macs for moms

Discussion in 'Technology' started by bfun, May 13, 2015.

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  1. #61 alterego, Jul 26, 2015
    I wouldn't assume "any", but most of the top selling cheapo externals from Samsung/LG etc. are. They'll usually mention it.
     
  2. #62 bfun, Jul 26, 2015
    So today I learned VGA can support 1080p. I had no idea. So anyway lets say you have a 1080p monitor with DVI and VGA ports. You also have a mac mini and 2 thunder bolt cables. One thunderbolt to DVI and one thunderbolt to VGA. Will there be any visible difference between the two cables? I assumed the VGA cable would look awful but now I think my assumption is wrong.
     
  3. #63 Fusion, Jul 27, 2015
    VGA has always recently had a stated limit of 2048x1536 @ (I think) 85Hz due to 400MHz RAMDAC's on most video cards.

    I know active DVI to VGA adapters can limit this a little but they can still manage 1080p, I would assume thunderbolt is the same. As for the difference between the two, yes there will be a difference, how much, I don't know. If you're going to notice it will be if you have two identical monitors connected at once via the different connectors or switch between the two inputs on one monitor for whatever reason. You make it sound like you have 1 1080p monitor, why do you need to use two cables?
     
  4. #64 bfun, Jul 27, 2015
    The Mac currently has thunderbolt to VGA. I was wondering if I should get a thunderbolt to DVI. I'm far away from it and I can't see the monitor.
     
  5. #65 Fusion, Jul 27, 2015
    Honestly, most older people wouldn't ever notice the difference. Things like that I often change for people and notice a difference myself and they state that it just looks the same to them. Of course I can't comment on how bad it would be on the specific monitor. I have a mac pro using DVI to VGA adapter but the setup is obviously a lot older and the monitor is crappy to begin with.
     
  6. #66 bfun, Jul 27, 2015
    So my Mom calls me today and said the mouse and keyboard stopped working while she was using the iMac. She has the standard mac keyboard and magic mouse. Anyway she calls the apple support line and they have her power cycle the computer and then everything works again. That's great but then the support person tells my Mom that the problem was most likely caused by leaving her computer on too long. That static electricity will build up and cause problems until the machine is rebooted. Seriously?
     
  7. #67 Fusion, Jul 27, 2015
    Sounds more like a bluetooth connection issue... Oh well, just tell her if she ever has a problem to turn the machine off and on again before calling support. That's the rule for any electronic device.
     
  8. #68 bfun, Jul 27, 2015
    Yeah I figured the Bluetooth turned off or something but that whole explination about building up static electricity was just odd.
     
  9. #69 chi, Jul 28, 2015
    Isn't it plugged into the mains?
     
  10. #70 alterego, Jul 28, 2015
    Just a smart @ss at customer support…it's definitely bluetooth with the wireless keyboard and mouse. I have that problem occasionally and it's usually related to waking the computer from long periods of sleep.
     
  11. #71 bfun, Jul 19, 2016
    The 2014 Mac mini display resolutions have me confused. Sounds like 1920x1200 is supported with Thunderbolt and 1080p with HDMI. Is that correct? I need to buy a new monitor for a mini.
     
  12. #72 alterego, Jul 20, 2016
    The late 2014 mac mini should support 4K through the HDMI port, but it's not going to be above 30 Hz refresh. You can also get 1920x1200 through HDMI with an HDMI to DVI adapter.
     
  13. #73 bfun, Jul 22, 2016
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