Any monitor that can provide 5k resolution?

[kawa636r]

I want to left my iMac 5k since it is from 2014 and I want to jump on Apple Mac mini m1 experience.

The trouble is that on my iMac 5k I set the "more space" resolution to Max since I have got 8-9 windows opened in the same time, so for me the 5k resolution is it very important.

But in Spain there is no way anymore to buy an LG Ultrafine 5k and Apple is not selling that monitor anymore.

So, my question is, any advice on a good 5k screen? I'm not considering 4k because the space is very important to me. I've searched a lot and found nothing, except Apple xdr display which is too much expensive (5.000€).

 

[Moonjumper]

I've just done a test on my 2015 5K iMac that has a 27" 4K monitor attached as a second screen, running Mojave (assume the same on more recent macOS, but I'm busy using old 32-bit software today, so do not have time to boot to a newer install). Using the "More Space" option on the iMac it says "Looks like 3200 x 1800". On the 4K monitor, "More Space" gives "Looks like 3840 x 2160", which is the native resolution and much more space. The next option to the left shows "Looks like 3360 x 1890", so still gives a little bit more space than the iMac, but may be better if 3840 x 2160 makes everything too small.

So the 4K monitor can actually give more space, and the image quality difference with both similarly scaled is marginal, at least on my HP Z27k.

If you still want a 5K screen, there are a couple, but all have not been manufactured for a few years, and seem to command a high price second hand. Dell have a 32" 8K screen, but that has the same price issue as an XDR display.

The Huawei MateView has a 28" 3:2 ratio screen. It has 4K resolution in width, but with extra height (3840 x 2560). It is reasonably priced, and if it behaves in a similar manner to my external, should give you a bigger screen space than either a 4K or 5K 16:9 monitor.

 

[kawa636r]

I've just done a test on my 2015 5K iMac that has a 27" 4K monitor attached as a second screen, running Mojave (assume the same on more recent macOS, but I'm busy using old 32-bit software today, so do not have time to boot to a newer install). Using the "More Space" option on the iMac it says "Looks like 3200 x 1800". On the 4K monitor, "More Space" gives "Looks like 3840 x 2160", which is the native resolution and much more space. The next option to the left shows "Looks like 3360 x 1890", so still gives a little bit more space than the iMac, but may be better if 3840 x 2160 makes everything too small.

So the 4K monitor can actually give more space, and the image quality difference with both similarly scaled is marginal, at least on my HP Z27k.

If you still want a 5K screen, there are a couple, but all have not been manufactured for a few years, and seem to command a high price second hand. Dell have a 32" 8K screen, but that has the same price issue as an XDR display.

The Huawei MateView has a 28" 3:2 ratio screen. It has 4K resolution in width, but with extra height (3840 x 2560). It is reasonably priced, and if it behaves in a similar manner to my external, should give you a bigger screen space than either a 4K or 5K 16:9 monitor

Thank you so much for this incredible and impressive reply.
Reading that i will buy an huawei mateview and i will let you know the result one it will be here.

Thanks again, i hope this post and your reply can help other people too

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Instead of spending 1200$ for a 27/32in 5k monitor, I spent that money for an LG OLED TV 48in.
A huge increase in working space and great for entertainment, too.

 

[Rock Star]

Removed. OP is AWOL since Oct 10th. What a time waster.

 

[Paradoxally]

Instead of spending 1200$ for a 27/32in 5k monitor, I spent that money for an LG OLED TV 48in.
A huge increase in working space and great for entertainment, too.

Not in a million years unless you enjoy burn-in. Linus already did it.

I have an LG C8 and it's a gorgeous panel - for content that moves. Not for work where you have windows with static elements in the same position for potentially hours at a time. There's a reason manufacturers do not use OLED for monitor displays.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Not in a million years unless you enjoy burn-in. Linus already did it.

I have an LG C8 and it's a gorgeous panel - for content that moves. Not for work where you have windows with static elements in the same position for potentially hours at a time. There's a reason manufacturers do not use OLED for monitor displays.

