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Thunderbolt Display vs Dell U2713H/U2713HM?
- Thread starter tangfj
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Nice, exactly what i want to to with my imac 2011. but i have a question,
can you use the USB 3 of the DELL monitor (from the thunderbolt port on the mac to the MiniDisplayPort of the DELL) ?
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Say what?
The Dell's USB3 comes from hooking a USB3 port from your imac to the dell. It isn't like the Thunderbolt Display from Apple where the Thunderbolt drives both the display and all the ports. The Dell uses 2 cables to accomplish this. USB from the back of the computer to the monitor, and Displayport from the back of the computer to the monitor. If using an iMac 2011, it only has USB 2.0, so the Dell monitor will only run at USB 2.0 (or possibly not at all, but my guess is it will run at USB 2.0) and this would be accomplished by hooking a USB 2.0 cable to the monitor and using a mDP to DP cable from the iMac's thunderbolt port.
EDIT: Just to be clearer- The USB 3.0 on the monitor is nothing more than a USB 3.0 Hub.
Fix might be this:
http://embdev.net/topic/284710
But there are still problems with macs:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/peripherals/f/3529/t/19489601.aspx
I just bought a U2713HM and in fact it does have a dedicated input button. I use it connected to a PC with dual boot Win8 and Hackintosh and an rMBP and it works flawlessly. The screen is drop dead gorgeous.
EDIT: I need to correct myself. You can set two custom presets to two of the four settings buttons. I set one to dvi and one to Displayport. So all I need to do is press one button to make the switch. Easy peazy
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I just bought a U2713HM and in fact it does have a dedicated input button. I use it connected to a PC with dual boot Win8 and Hackintosh and an rMBP and it works flawlessly. The screen is drop dead gorgeous.
EDIT: I need to correct myself. You can set two custom presets to two of the four settings buttons. I set one to dvi and one to Displayport. So all I need to do is press one button to make the switch. Easy peazy
How do you connect rMBP to U2713HM?
Looks like there is an issue with DisplayPort connection
"Many Dell monitors (e.g., U2713H, U2713HM, ...) look really bad when
connected to a Mac (OS X 10.8.2) via DisplayPort, as if some sharpening
or contrast enhancement was applied. Others have reported the same
problem
(http://www.anandtech.com/show/6308/dell-u2713hm-un...,
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1481582/). The reason is
that the DisplayPort uses YCbCr colors instead of RGB to drive the
display"
http://embdev.net/topic/284710
Thanks.
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I connect it via Thunderbolt to mini-display adapter. I use the cable that came with the Dell. The very first time I connected it I thought it looked a bit off. Then by chance before trying any kind of adjustments I rebooted my rMBP, and when it came back on it was gorgeous. Looks as good with the rMBP as it does in Windows. Since then I've had no problems changing inputs on the fly.
What particular Thunderbolt to mini-display adapter did you use, also what cable Dell provides?
Thanks.
Im'sorry I owe you an apology. To answer your question correctly I dug up the box to the adapter. The adapter I bought was Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 for my hard drives. The monitor is connected directly to the Thunderbolt port via a Cable Matters cable I ordered on Amazon which is Mini-DisplayPort on one end and DisplayPort on the other.
Sorry man, I was connecting all different things over the past 2 weeks that I simply forgot I had to order the cable for the monitor.
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That's really strange, how could you avoid "DisplayPort uses YCbCr colors instead of RGB to drive the display" without the fix for EDID. Could you please check how rMBP recognizes the monitor? Is it YCbCr or RGB. Also are you on 10.8.3?
Thanks.
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Yes, it is.
Your rMBP treats U2713HM as a TV, you have the same problem.
You can try this fix http://embdev.net/topic/284710
You might think I have a problem but I don't. I use this monitor daily with Windows and my rMBP and it looks beautiful. It looks a hair worse than the rMBP display and that's only when you stick your face with a few inches of the screen.
Maybe some people do have problems but it looks just fine to me. As I said before, it looks the same running from the rMBP as it does from Windows 7/8.
Just for kicks I tried that "fix" you linked to. I saw absolutely no difference after rebooting. I actually tried it three different times and made sure the monitor was in fact showing the RGP profile.
