M2 Mini with PC AIO as monitor
Hello,
I can't use the latest ON1 upgrade bc of my PC. The limiting factor being the graphics card. I am considering getting an M2 Mac Mini and using my Dell All-in-One as a monitor. I don't know if the graphics card would continue to be limiting factor, but I'm guessing that processing will happen in the Mac once it is in the picture? Are there any other potential problems that you can foresee with this kind of setup? Thank you!
DeAnna
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The only potential problem I can see is how are you going to get the video output from the M2 onto the Dell's screen.
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I had a similar problem with my 2019 mac mini. The solution was to build an external graphics accelerator. Unfortunately ON1 has a serious bug that doesn’t allow external GPU’S (pretty much everything else does). So whilst Topaz/photoshop etc fly, ON1 is slow, limited by my internal graphics card.
I sometimes use the Apple usb c to video adaptor and use that with my Panasonic TV. Works well.
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Thank you both for your responses and forgive my rudimentary understanding and clarifying questions
Brian Lawson are you saying that there may not be a cable that does such a thing? I do think the Dell is equipped to act as a monitor (I will make certain and test before I buy something)...and maybe the next comment addresses this issue?
John Kinchin just so I understand...you are saying an external graphics accelerator is an alternative solution to purchasing a new computer that would likely help with other software, but not ON1? Thank you for the information about the cable. I was expecting something like it to be available...it is good to know it actually is! I was actually considering a new M2 Mac Mini, as it has been suggested by several folks. Do you think the graphics card will continue to be a limiting issue with this choice? Right now I am functioning with ON1 on the Dell, it is a bit slow, but I've already invested in several external hard drives which has helped. ON1 is my only motivation for a new computer, so I really don't want to screw this up!
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A friend has just bought the apple studio computer and he says it really is a massive speed increase. The new mac minis get rave reviews. I only built the GPU because I didnt want to throw away a perfectly good computer. With Topaz I get a 10 fold speed increase, Affinity V2 is very fast. Sadly ON1 cannot use the GPU and so is quite slow. On my MacBook pro it will perform tasks significantly faster in ON1 than on my mini, simply because of the graphics card. My GPU cost £500 to build, but thats because I bought a really good graphics card 2nd hand. I personally think if your processor, storage and memory are ok then the graphics processor is certainly the limiting factor. I would strongly suggest buying a new computer if you can afford it. My 2019 mini is struggling when I don't use the GPU.
As for the cable, my MacBook pro (usb c) works fine via an HDMI cable on a pretty old Panasonic tv.
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No, I am not saying there isn't a cable. I don't know what the Dell is capable of is all so I couldn't comment at that time on whether this will work. It appears from what you and others have said that it will.
Graphics in the M series Macs (Apple Silicon chips) work differently than how they work in current Intel systems. On Intel the graphics data has to be transferred from RAM where the CPU can work on the data to the GPU's VRAM so the GPU can work on it. Once that work is done the results must be transferred back to RAM so the CPU can continue on with the processing. That data transfer takes time and as our RAW files get larger that time goes up.
In Apple Silicon the GPU and the CPU share the same memory space. The data doesn't have to be transferred back and forth so that transfer time goes to 0. This is why their graphics processing is so much faster. This is the wave of the future and the Intel/Windows world is working hard to catch up with their own chipsets. If you decide to get an M2 you won't be disappointed and will have a machine that will be good for years where future upgrade requirements are concerned.
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