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nemesiswar

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 19, 2012
61
0
Sweden
First of all I am about to replace my 2012 iMac because I´d like 2 identical 4k displays to use.

I have a 13" 2017 MBP that I'm thinking of making into my only Mac computer (not counting my G5s). I was looking at Apples websites and noticed the LG UltraFine 27" should work plugging 2 of them into my MBP at 4k resolution which should be fine for me.

Now I am wondering, does anyone use this setup and is the MBP fine with driving those 2 displays?

What is the user experience like?

Can the MBP drive its own display as a third display at the same time?
 
It should work but I don't think the 5k UltraFine is worth its price if you're going to use it at 4k. There are a ton of good and much more affordable 27" 4k displays out there.
 
It should work but I don't think the 5k UltraFine is worth its price if you're going to use it at 4k. There are a ton of good and much more affordable 27" 4k displays out there.

Think he's referencing the 22" 4Ks.

Personally, I've been on a 2016 15" with maxed out specs with two LG 5Ks and its been the worst Mac setup I've used since my original 12" PowerBook. Either TB3 isn't ready for prime-time, Apple and LG didn't fully test the compatibility with these laptops and monitors, or one of the two companies doesn't want to own up to a defect with their product.
 
Think he's referencing the 22" 4Ks.

Personally, I've been on a 2016 15" with maxed out specs with two LG 5Ks and its been the worst Mac setup I've used since my original 12" PowerBook. Either TB3 isn't ready for prime-time, Apple and LG didn't fully test the compatibility with these laptops and monitors, or one of the two companies doesn't want to own up to a defect with their product.

Thank you for sharing. I was actually referring to the 27" models since i want a large space to work on.

But from what i guessed the internal Intel GPU is not powerful enough to drive both displays to make a pleasant experience.

Since i want 2 identical displays i might have to cough up the enormous amount required for a desktop Mac pro to be able to have this unless eGPUs show themselves to be trustworthy.
 
Thank you for sharing. I was actually referring to the 27" models since i want a large space to work on.

But from what i guessed the internal Intel GPU is not powerful enough to drive both displays to make a pleasant experience.

Since i want 2 identical displays i might have to cough up the enormous amount required for a desktop Mac pro to be able to have this unless eGPUs show themselves to be trustworthy.

Yeah, an eGPU is one option. Though at the prices you’ll be paying for a pair of eGPU enclosures, cards, and the displays themselves, you may as well invest in the 15”. But as if mentioned, the LG units are particularly buggy with the MacBook Pros.
 
I do think one eGPU would suffice for 2 4/5k displays. A Vega 64 should not have any issues even via TB3 to power both displays.
 
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Do not recommend this at all, my 13" 2017 MBP can barely run a 27" flawlessly at 5k.

The fan comes on few times a day and its quite loud at 7000k rpm, the macbook temperature goes from 40c to 65c with the monitor connected.
 
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I do think one eGPU would suffice for 2 4/5k displays. A Vega 64 should not have any issues even via TB3 to power both displays.

The limitation will be in the TB3 port. A single TB3 port can't handle the number of streams needed for 2 5K displays. You can handle 2 4K just fine (even without an eGPU). But when talking about 2 5K, it's either with the 15" or a 13" with two eGPUs.
 
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