I did read Rtings review about LG OLED, and I knew about the Rtings rate 2/10 for burn-in risk.
I am not worry about burn-in.
I've been using it for 3 months, not having any burn-in yet.
I use windows and web browser in dark mode, which is very healthy for the OLEDs.
I've just installed dynamic wall paper, change the setting of task bar to auto hide...

Besides, my LG has a 3 year warranty which covers burn-in.

 

[archimacpro]

I'm running 2 x 42" Philips DBM4037u screens 3840 x 2160 on trashcan and also new Macmini M1. Slow but good enough for CAD. Still not as big as the A0 board I started with 40 years ago though.

 

[Amethyst1]

Just to provide some extra data/experience...

So the 4K monitor can actually give more space, and the image quality difference with both similarly scaled is marginal, at least on my HP Z27k.

You can run 3840×2160 in HiDPI on a 5K or higher-rez monitor (if your GPU allows it) and get the same real estate as on a "4K" monitor running at native resolution, but sharper due to the HiDPI assets being used. macOS may not expose this via the Displays preference pane but it's available using e.g. RetinaDisplayMenu. Here's what the option looks like (the lightning bolt indicates HiDPI):

You can also run a HiDPI screen at full resolution without scaling using this tool.

If you still want a 5K screen, there are a couple, but all have not been manufactured for a few years, and seem to command a high price second hand.

I was able to find my Dell UP2715K second-hand for less than the equivalent of $500. Well worth it in terms of pixels-per-dollar IMHO.

Dell have a 32" 8K screen, but that has the same price issue as an XDR display.

That only runs at 30 Hz on macOS since 60 Hz requires two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, each driving one half of the screen at 3840×4320. This is the same trick used by e.g. the UP2715K, but it doesn't work for the 8K (yet) - so 30 Hz is as "good" as it gets on macOS.

The Huawei MateView has a 28" 3:2 ratio screen. It has 4K resolution in width, but with extra height (3840 x 2560). It is reasonably priced, and if it behaves in a similar manner to my external, should give you a bigger screen space than either a 4K or 5K 16:9 monitor.

I have a MateView as well (as you might know from that thread on it ), and the highest HiDPI resolution I get on it is 3360×2240 vs. 3360×1890 on a 16:9 "4K" monitor. That's 18.5 per cent more vertical screen estate.

The most screen estate is, of course, provided by a 5K, 6K or 8K monitor running at native resolution, but that makes UI elements pretty small.

 

[kasakka]

Not in a million years unless you enjoy burn-in. Linus already did it.

I have an LG C8 and it's a gorgeous panel - for content that moves. Not for work where you have windows with static elements in the same position for potentially hours at a time. There's a reason manufacturers do not use OLED for monitor displays.

I have been using my LG CX 48" as a desktop monitor for over a year now. I do autohide topbar/dock, use a solid black background image, use a blank screensaver that goes on if it is idle long enough and also use dark modes where available. I work as a programmer so this has been used for those purposes for about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week plus personal use on top of that.

Zero burn in. Watched the Linus video and those guys must've been abusing their monitors by running them at high brightness or doing no mitigation tactics (most of which are automatic after initial setup).

While I would not recommend an OLED if you want to get 5+ years out of it, it can work just fine.

That said I still would not recommend an OLED this large as a desktop monitor. I make it work by mounting it on a floor stand at 1m viewing distance to make it feel more comfortable. The distance is enough that I find running at 120% scaling (3200x1800) more comfortable.

MacOS defaults to 10 bit 4:2:0 on this TV which is the worst possible option for desktop use, causing issues with especially red and blue text. The only way to overcome this is to use a custom DisplayEDID override which removes 10-bit support so it will run at 8-bit 4:4:4 because MacOS does not have controls for bit depth and color format.

