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Apple's Studio Display 2 Rumored to Have Up to 90Hz Refresh Rate Instead of 120Hz

SDAVE said:
Once you go 120Hz you can't go back. I have 2 studio displays at 60Hz and switching back to a ProMotion MacBook Pro is painful. HDR I can live without.
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Oddly I legitimately don't notice the difference most of the time. 30hz —> 60hz is super noticeable to me, 30hz is painful, but over 60hz… I dont really care most of the time

To be clear this is for me personally, I’m sure the difference bugs a lot of folks a lot more
 
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zedsdead said:
I feel like it will be 90HZ on thunderbolt 4 as that is max capacity, and 120hz on thunderbolt 5.

It is both insane to do only 90HZ and also sounds like a very apple thing to do, but I think it is something more like what I said.
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I think it's a great idea if it works out that way. Something like, "This display is better for everyone but the best experience is for those on the latest hardware"
 
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Unami said:
No, it would note make videos look smoother to the eye, because 99,99999% of all videos are not in 90fps. On the contrary, playing back a 60 or 24 fps video on a 90hz didplay could make videos feel less smooth, because 90 is not an integer multiple of those (unlike 120hz) - afaik most higher end display/OSs will drop to 60hz in this case becsuse if that.
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I changed "this" to "a."
 
I just want to note that with the Studio Display the panel resolution is 5K. If the display indeed supports proper HDR as Apple's XDR displays do (using Apple's EDR technology), then Apple might have a problem if they want 120Hz. Most current Macs currently limit framebuffer (video memory) resolution in HDR mode way below 5K at 120Hz. This is not a bandwidth issue but seems to be some kind of internal chip/framebuffer pixel clock limitation (this caused some of the "green screen of death" problem with some M2 models running macOS versions where this limitation was not yet in place). The current limit at 120Hz seems to be 2432x1368 HiDPI which is a little below even the 2560x1440 HiDPI required for 1:1 pixel mapping on a 5K panel (and we are not talking about higher scaled resolutions). This limitation seems artificial at least on some newer high-end Macs (with some hacks they can happily produce HDR output at high refresh rate and higher resolutions), but since Apple probably wants to make sure the Studio Display works with all or most Apple Silicon Macs, they might actually considering a 90Hz model (or a 90Hz mode alongside 120Hz?).
 
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I have definitely stated that 60 Hz was all you need, I was wrong. 120 Hz should be standard, options for higher should be available. 144 Hz, 165 Hz, 240 Hz... It really does make a difference. I was so wrong for so long. 90 Hz is just weird, but I have learned to be happy with what I get from Apple.
 
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It could be that two Studio Display 2s at 120 Hz would max out a Thunderbolt 4 port’s bandwidth. 90 Hz would help a lot. Maybe the displays could run at 90 Hz over TB4, and 120 Hz over TB5?

Or maybe there will be a Pro version that requires TB5?
 
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Oh this is just soooo sad if true 😂🤣

The MacBook Pro has had Pro Motion since the M1 in 2020 / 21.. at CES there were loads of faster LCD monitors launched in 5k and 6K and with mini LED..
My guess is it will use 90HZ in TB4 and then 120 on TB5.
 
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madmin said:
They should build a statue of Tim in that Apple park
made out of nickels and dimes
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It's painful to see that people are clueless.

There is absolutely no cost difference for Apple between making a 90Hz display and a 120Hz one.

This limitation is probably to prevent people from crying foul and blaming the new Studio Display for their underperforming Thunderbolt peripherals.

If you are going to use your monitor for games or Instagram reels, get yourself a cheap gaming monitor. No one is forcing you to buy an Apple product that you don't need. As a current Studio Display user, I will buy the new model on day one, even if it's limited to 60Hz, because for my use cases, refresh rate is the least important criterion.
 
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I don't really care what the refresh rate is. My LED Cinema Display from 2010 still looks fine hooked up to my current iMac. Just a little pixely, but that is from the lower resolution, not the refresh rate.
 
ralph_sws said:
The only thing that will be unusual is the price. Other monitors have the same features for a third of the price.
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I came in with this opinion, then tried to find a monitor to compare it against. Best I could find was an Asus 5K ProArt for $800, and it’s just a monitor. It doesn’t have any of the features the Studio Display has. That’s not to say I’d pay $1600 for a Studio Display. That’s high refresh 4K OLED money, but still there aren’t many good -direct- competitors for the Studio Display.
 
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Zarniwoop said:
It could be that two Studio Display 2s at 120 Hz would max out a Thunderbolt 4 port’s bandwidth. 90 Hz would help a lot. Maybe the displays could run at 90 Hz over TB4, and 120 Hz over TB5?

Or maybe there will be a Pro version that requires TB5?
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No because the Macs can run up to three 6K monitors plus the internal one.
 
LG showed its new 5k 27" Mini LED monitor at CES and it has a native res of 165HZ if you start claiming it's a Thunderbolt 5 issue, well then Apple need to use Display Port.

tftcentral.co.uk

LG 27GM950B 5K Monitor Announced with a 2,304-zone Mini LED Backlight - TFTCentral

Share this contentAhead of CES in a couple of week’s time, LG Electronics have unveiled their line-up of new monitors that will be on show at the event. They also....[click link for more]
tftcentral.co.uk tftcentral.co.uk

Seriously, LG release a screen most likely with the same panel but mat but with 165hz refresh rate.. Apple release one with a max rate of 90hz..... for no doubt three times the price.. truly 'innovative'.
 
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maflynn said:
I expect a flurry of posts/threads stating how we don't need anything over 90Hz and how this is cutting edge display technology.
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Yeap, meanwhile Dell now sells a 52" 6K screen that does 120HZ native and has a full USB hub built in. I bet the new Studio Display will still have one input source socket too.
 
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coolfactor said:
What if 120Hz has been overkill this whole time, and 90Hz is already fast enough to overcome a human eye's ability to see changes?
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Then gaming monitors wouldn’t be up to 540 Hz already.

Personally I’m fine with 90 Hz though.
 
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