Good external display for a MacBook Air 2015

[mortenandersen]

In the process of deciding which best budget external monitor to be used with my MacBook Air (Mid 2015), two 32-inch ViewSonic displays have come to the fore, one 4K: VX3276-4K-MHD and one 2K: VX3276-2K-MHD. My overall purpose is to use the external monitor for office tasks as text creation and editing (mostly in Word), and browsing and watching YouTube and streaming services.



The reason why I bring this decision to this Forum, is trying to find out which one is the best and without problems, using my 2015 MacBook Air and MacOS Big Sur (and Monterey), especially given what I have read about problems regarding MacOS and scaling. My eyesight demands that the text not being too small, and not at all so small as 1:1 on 4K on a 32-inch screen will appear sitting at a normal distance, using a 80 cm deep desk.



I have looked at numerous monitors, also at some displays 27 inch. So please also consider both 27- and 32-inch and 2K and 4K. The possible scaling problem I have read about is of most importance for me to consider, I think.



Can you please give me some good advice before buying?

 

[usagora]

I've been using this one with my 2020 MBA and really like it:

LG UltraFine 27-Inch Computer Monitor 27UL500-W, IPS Display with AMD FreeSync and HDR10 Compatibility, White

Immerse yourself completely with phenomenal image precision and ultra deep granularity with 4K UHD (3840x2160), presenting four times the resolution of Full HD with HDR 10’s industry standard for High Dynamic Range imaging. This IPS computer monitor helps keep colors consistent at a wide viewing ...

www.amazon.com

As for text-scaling, that is highly personal, but did you know macOS has custom scaling built-in? You might also want to take advantage of macOS's full-screen zoom function. I literally use that all day every day.

 

[mortenandersen]

usagora, thanks a lot for your advice! I am oscillating between 27 and 32 in monitor, and by now, I am afraid that 27 inch will be too small (whatever that means...). Or: Will 32 inch give me a lot of more possibilities with having two or more windows open at the same time, etc. Can you please share your experience with the 27 inch LG that you have, especially when it comes to regular text editing in Word, Pages or Ulysses? And furthermore, can you share your experience with a VA screen in comparison with a ISP screen? And to other users on this Forum any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[Amethyst1]

And to other users on this Forum any suggestions or thoughts?

First: I wouldn't get a 2560×1440 ("2K") monitor. Font rendering has become awful on these monitors in macOS sadly, so text will look fuzzy/not sharp. Get a 3840×2160 ("4K") monitor - font rendering is much better on these in macOS. Your 2015 MBA will be able to run "4K" at 60 Hz, so there'll be no problems in this regard.

Second: with regards to the size of text, is there a monitor that you've looked at which provides the "right" size of text for you? If so, which one? As it's been said, you can scale the macOS UI as a whole on a 4K monitor to find the setting you like best. You can also use the zoom function or increase the size of text in applications, Finder windows etc. Scaling will introduce a performance hit and sacrifice some sharpness but what eventually matters is that it's usable for you.

 

[mortenandersen]

Thanks for enlightening info about matters that I am largely unfamiliar with! I have looked at several monitors on Amazon, especially LG 32UN650-W IPS and ViewSonic VX3276-4K-MHD. I will sit still working right in front of the display (no others will generally need to look at the screen from the side), and wonder whether a VA panel will be the right thing? And concerning what you write in the above post, I wonder whether macOS´s (for me: necessary) scaling up to 150 to perhaps 200 percent will render fonts in a "not blurry" way? If this turns out to be no problem, I think that the mentioned LG 32UN650-W IPS (or a VA version?) will be a display that I really would like to have on my desk. Any thoughts, please?

 

[Amethyst1]

I wonder whether macOS´s (for me: necessary) scaling up to 150 to perhaps 200 percent will render fonts in a "not blurry" way?

Yes, if you use HiDPI modes on a 3840×2160 monitor fonts will be a lot sharper than if you use a non-HiDPI mode. If you get a 3840×2160 monitor, then 1920×1080 HiDPI means 200 percent "scaling" and will be sharpest due to it being pixel-perfect (but very large on a 32"!). 2560×1440 HiDPI means 150 percent scaling and will be slightly less sharp as well as incur a performance hit (all scaled modes besides the pixel-perfect 200 percent one suffer from this on macOS), but it will still be sharper than an actual 2560×1440 (non-HiDPI) monitor.

I have no experience with VA panels. I always go for IPS.

 

[mortenandersen]

Oh, again, thanks a lot for bringing this important info before buying a monitor! I will really make this information a basis for my purchase. Furthermore, you wrote: "Your 2015 MBA will be able to run "4K" at 60 Hz, so there'll be no problems in this regard." Do you know what kind of adapter(s) that are recommended, so that this will work properly? Thanks again!

