Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays

[ohitzjah]

I got my two P2715Q delivered and hooked up today.

I'm super impressed. I'm running my primary display in landscape and my secondary in portrait. Using one of these in portrait is borderline insane The vertical real-estate is over the top! It's ideal for editing portrait photos or browsing. The only problem is that it makes the text box which I'm typing this into on MacRumors seem ridiculously small now!

[url=https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7516/16030538202_e32b515e2b_b.jpg]Image[/url]IMG_2635 by Virtual.Rain, on Flickr

Notes/Comments:

The fit and finish is excellent. The flexibility of the stand's adjustments and option for portrait mode makes my old Apple 24" LED displays seem very limited now.

The supplied cables are about 6' long which is plenty long enough for my setup. I'm driving them with my 2013 nMP with D500s and there's no performance issues that I can see.

I was concerned about the AG coating, but that's a total non issue. It's not distracting at all and of course cuts reflections so it might be a really good compromise.

I didn't see any physical defects before lighting them up and I can't see any stuck pixels either.

The included calibration report is very cool. It shows that both displays are extremely well setup across all the tests with Delta E under 1 in all but the left most "Grey1". And there's only a 1% variance in brightness uniformity across the frame.

They looked good out of the box (75 brightness, 75 contrast), but I like mine a bit brighter so I upped brightness to 85. Colours and contrast seem a bit better than my aging 24" Apple LED displays which isn't surprising.

A bit of IPS glow is noticeable on a dark background when off-axis, but these are much better than my old Apple 24" LED displays. Uniformity appears as good as the calibration report suggests.

The displays powered on in "Best for Display" 1920x1080 retina scaled but I quickly tried different scaling options. I'm using a scaled resolution of 3008x1692 (2nd highest option under "Scaled") and I'm impressed how sharp it is. The sharpness is really imperceptible from 2x retina scaling. The detail available with these 4K displays is stunning. Even the tiniest text is still incredibly sharp and this is a whole new world for editing photos.

For xav8tor who was complaining about accessing the native res, it's the right most option under the default scaled settings for me... you don't even need to "Option-click" the Scaled settings (See screen shots below). Option-clicking provides even more choices, like 3200x1800.

Wake from sleep works just fine so far. A cold boot with one in portrait seems to cause some bizarre display corruption issue so I don't see the login prompt. I have to unplug and replug the portrait display on my nMP to correct it and get the login screen to appear normally.

Overall, my first impression is that these are stunning and I can't go back to lower density displays ever again!

One interesting thing that goes against what someone else reported here, is that the display is recognized by OS X as a Dell P2715Q and it even has a colour profile (see screen shots below) which surprised me. Did OS X just create that on the fly or would that have come with a recent OS X update?

I have the same setup as you and got both of the screens in today. I was wondering how did you setup the cables with the Mac Pro. Did you daisy chain with MST or did you just connect 2 mini displayport cables with the thunderbolt. I want to make sure I get 60Hz on both of the screens.

 

[xav8tor]

I have the same setup as you and got both of the screens in today. I was wondering how did you setup the cables with the Mac Pro. Did you daisy chain with MST or did you just connect 2 mini displayport cables with the thunderbolt. I want to make sure I get 60Hz on both of the screens.

I'm sure VR will respond soon. Meanwhile, if you're itching to get started, don't chain them. Go with the mDP to DP cables from SEPARATE TB busses to the monitors.

 

[itcrashed]

I have the same setup as you and got both of the screens in today. I was wondering how did you setup the cables with the Mac Pro. Did you daisy chain with MST or did you just connect 2 mini displayport cables with the thunderbolt. I want to make sure I get 60Hz on both of the screens.

To get 60Hz on both 4k screens you need to plug directly into the nMP on separate Buses. Bus 1 is the top left and directly below it. Bus 2 is the top right and directly below it. Bus 0 is the bottom two and the HDMI port.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202801

I received my P2715Q last week and love it! So I just ordered my second one!

