Do you get smooth scrolling at 120hz ? I'm using a Logitech MX master with MOS (https://mos.caldis.me/) to tune the scrolling. It helps with 60Hz monitors at 60Hz, but I'm not sure how well it works at 120hz with the new XDR. Using Apple trackpad or mouse should give the smoother scrolling, but I'm wondering whether we can get close to that with a Logitech and the free spin scroll wheel.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Studio Display XDR Impressions
- Thread starter gsilver
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
red elma
macrumors 6502
Compatibility info states that:
Studio Display XDR is compatible with the following Mac models with Apple silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 or later:
Mac models with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, and M3 support Studio Display XDR at up to 60Hz
There is no mention of M2 Ultra and M3 Max? Are these machines capable of supporting 120Hz, or still limited to 60Hz?
Studio Display XDR is compatible with the following Mac models with Apple silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 or later:
Mac models with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, and M3 support Studio Display XDR at up to 60Hz
There is no mention of M2 Ultra and M3 Max? Are these machines capable of supporting 120Hz, or still limited to 60Hz?
My M2 Ultra works at 120hz. All configs not listed for 60Hz should support 120hz.
H_D
macrumors 6502
Just got mine. Why did I not buy the ASD with that hinge before, it's amazing. 🙂
Not quite sure if I really notice 120/HDR so much, M3Max seems to support it... as I turn the brightness down or use the D65/D50-profiles etc.
The sound is impressively improved. It was great before, but this is damn good for a screen. Really nice bass level, very transparent. It's not like external speakers, but sound way way better han two Mini-HPs.
Haven't tried the TB5 yet, probably will get to test drive that when the M5Max lands...
All things considered despite the painful price tag this is a great screen. I know this forum is for the Katzenjammer, but boy, this is great hardware. The hinge should be standard, I would not have thought that this would be such a difference ergonomically.
Not quite sure if I really notice 120/HDR so much, M3Max seems to support it... as I turn the brightness down or use the D65/D50-profiles etc.
The sound is impressively improved. It was great before, but this is damn good for a screen. Really nice bass level, very transparent. It's not like external speakers, but sound way way better han two Mini-HPs.
Haven't tried the TB5 yet, probably will get to test drive that when the M5Max lands...
All things considered despite the painful price tag this is a great screen. I know this forum is for the Katzenjammer, but boy, this is great hardware. The hinge should be standard, I would not have thought that this would be such a difference ergonomically.
Mine seems to have color shift when I look up and down at the bottom. Wondering if I should exchange, I could lift my head an inch and it’s very noticeable + distracting on white pages.
tothemoonsands
macrumors 6502a
WHAT.
I have the 14 core M4 Pro Mac mini, and I am only able to get 120hz on one and 60hz on the other.
My TB5 cables are the 2m CalDigit ones, but those aren't the problem because whichever display is plugged in first wins the 120. It's also not any single port issue, because I can do any combo of ports and same result.
I've booted into safe mode. I've done some terminal commands to clear windowserver or whatever. Tried anything I could think of and nothing works. I could have sworn I briefly got 120/120 at some point (when I was messing around with a 4k 60hz SOTSU monitor which used to be my third display), but now it is completely stuck getting 120/60, and the SOTSU remains black (at one point I was able to get 60/60/60 but that is certainly not possible anymore either).
My display engined is so out of whack right now. Tempting to do a full OS reinstall, but would be pretty maddening if that doesn't work.
Dude, why? Apple clearly states what you can or cannot do and people even posted it here
support.apple.com
You can't have 2x 120Hz on M4 Pro. Simple as that
How many displays can be connected to Mac mini - Apple Support
The number of external displays that you can use at the same time depends on your Mac model and the resolution and refresh rate of each display.
You can't have 2x 120Hz on M4 Pro. Simple as that
For the price you should exchange because you will never not notice it now. Very likely what I will be doing.
tothemoonsands
macrumors 6502a
Dude, why? Apple clearly states what you can or cannot do and people even posted it here
How many displays can be connected to Mac mini - Apple Support
The number of external displays that you can use at the same time depends on your Mac model and the resolution and refresh rate of each display.
You can't have 2x 120Hz on M4 Pro. Simple as that
The specs are:
- One display up to a native resolution of 8K (7680 x 4320) at 60Hz, 5K (5120 x 2880) at 120Hz, or 4K (3840 x 2160) at 240Hz and one display up to a native resolutions of 6K (6144 x 3456) at 60Hz or 4K (3840 x 2160) at 144Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI
It doesn’t mention 5k, which sits in the middle between 6k/60 and 4k/144
Also I was responding to the user Ascender, who just said they were running two 5k/120 on their m4 pro with less cores than me.
So no, not simple as. It seems it’s a bug in their display allocation. Pretty sure the Studio Display had some issues like this back in 2022.
tothemoonsands
macrumors 6502a
gtg465x
macrumors 6502a
Finally saw them today at an Apple Store. Loved the smooth scrolling at 120 Hz, but surprisingly, when I set both the regular SD and SD XDR to max brightness, the XDR did not look noticeably brighter. The displays were about 4 ft apart, not right next to each other, so it was a little hard to compare, but I expected the SDR brightness difference of 600 nits vs 1000 nits to be more obvious.
As a side note, if you didn’t like matte displays before, there is nothing magic about Apple’s nano matte IMO. Looked just as annoyingly shimmery and lacking in contrast as a matte 4K Dell monitor I bought and returned 10 years ago. And this was in a super bright Apple Store, where one would think matte would be preferable.
As a side note, if you didn’t like matte displays before, there is nothing magic about Apple’s nano matte IMO. Looked just as annoyingly shimmery and lacking in contrast as a matte 4K Dell monitor I bought and returned 10 years ago. And this was in a super bright Apple Store, where one would think matte would be preferable.
