Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

galarneau · Jun 12, 2005, 05:59 PM

I'm thinking of getting a mini to go with my 22" CRT (NEC FE2111SB) that I currently run at 1600x1200@85Hz.

I remember reading about the first batch of mini's having problems with high resolution CRT's... has anyone who bought one recently had a problem with this?

ApplCmptrDood · Jun 12, 2005, 06:01 PM

i'm using a CRT display with a mini, and no problems for me, its worked great!

Big Mac · Jun 14, 2005, 03:34 PM

Only certain CRTs exhibit the problem. Someone around here posted a good article on the subject.

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 14, 2005, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Only certain CRTs exhibit the problem. Someone around here posted a good article on the subject.

I am having a lil' trouble making images for PC and web type stuff.

If it's not-dim on CRT's in general, I'd be surprised. I'm on a Sony 21" CRT.

For normal use it's fine, no issues. Otherwise, after several "calibration" attempts, the images I create fro PC are way too bright since the mini seems a lil' dim in comparison.

smoke-tetsu · Jun 14, 2005, 11:18 PM

I have no problems on my CRT 17" KDS Xflat with the Mac Mini here. Ok I take that back, I have one problem but it's not major. When switching from certain resolutions to others the screen expands or contracts and I have to adjust it with the monitor controls. But other than that no problems. I run it at 1280x1024, the problem I mentioned seems to mostly happen at 1280x960.

I want to get a flat panel though, 22 inch Cinema Display perhaps.

elvis2000 · Jun 15, 2005, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by galarneau

I'm thinking of getting a mini to go with my 22" CRT (NEC FE2111SB) that I currently run at 1600x1200@85Hz.

I remember reading about the first batch of mini's having problems with high resolution CRT's... has anyone who bought one recently had a problem with this?

Ignore the people that say the Mini's VGA is "just fine". These are the typical Apple apologists. The VGA is dim and out of spec. Forget it. You are limited to DVi out.

And the DVI is also a bit problematic. It didn't work with my Viewsonic vp201s, but was fine with a Dell 2005fpw. But even then, don't expect much performance in apps like Expose with only 32megs VRAM.

My recco? Check out the Refurbs on Apple.Com. 1.6ghz 17" g5 iMacs are available for under $900. $900! Thats about what a maxed Mini will cost you. Don't waste your time with a Mini.

galarneau · Jun 15, 2005, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by elvis2000

My recco? Check out the Refurbs on Apple.Com. 1.6ghz 17" g5 iMacs are available for under $900. $900! Thats about what a maxed Mini will cost you. Don't waste your time with a Mini.

I have a lovely 22" CRT that I intend to keep for a long time, so it's either a mini or PowerMac for me.

smoke-tetsu · 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by elvis2000

Ignore the people that say the Mini's VGA is "just fine". These are the typical Apple apologists. The VGA is dim and out of spec. Forget it. You are limited to DVi out.

And the DVI is also a bit problematic. It didn't work with my Viewsonic vp201s, but was fine with a Dell 2005fpw. But even then, don't expect much performance in apps like Expose with only 32megs VRAM.

My recco? Check out the Refurbs on Apple.Com. 1.6ghz 17" g5 iMacs are available for under $900. $900! Thats about what a maxed Mini will cost you. Don't waste your time with a Mini.

I hope you are not referring to me. I am NOT an Apple apologist. In fact, I hardly ever post anything about it at all. I just happened to have a CRT hooked to a mini and just happened to stumble upon this thread so I replied. Of course my monitor is not a 22", it's a 17" but it's still a CRT.

I say things as they are, THE TRUTH. You may have heard of it. The CRT hooked to my Mini is not any dimmer than my previous computer that had VGA out. If you don't believe me that's fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth.

I also don't see any hiccup with things like expose. I suggest people try it someplace before they make judgements. But either way if a revision is due soon anyone thinking of getting one should wait for that.

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 15, 2005, 03:21 PM

I have stopped using my mini for any sort of production work.

If I make gfx (video, 2d or 3d) on my mini, they look all wrong on PC, and I assume other Macs, but I'm down to one Mini, so I have not seen stuff I made on my Mini on another Mac.

It's useable for things like typing stuff, web surfing, etc. I would not use a mini for anykind of real design work. It seems to affect the "white" the most, so it's like there are no highlights. Just low and mid. Readable for most things, all wrong for production artwork.

