OS X 10.10.3 Now Supports Dell's Dual-Cable 5K Monitor on Retina iMac and Mac Pro

[MTW]

- WORST OF ALL: it almost never wakes from sleep (and powering on/off) won't help. You basically have to power down your ENTIRE MAC every time you walk away, because otherwise you'll end up blind and having to force-shutdown. Which I've done many times, and yes, data loss can result. Only a full boot will make a picture appear reliably..

Hi. Long time reader, zero time commenter. Registered as I know the solution to the problem you're having!

Check your revision sticker on the back of your monitor. Dell did a silent update to that monitor to fix the issues you describe. They come from a buggy MST implementation - most 4k monitors shipped early on have that problem. If your revision is A00 call Dell support. They will need to replace the whole monitor for you. You'll get the A01 revision, which has that bug fixed.

As a bonus, you'll get a new stand (which doesn't sit on a weird angle)

One more thing: the P2415Q exists now. Much cheaper ($400) and doesn't use MST at all - so absolutely zero MST weirdness. Just like a normal monitor.

 

[mattopotamus]

No it can't - not the 5K Dell display, only 4K, and at a relatively paltry 30Hz (not great for vdeo).

The new rMB does support 60hz with 4K.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856

 

[palebluedot]

So... if you think a Dell is the display of your dreams, go in with low expectations. Expect a cheaply-made, unreliable stopgap until you can afford (and find!) something better.

I think you are wrong on this. Dell customer support for their high-end/pro monitors is equivalent to AppleCare/Apple customer support in my experience. I've personally had Dell go through 5 seperate monitors with me to make sure I found one with the gamut, lack of bleed, and angles I liked.

I've had just as many mfg defects in Apple products as Dell monitors and I've found both companies (with the exception of having to email Tim Cook to get something fixed once) easily stand behind their products. YMMV, but I think you may be an outlier there. Should have called Dell and gotten a new unit.

 

[skellener]

I have Dell's identically-styled UP2414Q 4k display, which (at that 23.x-inch size) is a gorgeous sharp retina resolution, with a great-looking color gamut (as long as you don't use black/dark backgrounds or night scenes, which have a ton of lower-third glow.) OS X supports multiple scaled resolutions just like a retina MacBook Pro, and they all look great.

And aside from the picture, it's terrible! I wish there had been SOME other external retina display choice for my black Mac Pro. (But there wasn't: other 4k displays were too big, leaving pixels unsuitable for either 1:1 or scaled use.)

The problems are many, but chief among them:

- The built-in USB ports are unpowered (seriously!) and disconnect entirely from the computer when the display is asleep even if the computer is away. NEVER connect a USB stick or storage to the display.

- Cheaply made with some sheet-aluminum and some creaky plastic painted to not-really-match the aluminum. The portrait/landscape rotate (which I thought used to work but doesn't anymore) always sits at a slight angle off of level. You get used to it, but who wants an always-crooked monitor? Plus, a few tiny bits of dust and hair in between the layers of this brand-new display--like dead pixels but bigger. I could have asked for a warranty swap, but you get a refurb, which by all accounts is likely to be scuffed up and dirty and worse than the original.

- Awful controls. Trying to change the brightness is needless extra steps, with buttons that sometimes work and sometimes don't.

- No webcam, no speakers, no mic (so no iPhone handoff), no ambient light sensor (so you must fight those menus daily), no cleanable, dent-proof cover-glass, no MagSafe charger. This is NOT an Apple-level display, even if the panel itself is (mostly) nice.

- WORST OF ALL: it almost never wakes from sleep (and powering on/off) won't help. You basically have to power down your ENTIRE MAC every time you walk away, because otherwise you'll end up blind and having to force-shutdown. Which I've done many times, and yes, data loss can result. Only a full boot will make a picture appear reliably.

So... if you think a Dell is the display of your dreams, go in with low expectations. Expect a cheaply-made, unreliable stopgap until you can afford (and find!) something better.

My two DELL U2414H Displays (1920x1080) have worked perfectly since the day I got them and hooked them to my MacPro. It's OS X that doesn't work when trying to daisy chain two through Displayport.

 

[Jack Burton]

Weird things like this have me coming super close to ordering a maxed out iMac retina...

...but that ATI video hardware will have me missing all sorts of CUDA accelerated goodies in C4d and other places. I'd probably need to look at doing an nVidia card in a Thunderbolt breakout box if I got the iMac when I need to do fluid sims and GPU rendering.

If Apple updated the iMac retina with nVidia hardware I wouldn't consider sticking with my PC and i'd order this afternoon.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

They've been predicting new Apple displays for how many years now?

