Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Benq BL3201 PT 4K Mac performance
- Thread starter jgbr
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
EDIT: Omitted my personal experience from Amazon reviews since I'm in the minority.
Right now my advice is stick to the supported screens on Apples site or the few newer models such as the Dells that various members have reported working.
The biggest compliant about 4K is MST issues with sleep and waking or poor color uniformity. I originally picked up the LG cinema 4K that runs at 50Hz and half the screen was warm while the other was much cooler
Right now my advice is stick to the supported screens on Apples site or the few newer models such as the Dells that various members have reported working.
The biggest compliant about 4K is MST issues with sleep and waking or poor color uniformity. I originally picked up the LG cinema 4K that runs at 50Hz and half the screen was warm while the other was much cooler
Last edited:
I've been using Amazon for reviews for almost 10 years now, and you can definitely spot fake reviews. For the most part, in my personal experience, you CAN use Amazon reviews if you choose the right reviews to believe. I personally have reviewed dozens of items on Amazon and have been 100% truthful. Of course you will sometimes find incorrect info, but Amazon has millions of reviews which are helpful.
I know this is true, I'm just highly frustrated at the moment with them. I can also only speak from my own dealings.
I've been unable to get this display to function via DisplayPort. It's only working for me using HDMI, so it's stuck at 30Hz. Trying to use it with a nMP. Aside from that, the display seems quite nice. I'm not seeing any color uniformity problems.
Edit: Finally got this going. The trick was to hook the display up using both HDMI and DisplayPort. Then OS X saw it as two displays attached at the same time. Then I was able to unplug the HDMI and it seems to be going fine with just DisplayPort at 60Hz. Reboots work fine now with the normal caveats of no display until the login window and unable to use FileVault.
Edit: Finally got this going. The trick was to hook the display up using both HDMI and DisplayPort. Then OS X saw it as two displays attached at the same time. Then I was able to unplug the HDMI and it seems to be going fine with just DisplayPort at 60Hz. Reboots work fine now with the normal caveats of no display until the login window and unable to use FileVault.
Last edited:
I realise it's been a while since anyone posted to this thread. I was interested in the LG 31MU97 but it's considerably more expensive than other options and the BenQ 3201PT is looking like a good alternative.
Do you still have the BenQ and what are your thoughts on it now? Have you tried it with the new OS X 10.10.3 beta, or are you on 10.10.2?
Thanks, in advance, for any comments!
I still have it and I'm still happy with the display. Running 10.10.2.
I rarely reboot the machine, and when I do I guess every fifth or sixth reboot the display fails to properly initialize the display port giving me a black screen. The fix is to unplug the display port, plug in the HDMI port, then log in to OS X. Then I can swap the plugs back and all is well.
It's a bit of an annoyance, but with as infrequently as I reboot I've only had to do it a handful of times. Otherwise I'm very pleased with the display. I'm running it in full native res, not HiDPI scaled to appear as a lower resolution. I find the screen elements to be usably large even at the native 4K resolution and the text looks sharp as compared to my 5K iMac which is running in a HiDPI mode.
I rarely reboot the machine, and when I do I guess every fifth or sixth reboot the display fails to properly initialize the display port giving me a black screen. The fix is to unplug the display port, plug in the HDMI port, then log in to OS X. Then I can swap the plugs back and all is well.
It's a bit of an annoyance, but with as infrequently as I reboot I've only had to do it a handful of times. Otherwise I'm very pleased with the display. I'm running it in full native res, not HiDPI scaled to appear as a lower resolution. I find the screen elements to be usably large even at the native 4K resolution and the text looks sharp as compared to my 5K iMac which is running in a HiDPI mode.
Curious to know what settings & calibration you use/d for this monitor (BL3201PT) under {10.10.04}. And if you found the "M-Book" (display) option useful. Or the "Low Blue Light" mode. Thanx.
The marketing states that "The BL3201PT is built with BenQ's advanced IPS technology". But this is somewhat misleading since the monitor has a cheaper AH/VA panel, and not true IPS.
Guru3D Quote (2014): "BenQ will release the first 32" 4k2k monitor for designers. The BL3201PT offers a larger 32" screen size, paired with an ultra HD 3840x2160 resolution from its AU Optronics AHVA panel (referred to by BenQ as IPS, since it's an IPS-type technology, not to be confused with AMVA)."
Guru3D Quote (2014): "BenQ will release the first 32" 4k2k monitor for designers. The BL3201PT offers a larger 32" screen size, paired with an ultra HD 3840x2160 resolution from its AU Optronics AHVA panel (referred to by BenQ as IPS, since it's an IPS-type technology, not to be confused with AMVA)."