I can confirm the Apple cable works for both USB-C and TB3. I don’t know why LG doesn’t supply this one rather than two separate cables.
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LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread
- Thread starter iBrooker
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Next day availability is back here in Germany. Will purchase once the temporary VAT reduction takes effect in Germany from July.
Yes, a week ago in the US, Apple was quoting mid-July delivery. By Tuesday, it was next-day. I guess that puts cold water on the idea that Apple will release a similar product at WWDC.
In the US, Apple has an “employee purchase plan” with many employers that gives a 10% discount on the LG monitor. You might check to see if there is something similar in Germany. It brings it down to $1170 before tax here.
I know this is an old post, but I just got the LG Ultrafine 5K (2019 model) last week. I noticed with either the LG USB-C cable or the Apple Thunderbolt Cable (which supports TB3 and USB-C signals), my 2017 MacBook appears to be able to drive the LG at the full 5K (not something documented in either the tech specs of the 2017 MacBook or the support document for the LG). I confirmed by selecting 5120x2880 in Settings, and dragging a full-size 1280 pixel window from my MacBook screen to the LG (noting that it was 1/4 of the width of the LG screen).
Interestingly, my Windows PC (HP Elitebook 840 G5 from 2018) can only get 4K when connected to the Thunderbolt port directly, and only with either the LG USB-C cable or the Apple cable. The LG Thunderbolt cable doesn’t work directly plugged into the HP (I just get a black screen, though it detects the display). Through my HP Thunderbolt Dock, I get 5K through the TB3 port with either the LG TB3 cable or the Apple cable. The LG USB-C cable supports only 4K through either the TB3 port or the USB-C DP port on the dock.
It seems that perhaps the 2017 MacBook is capable of sending a DP 1.4 signal to support 5K over USB-C.
The 2017 MacBook does not have Thunderbolt so it cannot do 5K on the LG UltraFine 5K display. You are looking at 5K framebuffer size being scaled down to 4K output signal by the GPU of the MacBook. Use the AGDCDiagnose command or SwitchResX to view output signal info.
Seems there's a problem connecting the display directly to the HP Elitebook. The LG USB-C cable can't do 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 so it doesn't allow 5K.
2017 MacBook has old Intel graphics limited to DP 1.2 max 4096 width output signal. It can scale 6K down to 4K.
2020 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro has new Intel graphics that can do DP 1.4, 6K output with DSC.
The AGDCDiagnose command tells you what the output signal is, output resolution, and output pixel format.
Also thinking about to get one soon.
But I wanna wait till 22 of June and maybe u never know if they might show up a new model or something similar.
Thanks for the clarification. I’m not sure how to decipher the AGDCDiagnose data. Is there a way to tell whether it is up scaling native 4096x2304 (the stated maximum of the HD 615) or 3840x2160?
The output of AGDCDiagnose depends on the graphics drivers for the GPU. I would have to look at the output to say for sure.
You'll want to try SwitchResX. It's easier to understand even if it doesn't have all the information that AGDCDiagnose has. Plus it shows all the resolutions (AGDCDiagnose only shows info for the current resolution).
Look at the set of current resolutions in the "Current Resolutions" tab in SwitchResX for the display. Is there a non-scaled 4096x2304 timing? In the same tab, is there a 5120x2880 scaled timing? Double click that to look at the timing info. It should have the timing info of the 4096x2304 timing (check "Active" horizontal and vertical) with "Scaled to" set to 5120x2880. If not, then it may be using a 3840x2160 timing.
If the 4096x2304 timing is missing then you can try adding it as a custom timing. I think it's missing for the new LG UltraFine 5K (5b74) but not for the old LG UltraFine 5K (5b11). Maybe the new LG UltraFine 5K can't do 4096x2304? I guess you can try it to find out. If it works, then look at the "Scaled resolutions base" in the "Display Information tab" in SwitchResX for the display. Is it set to 4096x2304? If not then set that. Now the 5120x2880 scaled timing should use the 4096x2304 timing info.
If you try adding the 4096x2304 timing, you can try CVT-RB or CVT-RB v2, or you can try the timing that is used by the old LG UltraFine 5K:
4096x2304@59.999Hz 142.198kHz 593.82MHz h(8 32 40 +) v(1 8 57 -)So I have a couple the Monitors Circa 2017 - 1st Generation. At varios times I experience several of the known issues: not waking up, slight retention that goes away, but mostly they worked. In the last few weeks, they started to behave badly, turning on and off like christmas trees. This coincided with the release of 10.5.15 and with a new router that replaced an aging Apple time capsule (a Netgear with WiFi 6 and lots of antennas). After the router change, things were OK, but it also coincided with a firmware upgrade to the router that may have "opened" more frequencies. Lot's of troubleshooting. LG is no help. Apple tried different approaches. I borrowed a pair from a colleague - also circa 2017 - same problems, so we suspected the MBP that passes all test with flying colors, and same behavior in safe mode with no other software loaded.
Finally I moved the MBP and the 2 monitors to a far away place from the router and turned off the extender in that other room. I tested for a couple of hours and seem to work.
