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5K Cinema (TB) Display is not happening until a new TB standard with the next DP revision support is released via Skylake CPU coming later this year or early next year.

Either Apple releases a 4K monitor with (3840×2160 at 60Hz) spec that TB2/DP1.2 support or they wait until the CPU/GPU comes with the required ports.

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No, USB type C on Macbook does not have a wider "data" pipe. It is still limited to 5Gbps (USB 3.0 or as they now call it, USB 3.1 Gen1), and Retina 5K display is not going to fit 40Gbps+ worth of data down a 5Gbps pipe. Don't you think Apple would've released it by now with TB2 support that's much faster with 20Gbps?

I'll be the first to admit I really don't know a lot about the technicals of computers and electronics, but I thought Type-C was based on USB 3.1 and capable of 10Gbps. Still not enough to drive 5k, but still better than 3.0.
 
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Good ol' MacBook Air, still amazing value.

Makes me wonder why they didn't just rename this guy 'MacBook' and the new fashion-grab model 'MacBook Air'...
 
Thanks. How bout a new quad core mac mini i7 with a new 5k TB Display Please. :)

It took Apple 2+ years to release an inferior Mac Mini over the previous generation. I won't hold my breath that Apple will ever offer a value sub-$1000 PC that also has decent performance.
 
Do most 4k displays have a mini display port? If not, does that mean you could not use HDMI to mini-display port and achieve 60hz?
 
Don't get me started on that Apple support page about 4K display support. It's missing loads of perfectly acceptable 4K displays. Either they need to test and add a load more monitors to that page or list none at all and make it a page for general 4K advice.

Just saying... :D
 
Thanks. How bout a new quad core mac mini i7 with a new 5k TB Display Please. :)

Second that. From everything I pick up. The last Mac Mini refresh was their Plan B as their suppliers could not fulfill the estimated demand for a Quad Core, 1 TB SSD Mac Mini.
 
Also, and more fundamentally, USB does not support the 20 gbps bandwidth required to drive a 4K display and there is not yet a specification for 20 gbps USB in the future. Maybe someday, but not in the next three years.

USB bus bandwidth isn't used for DisplayPort, when a USB Type-C to DisplayPort connector is used. It ought to be using some of the pins on the connector for a native DisplayPort signal. Bandwidth is limited by the DisplayPort 1.2 spec.
 
Also.... why is macbook lighter than macbook air - serious incorrect naming issue. ;-)

Because even though the MBAs were just "updated," they are still legacy models. I expect one of two things will happen over the next year:

1) The MBA will go away as we know it, leaving rMB and rMBP. Maybe this happens concurrently with a new rMBP chassis.
2) A totally new Retina MBA will come out to slot between the new rMB and rMBP. I don't know how they make that an upgrade over an rMB without adding a fan and ports (keeping it heavier), so my money's on prediction #1.
 
Thanks. How bout a new quad core mac mini i7 with a new 5k TB Display Please. :)
Me too Apple, please???
(Pipe dreaming again... oh well)
The only Broadwell quad core options are i7-5775C and i5 5675C. Both have 65W TDP, too high for a Mac Mini. So you need to wait for Skylake with something like a i7-6712HQ with 35W TDP (number speculated) to get a quad-core Mac Mini. Not happening this year for the lower power parts.
 
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No, USB type C on Macbook does not have a wider "data" pipe. It is still limited to 5Gbps (USB 3.0 or as they now call it, USB 3.1 Gen1), and Retina 5K display is not going to fit 40Gbps+ worth of data down a 5Gbps pipe. Don't you think Apple would've released it by now with TB2 support that's much faster with 20Gbps?

That's not how it works. http://www.slashgear.com/look-out-t...-and-displayport-are-coming-for-you-22347343/

The MacBook supports 4k. At what refresh rate, we don't yet know.

Also, and more fundamentally, USB does not support the 20 gbps bandwidth required to drive a 4K display and there is not yet a specification for 20 gbps USB in the future. Maybe someday, but not in the next three years.

See above. That's not how it works. USB is only using part of the pin set in those cables.
 
Technically 4k/60 Hz support has nothing to do with Broadwell.

Haswell can drive the full 4k resolution @ 60 Hz just fine (I have tested Surface Pro 3 here, Haswell and Intel HD5000).

For whatever wanky reason, it was solely Apple's decision to limit 4k resolutions at 30 Hz on Haswell MacBook Air artificially.

In order to force people, who wanted 4k/60Hz, buying more expensive MBP's, I guess...

It's the GPU onboard the CPU.

Are you sure it was 60Hz?

Why is everyone having so much problem with 4K monitors + SP3 at this subreddit then: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/2916ge/surface_pro_3_4k_support/

Note that some monitors are hacking in the 4K support via MST but it is still 30Hz.

Which monitor and which port are you using?

I'll be the first to admit I really don't know a lot about the technicals of computers and electronics, but I thought Type-C was based on USB 3.1 and capable of 10Gbps. Still not enough to drive 5k, but still better than 3.0.

No, USB Type C is not the same thing as USB 3.1, they're two separate things. You can have a data pipe inside Type C to carry the data (USB 3.0/USB 3.1), while also using video pipe (currently limited to DisplayPort 1.2 spec) inside to carry the video and finally, the power spec for charging as it can use up to 100W to charge.

USB Type C is more about the connector/pipe spec than more about the speed, basically how to carry multiple different data/video streams plus power for charging in one cable. You can upgrade the internal video/data specs and still use the same USB Type C connector.

The video standard support inside the USB Type C that Apple is using is set to DisplayPort 1.2a speed, which means it cannot support more than 4K@60Hz. In the future hardware, as support comes in, you can have the same USB Type C connector with support for USB 4.0 speed and DisplayPort 2 or whatever they call.

