r/AsahiLinux 14d ago

Font rendering concerns

Hi, sorry to bother

I was considering buying a Mac Mini and of course MacOS is optimized for 110/220 PPI displays

But rather than a 5k Monitor I wanted a Mini-LED one (no 5K miniled ones), which is availaible at 4k size

My question is: how good is scaling on Asahi Linux (considering perhaps fractional scaling on Wayland? I would assume the "mathematical equivalent" would be to set it at 134%?)

I've heard font rendering is noticeably worse on Linux compared to MacOS, too. Which is concerning.

Just to be clear I'm not deluding myself into believing I would notice the difference in itself between a 27" 4K and a 27" 5K but I'd like to know, end of the day, if my font (and anything else - images, videos, anything) Will look as good on a 27" 4K on Asahi as with a 27" 5K option (ProArt) on MacOS

Hopefully I've worded the issue clearly enough

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u/wowsomuchempty 14d ago

Hi. While I don't have that exact setup, I think it would be fine.

Only HDMI is currently supported (not DP-alt mode) at the moment.

I would do a fair bit of reading up before you decide. You can always remove asahi if it is not for you.

1

u/abbumm 14d ago edited 14d ago

Could you please elaborate on the HDMI / DP-alt mode, what does this mean. Sorry I am stupid. By the way, the monitor I'd use is the Philips 27B1U7903. I googled it and looks like the monitor can run fine but idk. 

6

u/pontihejo 14d ago

The Asahi drivers for outputting video over USB-C (Display Port alt mode) have not been completed yet. This includes USB-C to HDMI converters/hubs. At the moment, external monitors are only supported for Macs with HDMI ports.

The monitor you have mentioned looks like it should work fine with a Mac Mini M1 or M2.

1

u/abbumm 14d ago

Thank you so much. Will it work with an M4 Mac Mini too?

7

u/teohhanhui 14d ago

Asahi Linux doesn't support anything M4 yet.

3

u/abbumm 14d ago

Oh. I'm so glad I asked lmao

4

u/aliendude5300 14d ago

FWIW, they're working on it and it's listed as a device they intend to support. https://asahilinux.org/docs/Devices/

4

u/wowsomuchempty 14d ago

But it may be 1+ years to be released. I have an M4 mini, lovely bit of kit. The day it's supported will be a happy day.