 

[ohitzjah]

thanks everyone for your help. I have both of the displays setup now with one in landscape and other in portrait. The space available in portrait mode is bonkers. I'm able to work in 3 citrix apps from work as same time. I have updated my nMP with 64gb ram and have a virtual home lab open on landscape side thats running esxi host with 4 virtual machines. I will be returning my recently purchased TBD and Samsung TN 4K monitor tomorrow back to best buy because these 2 displays are cheaper and a lot better for my work situation.

Should I go ahead and turn off MST mode since I do not have these daisy chained?

I also have a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet with Netgear ptv3000 which is able to stream wirelessly my full tablet screen to these displays. Every other monitor I owned had some issue where the mouse wouldn't work or the screen resolution was of the tablet but its work perfectly in 1080p in landscape and portrait mode. I may end up getting a 3rd screen in the future if my work requires it.

Any suggestions on speakers guys? Currently I'm using my beats portable beatbox because the bass is really good on it but I'm thinking of getting dedicated speakers. They have to sound better than the beatbox.

 

[xav8tor]

Should I go ahead and turn off MST mode since I do not have these daisy chained?

I may end up getting a 3rd screen in the future if my work requires it.

Any suggestions on speakers guys? Currently I'm using my beats portable beatbox because the bass is really good on it but I'm thinking of getting dedicated speakers. They have to sound better than the beatbox.

MST is off by default.

If you get a third UHD monitor, it will run at 30 Hz.

Speakers: anything but Beats (or Bose). Really, if you're serious about audio, stay away from computer speakers and the built-in sound card. Get a USB DAC and connect that to small powered studio monitors from a respected brand.

 

[itcrashed]

Just tried again after reading that and left it to make sure it didn't get to the login screen. It doesn't.

With the monitor on, the problem seems to be with bringing the monitor out of sleep mode. The Mac gets to the chime, the monitor flashes up that it's coming out of sleep mode then nothing. The Mac instantly powers off when I hit the power button so it's not getting any further into the boot process.

The Mac boots fine if I switch the monitor on after the chime. Guess I'll have to wait to find out if this is a P2715Q problem or a Sapphire 7950 Mac Edition problem.

In other news, I can confirm that the USB 3 hub in the monitor only works with a USB 3 port.

There is a known issue with 4K SST displays not lighting up until the OS X login screen... but this sounds worse than that... you're unable to boot at all?!

I just received my second P2715Q and I am having a similar issue with no login screen after a reboot on my nMP running Yosemite.

When I reboot, i get a blurred desktop background on both screens and a mouse pointer...and nothing else. No feedback, no response, no login prompt. So I power down one of the monitors, and then the login suddenly appears on the monitor that is on. I then fire up the second monitor and everything seems to work fine.

I reboot again, then same problem. I power down the other monitor, and login suddenly appears on the monitor that is on. I login fine, fire up the other monitor and everything works normally.

When I worked with a single P2715Q, I didn't have the problem. This only started when I got my second monitor. I toyed around with every monitor and OS X setting possible and still continue to have the login problem with dual screens.

Any thoughts?

My only solution at the moment is to reboot with one screen on and fire up the second screen after I see the login prompt. Not a big deal, but just one of those minor things that bug the crap out of me!

 

[itcrashed]

just tried again after reading that and left it to make sure it didn't get to the login screen. It doesn't.

there is a known issue with 4k sst displays not lighting up until the os x login screen... But this sounds worse than that... You're unable to boot at all?!

Here are some screen shots of what I am talking about...
1. Everything running fine
2. Restart and two blurred backgrounds
3. Shut down second monitor and the login appears
4. Turn on second monitor and everything is fine again

Notice the scaling difference of the login prompt once I fire up the second monitor?

Irritating

 

[Arron Rouse]

Here are some screen shots of what I am talking about...
1. Everything running fine
2. Restart and two blurred backgrounds
3. Shut down second monitor and the login appears
4. Turn on second monitor and everything is fine again

Notice the scaling difference of the login prompt once I fire up the second monitor?

