Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

27-Inch Native vs "Looks like 2560x 1440" on 4K 27-Inch

M

MrRaupi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 6, 2022
15
14
Hello everyone,

I'm currently using a 27-inch monitor with a native resolution of 2560x1440 and I always find the text a bit blurry.

I would now be interested if I bought a 27-inch 4k monitor and used the "Looks like 2560x 1440" option on the Mac. Would the text and UI be sharper / better? Or am I making a mistake here?

So in short, is the "Looks like 2560x 1440" setting better on a 27-inch 4k monitor than on a native 27-inch resolution?

Thanks!
 
Yes, absolutely.

MacOS's scaling doesn't kick in until you get to 4k or above. I switched to a 27" 4K display and the difference was night and day. I had it set to the 2560 x 1440 scaling and it was pin-sharp. At 4K, macOS actually renders the display at 5K then scales down to 4K.

Yesterday I just switched to a 32" 4K with the same computer, and have it on the same scaling. It looks amazing.

If you have an Apple Silicon Mac, you can get high refresh rates if you connect USB-C to USB-C. I'm currently typing this on an M1 MacBook Air, connected to a Corsair 32UHD144, via USB-C and I'm getting the full 144Hz refresh rate.

You absolutely should upgrade to 4K or above.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert, Bauk18, MrRaupi and 1 other person
Thanks!

Now im looking for a 27" 4K Monitor with KVM Build-In. Or should i just use a normal KVM Switch? Need to connect my MacBook and a Dell Laptop from Company :)
 
I have a 24" 4K display and despite the fact it has retina-like ppi I can say it's not pin-sharp. 27" 4K is 163 ppi and that's not retina at all but of course it would be much better than any of WQHD displays.
 
thenewepic said:
I have a 24" 4K display and despite the fact it has retina-like ppi I can say it's not pin-sharp. 27" 4K is 163 ppi and that's not retina at all but of course it would be much better than any of WQHD displays.
Click to expand...
This is true, but a lot of Mac fanboys will say bUT yOU nEED 5k oR hIGHER oR iT lOOKS lIKE a pOTATO.

macOS in 4K looks perfectly fine, as it will properly scale. Anything less than 4K will look like garbage.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MrRaupi and AlphaCentauri
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back