I am looking for a monitor for my 2015 rMBP (non-Thunderbolt). Open when it comes to size and flexible budget, as long as I get bang for my buck and it is compatible. My favorites are the glossy iMac screens, but I know those aren't offered as external monitors or aren't compatible.
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Recommendations for a 2015 rMBP monitor?
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Depending on your geographic location, there should be some pretty good deals starting next Tuesday. If you just want resolution and real estate, shop accordingly. LG and Dell have some nice monitors (I have a few Dells, and an inexpensive LG). Most monitors have HDMI these days, nicer ones have DisplayPort. Your MBP has HDMI and Mini DisplayPort - the latter can be connected using an adapter or the correct cable.
We use the Dell U series at work and I love them. At home I have a Samsung 28-inch 4k monitor and it worked flawless with my previous 2015 rMBP.
Do the Dells still use that sort of "sparkly" screen coating they once had?
(I haven't laid eye on a Dell in a long time, so my apologies if I'm way out of date)
If you like glossy, Dell is the go to IMO. Does 1440p work for you? If so, there are several sizes ranging from 22-28 inches in the UltraSharp family that use HDMI and/or DisplayPort, some of which have built in hubs, with glossy screens. Their quality is IMO equal to or superior to the Apple Thunderbolt Display panel, and the pricing is very reasonable.
Just to be sure, when you say "(non-Thunderbolt)", you mean you are looking for something other than a TB monitor, correct? (The reason I ask is to make sure you do not have a 12-inch 2015 rMB, as it has far less capability in external monitor ability than the 2015 MBP.)
Just to be sure, when you say "(non-Thunderbolt)", you mean you are looking for something other than a TB monitor, correct? (The reason I ask is to make sure you do not have a 12-inch 2015 rMB, as it has far less capability in external monitor ability than the 2015 MBP.)
1440p is fine. I've heard good things about Dell. Most prefer matte displays though, no?
I might be wording this wrong, sorry. I have the rMBP 15 inch before the refresh. I think it has TB2 but not TB3, meaning the 4k / 5k monitors Apple is selling aren't compatible (from what I've heard).
https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-2015/
^ That is the model I have.
Perfect! I was just checking in case it was a 12-inch as that has far less capability. Your model could easily drive two of these displays if you so desired, and you are good for both HDMI and DisplayPort monitors without requiring any sort of adapter or hub.
I like glossy myself - you've probably noticed some despise it, but I really like it (however, my work space is not in an area with a lot of natural daylight, and if it was I would probably opt for semi-gloss or semi-matte because of the glare that natural daylight can sometimes cause.) Dell has matte, semi-matte, and glossy offerings. I've come to love their glossy offerings that have extremely narrow bezels for a multi-monitor display. They recently started replacing their lineup with updated models, some of which are using something they call InfinityEdge. The generation being replaced are still great displays, and I've seen some great sales on them (not too long ago, Micro Center was blowing out the 25-inch 1440p model for like $200 - IMO this is a hell of a nice display [it's light matte/AG, and the stand is outstanding] and two of these equates to great productivity.)
Right now I am using the S2415H and S2715H. These are 1080p versions with glossy displays, narrow bezels, and and are one tier lower than the Ultrasharp line (within the UltraSharp line are displays in 1080, 1440, 4k, 5k, and 8k, with several different levels of screen gloss, with aspect ratios of 16:9 and 16:10 at least, so there is a lot of selection.) I'm quite happy with the models I have (especially since they were dirt cheap), but IMO the 1440p UltraSharps are a significant jump in quality, and often for not too much of a price difference (the sale Micro Center had on the 1440p UltraSharp was less than I paid for my S2715H's.)
I an not sure what you mean by sparkly, but the U2715 has a semi-matte display. It is great, even if you have a desk light or window, because it does not reflect the light. And the bezel are really thin. 3/8" (9 mm), great for dual/quad monitor setups. Also, the U Series comes with a pixel perfect guarantee. If a pixel ever goes bad they will replace the monitor or display.
The only issue I had was that you need a recent HDMI cable (HDMI 1.1+ I think) to get 2560 X 1440 resolution. If you use an older cable it drops back to 1920 X 1200. With DP it does fine at 2560 X 1440.
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The anti-glare coating that Dell has often used. I believe it's called "anti-glare 3H hardness faceplate coating".
This commenter (Post #6, from 2012) sums up my last Dell experience as I had the same monitor he mentions:
https://hardforum.com/threads/can-someone-explain-monitor-coatings-please.1698347/#post-1038818757
I am definitely not seeing what that post describes on the Dell U2715. Everything is very sharp. Which is something I appreciate when staring at screens of code.
This is really interesting..
Look at this link of a guy with 2 identical Dell U2715 monitors but with AG coatings that don't seem to match...
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/peripherals/f/3529/t/19676418
I have seen this. And it sounds like just like Apple, Dell uses multiple suppliers for their panels so perhaps one supplier had a bad batch. All I can tell you is we have multiple units and they all look the same. And they are all very sharp.
One thing I noticed about this guys post is he has Rev 02 units. All of ours are recently purchased and are Rev 03 units. It is kind of amazing Dell is still revising the 2015 model(that what 15 means in U2715h). I guess because they went to TN panels in the U2717h which people do not like because of the issues with off axis viewing.
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