Returned the monitors to my home office, where the router is. I have placed the router as far away as possible and on the floor. I think interference it is the culprit (not sure as even with the far way router they occasionally go dark for a few seconds). I have contacted LG - willing to pay them their $150 repair fee to shield the two monitors. At first LG said OK and gave me RMA numbers, but then they called and said their US repair center is no longer able to handle these units as they used to - they say they simply have no one qualified in the outsourced repair facility. I contacted the only 3rd party repair shop in miles. An outfit that repairs the LG household goods as well. The person I spoke to, told me I need to leave the monitors. They will charge a $69 dollar per monitor assessment fee and then they will inform me the cost of the repair. I ask them I only need the shielding placed. They had no idea what I was talking about. While California has strong consumer laws obligating manufacturers to "reasonably" repair after warranty for a number of years, my goal is not to pick a fight with LG, Just "shield" this known defect of the 1st generation (and pay them for it). My concern is the one shop, may do more damage than help and the costs is random and unknown until after they disassemble. I wish I could move the router to another room, but it is impractical at the moment.
Questions: Any ideas on self shielding? Any ideas on repair? Anyone else facing the interference issue? Any one else told the "no repair by us spiel" recently by LG?
Finally I moved the MBP and the 2 monitors to a far away place from the router and turned off the extender in that other room. I tested for a couple of hours and seem to work.
Returned the monitors to my home office, where the router is. I have placed the router as far away as possible and on the floor. I think interference it is the culprit (not sure as even with the far way router they occasionally go dark for a few seconds). I have contacted LG - willing to pay them their $150 repair fee to shield the two monitors. At first LG said OK and gave me RMA numbers, but then they called and said their US repair center is no longer able to handle these units as they used to - they say they simply have no one qualified in the outsourced repair facility. I contacted the only 3rd party repair shop in miles. An outfit that repairs the LG household goods as well. The person I spoke to, told me I need to leave the monitors. They will charge a $69 dollar per monitor assessment fee and then they will inform me the cost of the repair. I ask them I only need the shielding placed. They had no idea what I was talking about. While California has strong consumer laws obligating manufacturers to "reasonably" repair after warranty for a number of years, my goal is not to pick a fight with LG, Just "shield" this known defect of the 1st generation (and pay them for it). My concern is the one shop, may do more damage than help and the costs is random and unknown until after they disassemble. I wish I could move the router to another room, but it is impractical at the moment.
Questions: Any ideas on self shielding? Any ideas on repair? Anyone else facing the interference issue? Any one else told the "no repair by us spiel" recently by LG?
Just got the latest 27MD5KL-B, I can confirmed that image retention still a problem, but at least it take minutes before it stuck, and go away within a minute.
It hard to say what it will become in future, since my previous generation one never had such problem until last week, which suddenly starting to get image retention with just a few seconds staying on same screen, then last up to 10 minute before it disappeared.
The uneven tint of tint is also still a problem....
It hard to say what it will become in future, since my previous generation one never had such problem until last week, which suddenly starting to get image retention with just a few seconds staying on same screen, then last up to 10 minute before it disappeared.
The uneven tint of tint is also still a problem....
Signed up to the site just to double-tap. I'm seeing the same issues with my LG 5K ultra fine internal camera in FaceTime and Zoom (kind of a big problem now that our entire lives are conducted over web cam).
My old MacBook Pro 2017 never had any trouble. Frustrating to buy a brand new top of the line 2020 MacBook Pro 13 machine and actually see a *regression* in usefulness, at least for this use case.
Well I had my LG 5K delivered today, unpacked, and setup. But I've now repacked and requested a return back to Apple. Why? It's because it seems that I have same vertical banding/moire issues that appear only on white backgrounds that others have seen:
I was wondering if any others have seen issues like this as well with their 5K monitor? It looks like an issue with the anti-glare coating or with the diffuser. I'm not 100% sure. It's such a shame since besides this one issue the image quality is faultless and if it was for the fact that it so expensive I probably would of let it slide.
I was wondering if any others have seen issues like this as well with their 5K monitor? It looks like an issue with the anti-glare coating or with the diffuser. I'm not 100% sure. It's such a shame since besides this one issue the image quality is faultless and if it was for the fact that it so expensive I probably would of let it slide.
See the comment on the second link:
This is generally true, so you could try them for 7-10days on full brightness to see if they diminish over time on normal everyday non-plain grey screens where they're much less noticeable. Then consider return, if desired.
AFAIU, it's analogous to wearing-in shoes, so the they fit more comfortably as they mould to ones exact feet. That type of thing.
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Thank you for the information. I was perhaps a bit too hasty. I will keep using this monitor for the next three-four days and see if it improves. Running at full brightness has diminished the pattern I was seeing before so hopefully this one is a keeper....
I had this issue, I sent it in for repair and the new panel doesn’t have the issue. Things are a bit slow right now, but overall good service.
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I just bought one of these to replace an iMac I gave my son. I use it with a 2020 13" MBP and have been impressed so far. I'm a little concerned that ARM Macs might not have TB3, which would mean I couldn't use this with a new Mac. I need to read more about intel licensing or possible backwards compatibility with Thunderbolt 4. I'm good with this setup for years but it would be nice if this $1200 monitor will work with the new hardware. I know those dev minis wouldn't but that doesn't tell us much I suppose.
Thunderbolt 3 will be on Apple Silicon devices. AMD have already licensed the port from Intel already, and Apple wouldn't remove it on AS, as it would mean a regression in speeds available and mass incompatibility with millions of TB3 devices already being used on Macs now.
buying the newer version of the LG UltraFine 5K display could determine if it will work with newer hardware. You can check your version number:
The product ID of the old one is 0x5b11. The product ID of the new one is 0x5b74.
There might be a model number on the back of the display, 27MD5KA for the old one and 27MD5KL for the new one.
I’ve sent it back. I will buy again as there isn’t another monitor in that size class with 5K resolution.