Dell 6K U3224KB Monitor

[Thyme]

The u3224kb spec sheet lists just 450 nits of brightness, which is not enough for my bright office. Does using BetterDisplay and HDR allow me to crank up the brightness to the 600 nits of HDR mode, while using the regular desktop (safari+xcode)?

Since the spec sheet also says it supports HDR600, the display should be capable of 600 nits brightness out of the box, without needing to resort to third-party tools or workarounds. Probably the 450 nits of brightness is the max possible in SDR mode or while still retaining P3 color or something like that. Given its name, I'd think that enabling the Display -> Smart HDR -> DisplayHDR 600 option in the OSD does set the monitor to 600 nit brightness. But I'll leave it to others here to comment more on all of this HDR and brightness stuff.

 

[tstafford]

Bought this monitor after much debate. Figured I’d share my initial thoughts since the comments in this thread helped me quite a bit w/ the purchase decision.

My set-up is an M1M Studio with three ASDs. One of the ASDs is being repurposed for a family member leaving me with the chance for a change. I debated whether to get another ASD or try something different. Although the ASDs are terrific, having had an XDR in the past I missed the 32” size. I’ve tried 4K and it doesn’t work for me. The 4K vs. Retina thing is well debated and I believe a personal choice w/ no right/wrong answer. I couldn’t justify an XDR - the price is too high given the age of the product. And at just over $2K the Dell felt worth trying. I figure if I end up not liking it, Amazon is fairly easy on returns (exchange for an ASD).

When the Dell was first announced I was sure I would pull the trigger ASAP upon release. However the price combined with initial comments in this thread dissuaded me. At over $3K (and not “needing” a monitor) I was only interested if the product was nearly perfect. Maybe the best thing about the ASD (and XDR) is the seamless compatibility with Mac. I’m only Mac so their lack of compatibility with Windows is irrelevant to me. Early comments in this thread reported some compatibility and quality issues that just didn’t inspire enough confidence in me to spend the money.

Short version: I am happy with the monitor so far.

Here are some more detailed observations:

Use: I’m not a professional. I’m using the monitor for light office work/internet/streaming. I have not (nor will I) use the web cam or the speakers. All I care about is the quality of the screen.

Connection: I have it connected via TB4.

Settings: I’m using Better Display (BD) to manage the monitor and have it running at 6016x3384 with HDR enabled. There’s various things (documented earlier in this thread) one needs to fiddle with to get the monitor to work with HDR via TB4. It’s not hard but it’s also not seamless. Note: I am running the monitor with HDR600 enabled in the OSD. Looks better to me than the other HDR options. FWIW - If HDR isn’t important, the TB4 connection is plug and play. I’ve not installed any Dell software, read the manual or done firmware updates (yet). I think anyone who is running this monitor on an M1 series Mac is going to want BD.

In providing pros/cons about the monitor, it’s important I think to point out that some “issues” are Apple’s fault or BD’s fault not Dell’s. But from my perspective that doesn’t matter. All I care about is my experience with the combination.

Brightness: This has been asked before so I thought I’d give some detail. Brightness is adjustable via BD sliders and keyboard short cuts. I have the Dell next to my two ASDs. The way the brightness works is different if HDR is enabled. Without HDR on, the Dell is noticeably less bright than the ASD. However both the ASD and the Dell are too bright for my office at 100% brightness. If I am running the ASD at ~60% to get the Dell at a similar level I would set it ~80%. With HDR on it seems that BD wants the Dell brightness set to 100%. However this 100% seems dimmer than non-HDR 100%. It’s what BD call “neutral”. That level is equivalent to the ASD set to ~70%. Note: With HDR enabled BD allows you to set the Dell brightness as high as 168%. Still not as bright as the ASD and very washed out. Conclusion: The Dell is plenty bright for me but the ASD is a superior option if your location requires very high brightness.

Text Sharpness: Critically important to me. The Dell is great. I can’t discern any difference b/w the text clarity on the ASD and the Dell. Reading content like NYT on the monitor is perfect: crisp, large and less scrolling.

Matte Coating: I was worried about this. If find the glossy ASD very attractive. The matte coating on the Dell is subtle. I still prefer the glossy but it’s not even close to a deal killer.

