If I may ask, your intent on using a 24" 4K monitor was to run it at 1080p resolution, but for the retina smoothness?
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Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays
- Thread starter VirtualRain
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If I may ask, your intent on using a 24" 4K monitor was to run it at 1080p resolution, but for the retina smoothness?
Yes it was the intent.
Unlike Windows (any version), Yosemite font renderering just doesn't look nice on non-4K resolution screens (eg 1080p or 1200p).
But it looks absolutely fantastic on any high res screen (retina on the MacBook, or 4K) in HiDpi mode. I also choose the 24" because it is slightly higher dpi than the 27" (and I had no room for a 27"). I'm super sensitive to displays and font rendering on a regular screen was causing much eye strain (much less so on Windows). Yosemite simply isn't suitable for non retina like displays.
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Ok so different way of achieving the same thing? If I choose best for display, looks like mine is 1920x1080 Retina mode as well. Displays section of about this mac shows the full native res, but system information shows 1920x1080 as the resolution listed. Monitor menu show 3840x2160@60Hz...
So if I choose scaled and pick a resolution the has hidpi next to it, I am doing 4k scaling and the same thing as the slider option?
Edit: It is RDM menu tool that shows HiDPI, looks like all the resolutions in display preferences matches to the HiDPI options in RDM; guessing then OS X does scaling on all resolutions and you have to "force" a "low resolution" option...
After doing more reading, I understand better how OS X is scaling...
Some questions I still have, should I color calibrate the monitor within display preferences? And any way to mess up the factory calibration by playing with the settings on the monitor? Is the custom color profile on the monitor the factory calibration?
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So you're happy with fonts on the P2415Q, with 1080p HI DPI. How about the color? Have you compared with any other Retina screens?
Would this be called a seamless addition, without any quirkiness in all OS X functions, operations?
I have an early 2015 13" MBP which could use such a set up, which would allow waiting for a <27" retina Skylake iMac.
I bet it is being detected as a TV, mine just did the same thing after a reboot... Think I saw a reference to force it back earlier in the thread...
Edit: Can't mine to stop being detected as a TV, tried unplugging the DP cable and power cycling...
Found this post which mentions a script that generates an override, tried it and it fixed mine...
http://www.ireckon.net/2013/03/force-rgb-mode-in-mac-os-x-to-fix-the-picture-quality-of-an-external-monitor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdd9MZIZBKs
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Yes it is as seamless as it gets and I'd say it's the perfect screen to pair with a MacBook. I haven't compared with other retina screens but color seems great to me out of the box. There's a few presets to choose from. I'm using the 'Paper' one which is warmer and easy on the eye for reading. Brightness can go quite low (much more than my old BenQ monitor), which is important at night in a low lit room. On the 24", anything higher than 1080p HiDpi is not usable, unless having exceptional eye sight. My only complain is that there is not a 16:10 version of this monitor. I really could do with 1200p on a 16:10. But that's a small price to pay for retina quality.
Thanks!
Agree about 16:10 for a desktop system, which improves the running of two windows side by side.
If you care about color matching, you need to hardware calibrate your displays. Fiddling with settings to calibrate with your eyes doesn't turn out as well as you like as displays tend to drift after a while.
Switched over to my bootcamp Windows 7 install and went to update the Geforce drivers, downloaded the latest and choose to do a clean install by letting it remove the old version... Screen went black during the install and never came back to life... After about 30min of waiting I power cycled and booted back into Windows, but never got a display signal again. The monitor complained there was no signal detected. Tried HDMI, but found the same thing...
Anyone else seen this behavior? Ended up having to connect my old (non 4k) monitor to see the Windows desktop and reboot back to OS X... p2415q works fine in OS X, but can't get it working now in Windows. Will the basic windows drivers not work with this monitor?
Anyone else seen this behavior? Ended up having to connect my old (non 4k) monitor to see the Windows desktop and reboot back to OS X... p2415q works fine in OS X, but can't get it working now in Windows. Will the basic windows drivers not work with this monitor?
