Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

External Displayport screen and MBA

A

andrepelly

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 16, 2012
24
0
Hello guys,
my first post but i follow this nice forum by a long time :)

I just bought a nice MBA 11", so i'm looking a nice monitor to go along with..
is there any other than the TBD?
even with less resolution, but i'd like it to have a display port to use it as a docking station..

any suggestion?
 
Last edited:
andrepelly said:
is there any other than the TBD?
even with less resolution, but i'd like it to have a display port to use it as a docking station..
Click to expand...

The Apple Thunderbolt display is the only game in town if you want the docking station features (you'll find monitors with USB hubs and internal speakers, but they use multiple cables). A DisplayPort connection won't do that - it has to be Thunderbolt.

Otherwise, you can use pretty much any monitor up to 1920x1200 with the appropriate adapter (Mini-DisplayPort-to-DVI or Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI, MiniDisplayPort-to-Full Size DisplayPort).

One warning: some of the cheap MiniDisplayPort-to-Full Size DisplayPort cables don't work very well with some monitors + Thunderbolt macs. E.g. I've got a HP LP2475 and a StarTech cable that produces a horribly fuzzy picture & others have had power/sleep issues. Not the end of the world, because its also got 2xDVI and a HDMI and works fine with the MDP-to-DVI adapter.

For higher resolution (bigger than 1920x1200) monitors it becomes a bit more complicated - short version: buy from a Mac dealer and specifically ask if the combination will work. Or, play it safe and go with the TBD (its not so expensive c.f. other displays of similar reslution).
 
theluggage is half right. Apple's Cinema Display is the only monitor that will act as a true docking station for the Air, but DisplayPort (v 1.2) does support the additional features you're after over the single cable. Unfortunately up to now it has seen limited adoption so you'll struggle to find a display that supports the newest standard. The feature is possible, it's just largely unavailable for now :(

I'm actually in the same situation as you andrepelly, I've also just bought a 2012 11" Air and am looking for a nice monitor :)

So far I've narrowed it down to either a Dell Ultrasharp U2412M (1920x1200) or Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM (1920x1080). I'm leaning more towards the latter as it seems better value and still well suited to my needs. Both have outstanding reviews, support DisplayPort and have built in USB hubs. Neither support DisplayPort v 1.2 though, so you would have to plug the supplied USB cable into the Air to make use of the extra USB (in addition to the DisplayPort cable).

I'm happy with this compromise as the display is much cheaper than an Apple Cinema Display.
 
Thank you very much guys! good to share the same "problems" with someone else :)

The latter solution feels nice, does the Dell even charge the MBA via
displayport?
 
andrepelly said:
Feedbacks about the Asus VE278Q anyone?
Click to expand...

It's a 27" monitor with only a 1080P resolution. That means the pixels are going to be huge....(pixel pitch of .311mm, lord have mercy).

I can't stand 1080P (as a monitor) for anything larger than 23". You won't get any more desktop resolution, just every pixel is bigger.
 
Last edited:
paulrbeers said:
It's a 27" monitor with only a 1080P resolution. That means the pixels are going to be huge....(pixel pitch of .311mm, lord have mercy).

I can't stand 1080P (as a monitor) for anything larger than 23". You won't get any more desktop resolution, just every pixel is bigger.
Click to expand...

great, thanks.:)
 
snapper64 said:
.
So far I've narrowed it down to either a Dell Ultrasharp U2412M (1920x1200) or Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM (1920x1080). I'm leaning more towards the latter as it seems better value and still well suited to my needs. Both have outstanding reviews, support DisplayPort and have built in USB hubs. Neither support DisplayPort v 1.2 though, so you would have to plug the supplied USB cable into the Air to make use of the extra USB (in addition to the DisplayPort cable).

I'm happy with this compromise as the display is much cheaper than an Apple Cinema Display.
Click to expand...

I'm using a u2412m with a 2011 MBA, clamshell and a MDP-DP cable (a few bucks from monoprice). It's the best monitor I've ever owned and I highly recommend it. It goes on sale fairly often at the $300 mark.
 
in the end i maybe end buying a TBD.
but first i´d like to ask if someone knows something about the Samsung S27A850T, that goes on sale for €500 and seems to have a nice AG screen, not so aggressive as the Dell ultrasharp ones...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back