Irritating

Seeing as no one with a nMP has weighed in yet, forgive this oMP user if this turns out to be a load of rubbish. That looks to me like both screens are trying to be the secondary monitor. Somewhere along the line I read that you need to make sure the monitors are on separate Thunderbolt channels. Have you tried that? E.g. top left and top right of the Thunderbolt ports are separate.

 

[edanuff]

When I reboot, i get a blurred desktop background on both screens and a mouse pointer...and nothing else. No feedback, no response, no login prompt. So I power down one of the monitors, and then the login suddenly appears on the monitor that is on. I then fire up the second monitor and everything seems to work fine.

I mentioned seeing the same thing with an nMP and two of these monitors earlier in this thread. Yes, the workaround is to turn off one of the monitors and then turn it back on when it occurs.

 

[ilikewhey]

delete

 

[AppleDroid]

After my bad luck with the LG 31MU97 can anyone with this screen do a white and gray screen test to see if not only uniform but if there's a color shift from left to right? you can see what I'm asking about here at the bottom post: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1831748/

Thanks in advance!

 

[xav8tor]

After my bad luck with the LG 31MU97 can anyone with this screen do a white and gray screen test to see if not only uniform but if there's a color shift from left to right? you can see what I'm asking about here at the bottom post: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1831748/

Thanks in advance!

Scroll through this thread and/or visit the Dell monitor forums. On this thread, you'll find that a few of us have either a warmish yellow on the left eventually white over to the right, a gray/darkened on the left to white on the right, or BOTH, including me. Many don't have it, so it's pot luck, and seems to be an issue on other Dells, and now your LG.

 

[AppleDroid]

Scroll through this thread and/or visit the Dell monitor forums. On this thread, you'll find that a few of us have either a warmish yellow on the left eventually white over to the right, a gray/darkened on the left to white on the right, or BOTH, including me. Many don't have it, so it's pot luck, and seems to be an issue on other Dells, and now your LG.

That's exactly what is happening with the LG unfortunately. Thank you or following up. Because I'm OCD with color shifting I will probably end up with the NEC PA272w and pick up a 4K in 2016 when the next generation of 4K screens show up hopefully with less problematic screens that seem to plague every model.

 

[edanuff]

Scroll through this thread and/or visit the Dell monitor forums. On this thread, you'll find that a few of us have either a warmish yellow on the left eventually white over to the right, a gray/darkened on the left to white on the right, or BOTH, including me. Many don't have it, so it's pot luck, and seems to be an issue on other Dells, and now your LG.

Keep in mind that all the Dell 4K (and 5K) displays use LG panels (source: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm). Seems like best advice is to make sure you inspect any monitor purchase closely and buy only from a retailer with a good return policy.

Edit: Just to be clear, my point wasn't that the Dell monitors are the same quality as the LG 31MU97. Even though they're all made by LG, the panel in the 31MU97 is a much better panel. On the other hand, they are likely all being built by similar manufacturing processes and so it's not surprising or unlikely that you'd see similar issues on both.

 

[itcrashed]

I mentioned seeing the same thing with an nMP and two of these monitors earlier in this thread. Yes, the workaround is to turn off one of the monitors and then turn it back on when it occurs.

Thanks! Just saw your other post. Identical issue.

 

[ralkjdacp]

Answering my own question:

The manual says that if displays are daisy chained, these displays do indeed drop to 30Hz when running at full resolution. That doesn't mean a 30Hz flicker - they have internal memory sufficient for redisplaying a steady image. It does mean jerky movement. You wouldn't want to use it for anything but static information.

For my use, the 30Hz is okay on that monitor. I'm getting a P2415Q and a DisplayPort to HDMI cable to see how video looks on a second 1080p display. That should still run at 60Hz. I'll write more if there's interest.

I'd love to hear more about connecting two monitors, with at least one of them using the full resolution. I am purchasing a new rMBP for primarily coding and would ideally run two of the P2415Q's at full resolution. I'm hearing that one or both might need to drop to 30 Hz instead of 60 Hz, but even that seems unclear. Any info on what is possible would be most welcome!