That's not how it works. http://www.slashgear.com/look-out-t...-and-displayport-are-coming-for-you-22347343/

The MacBook supports 4k. At what refresh rate, we don't yet know.


See above. That's not how it works. USB is only using part of the pin set in those cables.

Correct, I wasn't clear. I thought he meant using the USB to transfer the video (we do have USB monitors) which won't be possible because USB itself isn't fast enough, that's why I quoted "data" as in the USB 3.0/3.1 specs.

DP1.3 will be fast enough and can be used in the USB Type C setup later in the future.

However, the Macbook will not support 5k monitor which is what we're talking about, the initial DP1.2a protocol in the USB Type C setup that Apple is using won't support it. Your own article said this as well.
 
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It's not the CPU, it's the GPU onboard the CPU.

Are you sure it was 60Hz?

Why is everyone having so much problem with 4K monitors + SP3 at this subreddit then: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/2916ge/surface_pro_3_4k_support/

Note that some monitors are hacking in the 4K support via MST but it is still 30Hz.

The SP3 can drive a 4k monitor at 50hz (I have one doing just this). In fact, with the dock, it can drive two of them (I've tested this).

Monitors that use the two MST lanes to split the single 4k display into two virtual 1920x2160 screens can be driven at 60hz.
 
does clamshell mode improve the gpu performance since it only has to drive 1 display? If so, I wonder how much better it would perform in that mode.

It surely does: OS X would require only one display to upscale-then-downscale instead of two.

I see a dramatic improvement using my 15" MBP (Nvidia GT750M) with 4K Monitor in single display mode vs mirroring or extended mode.
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BTW, it is still laggy on Yosemite... ;)
 
The SP3 can drive a 4k monitor at 50hz (I have one doing just this). In fact, with the dock, it can drive two of them (I've tested this).

Monitors that use the two MST lanes to split the single 4k display into two virtual 1920x2160 screens can be driven at 60hz.

How is the dock connected to SP3, via MS's power connector?
 
It's the GPU onboard the CPU.

Are you sure it was 60Hz?

Why is everyone having so much problem with 4K monitors + SP3 at this subreddit then: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/2916ge/surface_pro_3_4k_support/

Note that some monitors are hacking in the 4K support via MST but it is still 30Hz.

Which monitor and which port are you using?

Absolutely sure. You will need Intel driver or the latest MS driver (autoupdate) for this. SP3 would easily drive a 4K display (Dell UP2414Q in my case): MST and DisplayPort 1.2

Here is my post about this:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20828959/
 
you can get that in the iMac right now, i doubt the mac mini + TB display would be cheaper

Maybe so, but when a logic board craps out and needs service it's nice to still have your display on hand to keep working with a back-up Mac.
 
How is the dock connected to SP3, via MS's power connector?

Yes, it connects via the power connector. To drive two displays at 4k/50hz you have to plug one into the dock, and the other into the displayport on the side of the Surface.
 
does clamshell mode improve the gpu performance since it only has to drive 1 display? If so, I wonder how much better it would perform in that mode.

Good question. Though I wonder how clamshell mode handles the heat. I've run 2 different MBP's (2006 and 2011) in clamshell mode 98% of the time with a 30" ACD and both have had multiple logic board failures. I keep running this method (since I don't like chasing a cursor around) but I'm leery about its impact on the board.

Anyone know if there's a way to run a remote display with the laptop open? Mirror mode doesn't work since this reduces the resolution of the remote display.
 
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Absolutely sure. You will need Intel driver or the latest MS driver (autoupdate) for this. SP3 would easily drive a 4K display (Dell UP2414Q in my case): MST and DisplayPort 1.2

Here is my post about this:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20828959/

I just posted the explanation here https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20888269/

The limitation is in the graphics card of the Haswell chips. Haswell U supports a maximum resolution of 3200x2000 on three separate lines. However this can be split in different ways. http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/cs-033714.htm

So, the Surface Pro 3 can drive a 4k 3840x2160 monitor at 50hz, in fact it can drive two of them if you use the dock. (I have this setup myself - and have tested with two monitors), as while the total resolution is greater than 3200x2000, the 50hz keeps the total bandwidth under that which is available.

If you buy a monitor that uses the two MST lanes to drive the panel, rather than for providing the ability to daisy-chain monitors, the Surface sees it as two separate 1920x2160 monitors and it can drive that monitor at 60hz, as it uses two of the three available lines to drive 'two' monitor lines that are under the 3200x2000 limit.
 
Because even though the MBAs were just "updated," they are still legacy models. I expect one of two things will happen over the next year:

1) The MBA will go away as we know it, leaving rMB and rMBP. Maybe this happens concurrently with a new rMBP chassis.
2) A totally new Retina MBA will come out to slot between the new rMB and rMBP. I don't know how they make that an upgrade over an rMB without adding a fan and ports (keeping it heavier), so my money's on prediction #1.

Given their current liking for 3 products in each category I wouldn't be surprised if they went with option 2. They have 3 desktop models so why not replicate that with 3 laptop models. That would at least allow them to cover a broader range of price points.
 
SP3 is capable to drive 3840x2160 at full 60 Hz, not 50. Tested myself.

Again, as I stated, it depends on the monitor and how it is wired. If the monitor uses MST to drive two virtual 1920x2160 monitors, then 60hz is possible. If it uses MST to support daisy-chaining, and thus, must drive the full 3840x2160 on a single one of those lines, the maximum is 50hz.

Your Dell up2414q is one of the former. You'll notice it doesn't have a displayport out for daisy-chaining.
 
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