So I've been reading this (and other threads) with earnest trying to figure out what monitor I should buy to replace my aging 24" Samsung monitor. I have a Late-2013 rMBP w/ discrete graphics and I use it with a 16:10 ratio Samsung monitor (1920x1200 resolution), OS X 10.10.3. I want a new monitor for more screen real estate, but I also keep monitors for a long time. I really don't want to loose screen real estate and my understanding is that in "best for retina" mode on the Dell P2715Q, I'd end up with 1920x1080 effective resolution (1080p). I'd like to get a 27" monitor and run in 2560x1440.
So my question is, if I want to run in 2560x1440 almost all the time, am I better off getting a monitor that runs natively in this mode/resolution or am I better off getting a 4K monitor (like the Dell P2715Q) and running in a scaled setting to get the 2560x1440 I want (I am also assuming, I think correctly, that my MBP can drive it at 60hz in this mode as well, but I'm not entirely positive on that either).
Thanks.
P.S. Side question, I have a CalDigit Thunderbolt station (original). Can I drive a 4K monitor through one of the TB ports on that or would it have to be directly attached to the MBP?
So my question is, if I want to run in 2560x1440 almost all the time, am I better off getting a monitor that runs natively in this mode/resolution or am I better off getting a 4K monitor (like the Dell P2715Q) and running in a scaled setting to get the 2560x1440 I want (I am also assuming, I think correctly, that my MBP can drive it at 60hz in this mode as well, but I'm not entirely positive on that either).
Thanks.
P.S. Side question, I have a CalDigit Thunderbolt station (original). Can I drive a 4K monitor through one of the TB ports on that or would it have to be directly attached to the MBP?
- Your machine can drive that, yes. And as reported by others (in this thread, I believe), at the same screen size, 2560x1440 scaled on a 4K monitor looks better than the same resolution on a native 2560x1440 monitor. It's a matter of PPI in combination with OS X's "Retina" scaling ability.
As for your dock, if it's Thunderbolt 1 then you can't; if it's Thunderbolt 2 then you can.
Thanks for the reply. Ok, that makes sense. I'd much prefer to purchase a 4K monitor anyway, especially as long as I keep monitors. It seems like the Dell P2715Q is the way to go. I was leaning toward something from Samsung, like a U28D590D (as I've always had Samsung monitors), but it appears at this price level the Dell is superior.
I assume there would be no problem using my old monitor off the HDMI port as a second monitor?
Oh, one other question. Does driving a scaled 4K display like this really cause a lot load on the system?
Thanks.
I would get the native 2560x1440, for the simple reason that a year from now, when all the true 4K monitors have HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.3 ports, it would drive me crazy. For some reason, I find it professionally offensive that 4K and even 5K monitor display technology has now arrived, with monitors ranging from high quality to inexpensive, and yet, we are stuck with interfaces that can't support native full 4K.
- DisplayPort 1.2 can support 4K at 60Hz just fine...
True. I apologize for being a little sloppy-- some combinations work, though not all. And, HDMI 2.0 was ratified almost two years ago, and yet, nobody supports it yet (on monitors-- I do see TVs advertised with it.) And now, 5K monitors are coming out, which will require DP 1.3. All this should have been available at the port level in anticipation of the new wave of monitors.
- Which is weird. Even most 3440x1440 monitors only have HDMI 1.4, which can't support the resolution at 60Hz. Dell does have their U3415W with 2.0, though, but that's the exception to the rule.
This is all quite confusing and why I've been holding out on what to buy. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that my primary desktop monitor I attach to my rMBP when I'm home is an old Samsung SyncMaster 2443. It's a 24" 16:10 monitor and for my purposes it has been fine. I used to have a second Samsung 21" monitor I used as my second external, but it died (pretty sure it's blown caps in the power supply, but I'm not bothering fixing it).
So I thought this is ridiculous, I should get a new monitor and here I am 6 months later still trying to decide what to get. I don't want to buy something I'll regret buying in only a few months. I typically run several VMs at once and I'm basically coding and testing so I like to have lots of screen real-estate. This Dell P2715Q seems like a safe buy without breaking the bank. But I'm still not convinced I really "need" a 4K monitor, especially since I'm going to run it in a scaled mode anyway.
I want to thank everyone who contributed and shared experiences with the Dell P2715Q. It made my decision to purchase one much simpler.
