Macbook air mid 2012 + 4k monitor

[dfusion-]

Hey guys, I've got a question which I know the answers is probably no :

I have the opportunity to buy the Dell P2715Q from a friend.

I current have a macbook air mid 2012 which I know can only output 2560 by 1600 on an external display.

My question is whether I can connect the 4k monitor on to my macbook air and run it on 2560 x 1440 instead of the 3840 × 2160 resolution of the monitor.

If by any chance this is possible do I need any adapters or will the displayport cable -> thunderbolt port be sufficient?

thank you!

 

[pd90506]

I think you can!
This is the display settings on my macbook air, which connected to an ASUS monitor of 1080p resolution.

I can change the resolution. By the way, my macbook air is 2014 model.

EDIT: early 2015 model.

 

[dfusion-]

bump

 

[ignatius345]

Not sure if this helps, but I came across this a couple weeks ago when researching whether Minis can run 4K monitors (some can, but at low frame rates) http://osxdaily.com/2015/10/18/mac-setup-desk-of-a-software-developer-it-architect/

Anyway, down in the comments, the guy whose setup it is says:

btw: I actually got it to display at full 4K res, but at 30hz. Decided to scale it back to 60hz at my current res.

Which to me implies that he was able to just use the 4K monitor at a lower resolution. I'm not sure what the advantage would be, but it does give you the option to keep the monitor and upgrade your computer later to use all those pixels...

 

[dfusion-]

interesting! thanks!!

 

[dimzen]

You can
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP650

• Dual display and video mirroring:
  Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors