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Recommendations for extra display for M1 MacBook

TonyC28

TonyC28

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 15, 2009
2,890
7,258
USA
Sorry if this was already discussed.

I’m looking for an external display to add to my M1 MacBook. I don’t need any fancy graphics. I’m just looking for a bigger window to work on for school stuff, i.e being able to watch a WebEx video in one pane and have others open to work in.

I haven’t bought a monitor in a very long time. Other than USB C, is there anything in particular I should be looking for in the stats?
 
strange that my retina 5k iMac works perfectly fine with my 2560x1440p screen; no problems whatsoever.
 
I bought a dirt cheap msi 24 inch 1080p screen to use as a screen in the background where I can work on word documents for college.

( the assignments that we need to make at home on the computer need a screen that can go to portrait mode, was unexpected so I didn’t have money/time/time to save money for a 4K screen.)

I can use it fine and after reading other people’s complaints, I don’t think it’s fuzzy/not sharp at all.

Probably I will replace this down the line, but since January I use this with much pleasure only for €140
 

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jabbr said:
so you can't see the drastic difference in text rendering?
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Could be me, but I don' t see any "drastic difference". In images/photographs when zoomed in at 100% or more, I can see differences, but that' s what I prefer in those cases. I have a 27" retina iMac next to a 27" 1440p screen (use iMac as computer ofcourse).
 
Dutch60 said:
strange that my retina 5k iMac works perfectly fine with my 2560x1440p screen; no problems whatsoever.
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Your 5K iMac does not have a 2560x1440p screen. It has a 5K screen (5120x2880). You've just got your size scaling to match a 2560x1440 screen, but your text is still rendered at 5K. Hence the whole "retina" part of it.
 
xraydoc said:
Your 5K iMac does not have a 2560x1440p screen. It has a 5K screen (5120x2880). You've just got your size scaling to match a 2560x1440 screen, but your text is still rendered at 5K. Hence the whole "retina" part of it.
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I know. Scaling to 2560x1440p is considered "standard" on 5k retina iMac (and 5k scales very good). I was talking about the monitor next to my iMac. The 27” 1440p native Eizo next to it looks fantastic. No problems with that (native) 1440p screen.
 
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Dutch60 said:
I know. Scaling to 2560x1440p is considered "standard" on 5k retina iMac (and 5k scales very good). I was talking about the monitor next to my iMac. The 27” 1440p native Eizo next to it looks fantastic. No problems with that (native) 1440p screen.
Click to expand...
After reading up on this it seems that using a 27" monitor in its native resolution makes macOS's UI elements tiny and that a lot of those owners choose 1440p resolution…which does look good.

So…by having a native 1440p monitor you have avoided the extra processing required by the GPU to downscale a 4K monitor.

I don't know if you knew that but I didn't until yesterday. I'm looking at 1440p monitors now…which one do you have?
 
BrianBaughn said:
So…by having a native 1440p monitor you have avoided the extra processing required by the GPU to downscale a 4K monitor.
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There's essentially zero performance hit with modern Macs, especially M-series machines. And a 4K monitor scaled to 2560x1440 will look better than a native 1440p display. The 4K will have 4x the number of pixels to smooth out curves and such.
 
I have no problems with my 1080p external monitor. Text doesn't look strange and there isn't any aliasing from it. It just looks like any other 1080p monitor and is just as crisp on Mac OS as it is on Linux.

They aren't "downscaling" an internal retina resolution to 1080p, they are rendering it at 1080p to begin with. If anything, it's actually less stressful on the GPU than running it on a 4K monitor (although the difference is very minor, Macs can easily handle 4K displays).
 
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BrianBaughn said:
After reading up on this it seems that using a 27" monitor in its native resolution makes macOS's UI elements tiny and that a lot of those owners choose 1440p resolution…which does look good.

So…by having a native 1440p monitor you have avoided the extra processing required by the GPU to downscale a 4K monitor.

I don't know if you knew that but I didn't until yesterday. I'm looking at 1440p monitors now…which one do you have?
Click to expand...
I have the Eizo CG2700S
 
I feel most Mac users using a great main display for working and video production then have 1080 in horizontal mode to use for their favorite social media application in that window display! This way you share you completed work on that soil media application!
 
Well this got way over my head in a hurry. Can anyone recommend something in the $300ish range that doesn't look too horrible but is enough to handle WebEx videos, Word documents, and TinkerCad?
 
In case it was keeping you all up at night, I figured I would let you know that after coming across the video below I decided to go with a Dell S2722DC 27" USB-C monitor. At first it looked really blurry but after I got the settings right it looks great. I like how I can connect a mouse and keyboard directly to the monitor and it will work with whatever computer is plugged in. I really wanted/needed something that would work seamlessly with my MacBook and my wife's Windows laptop so that when either of us plugged in we didn't have to mess around connecting bluetooth devices and also so there was no confusion if we were working close to each other.

 
Ok last update I promise. Just a PSA for anyone in the same boat.
Get 4K. That's it, just get 4K. I followed the advice of the guy in the video above. Maybe the monitor I went with just sucks. At first glance the Dell S2722DC worked great but I never really sat down to work on it. Once I did that I started to notice the text "fuzz" and I couldn't unsee it after that. To confirm, I tested it on my wife and she immediately noticed it. So I returned the Dell and now have an LG 27UN850-W. Text looks a million (slight exaggeration) times better.
 
TonyC28 said:
Well this got way over my head in a hurry. Can anyone recommend something in the $300ish range that doesn't look too horrible but is enough to handle WebEx videos, Word documents, and TinkerCad?
Click to expand...
www.amazon.com

Dell UltraSharp U2515H 25-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor, Black

Bring your work to life in vivid color detail, sharp QHD resolution and extensive connectivity for outstanding usability. Superior screen clarity meets complete color precision for a brilliant viewing experience. Work the way you want. Position your monitor for ultimate comfort with a full range ...
www.amazon.com

I have it with an M1 MBA. A no brainer as far as I’m concerned. Great panel, no USB-C, typical Dell plastic.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I have the Dell U2515H. Unfortunately text quality really suffers on modern MacOS. I have to use custom HiDPI scaling via BetterDisplay to make it bearable. You’re probably much better off getting a 4K monitor
 
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