I have mine connected to a Mac Pro 5,1 via DP on an EFI flashed GTX 680 (soon to be a GTX 980). I am replacing a very old Dell 3007WFP-HC. The image quality and brightness of the P2715Q is far better than the old monitor. It's also much thinner and lighter than the old behemoth, albeit with a smaller screen. One thing to note is that, I am able to get the Mac boot screens using HDMI but not DP SST. I have been assured that the GTX 980 I ordered from Ebay will give boot screen on DP SST.
I have been using my P2715Q at 3200x1800 for about two months now and while smaller than what I had been using, 2560x1600 on 30", everything is still very clear and legible. I tried 3840x2160 briefly but found myself straining a bit at times and reverted back to what I'm using now. It offers a nice boost in screen real estate from what I had.
Once again, thank you to everyone.
I have mine connected to a Mac Pro 5,1 via DP on an EFI flashed GTX 680 (soon to be a GTX 980). I am replacing a very old Dell 3007WFP-HC. The image quality and brightness of the P2715Q is far better than the old monitor. It's also much thinner and lighter than the old behemoth, albeit with a smaller screen. One thing to note is that, I am able to get the Mac boot screens using HDMI but not DP SST. I have been assured that the GTX 980 I ordered from Ebay will give boot screen on DP SST.
I have been using my P2715Q at 3200x1800 for about two months now and while smaller than what I had been using, 2560x1600 on 30", everything is still very clear and legible. I tried 3840x2160 briefly but found myself straining a bit at times and reverted back to what I'm using now. It offers a nice boost in screen real estate from what I had.
Once again, thank you to everyone.
Hello everyone, I'm about the pull the trigger for a P2715Q, but I have some questions that need to be answered before I do so. Could you guys please help me on this one? For your information, I will be connecting this screen to my late 2013 15Rmbp with DGPU in clamshell mode.
1) Will my notebook support SST 60hz for this screen?
2) I have heard that there are no RGB controls? Can I use my i1display pro to calibrate it?
3) If I watch 1080p content or 4k content on youtube, will my fans start spinning all the time?
4) I intend to use the monitor in QHD resolution, I'm mainly interested in the retina feeling of the fonts, am I better off buying a U2515H?
5) Are the issues regarding the monitor not turning on resolved? I don't plan on unplugging it every time I want to use my computer.
Thank you very much for your help.
1) Will my notebook support SST 60hz for this screen?
2) I have heard that there are no RGB controls? Can I use my i1display pro to calibrate it?
3) If I watch 1080p content or 4k content on youtube, will my fans start spinning all the time?
4) I intend to use the monitor in QHD resolution, I'm mainly interested in the retina feeling of the fonts, am I better off buying a U2515H?
5) Are the issues regarding the monitor not turning on resolved? I don't plan on unplugging it every time I want to use my computer.
Thank you very much for your help.
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Yes, your rMBP will support SST 60Hz on that display. I have two connected to my rMBP, the same config as your but with a 1TB SSD.Hello everyone, I'm about the pull the trigger for a P2715Q, but I have some questions that need to be answered before I do so. Could you guys please help me on this one? For your information, I will be connecting this screen to my late 2013 15Rmbp with DGPU in clamshell mode.
1) Will my notebook support SST 60hz for this screen?
2) I have heard that there are no RGB controls? Can I use my i1display pro to calibrate it?
3) If I watch 1080p content or 4k content on youtube, will my fans start spinning all the time?
4) I intend to use the monitor in QHD resolution, I'm mainly interested in the retina feeling of the fonts, am I better off buying a U2515H?
5) Are the issues regarding the monitor not turning on resolved? I don't plan on unplugging it every time I want to use my computer.
Thank you very much for your help.
Dell offers no OS support for this display (and most of their other displays). As shipped, our Macs see this and other Dell displays as a "television", as a composite device. There's a means to get around this, and I've done it - search this thread and the web for "Mac EDID" and you'll get more information; FWIW, Windows users have been doing this same workaround for years - it's like Dell saying "Thanks for the money, here's your display. Bye." My devices are now seen as RGB displays, and not as televisions - the workaround took maybe 15 minutes total. The displays have both RGB and composite settings and are fairly configurable. You'd also need to do this with the U2515H BTW...
