Early 2015 MacBook and Displays

[ARK]

What kind of monitors can we hook up to the early 2015 MacBook 4K or 5K? I have an old Cinema Display at the moment and feel at some point Im going to need to upgrade the monitor. I want something that I can use to connect the MacBook and a 2013 15" Pro. Are there any 4K or 5K displays out there that would work?

Tech seems to be going faster than I can keep up so Im just thinking about the future. I can see me going to 12" MacBooks only at some point. I barely use that dedicated video card in the 15" Pro because I have toddlers.In other words, I haven't played Diablo 3 in a long while. heheh.

 

[andy9l]

You cannot use 5K with it, but you can use 4K over USB-C. Just check your 2013 MBP can run it over HDMI or DisplayPort.

I use a 27" 4K LG 27UD88 with my 2015 MacBook. It's not a pleasant experience, though. You really need a MBP to run 4K or 5K screens at an acceptable performance level.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lg-2...l-widescreen-led-monitor-black-mo-148-lg.html

 

[ARK]

You cannot use 5K with it, but you can use 4K over USB-C. Just check your 2013 MBP can run it over HDMI or DisplayPort.

I use a 27" 4K LG 27UD88 with my 2015 MacBook. It's not a pleasant experience, though. You really need a MBP to run 4K or 5K screens at an acceptable performance level.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lg-2...l-widescreen-led-monitor-black-mo-148-lg.html

When you say the 2015 MacBook isn't a pleasant experience is that because the refresh rate is poor?

Also, the 2013 MBP, do you know what resolution it would be? Im assuming the full 4k or 5k?

 

[andy9l]

When you say the 2015 MacBook isn't a pleasant experience is that because the refresh rate is poor?

Also, the 2013 MBP, do you know what resolution it would be? Im assuming the full 4k or 5k?

No, so long as you buy a USB-C display, the refresh rate will be 60Hz. That's no longer an issue as of 10.12.1 or 10.12.2 - can't quite remember. You can ignore the 30Hz issue you see on reviews etc. - it's outdated.

It's the performance of the MacBook that leads to a less-than-ideal experience.

Edit: to expand on the above - these little MacBooks were never built with the intention of powering a 4K screen.

They do technically now allow for it, but they really start to struggle especially when scaling the resolution to 'look like' another resolution. If you buy a 21" 4K screen then you can run it at a perfect 2x resolution (1080p retina). That seems to work better for me. However, if you get a 27" 4K screen then you'll want to scale it to 'look like' 1440p or something similar, then it starts to struggle. Things get very choppy.

Remember, even when scaling you're still powering all 4K pixels AND doing all the necessary scaling algorithms on the fly. It's not the same as changing resolutions on older monitors. You do not change the input signal - it's always 4K - you just let your Mac scale the interface accordingly. It's quite demanding for these little, fan-less machines with mobile CPUs.

 

[ARK]

No, so long as you buy a USB-C display, the refresh rate will be 60Hz. That's no longer an issue as of 10.12.1 or 10.12.2 - can't quite remember. You can ignore the 30Hz issue you see on reviews etc. - it's outdated.

It's the performance of the MacBook that leads to a less-than-ideal experience.

Edit: to expand on the above - these little MacBooks were never built with the intention of powering a 4K screen.

They do technically now allow for it, but they really start to struggle especially when scaling the resolution to 'look like' another resolution. If you buy a 21" 4K screen then you can run it at a perfect 2x resolution (1080p retina). That seems to work better for me. However, if you get a 27" 4K screen then you'll want to scale it to 'look like' 1440p or something similar, then it starts to struggle. Things get very choppy.

Remember, even when scaling you're still powering all 4K pixels AND doing all the necessary scaling algorithms on the fly. It's not the same as changing resolutions on older monitors. You do not change the input signal - it's always 4K - you just let your Mac scale the interface accordingly. It's quite demanding for these little, fan-less machines with mobile CPUs.

Ok, thanks for the input. I would love the 27" 5K LG display but Im more apt to getting the 22" 4K LG instead since its a bit cheaper and has a smaller foot print.