 

[jgbr]

Hello

I have a 2013MBP hooked up to a U2714H. I am finding I am noticing pixelation compared with my MBP and find myself using my MBP screen more. I do miss however the screen estate. It has become more pronounced in OSX Yosemite, resulting me to stay with OSX10.9.5.

I am considering the P2715Q as my main monitor and wondered if this would eliminate the 'fuzzy' text situation and if it would be a good primary monitor alongside my 2013RMBP.

I look at a lot of text, photos and documents, hence my love for detail and image quality.

I have always owned a Dell U series monitor for colour reproduction and Matte screen so didn't want a downgrade...

Thanks

 

[mjfutures]

Hello

I have a 2013MBP hooked up to a U2714H. I am finding I am noticing pixelation compared with my MBP and find myself using my MBP screen more. I do miss however the screen estate. It has become more pronounced in OSX Yosemite, resulting me to stay with OSX10.9.5.

I am considering the P2715Q as my main monitor and wondered if this would eliminate the 'fuzzy' test situation and be a good primary monitor alongside the 2013RMBP.

I look at a lot of text, photos and documents, hence my love for detail and image quality.

I have always owned a Dell U series monitor for colour reproduction and Matte screen.

Thanks

I have the mid-2014 RMBP with the P2715Q and this Dell 27" is every bit as crisp as my retina screen. Looking at text is a joy!

 

[jgbr]

Sounds promising, I'd hate to downgrade or not solve the issue. Fuzzy OSX text is very distracting. Clear text is a must!

 

[mcgroarty]

Odd question: Any other P2415Q or P2715Q owners notice a weird ringing sound when the monitor enters power saving mode? My P2415Q does it continuously once the power LED begins pulsing.

 

[mjfutures]

Sounds promising, I'd hate to downgrade or not solve the issue. Fuzzy OSX text is very distracting. Clear text is a must!

You should love this screen then, text is crystal clear!

----------

Here are some screen shots of what I am talking about...
1. Everything running fine
2. Restart and two blurred backgrounds
3. Shut down second monitor and the login appears
4. Turn on second monitor and everything is fine again

Notice the scaling difference of the login prompt once I fire up the second monitor?

Irritating

Awesome setup! Do you have a Mac Pro 2013?

 

[itcrashed]

Awesome setup! Do you have a Mac Pro 2013?

Thanks! Just picked one up the Mac Pro 2013 a few weeks ago!

 

[jordygreen]

I just picked one the U2715 up and don't get me wrong its a beautiful screen, however I have noticed a bug simply when using Photoshop for whatever reason.

So i'm running my rMBP though Mini DP tp DP straight into the monitor and for some reason when using say the brush tool for example photoshop flickers and the cursor turns into a black box flickering for some reason.

I'm not even running the monitor at its highest res, i'm running at 2560px wide so i'm not pushing it too hard. I have been racking my brain and can't think of why this may be happening.

Possibly some of you guys with a bit more knowledge that could shed some light on this would be great.

 

[mjfutures]

I just picked one the U2715 up and don't get me wrong its a beautiful screen, however I have noticed a bug simply when using Photoshop for whatever reason.

So i'm running my rMBP though Mini DP tp DP straight into the monitor and for some reason when using say the brush tool for example photoshop flickers and the cursor turns into a black box flickering for some reason.

I'm not even running the monitor at its highest res, i'm running at 2560px wide so i'm not pushing it too hard. I have been racking my brain and can't think of why this may be happening.

Possibly some of you guys with a bit more knowledge that could shed some light on this would be great.

On the rMBP screen does the same thing happen? If you close the rMBP lid and just use the 27" does it happen? I'm not really sure what it could be. It doesn't sound like a monitor issue though.

 

[jordygreen]

On the rMBP screen does the same thing happen? If you close the rMBP lid and just use the 27" does it happen? I'm not really sure what it could be. It doesn't sound like a monitor issue though.

It did happen on the rMBP screen as well. I have however just tried in clamshell mode, how I use it at my office and it works just as it should. For some reason, it only happens while it is being mirrored on the monitor. I was only using that because I don't have another keyboard to use back at my parents place.

I honestly can't figure it out myself, but when not mirrored it works perfectly.