In what instances does this issue that you and others are having show the most? Because whether I'm surfing the web, editing photos or watching video, this monitor just blows everything else I've seen out of the water. As a matter of fact yesterday when I was at the Apple store I stopped to check out the TB displays and I think mine looks just as good. You would have to put this one and the TB display side by side to look for differences.
Trust me when it comes to audio visual quality I am completely anal about theses things. Have been like that all my life. If I thought this monitor didn't look right I would say so. Also as I said earlier, when I first connected the monitor it looked a bit off. After a reboot it came back looking fantastic.
It sucks that other Mac owners are having issues, but if someone was to ask me I would highly recommend this monitor for use with a rMBP based on my experience.
I am not really sure what's going on in your case, is it your personal vision or the way you see the things, but if your monitor reports "Input color format YPbPr" that's a TV with a problem.
BTW: On Windows 7 etc. it should be absolutely fine.
Well, I don't know what to tell you. You don't have to believe me but I know what I see. Why do you think everyone has this problem when it's YPbPr? What difference does it make if the screen looks great? I'll say it one more time. It looks the same whether Windows or rMBP and whether RGB or YPbPr.
First I have to see it myself, second if you want to educate yourself read about YPbPr, no offense.
I just bought a U2713HM and in fact it does have a dedicated input button. I use it connected to a PC with dual boot Win8 and Hackintosh and an rMBP and it works flawlessly. The screen is drop dead gorgeous.
EDIT: I need to correct myself. You can set two custom presets to two of the four settings buttons. I set one to dvi and one to Displayport. So all I need to do is press one button to make the switch. Easy peazy
Is there one specific button that says INPUT that you press? No. There is no DEDICATED input button. You have to press Menu, then other buttons to get to the input settings. This is needless work. It might seem ridiculous to complain about that but after years of using Macs I find having to take extra steps to do anything just lazy engineering. An off-topic example is reporting someone in XBOX Live that you do not want to play with for various reasons takes 11 button presses. Damn Microsoft, leave it to them to take something that Apple would have one button, like this player? Yes or No, and Microsoft turns it into a full blown survey. I find that all the time in non-Apple products, not that Apple is the holy grail and greatest company in the world, but there is a kernel of truth to their design philosophy - simpler is better. Even my old Gateway LCD monitor has a dedicated input button. There's no reason the Dell doesn't other than cutting corners while trying to market a $700 retail monitor.
My two cents for anyone debating a Dell vs the TBD, if you can't afford a new TBD just look around for a used one or buy a refurbed one from the Apple online store instead of buying the Dell. Used TBD's run as low as $600 on eBay (when you find a deal, otherwise it's $650-700 and refurbed from Apple with a full 1 year warranty run $829 - and there are various ways to get cash back on that to cut the final price a little). That puts it in the same ballpark as the Dell's, yes a little higher if you buy the refurbed TBD from Apple, but it's a better monitor (other than the glare from the glossy finish). Having the TB input is fantastic, I'm running my mini and a MBP on it, and having an external TB hard drive is so fast it's shocking. Backups, transfering data, moving large files, all great stuff. The speakers are also a great feature and very loud.
The only advantage the Dell has is the USB inputs on the side is more convenient, (but looks ugly if you're leaving an external drive constantly plugged in), the matte finish is better for no sun glare but the picture quality doesn't 'pop' like on the TBD, and the Dell also has non-TB inputs. But if you're only using the monitor with newer Macs the non-TB inputs doesn't matter. I wish the TBD had USB 3.0 but we all know that's coming whenever it is finally refreshed, but an external TB drive is far faster than USB 3.0 anyway.
Obviously you didn't like it and that's fine but if I'm going to spend $600 or more, I'm not buying used unless it comes with a warrantee.
Secondly. I have to press ONE button twice to switch inputs. I don't need to cycle through any menus. It takes me less than 2 seconds to go from DVI to MiniDisplay. How hard is that?
I also use my display with a Windows machine so the other ports that the Dell has are important to me. As for the display itself, I think it does pop and looks just as good as the Apple TB. WHen I went to the Apple store last week I even thought mine was more vivid but that can be because it was in the store and the anti-glare is non existent.
Overall I think the Dell is just as good in all aspects and $350 cheaper which is a bonus.
I'd glad you're happy.
Dell could have made everyone happy by adding a dedicated input button like every other monitor on the market, but I suppose that's too much to ask for a $700 retail monitor when $100 retail monitors have that feature.