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Mac Mini Display Options 
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I bought a Mac Mini yesterday, and am having an issue with the display.

Using HDMI it connects to my 50" TV and is fine. Resolution is 1920 x 1080
Connecting to the Acer CB280HK 28" 4K monitor using HDMI gives me 3840 x 2160 but the screen has a pink tinge and keeps blanking for a couple of seconds every few seconds.
Connecting to the Acer CB280HK 28" 4K monitor using a mini displayport to DVI connector works, but the resolution is 1920 x 1080

I spent an age chatting to the Apple support guy and he came to the conclusion that HDMI isn't playing nice because the monitor works at 60Hz and the Mini needs a 30Hz display, which sounds fishy. I told him that the monitor menu says it's 30Hz but all he could advise was to reset the NVRAM and something else, which didn't work.

Does anybody know if I'd have any more luck using a mini displayport to mini diplayport lead, such as THIS, as the monitor also has a MiniDP input.

I am going to borrow a MiniDP to HDMI adapter tomorrow, on the off chance that will work, (the Mini has HDMI output, but hey, it's worth a shot, right?) but in the meantime, does anyone here have any advice?

Thanks,

John.

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okenobi wrote:
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Thu Jan 12, 2017 7:15 pm
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That sounds about right.

For 4K 60Hz you need HDMI 2.0, AFAIK the Apple only has 1.4. 30Hz will be judder and is not really suitable for desktop use, it is just about okay for video, but games, web browsing, office applications etc. won't be enjoyable.

According to Apple's Website, the mDP to DVI connector supports a maximum resolution of 1920x1200.

The mini DP is the best bet.

Apple website for Mac mini 2016 wrote:
Video Support

Support for up to two displays at 2560 by 1600 pixels, both at millions of colors

Thunderbolt digital video output

Native Mini DisplayPort output
DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
HDMI video output

Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz
Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz
Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz
DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)

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Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:38 am
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Thanks, Dave. I still can't find a straight answer to the question "What resolution will I get if I use a miniDP to miniDP cable", which is annoying!

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Fri Jan 13, 2017 7:08 am
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As far as I can tell the Thunderbolt ports on the current Mac mini are Thunderbolt 2 which means they output as DisplayPort 1.2 so it should have the necessary bandwidth to support 4K at 60Hz unless Apple has fiddled with it in some way.
Your best bet is probably a miniDP to DP cable.

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Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:36 am
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davrosG5 wrote:
As far as I can tell the Thunderbolt ports on the current Mac mini are Thunderbolt 2 which means they output as DisplayPort 1.2 so it should have the necessary bandwidth to support 4K at 60Hz unless Apple has fiddled with it in some way.
Your best bet is probably a miniDP to DP cable.


The only problem with that is my monitor only one has "proper" DP connector, and the PC is connected to that, which is why I was asking about the miniDP connection.

I'll get a miniDP to miniDP cable and let you all know how I get on.

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:13 am
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Ah, I didn't realise it had DP and miniDP. It's not clear from their product page (just says DP, HDMI and DVI).

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Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:21 am
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Mini DP is identical to DP, in terms of signals and capabilities. It is just a smaller plug, so that it can be used on ultra compact portables.

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Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:33 am
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The mini DP to mini DP cable arrived today and I am delighted to say that the Mac Mini is now running at 3840 x 2160.

:D

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:24 am
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John_Vella wrote:
The mini DP to mini DP cable arrived today and I am delighted to say that the Mac Mini is now running at 3840 x 2160.

:D

Ehhxcellent

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Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:35 am
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Indeed... now all I need to do is find the time to figure out why Facetine and iMessage won't activate and I'll be happier. :)

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:16 pm
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John_Vella wrote:
Indeed... now all I need to do is find the time to figure out why Facetine and iMessage won't activate and I'll be happier. :)


Have you turn it off and on again? <helpful>

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Caz is correct though


Mon Jan 16, 2017 11:00 am
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John_Vella wrote:
now all I need to do is find the time to figure out why Facetine and iMessage won't activate and I'll be happier. :)

You're holding it wrong.


Mon Jan 16, 2017 11:12 am
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jonbwfc wrote:
John_Vella wrote:
now all I need to do is find the time to figure out why Facetine and iMessage won't activate and I'll be happier. :)

You're holding it wrong.

It's a Mac Mini, not an iPad or iPhone, but yeah, I get the humour... ;) :P :lol: :etc:

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:54 pm
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did you buy the mini second hand?

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Wed Feb 15, 2017 5:14 pm
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didgeman wrote:
did you buy the mini second hand?

No, I bit the bullet and bought it from the Apple shop. Saved the hassle of having to convince the wife that second hand would be reliable.

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okenobi wrote:
John's hot. No denying it. But he's hardly Karen now, is he ;)

John Vella BSc (Hons), PGCE - Still the official forum prankster and crude remarker :P
Sorry :roll:
I'll behave now.
Promise ;)


Mon Feb 27, 2017 1:19 pm
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