I have a late 2013 MBP fully maxed. Can this machine run a 4k or 5K display like those new LG displays on Apple's site?
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Late 2013 MBP and running 4K/5K display?
- Thread starter ARK
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It will support a 4K you need a 2016 for 5k and it will depend on which size MBP you have.
All info to be found here
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206587
Although correct that ARK's 2013 MacBook Pro cannot handle a 5K display, 5K is not limited to the 2016 model. 2015 models with the m370x dGPU can run the LG UltraFine 5K display at full 5120 x 2880 resolution via Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
So it says it will work with 4K displays. Does it not work with the 4K LG display that Apple is recently selling? According to Apple's site it handles MST displays only and it looks like the 4K LG is SST only.
So for the late 2013 MBP, would I connect with HDMI or Thunderbolt? What cable would I need?
Also for the early 2015 MB, I assume I would use a USBC - USBC cable?
So basically it sounds like my late 2013 would limit what 4k display I get.
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Not true. The late 2013 15" rMBP is limited to 4K @ 30Hz via HDMI only. It runs 4k @ 60 Hz natively over DisplayPort (Thunderbolt port).
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Nope, it doesn't. The Mid 2014 15"rMBP supports 4K at 60Hz via SST and in turn this means that the Late 2013 15" does as well. The apple support page creates an artificial distinction. Why? I don't know.The truth is that the Late 2013 and the Mid 2014 15" MacBook are essentially identical machines with both using the Iris Pro 5200 and 750M. You will need a mini DisplayPort (1.2) cable to DisplayPort or HDMI to achieve this.
Unfortunately it will not work with the LG Ultrafine 4K display at all at this time. Many on the review sites have confirmed it does not work. It will work fine with other monitors that use one of the older connecters as mentioned above. Find a monitor with DisplayPort 1.2+ or HDMI 2.0.
Thanks for your time and input. Im finding it helpful but I want to clarify something. On your first paragraph you said the late 2013 and mid 2014 are identical machines using the same video cards and the mid 2014 supports 4K at 60Hz via SST. My understanding is the LG Ultrafine 4K is SST so Im finding both paragraphs contradicting. What is it about the late 2013 that won't allow it that the mid 2014 does? Is it just the cable that isn't available to make it work at the moment or am I misunderstanding something?
There is a great page describing supported monitors here:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587
So it can run 4k@60Hz over Display port 1.2, but not the SST, like the new LG
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587
So it can run 4k@60Hz over Display port 1.2, but not the SST, like the new LG
Not a problem and I can see where you could find a bit of confusion in my post. To clarify, the reviews I've read have stated that 2013, 2014 and 2015 rMBPs are not currently working with the 4K LG UltraFine via adapters or Apple's own Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
You can see the issue I'm describing repeatedly on the Apple website.
http://www.apple.com/shop/questions/product/HKMY2VC/A/lg-ultrafine-4k-display
The issue could be firmware or incompatible adapters/cables on the market.
Not true, it will only run at 4K (see: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207448).
It may offer a 5K scaling option as it does on other 4K monitors, but it renders at 5K internally and downscales to 4K for the actual output. TB2 simply does not have the bandwidth to output 5K at 60Hz.
So in the end, my late 2013 MBP will only do MST displays up to 4K at 60hz which means it won't run the Ultrafine LG 4K no matter what I do. HDMI 30hz for 4k displays and DisplayPort 60hz for 4k displays.
My early 2015 MB will however run the Ultrafine LG 4K with the USBC to USBC cord that comes with the display. It will not run the Ultrafine LG 5K.
Is that correct?
My early 2015 MB will however run the Ultrafine LG 4K with the USBC to USBC cord that comes with the display. It will not run the Ultrafine LG 5K.
Is that correct?
Thunderbolt 2 does have enough bandwidth for 5K over thunderbolt but not at 60Hz as you pointed out. I connected my MacBook Pro at the apple store and streamed 5K at 30 Hz without an issue. I suppose I am playing semantics though as most people would want to run the display at 60 Hz.