Likewise there seems to be no Mac capable of driving this at 4K 120 Hz. I have a Club3D Displayport+DSC -> HDMI 2.1 adapter that on my Windows machine can handle 4K 120 Hz with HDR just fine but if I plug that exact same setup into my 2019 Intel Macbook Pro, only 4K 60 Hz is possible no matter what I've tried. The AMD GPU should be more than capable of doing it but whatever Apple does inside MacOS just isn't compatible with the adapter.

 

[Amethyst1]

The AMD GPU should be more than capable of doing it but whatever Apple does inside MacOS just isn't compatible with the adapter.

Maybe DSC isn’t working in macOS? Does it work in Windows on the MBP?

 

[kasakka]

Maybe DSC isn’t working in macOS? Does it work in Windows on the MBP?

No idea. Don't want to install Windows on this machine to try it out. Would not be surprised if it did work tho.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Likewise there seems to be no Mac capable of driving this at 4K 120 Hz. I have a Club3D Displayport+DSC -> HDMI 2.1 adapter that on my Windows machine can handle 4K 120 Hz with HDR just fine but if I plug that exact same setup into my 2019 Intel Macbook Pro, only 4K 60 Hz is possible no matter what I've tried. The AMD GPU should be more than capable of doing it but whatever Apple does inside MacOS just isn't compatible with the adapter.

I think it's a port protocol issue.
Only recent dedicated graphic cards (RX6600 XT or higher) are equipped with HDMI 2,1 and DP 1,4.
Older cards/logicboards/mainboard only has HDMI 2.0 at best. => max 4k@60Hz.
AMD cards of RX5700XT and older only have HDMI 2.0b ports, although they have DP 1,4

 

[Amethyst1]

I think it's a port protocol issue.

Since that Club3D adapter is active and handles the conversion from DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1, the GPU itself doesn’t need to support HDMI 2.1. I suspect that DSC isn’t working because IIRC Big Sur breaks it over non-Thunderbolt connections (this is also relevant when driving the Pro Display XDR using a single “normal” DisplayPort connection - you can only get 6K using DSC then). DSC is working in Catalina though.

 

[kasakka]

Since that Club3D adapter is active and handles the conversion from DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1, the GPU itself doesn’t need to support HDMI 2.1. I suspect that DSC isn’t working because IIRC Big Sur breaks it over non-Thunderbolt connections (this is also relevant when driving the Pro Display XDR using a single “normal” DisplayPort connection - you can only get 6K using DSC then). DSC is working in Catalina though.

The adapter did not work any better on Catalina though. Behaves as if you have a HDMI 2.0 port.

 

[Amethyst1]

The adapter did not work any better on Catalina though. Behaves as if you have a HDMI 2.0 port.

Thanks for testing that. Have you tried custom timings (via e.g. SwitchResX) to see if you can get 4K at, say, 100 or 110 Hz (no idea if the TV likes that)?

 

[kasakka]

Thanks for testing that. What GPU does your Windows machine use?

I have a 2080 Ti which also doesn't have HDMI 2.1 port but it does have a USB-C port. The exact same adapter setup works perfectly fine at full 4K 120 Hz 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR just plugging into that.

 

[citivolus]

I used this thread as a guide to build my own 5K monitor and paired it with my M1 mini.

 

[OftheSeven]

Instead of spending 1200$ for a 27/32in 5k monitor, I spent that money for an LG OLED TV 48in.
A huge increase in working space and great for entertainment, too.

Hi - are you still using the LG OLED with your Mac? I'm considering this option or good LED options without 120Hz since I can't display that anyway.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Hi - are you still using the LG OLED with your Mac? I'm considering this option or good LED options without 120Hz since I can't display that anyway.

I'm using the TV everyday for my Windows PC. The iMacs are used by my family members.

 

[mini5apple]

Instead of spending 1200$ for a 27/32in 5k monitor, I spent that money for an LG OLED TV 48in.
A huge increase in working space and great for entertainment, too.

thumbs down, the hdmi isn't sufficient to carry the 5k signal, you've been scammed