Can my MacBook Pro power a 4K Display?

[giraffeboy27]

I have a 2012 non retina MacBook Pro 15" 2.3Ghz, which has GT 650M discrete graphics.

I'm thinking of getting an external display, and I'm not sure wether to go for 4K or the ATD.

Can my MacBook even power 4K?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Theoretically the 650M can drive 4K, with Retina models.

https://discussions.apple.com/message/23517166#23517166#23517166

 

[snaky69]

I have a 2012 non retina MacBook Pro 15" 2.3Ghz, which has GT 650M discrete graphics.

I'm thinking of getting an external display, and I'm not sure wether to go for 4K or the ATD.

Can my MacBook even power 4K?

This google search:
https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=4XdSU-C0BaLE8geXkICgDA

Brought me to this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1622780/

Which answers your question. Google is your friend.

 

[mikaella]

if it can it certainly will be 30Hz only... which is baaad

 

[omvs]

It definitely can at 30Hz, since thats what I'm using right now.

The common belief is that the 2012 model can't do displayport 1.2, since it has the first generation thunderbolt.

However, some of the stuff I've read on the web suggests that there maybe it is possible: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)

A single legacy Mini DisplayPort monitor or other device of any kind may be connected directly or at the very end of the chain. Thunderbolt is interoperable with DP 1.1a compatible devices. When connected to a DP-compatible device, the Thunderbolt port can provide a native DisplayPort signal with four lanes of output data at no more than 5.4 Gbit/s per Thunderbolt lane. When connected to a Thunderbolt device, the per-lane data rate becomes 10 Gbit/s and the four Thunderbolt lanes are configured as two duplex lanes, each 10 Gbit/s comprising one lane of input and one lane of output.[3]


Seems to me 4 lanes at 5.4Gbit would be enough to do 4k @ 60hz... Unfortunately, I don't have a displayport 4k monitor to test with.