Real Estate: No surprise here: 32” is bigger than 27”. It’s nice to be able to have multiple windows open and the monitor running at “native” resolution. It’s a lot of screen space. (But I’m still using all the real estate I have across the three monitors!!)

HDR Video: I’ve tested HDR content on both YT and NFLX. I’ve confirmed in the NFLX data that the monitor is displaying full 4K HDR with my configurations. It’s gorgeous. If streaming HDR is important, this monitor is a solid choice. Consuming content on it is really nice.

Some caveats:

Black border/“native” resolution: If one wants to run this monitor via TB4 and get HDR, it’s necessary to adjust the native resolution using BD. Essentially it is reducing the native resolution to match that of the XDR. Because the monitor is slightly bigger this creates a small black border b/w the bezel and the viewing area. Doesn’t bother me at all but I can see where it might irritate some folks.

Stand: It’s fine. But it’s not as stable as Apple stuff. I have a wobbly desk and I have to stabilize the display so that it doesn’t jiggle when I type. I’m okay with the work around and know I can move to a very stable VESA desk stand if needed. I had this same problem when using one of my ASDs on a monitor arm. The tilt mount ASD is rock solid out of the box.

Application window stability: Application window sizes and locations are not always maintained on sleep/wake cycle. This is a persistent problem with non-Apple monitors. Most of the time that I wake the system I have to rearrange my windows. It’s annoying. When running multiple ASDs this issue (almost) never happened any more. SwitchResx might hold them better but I want BD for the other configuration settings and controls.

Other fiddling: On one sleep/wake cycle BD lost some of the configuration settings that are necessary for HDR to be enabled. I’m hoping that’s a one off. It’s easy enough to reapply the settings but, like the window stability, annoying. If it persists I’ll reach out to BD for support.

Conclusion: It’s only been one day, but I’m thrilled with the monitor. Given the price and the quality of the image, I am willing to sacrifice a bit on seamlessness. I’m definitely pleased to have bought this vs. replacing the ASD w/ an ASD.

Happy to answer any specific questions if I can.

 

[Jordan0301]

Bought this monitor after much debate. Figured I’d share my initial thoughts since the comments in this thread helped me quite a bit w/ the purchase decision.

My set-up is an M1M Studio with three ASDs. One of the ASDs is being repurposed for a family member leaving me with the chance for a change. I debated whether to get another ASD or try something different. Although the ASDs are terrific, having had an XDR in the past I missed the 32” size. I’ve tried 4K and it doesn’t work for me. The 4K vs. Retina thing is well debated and I believe a personal choice w/ no right/wrong answer. I couldn’t justify an XDR - the price is too high given the age of the product. And at just over $2K the Dell felt worth trying. I figure if I end up not liking it, Amazon is fairly easy on returns (exchange for an ASD).

When the Dell was first announced I was sure I would pull the trigger ASAP upon release. However the price combined with initial comments in this thread dissuaded me. At over $3K (and not “needing” a monitor) I was only interested if the product was nearly perfect. Maybe the best thing about the ASD (and XDR) is the seamless compatibility with Mac. I’m only Mac so their lack of compatibility with Windows is irrelevant to me. Early comments in this thread reported some compatibility and quality issues that just didn’t inspire enough confidence in me to spend the money.

Short version: I am happy with the monitor so far.

Here are some more detailed observations:

Use: I’m not a professional. I’m using the monitor for light office work/internet/streaming. I have not (nor will I) use the web cam or the speakers. All I care about is the quality of the screen.

Connection: I have it connected via TB4.

Settings: I’m using Better Display (BD) to manage the monitor and have it running at 6016x3384 with HDR enabled. There’s various things (documented earlier in this thread) one needs to fiddle with to get the monitor to work with HDR via TB4. It’s not hard but it’s also not seamless. Note: I am running the monitor with HDR600 enabled in the OSD. Looks better to me than the other HDR options. FWIW - If HDR isn’t important, the TB4 connection is plug and play. I’ve not installed any Dell software, read the manual or done firmware updates (yet). I think anyone who is running this monitor on an M1 series Mac is going to want BD.

In providing pros/cons about the monitor, it’s important I think to point out that some “issues” are Apple’s fault or BD’s fault not Dell’s. But from my perspective that doesn’t matter. All I care about is my experience with the combination.