 

[dagamer34]

Are we thinking the next MBP 15" will be Skylake or Broadwell? When are we expecting it... WWDC? Later this year?

I expect a Broadwell update at WWDC. Skylake will be saved for next year with a high likelihood of a redesign, dumping all ports except USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 3 and a headphone jack in an effort to make the laptop even thinner. Yep, that means HDMI and SD card slot will probably go too.

 

[SpiderDude]

That's not what the article says: it says the Retina Macbook only supports 1 4K display up to 3840*2160 @30Hz.

I was imagining you could still use the laptop's screen. No?

 

[AlecZ]

So, Dell doesn't employ a single designer? That is one fugly monitor.

What? No, it's pretty nice.

 

[nagromme]

Hi. Long time reader, zero time commenter. Registered as I know the solution to the problem you're having!

Check your revision sticker on the back of your monitor. Dell did a silent update to that monitor to fix the issues you describe. They come from a buggy MST implementation - most 4k monitors shipped early on have that problem. If your revision is A00 call Dell support. They will need to replace the whole monitor for you. You'll get the A01 revision, which has that bug fixed.

As a bonus, you'll get a new stand (which doesn't sit on a weird angle)

One more thing: the P2415Q exists now. Much cheaper ($400) and doesn't use MST at all - so absolutely zero MST weirdness. Just like a normal monitor.

Thanks! I've heard of that revision, but I've also heard of the new revision NOT fixing the problem. (Hadn't heard about the new stand though!)

And supposedly I WILL get a used/refurb if I ask for that swap: likely more hairs and dust and scratches than the brand-new one came with. I've heard horror stories. It's a gamble I could win--or lose.

I'm still thinking of trying it, but with the solution being less than 100% certain, I don't want to--yet. (Plus I've heard Dell makes you pay for costly shipping?)

Thanks for registering, I will bookmark your post and keep it in mind!

I think you are wrong on this. Dell customer support for their high-end/pro monitors is equivalent to AppleCare/Apple customer support in my experience.

That's encouraging to hear! Thanks for passing that along.

But when I have called Dell customer support, they have been very close to useless. Maybe their employees vary as widely in quality as their displays But you have given me motivation to persist! If they could tell me I won't get a refurb and won't pay shipping (and if I can get that comment in an email as proof) I'll certainly try a few swaps!

My two DELL U2414H Displays (1920x1080) have worked perfectly since the day I got them and hooked them to my MacPro. It's OS X that doesn't work when trying to daisy chain two through Displayport.

Unrelated. I have a different display (2414Q, which is 4k, not the 1080p one you have) and I have only one, not two. I'm not daisy-chaining anything.

So, Dell doesn't employ a single designer? That is one fugly monitor.

Yes, they do have one part-timer--and her job (which she did badly) was to copy this:

 

[MTW]

Thanks! I've heard that, but I've also heard of the new revision NOT fixing the problem.

And I WILL get a used/refurb if I ask for that swap: more hairs and dust and scratches than the brand-new one came with. I've heard horror stories.

I'm still thinking of trying it, but with the solution being less than certain, I don't want to for now. (Plus I've heard Dell makes you pay for costly shipping?)

I had the UP2414Q before I upgraded. The revision fixed the problem for me. MST in and of itself is a dirty hack, a MST monitor will never operate quite like a SST monitor. Still, after the swap the weirdness should just be 'the monitor takes an extra second or two to wake after sleep'

AFAIK they come in retail packaging.

Dell does not make you pay for shipping.

You could always sell the UP2414Q and get the P2415Q. That one fixes most of your complaints, doubly so the MST-related ones. It doesn't pretend to have a metal finish anymore, it doesn't have touch buttons. Just all together better. I say 'sell' as the UP2414Q is, for reasons passing my understanding, selling for more than the P2414Q's MSRP. Maybe people really want that 'metal' housing?

Oh, and the UP2414Q will never work right on non-2013 Mac Pros (no MST support), but the P2415Q will work on any Mac Pro with a DisplayPort 1.2 GPU (a MacVidCards 7950/7970 being among the cheapest ways to get one)

Plug and play.

Yes, they do have one part-timer--and her job (which she did badly) was to copy this:

Image

Oh please. Dell's ports-on-back design predates that iMac even existing. Putting ports on the back of the display isn't even close to something Apple 'owns'. Apple may 'own' the ports facing straight out, I get that....but Dell displays have them facing down (an annoyance to anyone who needs to unplug something from their monitor)

Either way, that seems like a really silly thing to be screaming 'knockoff!' about.

 

[fuchsdh]

I have Dell's identically-styled UP2414Q 4k display, which (at that 23.x-inch size) is a gorgeous sharp retina resolution, with a great-looking color gamut (as long as you don't use black/dark backgrounds or night scenes, which have a ton of lower-third glow.) OS X supports multiple scaled resolutions just like a retina MacBook Pro, and they all look great.

