My 30" WQHD monitor is really getting long in the tooth (uneven backlighting, some yellowing...) and I have long been jalous of the iMac 5k display. I mostly use my cMP for photo editing and I would love that extra kick in resolution. I am not playing and not using Bootcamp on my Mac.
My cMP (a 4,1 flashed to 5,1) runs the latest Mojave release and has an RX580 graphic card with Displayport 1.4 connectors.
The following seems to be my options for going 5k:
I guess the most future-proof option would be to go for an iMac 5k (or a new Mac Pro with a matching screen), but I'm not entirely ready to ditch my good old cMP yet.
My cMP (a 4,1 flashed to 5,1) runs the latest Mojave release and has an RX580 graphic card with Displayport 1.4 connectors.
The following seems to be my options for going 5k:
- getting an IIyama ProLite XB2779QQS 5k, the only plug & play DP 1.4 option available in the EU as far as I can tell. Only 6bit+FRC colors, apparently not terribly accurate for photo editing and not great user feedback for what QC concerns (the Planar IX2790 available in the US seems similar), but at least widely available from local stores with a decent return policy.
- getting an older DELL/HP/Philips 5k monitor using two DP cables (screens only support DP 1.2 and require MST to achieve 5k@60Hz). Reliability/QC is a concern but IQ generally seems excellent. I actually found a "like new in box" HP Z27Q for a good price so this is a tempting option, assuming it works reliably on macOS.
- getting a GC ALPINE/TITAN RIDGE card to drive an LG Ultrafine 5K monitor. Aside from being the most expensive option, I read conflicting reports as to whether it is really plug-and-play on macOS (with an AMD RX580) or requires a warm reboot from Windows/Bootcamp. Note that I am not really looking for Thunderbolt 3 data exchange, but merely for display connection.
I guess the most future-proof option would be to go for an iMac 5k (or a new Mac Pro with a matching screen), but I'm not entirely ready to ditch my good old cMP yet.