Brightness: This has been asked before so I thought I’d give some detail. Brightness is adjustable via BD sliders and keyboard short cuts. I have the Dell next to my two ASDs. The way the brightness works is different if HDR is enabled. Without HDR on, the Dell is noticeably less bright than the ASD. However both the ASD and the Dell are too bright for my office at 100% brightness. If I am running the ASD at ~60% to get the Dell at a similar level I would set it ~80%. With HDR on it seems that BD wants the Dell brightness set to 100%. However this 100% seems dimmer than non-HDR 100%. It’s what BD call “neutral”. That level is equivalent to the ASD set to ~70%. Note: With HDR enabled BD allows you to set the Dell brightness as high as 168%. Still not as bright as the ASD and very washed out. Conclusion: The Dell is plenty bright for me but the ASD is a superior option if your location requires very high brightness.

Text Sharpness: Critically important to me. The Dell is great. I can’t discern any difference b/w the text clarity on the ASD and the Dell. Reading content like NYT on the monitor is perfect: crisp, large and less scrolling.

Matte Coating: I was worried about this. If find the glossy ASD very attractive. The matte coating on the Dell is subtle. I still prefer the glossy but it’s not even close to a deal killer.

Real Estate: No surprise here: 32” is bigger than 27”. It’s nice to be able to have multiple windows open and the monitor running at “native” resolution. It’s a lot of screen space. (But I’m still using all the real estate I have across the three monitors!!)

HDR Video: I’ve tested HDR content on both YT and NFLX. I’ve confirmed in the NFLX data that the monitor is displaying full 4K HDR with my configurations. It’s gorgeous. If streaming HDR is important, this monitor is a solid choice. Consuming content on it is really nice.

Some caveats:

Black border/“native” resolution: If one wants to run this monitor via TB4 and get HDR, it’s necessary to adjust the native resolution using BD. Essentially it is reducing the native resolution to match that of the XDR. Because the monitor is slightly bigger this creates a small black border b/w the bezel and the viewing area. Doesn’t bother me at all but I can see where it might irritate some folks.

Stand: It’s fine. But it’s not as stable as Apple stuff. I have a wobbly desk and I have to stabilize the display so that it doesn’t jiggle when I type. I’m okay with the work around and know I can move to a very stable VESA desk stand if needed. I had this same problem when using one of my ASDs on a monitor arm. The tilt mount ASD is rock solid out of the box.

Application window stability: Application window sizes and locations are not always maintained on sleep/wake cycle. This is a persistent problem with non-Apple monitors. Most of the time that I wake the system I have to rearrange my windows. It’s annoying. When running multiple ASDs this issue (almost) never happened any more. SwitchResx might hold them better but I want BD for the other configuration settings and controls.

Other fiddling: On one sleep/wake cycle BD lost some of the configuration settings that are necessary for HDR to be enabled. I’m hoping that’s a one off. It’s easy enough to reapply the settings but, like the window stability, annoying. If it persists I’ll reach out to BD for support.

Conclusion: It’s only been one day, but I’m thrilled with the monitor. Given the price and the quality of the image, I am willing to sacrifice a bit on seamlessness. I’m definitely pleased to have bought this vs. replacing the ASD w/ an ASD.

Happy to answer any specific questions if I can.

What do you have your contrast set to? When I run all the same configs as you, aside from running 1:1 and native 3008x1692... everything seems bleh color wise. I'm on HDR600... contrast on the Dell itself at 70%. HDR content on YouTube looks blown out... and desktop looks muddy... any thoughts?

 

[tstafford]

What do you have your contrast set to? When I run all the same configs as you, aside from running 1:1 and native 3008x1692... everything seems bleh color wise. I'm on HDR600... contrast on the Dell itself at 70%. HDR content on YouTube looks blown out... and desktop looks muddy... any thoughts?

That shouldn't be happening. My HDR looks terrific. (Contrast is default to 75%)
Few questions:
What mac are you using?
What connection are you using?
When you say "native 3008x1692" what do you mean? (The monitor is way higher than that native but scaled down to that by BD). Did you reset the native resolution as part of the set-up process (you need to)?
Can you send a few screen shots of your BD settings? And also the Mac OS display settings?