And aside from the picture, it's terrible! I wish there had been SOME other external retina display choice for my black Mac Pro. (But there wasn't: other 4k displays were too big, leaving pixels unsuitable for either 1:1 or scaled use.)

The problems are many, but chief among them:

- The built-in USB ports are unpowered (seriously!) and disconnect entirely from the computer when the display is asleep even if the computer is away. NEVER connect a USB stick or storage to the display.

- Cheaply made with some sheet-aluminum and some creaky plastic painted to not-really-match the aluminum. The portrait/landscape rotate (which I thought used to work but doesn't anymore) always sits at a slight angle off of level. You get used to it, but who wants an always-crooked monitor? Plus, a few tiny bits of dust and hair in between the layers of this brand-new display--like dead pixels but bigger. I could have asked for a warranty swap, but you get a refurb, which by all accounts is likely to be scuffed up and dirty and worse than the original.

- Awful controls. Trying to change the brightness is needless extra steps, with buttons that sometimes work and sometimes don't.

- No webcam, no speakers, no mic (so no iPhone handoff), no ambient light sensor (so you must fight those menus daily), no cleanable, dent-proof cover-glass, no MagSafe charger. This is NOT an Apple-level display, even if the panel itself is (mostly) nice.

- WORST OF ALL: it almost never wakes from sleep (and powering on/off) won't help. You basically have to power down your ENTIRE MAC every time you walk away, because otherwise you'll end up blind and having to force-shutdown. Which I've done many times, and yes, data loss can result. Only a full boot will make a picture appear reliably.

So... if you think a Dell is the display of your dreams, go in with low expectations. Expect a cheaply-made, unreliable stopgap until you can afford (and find!) something better.

My Dell 2415Q on my Radeon 7950-equipped Mac Pro tower has none of those issues (and is a nicer panel than the 14 to boot.) The inconsistent controls and awkward build construction are issues, but unlike an Apple display you have great latitude in angle and height, so pick your poison.

 

[MTW]

My Dell 2415Q on my Radeon 7950-equipped Mac Pro tower has none of those issues (and is a nicer panel than the 14 to boot.) The inconsistent controls and awkward build construction are issues, but unlike an Apple display you have great latitude in angle and height, so pick your poison.

You also don't have a glossy screen. That's the big one for me.

 

[diarbyrag]

tired of waiting

I'd be happy with even "just" a Thunderbolt 2 4K display. But I'm waiting for Skylake anyway and by then won't personally need a new TB display if I'm going to get a 5K/8K/whateverK iMac. But I've wanted a new TB display for the past couple of years and Apple lost out on that sale.

15 months waiting for Apple to update their display since I bought my RMBP, still selling the Thunderbolt 1 version with the old mag connectors for full price is pathetic. Can't believe they couldn't even bother to update it in the meantime.

Just had a look at the new CG248-4K 24" Eizo 4k display, looks like Apple are gonna miss my money unless something appears very soon

99% Adobe RGB and beautiful IPS matt screen,

sadly can't afford the 31" version

display port connection but it ran fine at the demo

 

[chfilm]

Sweet, now THAT is good news for us old new mac Pro owners!!!

 

[kyjaotkb]

The new rMB does support 60hz with 4K.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856

Thanks for your comment - but it is in my view fairly confusing. The website first says:

HDMI
The MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) will support these displays and rates using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
3840x2160 at 30 Hz refresh rate
4096x2160 at 24 Hz refresh rate (mirroring is not supported at this resolution)

Then:

DisplayPort
With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)


As of today, there is no USB-C to Displayport adapter or USB-C compatible external display... so no way to currently power a 4k 60Hz screen with a retina MacBook - am I wrong?

 

[ifraaank]

Will a Mac Pro drive two of these monitors? (using 4 of the Thunderbolt ports, of course)

I'm thinking the same! Would love an answer to this question!

 

[Saucesome2000]

So, Dell doesn't employ a single designer? That is one fugly monitor.

This guy. I like him.

 

[nagromme]

I had the UP2414Q before I upgraded. The revision fixed the problem for me. MST in and of itself is a dirty hack, a MST monitor will never operate quite like a SST monitor. Still, after the swap the weirdness should just 'the monitor takes an extra second or two to wake after sleep'

AFAIK they come in retail packaging.

Dell does not make you pay for shipping.

Thanks for the report—I will try again!

