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Zorn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 14, 2006
1,115
787
Ohio
I've connected monitor number one to my nMP using the provided DP and USB cables. After installing the LG drivers, updating to the beta ATI drivers, and rebooting, I am getting Cinema 4K resolution @ 60hz. Even running portrait mode.

Will I be so lucky when hooking up the second? Let's find out...

LG drivers? I thought those are only for Windows on the CD?
 

stmad

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2013
13
2
Do you have any idea why when using your file, I am able to use a 3rd party app to set 4096x2160 @ 60hz, but it does not allow the display preferences to do so? Whereas some others are reporting they can choose this from right within preferences.


What third party app ?
Display preferences only show a small set of resolutions that are available in the window server. But it's weird that it would show only some of the frequencies for a specific resolution.
 

Zorn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 14, 2006
1,115
787
Ohio
What third party app ?
Display preferences only show a small set of resolutions that are available in the window server. But it's weird that it would show only some of the frequencies for a specific resolution.

I had been using SetResX since it was already installed. Before your text file, it only allowed a maximum of 4096x2160 @ 50hz, but after installing your file it does let me choose 60 via SetRes. It won't allow it natively in the system preferences though, and anytime the computer is rebooted or goes to sleep, I have to set the resolution and frequency again.
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
Running two monitors on separate thunderbolt buses results in occasional noise / glitches on the screen(s). Could be fixed with a driver update, I think. These displays are really nice, and I don't find the native resolution too small to work on.

My main complaint so far is that the included stands only rotate into portrait mode in one direction. This is a problem because the power / menu buttons for each monitor protrude from the bottom center of the display frame, and so two displays rotated into portrait mode can't be right next to each other without the buttons getting in the way. I was hoping to avoid using my monitor arms, as they add weight to the weight and don't officially support >= 30" displays in portrait mode (although it does work, barely).

It would be much better if I could rotate each display in opposing directions, so that the tops of the displays were flush together.
 
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McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
This is only in Windows right? in OSX you don't get 60Hz, do you?

Yes that is in Windows. I rebooted into OSX by mistake and was not shown the native resolution in display settings, but I haven't played with it more than that.
 

teeck2000

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2009
155
26
I've connected monitor number one to my nMP using the provided DP and USB cables. After installing the LG drivers, updating to the beta ATI drivers, and rebooting, I am getting Cinema 4K resolution @ 60hz. Even running portrait mode.

Would you mind sending me the driver to install and try on my machine in windows 8.1 64bit?. The floor model was the last one that they had in fry's and I didn't push for the CD since I thought I would't need it, plus they said they couldn't find it...
 

Michaelgtrusa

macrumors 604
Oct 13, 2008
7,900
1,821
I've connected monitor number one to my nMP using the provided DP and USB cables. After installing the LG drivers, updating to the beta ATI drivers, and rebooting, I am getting Cinema 4K resolution @ 60hz. Even running portrait mode.

Will I be so lucky when hooking up the second? Let's find out...

Good news!! Ok I see it's on Windows.
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
It turns out the glitches happen any time the screen is being updated. Drag or resize a window, glitches...

Hopefully that's just a driver issue
 

stmad

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2013
13
2
I had been using SetResX since it was already installed. Before your text file, it only allowed a maximum of 4096x2160 @ 50hz, but after installing your file it does let me choose 60 via SetRes. It won't allow it natively in the system preferences though, and anytime the computer is rebooted or goes to sleep, I have to set the resolution and frequency again.

It seems illogical... The file doesn't add any resolution, it just removes the "native" bit of the 3840. I believe you, but I have no explanation.
That it doesn't keep it across reboot it also not understandable. I had made a similar file with the 50 and 60Hz resolutions positions exchanged in the EDID, and it didn't make any difference for drecc, who tested it.

(I should mention that I don't own this monitor nor any hardware that could support it - yet - all what I've done was done blindly)
 

Zorn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 14, 2006
1,115
787
Ohio
It seems illogical... The file doesn't add any resolution, it just removes the "native" bit of the 3840. I believe you, but I have no explanation.
That it doesn't keep it across reboot it also not understandable. I had made a similar file with the 50 and 60Hz resolutions positions exchanged in the EDID, and it didn't make any difference for drecc, who tested it.

(I should mention that I don't own this monitor nor any hardware that could support it - yet - all what I've done was done blindly)

Sadly I think it's on Apple to fix this via an OS X update and I doubt this particular monitor is even on their radar. I think i may exchange it for the curved 34UC97 just because I don't really want to take a $1400 gamble that this will start working sometime soon.
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
Turning down to 50hz did not resolve my glitch problem...I was hoping it would reduce bandwidth use enough on the thunderbolt buses to fix it.
 

Zorn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 14, 2006
1,115
787
Ohio
Returned this monitor today and picked up the curved 34UC97. This monitor looks amazing and I'm very happy with it. It has none of the problems I had with several of the UM95 monitors, which gave me green lines, blue dots, all kinds of defects with the panels. This monitor looks amazing and the curve is actually very nice for a monitor this wide that you will always sit directly in front of. The 4k definitely makes everything look super crisp, but the spotty OS support for cinema res kills it at the moment.
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
One nice feature about the 4k display is you can actually plug in two displayport cables and it will act as two side by side displays. A decent workaround until os support is there, I think.

