LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread

[etc]

Easiest solution is just to buy a 100W GaN charger.

A very interesting idea! I'm not quite sure that my 2018 MBP will use so much power to charge, but that's interesting. Thank you!

UPD: I checked with 140W adapter from another MBP. The max acceptable wattage appeared to be 94W and the system does not switch between UltraFine and power adapter - it just uses the first connected power source. So unfortunately GaN adapter won't help here.

I also think about TB3 cables without PD or limited to 15..60W, but I could not find any of them

 

[etc]

Hi there! I'm looking for a cheap TB3 dock compatible with Intel Mac to pair it with UltraFine 5K. Mainly to prevent TB3 connector from wearing because of power delivery through it. I tried connecting 87W apple power adapter that comes with Intel MBP, but UltraFine provides more power (94W), so the system does not switch charging port.

Why Intel specifically? Because a used HP Elite TB3 Dock I just bought for 25$ works great with my M1 Max MBP even if it's labeled "Unsupported" - same as Intel Mac does in sys info. But on Intel it's really "unsupported" - no DP signal, no USB - charge only.

I found solutions like TB3 enabler, but they are outdated and don't work anymore. It seems patching Ventura's or Sonoma's kexts is very difficult now.

Currently I use a short USB-C cable with 60W PD and MBP then switched to apple power adapter. But I want 5K60, not 5K through 4K framebuffer

So, are there any cheap options? HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 maybe? I also see a used StarTech TB3 dock on the market, but no power supply in the box and it provides only 15W for charging (not a big problem, but I'd like to get rid of apple adapter). I'm not quite sure that it's supported too.

I've ended up with a used Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 Dock (40AC0135EU) for 85$ (dock + 135w power adapter + TB3 cable). It was recognized by macOS Sonoma and does not have "Unsupported" label. I connected UltraFine to the only one downstream TB3 port and got 5K60, so I'm happy now

The only downside here is that this dock only provides 65W of power, but it's enough for my 2018 MBP used with no heavy tasks. Also I got a bunch of SS USB ports (including one with offline charging), 2 DP outputs, LAN adapter (don't know if it actually works) and other.

 

[powerplant]

Im ordering a new M3Max MacBook Pro. Is it any chance that I can daisy-chain my two 5k Ultrafine and have only one cable to my new computer?

 

[eksu]

No daisy chain, but I think perhaps you could get a thunderbolt dock with two or more downstream ports and run both displays off of that, assuming there are enough lanes from the controller for one port off the MacBook.

 

[powerplant]

Thanks!
any recommendation on a thunderbolt hub that can take to 5k displays ?

 

[etc]

No daisy chain, but I think perhaps you could get a thunderbolt dock with two or more downstream ports and run both displays off of that, assuming there are enough lanes from the controller for one port off the MacBook.

5K60 on UltraFine requires 2 DP1.2 streams and it takes ~34 Gbps, so no TB dock can handle two UltraFine displays either. Maybe two 4K60 is possible though

 

[eksu]

I would try this?

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock - 18 Ports, 98W Charging, 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 4, USB-A/C, 2.5GbE, 8K/6K Displays, Mac/PC/Chrome Compatible

The iconic Thunderbolt Station is back, now in its 4th iteration, featuring the classic design first introduced by CalDigit. Not only is the TS4 the most powerful dock ever created, the dock with the most ports, the dock with the highest charging capabilities, the first dock with 2.5GbE, it is th...

www.amazon.com

 

[tjhcom]

Anyone know of a 12 foot Thunderbolt cable that will carry the 5k signal to these monitors? I have the newer version of the LG Ultrafine... The longest I've been able to find that works is 10 ft. which is this (in case anyone is interested:

TREBLEET 10ft (3m) USB4 Cable Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Cable 20Gbps, 100W,TB3 to TB3 Male to Male Cord, for TB 3 (USB C) Hub, Adapter, Devices, 20V/5A

TREBLEET 10ft (3m) USB4 Cable Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Cable 20Gbps, 100W,TB3 to TB3 Male to Male Cord, for TB 3 (USB C) Hub, Adapter, Devices, 20V/5A

www.amazon.com

Thanks!

 

[eksu]

You don’t need TB4 so maybe you can find a longer TB3 cable? Maybe even TB2 with adapters, not sure.

Here is an (expensive) optical option.

Optical Cables by Corning Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C Male Optical Cable, 15m

Corning’s Thunderbolt 3 optical cables enable high-speed connectivity over longer distances. They are thin, light, and remarkably tough, while simultaneously supporting high-performance data devices and increased resolution displays.

www.amazon.com

 

[tjhcom]

eksu wrote: "You don’t need TB4 so maybe you can find a longer TB3 cable? Maybe even TB2 with adapters, not sure.

Here is an (expensive) optical option."

eksu, thank you - I didn't know this existed and yes, its expensive. That said, 15 meters is too long for my application. I also agree that I probably don't need TB4 only TB3. Very much appreciate your response.

 

[eksu]

You could use a thunderbolt dock with a single downstream port sort of like an active repeater - would that work for you potentially? To have a 1M cable plug into a dock and then a 3M cable go the rest of the way?

 

[saulinpa]

Anyone know of a 12 foot Thunderbolt cable that will carry the 5k signal to these monitors? I have the newer version of the LG Ultrafine... The longest I've been able to find that works is 10 ft. which is this (in case anyone is interested:

TREBLEET 10ft (3m) USB4 Cable Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Cable 20Gbps, 100W,TB3 to TB3 Male to Male Cord, for TB 3 (USB C) Hub, Adapter, Devices, 20V/5A

TREBLEET 10ft (3m) USB4 Cable Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Cable 20Gbps, 100W,TB3 to TB3 Male to Male Cord, for TB 3 (USB C) Hub, Adapter, Devices, 20V/5A

www.amazon.com

Thanks!