Oh please. Dell's ports-on-back design predates that iMac even existing. Putting ports on the back of the display isn't even close to something Apple 'owns'. Apple may 'own' the ports facing straight out, I get that....but Dell displays have them facing down (an annoyance to anyone who needs to unplug something from their monitor)

Either way, that seems like a really silly thing to be screaming 'knockoff!' about.

Not screaming, and never mentioned "knockoff"--just poking (deserved) fun at Dell's history. And nothing at all to do with the ports on the back (I would think numerous displays have done that for decades), but about more specific details. Metal frame with black bulge-shaped back and vents turned into a long slot at the top, with a metal mono-stand and cable pass-through.

Yes, Dell might have come up with all that having never seen Apple's work. Might, or might not.

 

[matt2053]

Thanks for your comment - but it is in my view fairly confusing. The website first says:

HDMI
The MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) will support these displays and rates using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
3840x2160 at 30 Hz refresh rate
4096x2160 at 24 Hz refresh rate (mirroring is not supported at this resolution)

Then:

DisplayPort
With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)


As of today, there is no USB-C to Displayport adapter or USB-C compatible external display... so no way to currently power a 4k 60Hz screen with a retina MacBook - am I wrong?

You are correct! It will require an adapter/cable which we don't seem to have yet.

 

[MTW]

Not screaming, and never mentioned "knockoff"--just poking (deserved) fun at Dell's history. And nothing at all to do with the ports on the back (I would think numerous displays have done that for decades), but about more specific details. Metal frame with black bulge-shaped back and vents turned into a long slot at the top, with a metal mono-stand and cable pass-through.

Yes, Dell might have come up with all that having never seen Apple's work. Might, or might not.

It really feels like reaching. On that display, the vents are needed because it runs hot (another thing fixed on the P2415Q). They are black because the bezel is black. I don't have any UP2414Qs on hand anymore, but I never though the back looked anything like the iMac bulge.

The metal stand kind of feels like a 'Apple' thing but more so to make the monitor match your Apple gear (HiDPI support is a mess in Windows and Dell knows it) as opposed to Samsung-esque.

Those details (metal bezel, metal stand) got dropped the second Dell was able to make the display at a price that would appeal to PC users.

 

[cfedu]

Thanks for your comment - but it is in my view fairly confusing. The website first says:

HDMI
The MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) will support these displays and rates using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
3840x2160 at 30 Hz refresh rate
4096x2160 at 24 Hz refresh rate (mirroring is not supported at this resolution)

Then:

DisplayPort
With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)


As of today, there is no USB-C to Displayport adapter or USB-C compatible external display... so no way to currently power a 4k 60Hz screen with a retina MacBook - am I wrong?

They exist, you just can't power the Macbook at the same time.

 

[anthonymoody]

Thanks for your comment - but it is in my view fairly confusing. The website first says:

HDMI
The MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) will support these displays and rates using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
3840x2160 at 30 Hz refresh rate
4096x2160 at 24 Hz refresh rate (mirroring is not supported at this resolution)

Then:

DisplayPort
With OS X Yosemite v10.10.3, most single-stream 4K (3840x2160) displays are supported at 60Hz operation on the following Mac computers:
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)


As of today, there is no USB-C to Displayport adapter or USB-C compatible external display... so no way to currently power a 4k 60Hz screen with a retina MacBook - am I wrong?

One of the may reviewers used a third party adapter (I think google for some reason, though that doesn't make sense on the surface) to do this. I think they said it ran at 30 and wasn't very good. Sorry can't find a link off hand.

 

[MTW]

One of the may reviewers used a third party adapter (I think google for some reason, though that doesn't make sense on the surface) to do this. I think they said it ran at 30 and wasn't very good. Sorry can't find a link off hand.

The new MacBook can do 4k 60hz so long as it is running 10.10.3. It won't be very good (that machine chugs at it's native resolution) but it possible.

 

[manu chao]

How I wish Apple would just slap the same panel as Dell's UP2414Q into a new Thunderbolt Display! Yes, it would be slightly smaller than the old (unavoidable for now) but I have mine scaled to extra workspace, and that's very workable.

And it is not that there would not be precedent, the 27" Cinema display eventually replaced the 30" Cinema display.

----------

Does OS X finally support dual monitors daisy chained through Displayport then? There are more people with that issue than own 5k monitors.

It did, before the first TB Macs occurred.

----------

Will a Mac Pro drive two of these monitors? (using 4 of the Thunderbolt ports, of course)

Good question. The 15" MBP is not listed as supporting this 5K monitor although it has two TB ports. But those two ports are fed by only a single TB controller and a single TB (2) controller does not have the bandwidth for a 5K display.

The Mac Pro has three TB 2 controllers, their combined bandwidth should be enough to drive 2 5K monitors but whether one TB controller can split its bandwidth between two monitors is something I have no idea on.