 PM on June 30, 2016
1. Avoiding monitors that don't quote 178 degree field of view avoids a lot of bad technologies. No, they don't really have 178 degree field of view, but the ones that quote 178 will get you 30-40 degrees before the color gets all screwy.
2. Since you said "photo editing" you need something that can be calibrated. Most monitors come with completely screwed up color out of the box. You can either find one that's not terrible (reviews can help), or spend $100ish to get a color calibration puck. (I have a Spyder4.) If you don't do this, you're likely to get surprised when you go to print.
posted by doomsey at 1:33 PM on June 30, 2016
plus fair amount of photo editing
How important is this to you? If you're serious about it or think you might become serious about it, you want one with a wide color gamut - something with at least 99% of sRGB. Many of the monitors that offer it do not have speakers.
Asus makes some decent relatively inexpensive monitors that have good color coverage - check out the ASUS PA248Q. Dell also has some like the U2415. You'll also want to pick up a calibrator like the Colormunki to ensure the color accuracy.
If that's not a feature you're going to need, I've been pretty happy with the lower end Asus, Dell, and HP monitors I've used, though I can't give specific examples at this point. You want something with an IPS screen rather than a TN one. I'd look on a deal aggregator like Techbargains and just look for a specific model in the price range you're looking at and then read the reviews.
posted by Candleman at 1:45 PM on June 30, 2016
How important is this to you? If you're serious about it or think you might become serious about it, you want one with a wide color gamut - something with at least 99% of sRGB. Many of the monitors that offer it do not have speakers.
Asus makes some decent relatively inexpensive monitors that have good color coverage - check out the ASUS PA248Q. Dell also has some like the U2415. You'll also want to pick up a calibrator like the Colormunki to ensure the color accuracy.
If that's not a feature you're going to need, I've been pretty happy with the lower end Asus, Dell, and HP monitors I've used, though I can't give specific examples at this point. You want something with an IPS screen rather than a TN one. I'd look on a deal aggregator like Techbargains and just look for a specific model in the price range you're looking at and then read the reviews.
posted by Candleman at 1:45 PM on June 30, 2016
Would be used in sunny room in FL, so anti-glare advice welcome as well. Thanks.
Antiglare matters, but so does light output. If you want high brightness AND good color gamut/accuracy/etc be prepared to open your wallet a bit more than the $150~ budget options.
Personally i went for the old version of one of these.
10 bit color, 1440p resolution, built in speakers, displayport(which your mac mini has). These also have 350cd/m backlight output, while a lot of the cheaper(and smaller, 23-24) IPS monitors only have 250cd/m.
I can vouch for it often being almost too bright unless i crank it way down. It holds its own effortlessly in a bright room. I'm using a similar screen right now with the sun shining right on it and although it's at full power, it's easy to read and the colors aren't washed out.
I wouldn't bother with most of the 23-24 options that check your boxes. They'll cost about the same. These screens are dirt cheap because apple and dell slapped then in a ton of imacs and displays. It's a newer generation of the display in apples $999 lightning monitor. If you have desk space for it, just go for a big 1440p screen. It's really, really nice for photo editing.
posted by emptythought at 1:53 PM on June 30, 2016
Antiglare matters, but so does light output. If you want high brightness AND good color gamut/accuracy/etc be prepared to open your wallet a bit more than the $150~ budget options.
Personally i went for the old version of one of these.
10 bit color, 1440p resolution, built in speakers, displayport(which your mac mini has). These also have 350cd/m backlight output, while a lot of the cheaper(and smaller, 23-24) IPS monitors only have 250cd/m.
I can vouch for it often being almost too bright unless i crank it way down. It holds its own effortlessly in a bright room. I'm using a similar screen right now with the sun shining right on it and although it's at full power, it's easy to read and the colors aren't washed out.
I wouldn't bother with most of the 23-24 options that check your boxes. They'll cost about the same. These screens are dirt cheap because apple and dell slapped then in a ton of imacs and displays. It's a newer generation of the display in apples $999 lightning monitor. If you have desk space for it, just go for a big 1440p screen. It's really, really nice for photo editing.
posted by emptythought at 1:53 PM on June 30, 2016
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I don't have any especially insightful advice, but it's been a good monitor and I've had no issues with it.
posted by Fleebnork at 1:00 PM on June 30, 2016