 

[tstafford]

Few updates after a week of use (all positive):
- BD has stabilized (fingers crossed). It holds the monitor settings and consistently sets the windows in the correct positions. Sometimes it disables HDR but all that takes is a click in the BD interface
- I updated the firmware. Process was easy. Not apple easy but windows easy (so fine). All it did (for me) was improve the look/verbiage of the OSD. I'm not using the speakers or camera which I think got some updates
If anything I am happier after a week. This monitor is excellent for folks who are willing to fiddle a little, want 32" retina and don't want to fork over for the XDR.

 

[Monomono]

Pretty excited about this monitor. Just got a used Pro Display XDR but discovered I still needed another monitor so got this one. Hopefully it’ll be easy enough to use with my MacBook Pro M1 Max. So far from this discussion, I’ve learned that I should get better display and adjust the resolution if I wanted HDR and 30 bit color but I guess it wouldn’t matter much as I’d be watching videos and editing on my Pro Display.

 

[tstafford]

Pretty excited about this monitor. Just got a used Pro Display XDR but discovered I still needed another monitor so got this one. Hopefully it’ll be easy enough to use with my MacBook Pro M1 Max. So far from this discussion, I’ve learned that I should get better display and adjust the resolution if I wanted HDR and 30 bit color but I guess it wouldn’t matter much as I’d be watching videos and editing on my Pro Display.

Congrats. YMMV, but a couple of things:
Window positioning - I think you may find you want BD regardless of the HDR "issue". Without BD, my bet is your windows will move around and possibly resize on most sleep/wake cycles. Would annoy the heck out of me. Might not matter if you are routinely connecting/disconnecting the laptop since this will happen anyway.

Brightness control - I don't think you will be able to control the brightness on the Dell via keyboard or mouse w/o something like BD. I for sure wouldn't want to have to go in to the OSD on the Dell to manage those things.

HDR - You're right that it's not necessary and less so for you since you have a terrific HDR monitor along side the Dell. An advantage of not messing with it is you will be able to use the monitor at its full resolution (vs. reducing it to the XDR resolution). So a little more screen space. My guess is that if I had your set-up I'd probably punt on enabling HDR on the Dell. It isn't hard to do, has remained stable for me and the slight black border is invisible to me at this point. However why bother if you have the XDR?

 

[nw_rye]

Just received my new u3224kb, but having a 2019 Intel based mbp with a Radeon 5500M, am disappointed that the best option available in display settings is 3360x1890@30hz. My $500 27" 4k looks better than this. Has anyone solved this or are we at the mercy of Apple? I've spent a couple hours reading through this thread and seems there is only hope for M1/M2 users.

 

[Thyme]

Just received my new u3224kb, but having a 2019 Intel based mbp with a Radeon 5500M, am disappointed that the best option available in display settings is 3360x1890@30hz. My $500 27" 4k looks better than this. Has anyone solved this or are we at the mercy of Apple? I've spent a couple hours reading through this thread and seems there is only hope for M1/M2 users.

This doesn't sound right, and while I'm not sure if I'm recalling this entire 30-page thread accurately ;-), I do think I recall that others here have reported achieving 6K @ 60 Hz with Intel-based Macs. Using my old 12" Macbook (Intel HD Graphics 615) and Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, I just tested and got 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz over HDMI 1.4, which is better than you report you can get with your 2019 Macbook Pro. So something seems wrong with your setup. I suspect you can fix this problem by debugging, e.g., making sure you have the right cable, right settings, installing BetterDisplay, etc. So some questions:

• How are you connecting to the monitor, a Thunderbolt cable or HDMI via an external adapter?
• Are you passing through a dock first?
• Did you follow the instructions that I posted earlier here on how to install BetterDisplay (the free version suffices) and configure the various settings in BetterDisplay and in the OSD on Dell?

EDIT: Just looking back at this long thread for posts that mention Intel, and indeed, it seems 2019 Macbook Pro users have had some difficulties, while Intel-based Mac Pro users with "real" GPUs are faring better. However, this post suggests that a fix for your case may be available in Sonoma, which will be released next week. This other post about possible hacks to enable DSC might also be helpful.

 

[nw_rye]

Hello, yeah I'm using the USB-C cable that came with the Dell, which has the thunderbolt logo on one end, and connects directly from the mbp to #7 in the dell (thunderbolt upstream). No adapters/docks/etc. Not using HDMI or display port because this mbp only has USB-C ports.