Please know that I am not trying to rustle your jimmies here.
Apple could be clearer, but when they say "one display up to a native resolutions of 6K (6144 x 3456) at 60Hz or 4K (3840 x 2160) at 144Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI" they are listing included resolutions at certain refresh rates. 'Up to A resolution at X Hz, up to B resolution at Y Hz, or C resolution at Z Hz." You'll notice that for both displays, the paired resolutions go down and the refresh rates go up.
I would not read that and expect that I could run dual monitors at 5K 120Hz.
I'm also not entirely convinced that the Ascender user knows what they're doing. Or if they are getting dual 5K 120Hz (on a lesser mac mini), that it isn't some fluke.
I respect you for dumping a large amount of money into some gorgeous displays, and am just trying to say that if I were you, I would not expect to be able to do dual 5K 120Hz because Apple literally says that you can't (and any sales rep should have been able to tell you that).
I will say one thing, however; we all know what this stuff costs. I do not understand spending $6600 plus tax on displays and hooking them up to a mac mini that costs less than 1/4 of that and expecting everything to fire on all cylinders.
If you really want the dual 5K 120Hz, a mac that can provide that is within reach for you.
I hope this doesn't piss you off; again, I respect you investing in what you value, and I'd be disappointed as well, but I wouldn't trust some random internet user when they claim to do something that exceeds Apple's own support page.
tothemoonsands
macrumors 6502a
It will be OK if I need to upgrade to an M5 Pro, let alone an M5 Max or even Ultra. Certainly don't need the Ultra, it just becomes pretty compelling once you are in the price ladder of Mac Studios. Anyways, the Mini fits so nicely in the overlapping section of my L-shaped desk, and for the vast majority of the time the Mini suits my workflow. Definitely on occasion I could use more power.
Ultimately I was after the Mini-LED, contrast ratio, no backlight bleed in corners, etc. The 120hz is the icing on the cake, and side-by-side it is definitely compelling.
The thing is, when I was originally setting it up, it was a bit of a frenzy because I also had a SOTSU 4k60 monitor in the mix. When I first connected all three, I was getting 60/60/60. Then at one point I went to 120, and I could've sworn I had 120 on both, at which point the SOTSU went black. Never could get all three back on at 60/60/60 again no matter what I did. Same with trying to get both at 120, not possible.
So there's some quirks. I can't completely define them because as I was proceeding I wasn't carefully documenting everything. Ascender's comment is my validation of maybe I truly did briefly experience 120/120. It is definitely possible there are some bugs to be worked out. Studio Displays had firmware updates too shortly after their launch in 2022.
We'll see what comes first, firmware updates or WWDC with new hardware.
I hear you. I'm a bit stunned how many people bought two studio XDRs; if I had done the same, I definitely be in this forum trying to work out the kinks.
If you're willing to wait, that m5 ultra is probably gonna be killer.
Ascender, if you're reading this, care to prove it with screenshots?
You people and monitor speakers...
The most replaceable, unnecessary part of the whole darn display.
[I'm a bit mystified but to each their own.]
Last edited:
L
some people may like a clean desk and does not need best speakers but good speakers.
ascender
macrumors 603
lol, thanks very much.
There's clearly some very strange things going on here then - especially given the crashes people are getting and the inconsistent experiences, not to mention the less than helpful/explicit tech specs on the site.
I'll try some stuff tomorrow with dock, no dock, daisy chaining, no daisy chaining etc and see what happens.
I did think on some of the reviews I saw/listened-to that they said it was M4 Pro at minimum on the M4 for dual 120 but maybe they meant for a single one?
Last edited:
ascender
macrumors 603
I can't believe they still wouldn't spring for a 1.5 or 2 metre cable in the box. If you have your Mac under your desk, mounted under your desk or anywhere other than how Apple PR shots have them, it could be a stretch.
This guy tests the monitor with a lot if different computers so may help some here?
Guys before i sell my M4 pro.
Macbook pro M5 pro will handle 5k120hz + 5k60hz via daisy chaining? with hdr etc via one thujnderbolt 5 cable?
Macbook pro M5 pro will handle 5k120hz + 5k60hz via daisy chaining? with hdr etc via one thujnderbolt 5 cable?
@ascender "I can't believe they still wouldn't spring for a 1.5 or 2 metre cable in the box."
The first 2m TB5 cable was sold at the beginning of January 2026, developed by Cable Matters.
The Intel-certified TB5 Retiming chip (two of which are required for cables longer than 1m) seems not to have been introduced until towards the end of last year.
Apple will no doubt introduce longer TB5 cables when they have manufactured and brought them to market.
Linus Tech Tips decided to manufacture their own USB-C/USB4 cables in 2020-21.
It took them until the end of 2025 to find a manufacturer who could actually make cables for them that worked properly and to the USB-IF specification...
So I expect it's not a trivial problem for Apple to get a stock of TB5 2m cables to actually sell or include in the box).
Maybe they should have withheld the launch until later in the year because 'You couldn't believe they wouldn't spring...'
The first 2m TB5 cable was sold at the beginning of January 2026, developed by Cable Matters.
The Intel-certified TB5 Retiming chip (two of which are required for cables longer than 1m) seems not to have been introduced until towards the end of last year.
Apple will no doubt introduce longer TB5 cables when they have manufactured and brought them to market.
Linus Tech Tips decided to manufacture their own USB-C/USB4 cables in 2020-21.
It took them until the end of 2025 to find a manufacturer who could actually make cables for them that worked properly and to the USB-IF specification...
So I expect it's not a trivial problem for Apple to get a stock of TB5 2m cables to actually sell or include in the box).
Maybe they should have withheld the launch until later in the year because 'You couldn't believe they wouldn't spring...'
Last edited: