"Fruns Dimerik" <bosschurch@planet.nl> writes:
>
> I have a Dell 20 inch LCD screen (24-Pin DVI-D / S-Video as well as 15
> Pin D-Sub), which I use for my pc, and may want to buy a Mac Mini.

Sounds like fun. Go for it.

> My guess is that hooking up the Mac Mini to the LCD monitor is exactly
> like hooking up an iBook. Of course, instead of the VGA adapter I use
> for the iBook, I could probably use the 24 Pin DVI-D, as the Mac Mini
> comes with a DVI connector.

Correct. The mini comes with a DVI-I connector. It can drive a DVI-D
monitor if you have the appropriate cable. It comes with an adapter to
drive an analog monitor using a VGA-style connector. You can buy an
optional adapter to get composite and S-video output.

> Right now, I can connect an iBook to both Dell monitor and the Dell
> stereo loudspeaker system. The only thing I would need to replace is
> the PC keyboard, which has no USB.

Fortunately, the mini (and all modern Macs) can use any USB keyboard
and mouse you like.

And if you want to share everything (perhaps with a KVM switch), most
USB keyboards will work with modern PCs. Windows XP has built-in
support for USB keyboards, and the ROM setup software of most recent
systems (possibly including your Dell) will too, eliminating the need
for a PS/2-style keyboard.

> However, I'm somewhat disappointed with the screen resolution. I won't
> give my anything higher than 1024 x 768, like with the Pc. In other
> words, I can't enlarge the desktop, and it is not as sharp as I would
> like to. Can I expect the same thing with the MacMini, or is this
> because I'm hooking up a iBook?

The mini should be able to drive your monitor to any resolution it
supports. Your iBook is limited by the fact that Apple only supports
its external video as a mirror of the internal display (whis tops out
at 1024x768). A mini has no such restriction (and with a software
hack, neither does your iBook.)

-- David