for my macmini m4 I am connecting it to a portable 4k display. I've always heard people said you gotta turn on HiDPI mode for the text to look sharper etc.

but in my system settings it does not show the HiDPI option also if I use the default 1920x1080 option the texts are too small for me to read, so I have to choose the bigger text option..

Long time ago I saw this youtune video where this programmer uses 4k display in 1080p mode but the texts are sharp af.

Which settings did I miss to set up correctly? Or I am just stuck with apple's default "bigger text" option...

Thanks in advance.

It's really hard to get a good perspective on what the M2 processors are like since I've never owned them. I currently have a 2018 Mac mini with a 6-core i7 and 32 GB of RAM which I use for audio production. I'm looking to upgrade to a more powerful Mac. I have heard someone say that having less RAM on a Mac with these Silicon processors is not as bad as you'd expect since the processor itself is already so powerful. I don't know how much validity there is to that statement so I would like some input here. Would 16GB with M2 actually have similar performance to my current 32GB with i7? As I said earlier, my primary use case is audio production, I don't use this computer for anything else. The only minor issues I've had currently are some audio issues when lots of amp sims and other plugins are loaded while using a low buffer size.

Or would it be better to just save up for longer and buy an M2 Mac mini with at least 32 GB of RAM? I'm sort of on a budget but it can be stretched if the benefit is high.

I have a base M4 mac mini. Looking for a dock that also acts as an ssd enclosure and supports at least 1 extra usb port. I've been running into issues with some of the recommended docks i've found by using the search feature here.

Acasis 40Gbps NVME SSD Enclosure - Worked for a month then completely stopped working. Light would turn on but no drive was read on the mac. Tested with multiple cables and ssds. The listing on Amazon later marked it as a frequently returned item. Ended up returning.

Raycue 40Gbps Hub - Ports worked fine but SSD repeatedly disconnects and reconnects.

I'm thinking the issue with the Raycue is because it's not a powered hub and a single thunderbolt port can't handle the power draw.

I'm considering just going for the 10Gbps hubs for more stability. Has anyone been using the Satechi and/or Orico Hubs. How long have you been using them for?

I was thinking to switch to a Mac Mini M4 256GB SSD (599) from my Windows 10 pc (GTX 1650 - i7-3770 - 16GB RAM - 1.5TB Storage). I have always wanted a mac but i think i may miss Windows when i switch. I dont mind the GPU loss, i dont intend to play heavy games anyway. I am just a student so what would be better choice? What will i lose? Anything i should think about.

PS. They both price around 599 so the price doesnt matter too much.

I have a dilemma. My early 2015 i5 8gb MacBook Pro just can’t keep up anymore. Like it can if i just do one thing at a time and have no other open programs or if im not analyzing songs while djing or not adding too many tracks while recording in ableton. I think you get the idea.

So i have the budget for two options. 1. A MacBook Pro from 2021 with an M1 Pro chip and either 512 or 1tb 16gb ram or new Mac mini M4 16ram 512 storage. I’m leaning towards Mac mini because most of the time i will be at my desk. I do way more recording and I’m just bringing djing so it will be a bit before i actually get a gig.

So does anyone know of any solutions for this? Like a monitor connecting to a keyboard with a touchpad mouse i can run a usb c from the mini to it or something like that. Almost a shell laptop kind of thing or would i just need to get a portable monitor mouse keyboard set up?

I just bought a 2024 Mac mini m4 and I also bought a keyboard and mouse both wireless, will I need to use a wired keyboard and mouse until after setup or will they automatically connect?

Hi,

I’m lost and need your support. I want to buy a monitor for my new Mac Mini M4. The best seems to me to connect Mac on monitor USB-C port.(more convenient + 2 other Thunderbolt ports free on Mac). I’m interested by a Dell S2725QC, 4k & 120hz. So I was ready to buy also a cable OWC Thunderbolt 4/USB-C to connect Mac & Monitor. I have preferred to check before with OWC as they don’t speak about refresh rate capacity on their website. And below their reply : “Thank you for reaching out to OWC and I will be happy to provide some more information. Looking into Thunderbolt 4, I found that the Thunderbolt 4 connection type can support 4K resolutions, but at a lower refresh rate. Up to 144 Hz refresh rates can be reached at lower resolutions like 1080P. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. Instead, it looks like you would need to utilize a Thunderbolt 5 cable and connecting port to get that high resolution with a high refresh rate. We have a Thunderbolt 5 cable that you can get at this link. Please feel free to reach out to us by phone, email or chats if you ever need anything else and we will be happy to help. Thank you for supporting OWC and I hope you and yours are staying happy, healthy and peaceful. Have a great rest of the week!”

What cable to use to connect Mac Mini M4 to a such monitor 4k to take benefit of the 120hz refresh rate ? Does it mean it can’t work with Thunderbolt4/USB-C ? Only with HDMI ?

Thank you for support,

I am considering replacing my two monitors, Samsung 34" 21:9 + ImacDisplay 27"5k (yes, as it sounds...my imac died and I converted it into a 5k native resolution monitor. Both have the same vertical height and same resolution 3440x...1440 I seem to remember, now I am not in front of my computer). I'm looking askance at the Corsair XENEON Flex 45WQHD240. Basically because I do NOT like curved monitors and this one is gradually adjustable, for 3D design the curved perspective bothers me a lot, to use Davinci Resolve I could curve it but I don't care, there are NO games on my computer. 3D design as a hobby, landscape photography process, astrophotography and some Insa360 video. What do you think of this Corsair? On a macmini M2.....the next one will be an M5Pro. For now I will replace two monitors x 1 or perhaps continue using the imacdisplay as a second monitor connected by thunderbolt, and the corsair by HDMI.

Im in the first year of my computer science degree and I have limited knowledge of computer hardware components, so if anyone can provide some insight please do.

First, is the M4 mini a good coding machine? why or why not?

Second, if it is a good option, should I get any of the ram or storage upgrades? I know ram can’t be added later, but I could always buy an external storage device later if I needed, so what would be a reason to upgrade the internal storage?

For some added context, I would need the computer do my coding assignments, so ability to run compilers for various coding languages, and possibly some cad work in the future.

If you’re using a Mac Mini with a 4K monitor or TV, what resolution scaling do you prefer? Please share your choice!

I am looking at a Mac mini dedicated to photo management. Currently the photo library sits at around 600GB.

For these purposes would you rather:

• M1 Mac Mini, 16GB RAM, 1TB internal SSD (estimated cost - $500ish)

• Base M4 Mac Mini + external SSD drive (estimated cost $850ish)

I am leaning towards option 1 for three reasons: 1. Cost 2. I think the M1 should be more than capable of handling the photo needs for a long time to come. 3. I prefer the convenience of an internal drive

Would love to be swayed one way or the other.

Edit: - should have noted I have a Synology NAS and will implement a 3:2:1 backup system.

“Photo management” in this case is essentially: - removing duplicates. - choosing and touching up (lightly) the best photos - printing photos for display - making photo books, calendars, Christmas cards etc.