Tomorrow i will see if it fixes my glitch problems in windows as well.
 

rdav

macrumors 6502
Mar 16, 2007
313
32
So/California.
Amazon Reviews /** (due to Mac issues).

There are a bunch of */** reviews on the Amazon pages (and other sites) for the LG-31MU97 monitor. Seems they are being returned after failing to work as advertised on the high-end TB2 Macs. Same on this Forum.

In the marketing world it's considered bad news to upset the leading-edge, "opinion former" & expert punters, even if they are not mass-market users. Perhaps LG/Apple will take notice and fix this.
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
Apples nMP advertising seems misleading at best, when they said you could drive 3 4k displays. You sure as hell aren't going to run that many high res displays at 60hz...
 

McTaste

macrumors 6502
Jan 21, 2014
346
602
OK so here's the latest on my Windows experimentation using a nMP.

First of all, due to flickering / glitchness, it sucks pushing native 4k resolution to two of these monitors @ 60hz (or even 50hz), no matter the thunderbolt bus layout (or monitor orientation) you use. Hopefully that's something Microsoft / ATI / Apple / LG can fix eventually. In Windows, you can easily use *one* display at native resolution without any issues.

Secondly, you can't do the side by side (LG calls it PBP) displays on a single monitor using its DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort connections; it has to be DP/mDP + HDMI. Fortunately, when you split a monitor in half, you can run each half at 2048x2160/60hz. This allows the other display to run at native resolution / 60hz, and both displays (well, all three, since one is split in half) to run without flickering or other artifacts.

Splitting a monitor in half has the added benefit of adding a third desktop to your workspace, which means you can just maximize a window and it takes up exactly half of your display. I use a tool called Divvy to do this otherwise, but it's nice to skip that step.

Overall, I'm stoked as hell that I got this to work properly. It took some playing around, but in the end I don't feel like I'm settling for a half-assed solution, and in return I've replaced my two 30" Dell displays with much nicer, higher resolution displays.
 

teeck2000

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2009
155
26
I returned the display unit to Fry's and exchanged for a brand new in box version to try the cd drivers for windows but unfortunately that didn't let me run it at 60hz, still stuck at 50hz. I don't know if It's a GTX 680 issue or a Mac Pro issue.

That said though I'm still impressed the GTX 680 and MacPro is running it as well as it is in 10.8.5... I received the Asus PQ321Q 4k monitor and that one doesn't even run in MST on OS X.

I was able to drive 2 4k monitors in windows on the GTX 680, which is impressive.

My next test is gonna be the GTX 980 in Yosemite and Win 8.1 to see if that works @60hz on the LG.
 

teeck2000

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2009
155
26
It won't do 60hz in Yosemite even with GTX980 and latest nVidia web drivers. Been there done that and returned it.

Ahh *******. Okay thanks for testing, saved me some headache. That is kind of lame though, dammit Apple. What about windows, did you try that by any chance?

I don't understand why it won't work in Windows though, driving me crazy.
 

bootz

macrumors regular
Jan 7, 2014
128
20
OK so here's the latest on my Windows experimentation using a nMP.

First of all, due to flickering / glitchness, it sucks pushing native 4k resolution to two of these monitors @ 60hz (or even 50hz), no matter the thunderbolt bus layout (or monitor orientation) you use. Hopefully that's something Microsoft / ATI / Apple / LG can fix eventually. In Windows, you can easily use *one* display at native resolution without any issues.

Secondly, you can't do the side by side (LG calls it PBP) displays on a single monitor using its DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort connections; it has to be DP/mDP + HDMI. Fortunately, when you split a monitor in half, you can run each half at 2048x2160/60hz. This allows the other display to run at native resolution / 60hz, and both displays (well, all three, since one is split in half) to run without flickering or other artifacts.

Splitting a monitor in half has the added benefit of adding a third desktop to your workspace, which means you can just maximize a window and it takes up exactly half of your display. I use a tool called Divvy to do this otherwise, but it's nice to skip that step.

Overall, I'm stoked as hell that I got this to work properly. It took some playing around, but in the end I don't feel like I'm settling for a half-assed solution, and in return I've replaced my two 30" Dell displays with much nicer, higher resolution displays.


Thanks for the update. Do you notice any flickering or other abnormalities in the middle of the display when running in PBP mode? I have a mid-2012 rMBP so I can't output 4k 60hz over a single connection, but I should be able to get 2048x2160 60hz simultaneously over mDP & HDMI.
 

teeck2000

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2009
155
26
Can you please expand on this because it is not my experience, so I am curious what issues you experienced.

I have a Mac Book Pro Retina 2012 and a Mac Pro 2012 with a GTX 680. I was unable to run either with MST activated. I was able to get very strange resolutions and highest was 1080p. The Mac Pro was running 10.8.5, which could be the issue, but the LG works...The Macbook pro was running Yosemite but that one is not supported per apple for 4k 60hz anyway. The MacPro was able to run the PQ321Q no issues in windows 8.1.

I am going to try Yosemite on the MacPro with the PQ321Q today, so that should be able to work I think. I actually prefer the PQ321Q's aspect ratio and slightly bigger pixels. The color and sharpness is not as good as the LG but by maybe 10%, not a huge difference. The strangest issue I noticed on the PQ321Q was that my speakers start to Buzz extremely loud running the display port feed. I have never experienced this with any other monitor, ever, maybe a GSM cellphone, haha. Seems like a ground loop issue.
 
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