Any experience with an M2 Pro and two 4K monitors?

[Unggoy Murderer]

Hi all, I've been lucky enough to be supplied with an M2 Pro 14" machine and it's an amazing upgrade over the Intel 2020 16".

I'm looking to re-think my working from home workspace, and I've been on the fence about buying a larger monitor, or running two smaller monitors.

I was wondering if anyone is running an M2 Pro with two 4K monitors? Could you comment about overall system performance and thermals? I have this one plugged into a single 4K monitor (with lid closed) and it doesn't sweat at all, fans never spin up and its TDP is usually less than 4 watts.

Would be really keen to hear of your experiences!

 

[Jwinnin]

I am running an M2 Pro, but a Mac mini not a MBP. I run it with dual Dell 2723QE 4k monitors. The real estate is luxurious and highly recommended. Performance is excellent. The picture is sharp. I don't think your MBP 14 will break a sweat.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

I am running an M2 Pro, but a Mac mini not a MBP. I run it with dual Dell 2723QE 4k monitors. The real estate is luxurious and highly recommended. Performance is excellent. The picture is sharp. I don't think your MBP 14 will break a sweat.

That's great to hear, thanks for replying Had an excellent experience with Dell monitors in the past, and I've had those ones shortlisted so that's even better.

 

[Jwinnin]

That's great to hear, thanks for replying Had an excellent experience with Dell monitors in the past, and I've had those ones shortlisted so that's even better.

No problem. I also considered one larger monitor vs 2 27-inch monitors.

Pros of dual 27s
- you actually get more screen real estate
- you get better pixel density (sharper image) with a 27-inch 4k monitor vs a 32-inch 4k monitor.
- better approach if you plan to use both monitors equally

Pros of a single 32-inch or larger monitor
- its overall cheaper
- nice to have large real-estate in one place
- can use your MBP as a secondary monitor, placed below it or off to the side.

Oh and if you cant wait for an it, the Samsung Viewfinity S9 27-inch 5k monitor is looking good, but who knows when it will be released.

Good luck!

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

No problem. I also considered one larger monitor vs 2 27-inch monitors.

Pros of dual 27s
- you actually get more screen real estate
- you get better pixel density (sharper image) with a 27-inch 4k monitor vs a 32-inch 4k monitor.
- better approach if you plan to use both monitors equally

Pros of a single 32-inch or larger monitor
- its overall cheaper
- nice to have large real-estate in one place
- can use your MBP as a secondary monitor, placed below it or off to the side.

Oh and if you cant wait for an it, the Samsung Viewfinity S9 27-inch 5k monitor is looking good, but who knows when it will be released.

Good luck!

Sorry, I missed this reply! Thank you for the additional info, I think going down the route of dual 27" monitors would be the most suitable route. Had my eyes on a few LG panels, just trying to figure out which ones to go with. Thanks again!

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Just to provide an update on this thread, I ended up purchasing two LG 32UN650P-W displays and running them over USB-C to HDMI out from the MacBook.

After being up and running for an hour, everything's been great, the MacBook apparently couldn't care less about the amount of pixels it's pushing. No fans spinning with my usual apps running, iStat Menus reporting mostly <10w TDP when I'm typing.

Using a scaled resolution of 3200x1800 seems to be the sweet spot in terms of legibility for me, but there are two further resolutions offered. I've got tired evening eyes so might try them tomorrow.

It's going to take some time to get used to having two full-size monitors again, but this seems to be a great solution.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Here's how my setup is looking now.

 

[hwendev]

Here's how my setup is looking now.

View attachment 2286888

@Unggoy Murderer How's your experience so far after months now? I'm looking to have similar setup as you as well

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

@Unggoy Murderer How's your experience so far after months now? I'm looking to have similar setup as you as well

It's been fantastic, easily the best QOL upgrade I've made to my working space. The MacBook's handling both displays perfectly, as I'm typing this it's sitting at 40C with no fans running (ambient room temp is 21C for reference).

Just one thing that is inherently "a problem" with larger scaled desktop spaces. I share my screen a lot via MS Teams, and using a scaled resolution makes items quite difficult for people viewing your shared content. I ended up dropping the resolution down to a scaled 1440p on one monitor so elements are larger, and easier to see when being shared. I found myself using the second display as a "reference" screen, so more for notes and secondary stuff like terminal monitoring, so going 1440p actually elevates that workspace I suppose.

In addition, I bought a Logitech Streamcam and placed it on the top edge of the primary display, works great with macOS even via a USB-C hub. Does a solid 1080p60 image, so it's great for Teams and other work calls.

I haven't used the MacBook with the screen open with this set-up for any extended period, but it does work with all three monitors running, and it seems as responsive as two.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to drop them here, more than happy to answer any I can.