 

[Amethyst1]

Furthermore, you wrote: "Your 2015 MBA will be able to run "4K" at 60 Hz, so there'll be no problems in this regard." Do you know what kind of adapter(s) that are recommended, so that this will work properly?

Get a monitor that has a DisplayPort or MiniDisplayPort input. You can simply hook that up directly to your MBA using a (Mini-)DisplayPort cable (which should ideally come with the monitor).

Stay away from monitors that only have HDMI or USB-C input. That’s going to need expensive adapters and make things unnecessarily complicated.

 

[mortenandersen]

Get a monitor that has a DisplayPort or MiniDisplayPort input. You can simply hook that up directly to your MBA using a (Mini-)DisplayPort cable (which should ideally come with the monitor).

Stay away from monitors that only have HDMI or USB-C input. That’s going to need expensive adapters and make things unnecessarily complicated.

This is great news! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! I think also other Mac users will have use for this information. 👍

 

[Fishrrman]

"My eyesight demands that the text not being too small, and not at all so small as 1:1 on 4K on a 32-inch screen will appear sitting at a normal distance, using a 80 cm deep desk."

I have "older eyes". For me, the "clarity" of text (on the screen) takes a backseat to "size".
My suggestion is a 32" display that runs NATIVELY at 1440p (2560x1440, I think).

This will give you a pixel size of about .27mm.

That's small enough to not be "too grainy", yet large enough so that you can still read text comfortably when it's displayed at "normal" font sizes.

Before you buy the Viewsonic (I've been using a Viewsonic 27" 1080p display for several years, and like it), be aware that BenQ has a few of interest, including this one:

PD3200Q｜32-inch 2K QHD sRGB Designer Monitor

PD3200Q covers 100% sRGB and 100% Rec.709 color spaces. Amazing Delta E ≤ 3 ensures superb accuracy.

www.benq.com

Also there is an ASUS ProArt 32" coming soon (not sure if it's out yet):

Asus unveils ProArt PA328CGV 32-inch 1440p monitor

VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified monitor has IPS display, 1.07bn colours, sRGB DeltaE <2.

hexus.net

There aren't that many native 32" 1440p displays (at least that I can see).
It would be worth reading user reviews of those you find, to see in particular how Mac users reported them...

 

[Amethyst1]

My suggestion is a 32" display that runs NATIVELY at 1440p (2560x1440, I think).

Font rendering is simply awful at 1440p sadly. Not recommended (sorry!). A 32“ 4K scaled to 1440p is going to look much better.

 

[mortenandersen]

Fishrrman and Amethyst1, I would really like to know your opinion and evaluation of the monitor that perhaps now for me is the best monitor: LG 32UN650-W IPS. Any thoughts?

 

[Amethyst1]

LG 32UN650-W IPS.

4K, IPS, DisplayPort, flicker-free backlight. Good.

It says it comes with a DisplayPort cable. That probably means full-size connectors on both ends. You need MiniDisplayPort (MBA) to full-size DisplayPort (monitor) so you may need to buy that cable separately.

 

[Fishrrman]

<-- is not interested in 4k.

For me, native 1440p is fine.

Actually, right now, I'm using 1080p on a 27" display, and I STILL have problems with fonts, not because of "clarity", but because of size.

So... moving to a native 32" 1440p display will actually give me SMALLER text characters than I'm looking at now...

 

[Amethyst1]

So... moving to a native 32" 1440p display will actually give me SMALLER text characters than I'm looking at now...

Maybe a 32", or even larger, 1080p TV, used as a monitor, will be good for you. Seriously.

 

[mortenandersen]

Thanks for valuable feedback! I want both big enough and most clear fonts, so I think the suggested LG display with the suggested connection will a good solution. 😀

 

[Marty_Macfly]

Get a monitor that has a DisplayPort or MiniDisplayPort input. You can simply hook that up directly to your MBA using a (Mini-)DisplayPort cable (which should ideally come with the monitor).

Stay away from monitors that only have HDMI or USB-C input. That’s going to need expensive adapters and make things unnecessarily complicated.

Hi Amethyst1,

Can I sanity check - I take it a M1 MBA with a USB-C to USB-C connection to the monitor will have no issues?

Was there something about some monitors working fine for MacBooks, but not with windows laptops? Unfortunately, I need to also use the new monitor for work as well


Many thanks for you help

Martin

 

[Amethyst1]

Can I sanity check - I take it a M1 MBA with a USB-C to USB-C connection to the monitor will have no issues?

Should work just fine. That either uses plain DisplayPort (most monitors) or DisplayPort-over-Thunderbolt3 (e.g. LG UltraFine 5K).