LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread

[saulinpa]

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.

I hadn't done this before but just tried putting this TB4 hub between my Mac and the LG 5K. The OS is reporting that things are connecting up to 40 Gb/s and the display is showing 5120x2880 properly so it does work.

I've only tried this for about 5 minutes so still may run into other issues in the future. The hub itself is small but a bit heavy for its size. Issues for you may be that the OWC emblem glows blue as well as it having a hefty power brick.

 

[Fair Witness]

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.

I use this hub for my 5K monitor with no issues (in fact I also use one of these hubs along with a 50ft optical thunderbolt cable connected to a PC and it works as well). In addition there's been no problems with USB accesories etc also flowing through the hub along with a 5K monitor.

 

[etc]

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!

The cheapest option that worked for me - Lenovo 40AC TB3 Dock. There're plenty of them on a flea market.

 

[Quotenfrau]

Can I attach a ChromeBook to LG UltraFine 5K?

 

[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!

Update: I found a 40Gbps Thunderbolt cable that is 4 meters long - and it appears to work! Confirmed pixel clock is running at 995MHz so true 5k. The product is USB-C 40Gbps Active Cable USB 40Gbps, Thunderbolt™ 3/4 Compatible, DisplayPort™ 2.0, and 60W PD by NTCDistributing. A bit pricey but overall same as I would have spent on a hub and cable and much more elegant.

 

[Black Tiger]

Hi everyone - I’m looking into an external display for my MacBook Pro (2018; 15”). Since I got it I have been using my 2012 27” iMac in target display mode as the secondary display. It’s been an excellent display but I’ve thought about upgrading to the LG 5K to get the retina resolution. For reference, I use my Mac primarily for music production, so it’s really just a “nice to have” upgrade. In a perfect world, I would go right for the Apple Studio display, and the refurbs of those seem to be an option too although the cost is still much more.

Do you feel the LG 5K is still a good option in 2024? I see two paths to purchase and wondering what the best option would be. I am aware that there are two variants of the 5K (the original and the refresh that supports USB C and higher charging wattage). And so I am wondering (in addition to whether these displays are still worth it after so many years):
Brand New on Amazon: $1300 CDN (the new model)
Refurbished on Amazon: $700 CDN (the original model; refurbished by LG)

Anyone have experience with the refurbs of the original model? I am aware that there were some shielding and image retention issues with the old one. Is it likely that the refurbs from LG would have this issue resolved?

And lastly, is it worth it just to splurge for a refurb ASD for $1600 CDN?

Thanks for your input!

 

[upstream8721]

Hello friends, I have owned an LG Ultrafine 5k for about 3 months now, and I've been loving it. I've taken a lot of the advice from the threads here, and I've been connecting my Macbook M1 through a Satechi Thunderbolt 4 dock with power delivery, and using a short USB 4 extension cable on the back of the monitor. This way I'm not putting thermal or mechanical wear on the monitor's USB4 connector. Everything has been working great, but now I'm hoping I can get some perspective on using the monitor with...a Windows PC.

I know this is not exactly a recommended use case, but I have a reason for using Windows and I have a Beelink Mini PC with 1x USB4 output. I'm encountering some funny behavior. If I connect the monitor directly to the PC using the factory cable, I get no image. If I connect it directly to the monitor using the shorter TB4 cable that came with the Satechi dock, it works no problem at full 5k resolution. Connecting the PC through the dock (the same way I dock my macbook), I get audio but no image.

Any idea why the factory cable isn't working for this use case, but the 3rd party cable is? Ideally I would like to dock the mini PC through the Satechi dock, but if I can't do that, I at least need to figure out a way to swap between machines without unplugging a cable from the monitor.

 

[etc]

If I connect it directly to the monitor using the shorter TB4 cable that came with the Satechi dock, it works no problem at full 5k resolution.

Are you sure that you get 5K, not 4K?

 

[radioboy77]

New update available today. I noticed the LG Screen Manager had updated itself today, so I clicked to the Monitor Update tab and after a minute or so, it displayed there was indeed an update. The changelog for the app says 3.05 was the last update for "Edit NXP-DFU Util"... but no mention of the 3.14 software for the monitor, unless that's what they're referring to. I was on 3.04 monitor software before this update.

 

[davideotape]

I just got one of these used and I'm having issues with the camera and adjusting the brightness. I downloaded LG Screen manager to check my firmware and it won't even show me what version I'm on or provide an option to update. anyone experienced this?

1. camera not detected
2. cannot adjust brightness at all in monitor settings or otherise
3. LG Screen Manager App won't tell me

I'm hoping it's a privacy permission thing? I tried 2 different thunderbolt cables and plugged directly into different thunderbolt ports. M2 Max Studio running latest OS version. any thoughts?

 

[davideotape]

I'm able to connect to it with BetterDisplay on a trial and can change the brightness now, but that's about it. would rather not buy it but for an extra $20 I can continue to use my webcam. screen itself is a big upgrade. would love to fix all of this the right way though.

