M1 MBA and High Resolution Monitors

[lJoSquaredl]

I have an M1 MBA and I've been thoroughly enjoying it so far. I've always used a 1080p monitor but since this one doesn't have power delivery I'm looking to upgrade. Obviously the M1 isn't Intel but in the past I've always heard fan noise even when using a 1080p monitor. I'm considering upgrading but was curious if I should be shooting for 1440p or 4k. I know the M1 can handle a 4K resolution due to the iMacs, but I've also heard the new M1 iMacs use the fans a decent amount as well. Obviously the MBA doesn't have fans so should I be shooting more for a 1440p display to keep the drag on my laptop down to a minimum while still getting new features and a higher resolution? I edit video too so that's also a large reason for the concern, I don't wanna get a 4k display if it's already going to be heating up my machine before I even open up FCP.

Also I've heard 1440p displays are better cuz they're closer to the 110/220 dpi spots MacOS seems to like for scaling, any truth to that for users out there that have one or the other?

 

[Macdude2010]

I have an M1 MacBook Air hooked up to the 6K Pro Display XDR and it handles it like a champ, much better than previous 13 inch MacBooks. 4K should be no problem.

 

[Amethyst1]

Also I've heard 1440p displays are better cuz they're closer to the 110/220 dpi spots MacOS seems to like for scaling,

The problem is... font rendering isn't nearly as good on these 110 ppi non-HiDPI displays as it is on e.g. a 4K display, even when running the latter at a scaled resolution.

 

[riptidewahoo]

I have an M1 MBA and I've been thoroughly enjoying it so far. I've always used a 1080p monitor but since this one doesn't have power delivery I'm looking to upgrade. Obviously the M1 isn't Intel but in the past I've always heard fan noise even when using a 1080p monitor. I'm considering upgrading but was curious if I should be shooting for 1440p or 4k. I know the M1 can handle a 4K resolution due to the iMacs, but I've also heard the new M1 iMacs use the fans a decent amount as well. Obviously the MBA doesn't have fans so should I be shooting more for a 1440p display to keep the drag on my laptop down to a minimum while still getting new features and a higher resolution? I edit video too so that's also a large reason for the concern, I don't wanna get a 4k display if it's already going to be heating up my machine before I even open up FCP.

Also I've heard 1440p displays are better cuz they're closer to the 110/220 dpi spots MacOS seems to like for scaling, any truth to that for users out there that have one or the other?

I'm running my M1 Air on a 27" LG 4K monitor at 1440p scaling and I have absolutely zero complaints about the quality of font rendering. The Air is also cool to the touch during browsing/productivity but I'm not a video editor.

 

[riptidewahoo]

delete

 

[Toutou]

I don't wanna get a 4k display if it's already going to be heating up my machine

M1 Air here, no significant temperature difference between using the built-in screen and my 4K display. Don't worry.

 

[fifo55555]

I have an M1 MacBook Air hooked up to the 6K Pro Display XDR and it handles it like a champ, much better than previous 13 inch MacBooks. 4K should be no problem.

I bet the 6K Pro Display XDR is very impressive. I had the iMac 24" for a week or so, and I didn't think the screen was nearly as good as the 5K Retina on my 2017 27" iMac.

I like glossy monitors and am not concerned about reflection etc as I can control the room lightning. I've googled and I can't find anything that matches the 5K Retina. Yes, there is the LG 27" UltraFine, but LG appears to have significant QC issues.

Just wondering if you have any suggestions as to what monitor to buy if you had to go down market, from the 6K Pro, that is, but somewhat similar to the 5K Retina?

 

[Amethyst1]

Just wondering if you have any suggestions as to what monitor to buy if you had to go down market, from the 6K Pro, that is, but somewhat similar to the 5K Retina?

FWIW I have a Dell UP2715K that I picked up second-hand for less than $500. Love it. You need a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort 1.2 adapter to hook it up to a M1 Mac.

 

[fifo55555]

FWIW I have a Dell UP2715K that I picked up second-hand for less than $500. Love it. You need a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort 1.2 adapter to hook it up to a M1 Mac.

Thanks for your reply. I live in Sydney Australia and that model is not available here. It may be available but with a different model number. However, I forgot to mention, I also want a glossy screen, like the Retina 5K. There appears to be very few glossy monitors in the market; the majority are matte.

 

[Amethyst1]

I live in Sydney Australia and that model is not available here.

The UP2715K has been discontinued without replacement and can only be bought second-hand. I got mine off eBay. Sorry for not having mentioned this earlier. And it is glossy.
There's also the Iiyama XB2770QQS which only requires a single DisplayPort 1.4 input (M1 Macs have that) but only does 8 bit per colour due to bandwidth constraints of DP 1.4. The other "5K" monitors all do 10 bpc via 2× DP 1.2.

 

[Aggedor]

Picked up a 4k LG UN500 last week (they seem to be on sale everywhere), and I love it. Using it with my M1 MBA connected via HDMI via the Apple Multi AV Adaptor (60Hz 4K). I had been using the MBA with an Asus 165Hz 1440p gaming monitor, but the MBA only powers up to 60Hz, and the resolution was pretty fuzzy. macOS really is built for scaling/pixel doubling/whatever you call it.

M1 MBA performance is fine, the machine never gets even slightly warm. I have it sitting in a TwelveSouth Book Arc next to the monitor.