The Dell comes calibrated, and with documentation for each display. I'm happy with mine, however, you may choose to refine your display's calibration.
I have checked out YouTube's 4k videos. They're spectacular. Yes, your rMBP will get hot - I keep a small fan aimed at my laptop and airflow in my home office is very good FWIW. I have a small stand under my rMBP as well, and will be mounting it on an arm soon. With the (fairly silent) fan trained on my rMBP, the fans in my laptop hardly ever turn on.
I can't answer your "4k or QHD display" question. I wanted a SST-capable 4k display (two, really) with specs like the P2715Q. The price was right at the time - they went on sale, and I bought from Dell directly as they're more responsive with direct purchases for warranty work IMHO. I also wanted some degree of futureproofing. I often use one display in portrait mode and one in landscape mode. I didn't even consider a QHD or other configuration.
Both of mine turn on maybe 39 out of 40 times. Both of mine are the first revision. I NEVER buy hardware until the initial builds are on other people's desks, but that's me - I read the complaints, and waited until the "Rev 0" builds were gone. I use a BT keyboard and sometimes the built-in keyboard, when I tap either of the "brightness" keys, the Mac and display(s) spring to life almost every time.
If you can wait a bit, there's a sweet display coming out soon, the BenQ BL2711U. We have the 32-inch version of this in my office and I've threatened to fire my employee so I can take his BenQ. Between the P2715Q and the BL2711U, if the smaller BenQ is like the larger sibling I'd buy the smaller BenQ and pay a bit more for it. My 2 cents...
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I think you mean the BenQ BL2711U.
How's the aggressiveness of the AG on the 32" 4K BenQ compare to that on the Dell P2715Q?
Yoinks! Yes, I do - I'll edit my post.
I had some skin in the Belmont Stakes and the race was about to begin.The AG on the BenQ is IMHO perfect for mid-to-lower light situations. The guy using the 32-inch display is using it for CAD applications, and he and I both recall drafting (in the 90s and 2000s) on huge CRTs (no AG whatsoever) with massive hoods on them to beat off the ambient lighting. My P2715Q displays are situated in a room with no backlighting and on a standing desk, with very controllable lighting behind the displays. Its hard to answer your question objectively as we've placed the desks and displays so that they're not affected adversely by lighting - because I've been in offices where my boss didn't give a rat's bunghole about the workers, and now I'm the boss in that regard. What I can say is that if I had to draft or illustrate OR was working in a well-lit environment and wanted a 27" display with the BenQ and Dell displays we have for comparison and the BL2711U (ahem...) is available, I'd go buy a couple of BL2711U displays. The AG on the BL3201PH is perfect, but I'll admit we haven't put it in a really bright room - but, I'll offer that I'd buy another one tomorrow if I needed another larger display. I'd also buy another P2715Q - it's that good of a display too, and I have no regrets over putting two on my desk (but then the BL2711U isn't out yet...
).
Has anyone used one of these monitors with a Bootcamp setup? I don't get any display until I install nvidia graphic drivers... The basic windows drives don't seem to want to output a signal.
Running a MacPro with a Geforce 660 Ti and the Apple supplied GT120, neither works until the Nvidia drivers are installed after a clean Windows install...
Anyone else experience anything similar?
Running a MacPro with a Geforce 660 Ti and the Apple supplied GT120, neither works until the Nvidia drivers are installed after a clean Windows install...
Anyone else experience anything similar?
Thanks campyguy. I should clarify that my concern is the opposite --- i.e., my issue is not ambient light reflection due to insufficient AG; rather, it's avoiding the grain/sparkles that come with too-aggressive AG (this is particularly visible on white backgrounds). I think the grain/sparkles are caused by a diffraction effect from the monitor's light passing through the AG; consistent with this, it's easily seen in a darkened room. Might you be able to comment on that for the BenQ vs the Dell?
Also, any info on whether the 27" BenQ will do 60 Hz via SST? I assume it will -- it's mostly the earlier 4K monitors that were limited to MST at that frequency. [MST is a real problem with Macs.]
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