At any rate, the 2015 is capable of running a 5K display at 60 Hz, just not over Thunderbolt 2. With dual DisplayPort 1.2 cables, it works without a hitch on monitors like the Dell UP2715K 27-inch 5K display.
The late 2013 will run a number of displays in 4K @ 60 Hz over SST, just not the UltraFine like I stated earlier. There is no hardware distinction between it and the 2014 except for a .2 minor GHz bump on the CPU which has no baring on its display output capabilities. They even share the same model identifier 11,3
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Thunderbolt 2 does have enough bandwidth for 5K over thunderbolt but not at 60Hz as you pointed out. I connected my MacBook Pro at the apple store and streamed 5K at 30 Hz without an issue. I suppose I am playing semantics though as most people would want to run the display at 60 Hz.
At any rate, the 2015 is capable of running a 5K display at 60 Hz, just not over Thunderbolt 2. With dual DisplayPort 1.2 cables, it works without a hitch on monitors like the Dell UP2715K 27-inch 5K display.
The late 2013 will run a number of displays in 4K @ 60 Hz over SST, just not the UltraFine like I stated earlier. There is no hardware distinction between it and the 2014 except for a .2 minor GHz bump on the CPU which has no baring on its display output capabilities. They even share the same model identifier 11,3
Nice. I maxed mine out with the 2.6Ghz 16GB ram and 1TB drive. Its a nice machine for sure and I hope will last me a long while. That said I hope it will run a good 4K monitor for quite some time. So what 4k monitor would you recommend for me that I can also use with my early 2015 MacBook? Assuming then that the MacBook won't run a 5K display.
Anyone know the specs of the HP Envy 27? How does it compare to the LG Ultrafine, and other displays?
Sorry about the delay, been a bit busy. I'm not terribly familiar with the HP Envy, but I can give you the model I use with my late 2013 15" rMBP when at home. Well, it's my wife's now not but nevertheless
It's the Dell P2715Q 27" Ultra HD 4K IPS Monitor, and it runs at the full 3840x2160 resolution at 60 Hz. So to those that say it doesn't work, Do you actually own a late 2013 rMBP and have you connected it to a SST 4K display? The answer is obviously no and I direct this to the nay sayers in this thread.
To resurrect this thread, I have a late 2013 MBP and am considering buying the LG 38WK95C monitor, which I assume is SST as it's newer and MST isn't mentioned in its specs. This monitor has a standard DisplayPort input as well as HDMI in, so would it work OK with the MBP?
I guess I'm asking whether it's the connectors that define the compatibility and not something with LG monitors in general. Thanks!
To resurrect this thread again and provide some hopefully helpful update on my experience.
I am using the new 23.7'' UltraFine™ 4K Monitor (LG 24MD4KL) with my Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" (with NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2 GB) and it works just fine. Think having the model with a dedicated GPU is key here.
Have bought Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter as well as a Thunderbolt 2 cable from Apple. At first it did not work when I plugged the screen in using macOS Mojave (10.14), but after updating to macOS Catalina it works fine and I have been using it for the last few weeks without issues.
I am using the new 23.7'' UltraFine™ 4K Monitor (LG 24MD4KL) with my Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" (with NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2 GB) and it works just fine. Think having the model with a dedicated GPU is key here.
Have bought Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter as well as a Thunderbolt 2 cable from Apple. At first it did not work when I plugged the screen in using macOS Mojave (10.14), but after updating to macOS Catalina it works fine and I have been using it for the last few weeks without issues.
Thank you so much for this update!
I was wondering if this means LG UltraFine 5K would also work with your Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15 ?
Saw this thread was bumped. I don’t know what the refresh rates are but I’ve gotten my late 2013 to work on both the 23.7” Ultrafine 4K and the 27” Ultrafine 5k using a DisplayPort to usbc cable.
3360x1890 is where I keep it. It’s the sweet spot for me but it can go one more to 5120x2880.
I simply use the original Apple mini display port cable it came with and have the white Apple DisplayPort to thunderbolt adapter they sell.
For all the back and forth comments in this thread I really felt like the late 2013 wouldn’t work with this display. Turns out all I had to do was just plug it in. It works fine to me. 🤷♂️