MBP 16 inch with multiple high resolution monitors

[andreasfcb]

At work, I am used to a multi screen setup for over 10 years now. My current setup is: iMac 2017 5K plus two 4K screens from LG. We are now considering to switch to a MBP setup. For me, the 16 inch MBP seems a good candidate. I am curious to hear from users with a multiple monitor setup whether they have issues. In another thread here, I read about annoying fan noise.

With the new MBP, I have basically two scenarios in mind:

1) I would use two or three 4K screens so I would have more or less the same setup as now (4K+5K+4K). Is there any user with double or triple 4K who can report that it works well? Right now, there seems no Thunderbolt dock that supports three screens. The only option I see is to plug in multiple cables every time I move the MBP.

2) I could also imagine using at least one ultra-wide screen (32:9, 5120*1440, this is half of 5K or equivalent to 2*2K) screen. According to Apple, one can drive up to four 4K screens with the new MBP 16 inch. But I find it odd that in online reviews on Amazon, people are claiming they cannot use the full resolution with ultra-wide screens, even though the MBP should support 6K screens as well. Have you used an ultra-wide with a 5K width successfully? Can you use more than 60 Hz if the screen supports it (Apple says max. 60 Hz for all resolutions?)?

Thanks for your input, I am curious to hear some feedback. If the MBP is not good enough, I actually do not know how to upgrade our workstations. Mac Pro and iMac Pro are too expensive and overkill for our tasks. iMac is not really portable, but beside the MBP 16 inch the only good option for our work environment.

 

[mightyjabba]

I can't address the "high resolution" part, but my experience using 3 non-retina displays with the 16" has been mixed. I imagine this can be blamed on Catalina, but there do seem to be bugs involving things like sleep and plugging/unplugging displays. And the machine will run a fair bit hotter when plugged into external displays, even when not doing anything.

 

[ruslan120]

This setup will provide you with enough ports to drive 4K, 4K, 5K, but I’m not sure whether there will be enough bandwidth on a single TB3 port to do so.

MBP -> CalDigit TS3 (1 DisplayPort, 4K) -> BlackMagic eGPU (1 Thunderbolt Port, 5K, 1 HDMI Port, 4K).

The eGPU will also run slower if it’s daisy chained into a TB3 dock.

* I think the BlackMagic eGPU supports 4K over HDMI 2.0. I haven’t double checked.

 

[andreasfcb]

This setup will provide you with enough ports to drive 4K, 4K, 5K, but I’m not sure whether there will be enough bandwidth on a single TB3 port to do so.

MBP -> CalDigit TS3 (1 DisplayPort, 4K) -> BlackMagic eGPU (1 Thunderbolt Port, 5K, 1 HDMI Port, 4K).

The eGPU will also run slower if it’s daisy chained into a TB3 dock.

* I think the BlackMagic eGPU supports 4K over HDMI 2.0. I haven’t double checked.

I basically gave up on Thunderbolt docks. The best I have seen can do 2 * 4K @ 60Hz at most or 1 * 5K @ 60Hz.

The real question is if the MBP 16 inch can even handle the 5120*1440 resolution, because many people report it does not work at all. Of course, it should be able to handle it when it can theoretically handle even two 5K screens.

 

[ruslan120]

I basically gave up on Thunderbolt docks. The best I have seen can do 2 * 4K @ 60Hz at most or 1 * 5K

Maybe docks can support that maximum, but an eGPU daisy chained after the dock might support more.

 

[andreasfcb]

Was anyone able to drive the Samsung, LG or Dell 5K*2K 49 inch 32:9 screens at full resolution on MBP 16 inch? The internet is full of people claiming it does not work even though full 5K should be supported.

 

[jinnyman]

Atleast spec wise, MBP 16" should handle all possible setups mentioned. However, there are some reports having issues with multiple monitors. I'm not sure if it's really wide spread issue or not.

 

[andreasfcb]

Atleast spec wise, MBP 16" should handle all possible setups mentioned. However, there are some reports having issues with multiple monitors. I'm not sure if it's really wide spread issue or not.

I know, that's what makes it weird that reviews on Amazon indicate it will not work on the MBP 16'', but on older MBP.

Anyone? Seems like this setup is too much of a niche.

 

[jerryk]

I would stay with your iMac based setup. Or perhaps upgrade to a Mac Pro. This will be quieter, faster, and more expandable.

Laptops are all devices compromised for portability. If you need portability sometimes consider getting a lower powered/cost laptop in addition to your iMac. Unless you are really going to use them a lots as a portable also, it hard to justify getting a 16" and anchoring often to a desk.

 

[andreasfcb]

I would rule iMac Pro and Mac Pro out because they are way too expensive for what they deliver (I do not heavily edit videos). Probably the iMac is the best deal for now. Personally, I would like to have smaller bezels.

I was really surprised to read that it is still not that simple to run multiple 4K screens. I use 4K screens for several years now with PC (4K works with DP 1.2) and with iMac (works with TB3), but it does not seem so easy to find a suitable device for my purpose.

 

[seangrimes590]

I basically gave up on Thunderbolt docks. The best I have seen can do 2 * 4K @ 60Hz at most or 1 * 5K @ 60Hz.

The real question is if the MBP 16 inch can even handle the 5120*1440 resolution, because many people report it does not work at all. Of course, it should be able to handle it when it can theoretically handle even two 5K screens.

The Dell WD19TB dock:
"
Ultimate connectivity: Thunderbolt™ connectivity makes it easier than ever to deliver power, data, audio and video as well as connect to system peripherals, no matter what system you use. Plus, with support for up to three displays, including a single 5K and dual 4K monitorsi, you can connect to everything you need.
"
I just got one today, don't have the monitors to test out your requirements but it is one of few docks using the new(er) Titan Ridge TB3 controllers which enable DisplayPort 1.4 which is a requirement for what you want to do. So far, in my whole 4 hours of use, it's working perfectly.

 

[andreasfcb]

i-tec Thunderbolt 3 dock supports 2 4K displays at 60 Hz as well. We have one at home (with a Macbook Pro 13 inch) and it works well.

 

[rockstar_crazy]

So I have A macbook pro 16 inch (intel i9 , 32gb ram and 8gb radeon pro 5500m) I want to know if the mac can handle two 4k monitors because I already have 1 lg UltraFine 4k and Im using the monitor to run windows on parallels but I want to use the lg UltraFine that I have with a lg 27gn950 to do some coding and use parallels windows on the laptop monitor. Im using iStat to check temps and memory usage and when im using parallels on the external monitor istats says that im using haft of my radeon card. Another question can I daisy chain the lg UltraFine monitor with the lg 27gn950 using a type-c to HDMI cable? or I can fry the new monitor because I think that if it works it will be using one of the two thunder-port on the back of the lg monitor

​