I saw the instructions you shared, but also noticed that was for TB4, so ignored them because this is TB3. Now, I've tried the instructions out, and for some reason whatever native resolution I set in BetterDisplay, never becomes an option to choose from. The highest resolution available at 60hz is 5120x2880@60hz which works, and is better than what I was getting before. Sad that I have to use a third party product for this though. I've opened cases with both Dell and Apple about this.

Here's a screenshot from BetterDisplay:

I've rebooted several times but never get an option to choose that native resolution. These are the options I get in the menu:

 

[Thyme]

Hello, yeah I'm using the USB-C cable that came with the Dell, which has the thunderbolt logo on one end, and connects directly from the mbp to #7 in the dell (thunderbolt upstream). No adapters/docks/etc. Not using HDMI or display port because this mbp only has USB-C ports.

OK.

I saw the instructions you shared, but also noticed that was for TB4, so ignored them because this is TB3.

Yeah, those instructions are for TB3 or TB4.

Now, I've tried the instructions out, and for some reason whatever native resolution I set in BetterDisplay, never becomes an option to choose from. The highest resolution available at 60hz is 5120x2880@60hz which works, and is better than what I was getting before.

Well, at least that's big progress, as 5K @ 60 Hz with 30-bit color requires way more bandwidth than the best you could previously get (3360x1890 @ 30 Hz).

Sad that I have to use a third party product for this though. I've opened cases with both Dell and Apple about this.

Glad to hear you've raised this issue with both Dell and Apple.

Here's a screenshot from BetterDisplay:
View attachment 2271480
I've rebooted several times but never get an option to choose that native resolution. These are the options I get in the menu:
View attachment 2271482

From your screenshots, BetterDisplay still says that 6144 x 3456 is the native resolution, even though you typed in 6016 x 3384 for the edited native resolution. I'm not sure what to make of this but hopefully some of the following comments and questions might help you troubleshoot it:

• Are you sure that BetterDisplay actually updated itself to use 6016 x 3384, e.g., did you somehow miss applying the change? When I edited the native resolution, BetterDisplay strongly warned that I might need to reboot, but I actually only needed to let BetterDisplay restart itself.
• Have you tried setting the native resolution and the default resolution both to 6016 x 3384, as I wrote in my instructions? Your screen shots only show the former.
• Have you tried running either of the two 6K resolutions using only 24-bit color and/or 30 Hz refresh? Even on M1/M2 Macs, using 6144 x 3456 @ 60 Hz over Thunderbolt currently results in only 24-bit color.
• What version of macOS are you using?
• It seems you are using BetterDisplay 2, which is different than the version I am using (version 1.4.15). You might instead try also using 1.4.15 and then copying my settings exactly to see if that makes a difference.

Since I don't have the same hardware as you, I'm not sure what will be helpful. Hopefully something from above will lead to more progress. If not, it's probably worth waiting for Sonoma to be released next week to see if it will improve support of the U3224KB (but who knows if Sonoma will help at all -- I haven't tried the Sonoma betas or been following news on them).

 

[nw_rye]

OK.


Yeah, those instructions are for TB3 or TB4.


Well, at least that's big progress, as 5K @ 60 Hz with 30-bit color requires way more bandwidth than the best you could previously get (3360x1890 @ 30 Hz).


Glad to hear you've raised this issue with both Dell and Apple.


From your screenshots, BetterDisplay still says that 6144 x 3456 is the native resolution, even though you typed in 6016 x 3384 for the edited native resolution. I'm not sure what to make of this but hopefully some of the following comments and questions might help you troubleshoot it:

• Are you sure that BetterDisplay actually updated itself to use 6016 x 3384, e.g., did you somehow miss applying the change? When I edited the native resolution, BetterDisplay strongly warned that I might need to reboot, but I actually only needed to let BetterDisplay restart itself.
• Have you tried setting the native resolution and the default resolution both to 6016 x 3384, as I wrote in my instructions? Your screen shots only show the former.
• Have you tried running either of the two 6K resolutions using only 24-bit color and/or 30 Hz refresh? Even on M1/M2 Macs, using 6144 x 3456 @ 60 Hz over Thunderbolt currently results in only 24-bit color.
• What version of macOS are you using?
• It seems you are using BetterDisplay 2, which is different than the version I am using (version 1.4.15). You might instead try also using 1.4.15 and then copying my settings exactly to see if that makes a difference.

Since I don't have the same hardware as you, I'm not sure what will be helpful. Hopefully something from above will lead to more progress. If not, it's probably worth waiting for Sonoma to be released next week to see if it will improve support of the U3224KB (but who knows if Sonoma will help at all -- I haven't tried the Sonoma betas or been following news on them).

Yeah the 5k is quite nice in terms of real estate. I'm starting to question if I'll run at 6k even if I get it working since the text will be so small, but am not giving up yet. Yes, I did also try setting default resolution, but still don't get that as an option to choose from. Also tried adding it as a scaled option, but only shows up for 30hz not 60. Every time I changed native or default, I got a warning and an apply button, clicked apply, then rebooted. Today I also tried changing color from 10 to 8bit depth, but that didn't provide any new screen resolution options. Am on Ventura 13.5.2. Unfortunately since this is a company owned laptop, when Sonoma is released, I won't be able to use it for a while. The good news is that the company is sending out M2 refreshes. However, it looks like they're sending the air, not pro, so I'm going to see if I can make a case to get the pro with HDMI 2.1.

Other thing I noticed is that when I connect a 2nd external display (4k), the U3224KB drops down to 3360x1890@30hz again. That was the dream - two external displays, one 6k and one 4k rotated vertically.

 

[tstafford]

Yeah the 5k is quite nice in terms of real estate. I'm starting to question if I'll run at 6k even if I get it working since the text will be so small, but am not giving up yet. Yes, I did also try setting default resolution, but still don't get that as an option to choose from. Also tried adding it as a scaled option, but only shows up for 30hz not 60. Every time I changed native or default, I got a warning and an apply button, clicked apply, then rebooted. Today I also tried changing color from 10 to 8bit depth, but that didn't provide any new screen resolution options. Am on Ventura 13.5.2. Unfortunately since this is a company owned laptop, when Sonoma is released, I won't be able to use it for a while. The good news is that the company is sending out M2 refreshes. However, it looks like they're sending the air, not pro, so I'm going to see if I can make a case to get the pro with HDMI 2.1.

Other thing I noticed is that when I connect a 2nd external display (4k), the U3224KB drops down to 3360x1890@30hz again. That was the dream - two external displays, one 6k and one 4k rotated vertically.

Unfortunately the M2 Air isn't going to support dual external displays. Although I think it will fix the issues you are having with the Dell.

I'm not certain but I think what you are dealing with is related to the Intel chip vs. Apple Silicon.

 

[nw_rye]

Good point on the M2 air, will have to make a case for a pro. I've got this 2019 Intel MBP to power both the U3224KB at 5k and another display at 4k. Had to lower the color bit depth to 8 bit for that to work. If I do any photo/video editing, will disconnect one and raise it to 10 bit. Apple support asked me to run a diagnostic from one of their custom tools. Not hopeful they'll resolve this but at least letting them know it's broken.

 

[slicedbread]

Anyone tried the new Mac OS sonoma?

 

[PixelsForBreakfast]

Anyone tried the new Mac OS sonoma?

I updated last night to Sonoma on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16". All of a sudden I now have 60hz options on the monitor!

 

[tstafford]

I updated last night to Sonoma on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16". All of a sudden I now have 60hz options on the monitor!

That's awesome!!!

 

[Thyme]

I updated last night to Sonoma on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16". All of a sudden I now have 60hz options on the monitor!

Glad to hear this! It's great news for Intel Mac users who are interested in the U3224KB.

I just tested a clean install of Sonoma on a new partition of a M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16", but it seems the trick of using BetterDisplay to run at the slightly lower 6016x3384 resolution is still needed to get 30-bit color or HDR when using Thunderbolt.

Running at 3072x1728 (default) (2x scaling, 6144x3456 native) still resulted in 24-bit color and no option to enable HDR. Under System Systems -> Displays, 3008x1692 (2x scaling, 6016x3384 native) is also still listed, but like in Ventura, selecting it nevertheless results in a 24-bit, no HDR, 6144x3456 signal to the U3224KB.

 

[pdm]

I have been running the U3224KB on my M2 Mac Studio Ultra as 60Hz 30bit/HDR no problem over HDMI until I upgraded to Sonoma and now I can only do 24bit at 60Hz. If I drop down to 30Hz I get 30bit/HDR options again.

I never did get it to work with USB-C before so I just gave up and used HDMI and was happy enough. Sonoma seems to have some bug related to this. I did report a bug with Apple on it.

 

[tstafford]

I have been running the U3224KB on my M2 Mac Studio Ultra as 60Hz 30bit/HDR no problem over HDMI until I upgraded to Sonoma and now I can only do 24bit at 60Hz. If I drop down to 30Hz I get 30bit/HDR options again.

I never did get it to work with USB-C before so I just gave up and used HDMI and was happy enough. Sonoma seems to have some bug related to this. I did report a bug with Apple on it.

Yeah. That stinks.

And you'd never get it to work w/ TB4 on the Studio. That's why those of us with the M1 M/U Studios have to run Better Display and fiddle to make it work over TB4.

 

[TMF93]

I have been running the U3224KB on my M2 Mac Studio Ultra as 60Hz 30bit/HDR no problem over HDMI until I upgraded to Sonoma and now I can only do 24bit at 60Hz. If I drop down to 30Hz I get 30bit/HDR options again.

I never did get it to work with USB-C before so I just gave up and used HDMI and was happy enough. Sonoma seems to have some bug related to this. I did report a bug with Apple on it.

Yeah, getting the exact same experience with a M2 pro mini.... It seems Sonoma changed something in regard to link rate negotiation over HDMI: on Ventura, the OSD would report something like 10Gbit/s with HDR disabled and 12 DSC with HDR. Now, I'm not seeing anything beyond 8,4Gbit/s (no DSC), even when running at native resolution at 60hz.
(This also applies over TB, but HDR was never available)

I have also had the opportunity to hook the monitor to a recent dell win11 laptop over TB: the monitor required a driver (dell website) to enable HDR, but would run great at full resolution with HDR afterwards over a reported 5,4Gbit/s with DSC on...
It seems there's clearly something weird over macOS reluctance to enable DSC, possibly a bug or maybe a wonky implementation.

 

[pdm]

Yeah, getting the exact same experience with a M2 pro mini.... It seems Sonoma changed something in regard to link rate negotiation over HDMI: on Ventura, the OSD would report something like 10Gbit/s with HDR disabled and 12 DSC with HDR. Now, I'm not seeing anything beyond 8,4Gbit/s (no DSC), even when running at native resolution at 60hz.
(This also applies over TB, but HDR was never available).

When connected with HDMI the OSD Display Info claims "Stream info: 12Gbps"

 

[TMF93]

When connected with HDMI the OSD Display Info claims "Stream info: 12Gbps"

On the mini, It would report the same thing under Ventura, but for some reason this changed to a lower bitrate under Sonoma on the exact same setup... Otherwise I'm getting the same experience as you: at 30hz the HDR toggle returns.

 

[Thyme]

FYI, for those using Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM), a few days ago Dell released v1.2 (specifically 1.2.0.0052) of it. The change log lists various fixes and enhancements, but to me, the big reason to care is for what isn't mentioned explicitly: DDPM is now compiled for Apple Silicon and now only uses a tiny bit of CPU, e.g., like 0.1%. The previous version was still compiled for Intel and would use something like 10% CPU, presumably due to it being translated on the fly by Rosetta 2. The change log does say "Improved the searching time, connection time, and CPU utilization with the application" but I imagine these improvements are mostly or entirely due to recompiling it to a native Apple binary.

Dell also released DELL Color Management, which is new and might be useful to some here. It provides a menubar applet for quickly changing the color space, among other things. Surprisingly, this one is still (partially) an Intel binary, but its CPU usage is tiny so it's not a big deal. When you click on "Dashboard UI" from the menubar applet, it loads up some additional native Apple binaries.

On Ventura, the performance over Thunderbolt is unchanged, but I wasn't expecting Dell's software to be able to fix that. I didn't test with Sonoma. Presumably Apple has to address those issues for us.

 

[PixelsForBreakfast]

FYI - A firmware update was posted yesterday for version M2T104. Here's the fixes/enhancements:

• Improved codec error recovery to fix audio codec hang up
• Fixed webcam video stream intermittently not received by Host

I was having webcam glitches on Zoom meetings, so I certainly hope this fixes the problem.