I’m planning on getting a 32” NEC monitor that has 4096 x 2160 Resolution to use with my 2020 Mac Mini. I’m also considering an eGPU to go with it but as far as I can determine, none of the GPU cards recommended here support higher than 3,840 by 2,160 resolution. I’m probably misreading/misunderstanding something but if not, are there any compatible GPU cards that would support the maximum resolution of the monitor?
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eGPU that supports 4096 x 2160?
- Thread starter Daverich4
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The Mac mini HDMI port defaults HDMI 2.0 output to YCbCr 4:2:0 for 4K 60Hz instead of RGB 8bpc unless the EDID says it does not support chroma sub sampling (the EDID can be overridden to do that).
The USB-C ports are preferred as they can support 4K 60Hz 10bpc (up to 576 MHz). If they are limited to 8bpc (because 4096x2160 is near the top end), then at least they default to RGB (4:4:4).
The USB-C ports are preferred as they can support 4K 60Hz 10bpc (up to 576 MHz). If they are limited to 8bpc (because 4096x2160 is near the top end), then at least they default to RGB (4:4:4).
This is the one that first made me wonder about it.
SAPPHIRE Radeon 11265-05-20G Pulse RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC with Backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card Graphic Cards
Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 580 8 GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/DVI-D/Dual DP OC w/backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card.
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GPUs don't really have a max screen resolution like that. If you click the spec sheet pdf link, you see it shows different resolution numbers.This is the one that first made me wonder about it.
SAPPHIRE Radeon 11265-05-20G Pulse RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC with Backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card Graphic Cards
Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 580 8 GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/DVI-D/Dual DP OC w/backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card.www.amazon.com
DisplayPort 1.2 can support 4096x2160 10 bpc which is wider than 3840. That GPU support DisplayPort 1.4 so it can do even more.
You can connect a 5K 60Hz display using two DisplayPort 1.2 signals (10bpc), or a single DisplayPort 1.4 signal (8bpc).
You can have a resolution of 8Kx8K and have it scaled down to the resolution of the display.
You can do higher resolutions by lowering the refresh rate. You could probably output 8K by reducing the refresh rate to 30Hz in macOS (uses a single DisplayPort 1.4 connection). Windows can connect to an 8K 60Hz Dell display using two DisplayPort 1.4 signals.
Intel GPUs usually have a limit of 4096 width in macOS (except the new 10th generation CPUs) but can do wider in Windows.
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Thanks for your help. I don't quite understand why they would show the lower resolution limit in the specs because you're right, the pdf does show higher resolutions. The lower specs got me started looking at resolutions in other cards and I kept seeing specs like 1920x1080 which didn't make much sense. Possibly those were with high frame rates for gaming? At any rate, my current 27" NEC monitor is 2560x1440 and Photoshop sees it as a 30 bit display which is what I care about. The new 32" NEC is 4096x2160, also 30 bit. I've been looking into an eGPU more as a curiosity than a need and think I'll go ahead with the card I linked to as a trial. Thanks again for your help, I just needed to get pointed in the right direction.