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 15, 2005, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by smoke-tetsu

When switching from certain resolutions to others the screen expands or contracts and I have to adjust it with the monitor controls.

All computers and CRT monitors a like this. Resolution and refresh requires the screen to be resized via the monitor controls.

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 15, 2005, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by smoke-tetsu

I say things as they are, THE TRUTH. You may have heard of it. The CRT hooked to my Mini is not any dimmer than my previous computer that had VGA out. If you don't believe me that's fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth..

You should further qualify this with "the truth in my experience."

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 15, 2005, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by galarneau

I'm thinking of getting a mini to go with my 22" CRT (NEC FE2111SB) that I currently run at 1600x1200@85Hz.

I remember reading about the first batch of mini's having problems with high resolution CRT's... has anyone who bought one recently had a problem with this?

I bought mine at the Tiger release party.

The dimness will ONLY bug you if you need to make graphics for things like, say... the rest of the world.

It's fine to do normal things like surf, type, etc. Word, Excel, etc. No problem.

Photoshop, AE, 3d, etc... problems.

sodamnregistered2 · Jun 15, 2005, 03:58 PM

maybe here's a better example...

It's hard if not impossible to work with subtle shades and tints.

You get an image looking the way you want on the mini... and it's quite a bit brighter on another computer. I can barely see the image on the left on my Mini. On my PC latop it's perfect. My mini monitor is set to 50% brightness... which is WAY WAY higher than normal, which is closer to 10-20%.

You can hardly even overcompensate or guess your way around it. It's pretty real.

smoke-tetsu · 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by sodamnregistered2

All computers and CRT monitors a like this. Resolution and refresh requires the screen to be resized via the monitor controls.

I'm not talking about the (painfully) obvious. I'm talking about setting it and then a program automatically changes to another res and then back when it exits and it's a different size when you exit the program. Usually it saves the size you set using the monitor controls.

P.S. I have talked to others about this who I have made images for on my Mini to see what their opinion is and they said they have noticed no problems. They say they would have told me anyway if there where problems. I haven't either but then again I it would be something THEY would see.

rozwado1 · Jun 15, 2005, 09:39 PM

you guys are all babies.

I've been running 1600x1200 @ 70Hz on an IBM G94 I picked up for $5 at a thrift store. The VGA is good enough for right now. Yeah, that's right. $5.

turtle777 · Jun 16, 2005, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by rozwado1

you guys are all babies.

I've been running 1600x1200 @ 70Hz on an IBM G94 I picked up for $5 at a thrift store. The VGA is good enough for right now. Yeah, that's right. $5.

OMG! G94 ?

And I thought IBM wasn't even capable of making a G6 work. Truly, Apple has lied to us AGAIN !

-t

elvis2000 · Jun 16, 2005, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by galarneau

I have a lovely 22" CRT that I intend to keep for a long time, so it's either a mini or PowerMac for me.

That's the problem with Apple line-up. Lot's of space between the Mini and the Power Mac. Entry level Power Mac is now $2000 with the EOL of the single-G5 model.

But, I believe there are always various configs on the Apple Store's "special deals" section. They still have some previous gen single-G5s available at significant savings. I'd check those out before ever considering a Mini.

elvis2000 · Jun 16, 2005, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by smoke-tetsu

I hope you are not referring to me. I am NOT an Apple apologist. In fact, I hardly ever post anything about it at all. I just happened to have a CRT hooked to a mini and just happened to stumble upon this thread so I replied. Of course my monitor is not a 22", it's a 17" but it's still a CRT.

I say things as they are, THE TRUTH. You may have heard of it. The CRT hooked to my Mini is not any dimmer than my previous computer that had VGA out. If you don't believe me that's fine, but that doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth.

THE TRUTH is that your standards are low. The mini is a hunk o' junk baby, especially when single-G5 models are available at significant savings.

elvis2000 · Jun 16, 2005, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by sodamnregistered2

I bought mine at the Tiger release party.

The dimness will ONLY bug you if you need to make graphics for things like, say... the rest of the world.

It's fine to do normal things like surf, type, etc. Word, Excel, etc. No problem.

Photoshop, AE, 3d, etc... problems.

Being able to "live with it" and denying the problem exists are two seperate things. The dim display won't bother some people with low standards or expectations.

Don't forget also that: 32megs is low for ultra-high resolutions. Especially those a 22" CRT is capable of. Seems like a waste, running a high-end CRT with the mini. It won't be "beautiful" anymore with the mini's low-quality analog output.

elvis2000 · Jun 16, 2005, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by rozwado1

you guys are all babies.

I've been running 1600x1200 @ 70Hz on an IBM G94 I picked up for $5 at a thrift store. The VGA is good enough for right now. Yeah, that's right. $5.

That's an old monitor that has already begun to dim and degrade. Hey, it's all what you are used to. Some people thing their Kenwood stereos sound good through Sony speakers. Some think Mac Minis have acceptable analog video out. I would think Mac users would have higher standards.

mhuie · Jun 21, 2005, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by galarneau

I have a lovely 22" CRT that I intend to keep for a long time, so it's either a mini or PowerMac for me.

Don't bother with trying to run a 20+" display with a mini. Using Exposé and Dashboard is simply painful.

galarneau · Jun 21, 2005, 11:08 PM

Thank you for the response.

Your opinion on the topic has been noted.

I happen to disagree with you on this topic, but the fluidity of Expose and Dashboard on the mini is not germaine to the question I asked, so let's just leave it at that.

polendo · Jun 21, 2005, 11:24 PM

I have an LG 17 CRT and I had quite some trouble to adjust the colors, brightness and contrast. It just looked blurry with too much brightness and not enough sharpness. I have to admit that the calibration utility in OSX was the key to getting it right. Of course my ignorance in using it was also the reason for my inhability to get ir right.

You might be looking for this site> http://www.freewebs.com/themagius/macintoshmini.htm

galarneau · Jun 21, 2005, 11:34 PM

That site looks like a good reference for those with DVI monitors.

They don't track sucess with CRT monitors, however... which is what I have.

I think I'll just wait a bit longer for an update.

I sold my 15" PowerBook to put a down payment on a house, so I'm relegated to using a PC for now.

The funny thing is that it's getting quite comfortable. A few annoyances here and there, but not a big deal.

polendo · Jun 22, 2005, 12:01 AM

Usually MM aren't supposed to have any issues with CRT. The only generalized gripe is the dim that someone people suffer and which can be fixed by calibrating correctly. In my case it looked quite blurry.. nothing in comparing with what my pc gamer displays on the same crt.

First things first.. I would also hold a bit, considering your new purchase of a house, Enjoy it!

AC Rempt · Jun 22, 2005, 12:11 AM

First of all, ignore mhuie and elvis.

Second of all, try looking here for a collection of reader reports compiled by a reliable site.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/...dim_video.html

elvis2000 · Jun 22, 2005, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by AC Rempt

First of all, ignore mhuie and elvis.

Second of all, try looking here for a collection of reader reports compiled by a reliable site.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/...dim_video.html

Or the Apple support forums.

elvis2000 · Jun 22, 2005, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by AC Rempt

First of all, ignore mhuie and elvis.

Second of all, try looking here for a collection of reader reports compiled by a reliable site.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/...dim_video.html

Why is everyone trying to misguide this guy? If he is worried about dim video he most certainly will experience the problem (as it exists on all Minis... it is a design flaw, not a random hardware glitch).

ApeInTheShell · Jun 28, 2005, 01:44 AM

I can see that reading the replies that elvis2000 and mhuie have made in the past week regarding the mac mini can be discouraging to new mac users and those considering buying a mac mini. I bought the iMac G3 DV originally for web browsing, music, and some games and later became interested in using it for web design, illustration, and photography. By today's standards the machine has a low end video card (8mb VRAM) and is not viable for graphic work and yet many designers and illustrators still use these machines. It shouldn't even be able to run Tiger as good as it does but incredibly it works.
The mac mini is a basic computer for web browsing, instant messaging, and word processing but with the bundled software it can be so much more. Eventually they will either replace the mac mini with the next generation mac mini or a high end iMac. If your expectations are higher than the technical specifications you will be dissapointed. Please do not spread disinformation about computers without doing the proper research or more than a couple days spent with it. It will save the moderators the time spent reading this drivel.
As to the original posters question; you will be better off with a DVI capable monitor rather than a VGA one. Make sure you hook it up before you go out shopping for a better deal. Good luck.

elvis2000 · Jul 1, 2005, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by ApeInTheShell

As to the original posters question; you will be better off with a DVI capable monitor rather than a VGA one. Make sure you hook it up before you go out shopping for a better deal. Good luck.

Yes, besides all the other problems with the Mini, definitely do not use the VGA output. Go DVI.