 

[eldho]

I just got one of these used and I'm having issues with the camera and adjusting the brightness. I downloaded LG Screen manager to check my firmware and it won't even show me what version I'm on or provide an option to update. anyone experienced this?

1. camera not detected
2. cannot adjust brightness at all in monitor settings or otherise
3. LG Screen Manager App won't tell me

I'm hoping it's a privacy permission thing? I tried 2 different thunderbolt cables and plugged directly into different thunderbolt ports. M2 Max Studio running latest OS version. any thoughts?

The screen manager app takes most of a minute to give results - I would understand you giving up through thinking it is not working before it slowly gives the results.

 

[davideotape]

hm, I checked back several times over 30 minutes and still nothing, I should be expecting to see something here, right?

 

[eksu]

no sound either?

if so, usb hub on your monitor isn’t communicating with your mac; you only get a picture because only the display portion is getting through. try a different cable and/or remove the power from the monitor then plug it back in.

 

[eldho]

hm, I checked back several times over 30 minutes and still nothing, I should be expecting to see something here, right?

Yes, as above. I feel a bit useless as far as trying to help any more as I am fortunate enough that this is simply working for me - in rather less than a minute - and I am able to adjust the brightness and all that.

 

[davideotape]

no sound either?

if so, usb hub on your monitor isn’t communicating with your mac; you only get a picture because only the display portion is getting through. try a different cable and/or remove the power from the monitor then plug it back in.

yeah this seems to be the issue. ive tried 2 different cables and 2 computers, ill keep trying i guess. i got it cheap enough i guess so if this is permanent and the monitor itself lasts a year or two ill be satisfied

 

[Lucky736]

These displays are VERY finicky on cabling, including the LG Screen Manager allowing updates to go thru on what they would consider "substandard" cables. There is a very easy way to tell if it will work I found... If you goto your Display Settings, or Display Preference depending on the OS Version, make sure you can actually get to 5K and not 4K Max. If it is 4K Max, the cable is less than what the original spec is and the Screen Manager acts like it is there but will not allow updates etc to complete and/or even show sometimes. It is odd but is the behavior I have experienced.

 

[eksu]

yeah this seems to be the issue. ive tried 2 different cables and 2 computers, ill keep trying i guess. i got it cheap enough i guess so if this is permanent and the monitor itself lasts a year or two ill be satisfied

I have had these features fail before also because I had a usb device plugged into the back of the monitor that the hub simply did not agree with (xbox wireless adapter). maybe try removing things plugged in as well?

 

[Ener Ji]

I keep getting the below error when trying to update the firmware. I've unplugged everything from the monitor, tried different USB-C ports on my Mac, rebooted my Mac, and of course power cycled the monitor itself. Anyone have any other ideas?

 

[-Ryan-]

I keep getting the below error when trying to update the firmware. I've unplugged everything from the monitor, tried different USB-C ports on my Mac, rebooted my Mac, and of course power cycled the monitor itself. Anyone have any other ideas?

View attachment 2360475

Likely to be the cable in my experience. If you’re not using the original cable, try that one.

 

[Ener Ji]

Likely to be the cable in my experience. If you’re not using the original cable, try that one.

Unfortunately, I am using the original. It's a few years old and has a bit of wear on it so I've been wondering whether it's worth buying a new Apple TB4 cable as a replacement.

When my current cable is tapped or jostled lightly the monitor will lose its connection until I unplug and plug in again. I'm hoping it's just the cable and not the port(s) themselves.

Btw since my post above I tried multiple more times in safe mode and still no dice with the update. I guess a new cable is the next thing to try.

 

[kerplunknet]

Unfortunately, I am using the original. It's a few years old and has a bit of wear on it so I've been wondering whether it's worth buying a new Apple TB4 cable as a replacement.

When my current cable is tapped or jostled lightly the monitor will lose its connection until I unplug and plug in again. I'm hoping it's just the cable and not the port(s) themselves.

Btw since my post above I tried multiple more times in safe mode and still no dice with the update. I guess a new cable is the next thing to try.

If all else fails, buy a new Thunderbolt 4 cable (the official Apple one, not 3rd party). I know you shouldn't have to, but it's fixed all of my issues.

 

[Ener Ji]

If all else fails, buy a new Thunderbolt 4 cable (the official Apple one, not 3rd party). I know you shouldn't have to, but it's fixed all of my issues.

Just looked it up, $69 for a 1m official cable! Holy smokes, I know they are quality but, wow.

 

[eldho]

When I was having problems I tried simply using a spare short cable from a Samsung SSD and it worked! That is what I am still using with no trouble and I will not be changing as long as it continues okay which has been about two years so far.

 

[Ener Ji]

When I was having problems I tried simply using a spare short cable from a Samsung SSD and it worked! That is what I am still using with no trouble and I will not be changing as long as it continues okay which has been about two years so far.

That must have been a thunderbolt SSD, right? I have lots of USB-C cables but the vast majority are for charging only or at best for USB 3. Pretty sure it needs to be a thunderbolt cable in order to work with the monitor, right?