Be careful with TB cables. That one is only listed for 20Gb and states "Due to the limit of data transmission speed, this cable could only support up to 4K resolution." You need a 40Gb rated cable that can handle the LG 5K.

 

[tjhcom]

Be careful with TB cables. That one is only listed for 20Gb and states "Due to the limit of data transmission speed, this cable could only support up to 4K resolution." You need a 40Gb rated cable that can handle the LG 5K.

Thanks. If it is working, is there a risk? It has been working without issues. Just making sure I'm aware of any risks.

 

[saulinpa]

Thanks. If it is working, is there a risk? It has been working without issues. Just making sure I'm aware of any risks.

MacOS will show 5K but you may only get 4K from the monitor if the cable doesn't pass everything. Check in System Information to see if the Thunderbolt speeds are 40Gb/s.

 

[tjhcom]

You don’t need TB4 so maybe you can find a longer TB3 cable? Maybe even TB2 with adapters, not sure.

Here is an (expensive) optical option.

Optical Cables by Corning Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C Male Optical Cable, 15m

Corning’s Thunderbolt 3 optical cables enable high-speed connectivity over longer distances. They are thin, light, and remarkably tough, while simultaneously supporting high-performance data devices and increased resolution displays.

www.amazon.com

MacOS will show 5K but you may only get 4K from the monitor if the cable doesn't pass everything. Check in System Information to see if the Thunderbolt speeds are 40Gb/s.

Interesting - you are correct. The speed is 20Gb/s. That being said, when I check SwitchResX, it is showing that I am displaying my desired 2880x1620, 6h Hz, HiDPi and scaled - just like my other Ultrafine that uses a true thunderbolt cable. The two monitors appear exactly the same to me. Am I missing something?

 

[etc]

Interesting - you are correct. The speed is 20Gb/s. That being said, when I check SwitchResX, it is showing that I am displaying my desired 2880x1620, 6h Hz, HiDPi and scaled - just like my other Ultrafine that uses a true thunderbolt cable. The two monitors appear exactly the same to me. Am I missing something?

Check base resolution. It should be 4K.

 

[tjhcom]

Check base resolution. It should be 4K.

Both monitors show the base resolution of 5760x3240

 

[saulinpa]

Interesting - you are correct. The speed is 20Gb/s. That being said, when I check SwitchResX, it is showing that I am displaying my desired 2880x1620, 6h Hz, HiDPi and scaled - just like my other Ultrafine that uses a true thunderbolt cable. The two monitors appear exactly the same to me. Am I missing something?

MacOS hides the true resolution from the user. Change to 5120x2880 and bring up a test pattern such as https://www.eizo.be/monitor-test/ .
See https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d.2023452/page-83?post=29278344#post-29278344 for example

 

[etc]

Both monitors show the base resolution of 5760x3240

It seems I've mislead you. I meant "Scaled resolution base" in Display Info of SwitchResX. It represents the size of the frame buffer and the value should be either 5120x2880 (means full 40 Gbps) or 3840x2160 (20 Gbps).

 

[joevt]

Interesting - you are correct. The speed is 20Gb/s. That being said, when I check SwitchResX, it is showing that I am displaying my desired 2880x1620, 6h Hz, HiDPi and scaled - just like my other Ultrafine that uses a true thunderbolt cable. The two monitors appear exactly the same to me. Am I missing something?

5K60 for an LG UltraFine 5K cannot work from a 20 Gbps cable.
In SwitchResX, double click the selected resolution in the Current Resolutions tab to see the timing info.
5K60 has a pixel clock of ≈900+ MHz.
4K60 has a pixel clock of ≈500+ MHz.
In the timing info, the active pixels is the actual resolution being output to the display.

 

[tjhcom]

You are, of course, correct. I am only getting 4k60 with this cable. Pixel clock just over 500 and resolution maxed at 3840x2160. Thanks I've learned a lot. I still need a longer thunderbolt cable and might have to resort to eksu's idea to put a dock in the middle to get the longer run.

 

[TheBigApple2006]

Nope, im already allowing all connections, it was a hardware issue, LG diagnosed it and it's gonna get repair/replaced.

Was this fixed by LG in the end, and how are you finding your replacement unit?

 

[tjhcom]

I am going to attempt to use eksu's idea of using a thunderbolt dock in order to get more length between my computer and my LG monitor (exceeding the maximum 2 meter length for a single cable that can carry a 5K signal -see above posts). My question is this: does anyone have a recommendation for a dock that will carry the 5K signal? Ideally a small dock as I will be installing this under a desk. I do not intend to use this dock for anything else but carry the 5k signal, extending the length of the total cabling to four meters (i.e., one meter between my Mac Studio and the dock plus three meters between the dock and the monitor). I am guessing it will have to be powered which I can make work. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[saulinpa]

I am going to attempt to use eksu's idea of using a thunderbolt dock in order to get more length between my computer and my LG monitor (exceeding the maximum 2 meter length for a single cable that can carry a 5K signal -see above posts). My question is this: does anyone have a recommendation for a dock that will carry the 5K signal? Ideally a small dock as I will be installing this under a desk. I do not intend to use this dock for anything else but carry the 5k signal, extending the length of the total cabling to four meters (i.e., one meter between my Mac Studio and the dock plus three meters between the dock and the monitor). I am guessing it will have to be powered which I can make work. Thanks for any suggestions!

Probably best to go with something simple like https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-hub

 

[tjhcom]

Probably best to go with something simple like https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-hub

I am curious if you (or anyone else) has direct experience with this hub; specifically, carrying the 5k signal to this LG monitor. Agree, on paper, this should do it.