Thunderbolt Monitor

[welling111]

Hi all,
I previously used a thunderbolt monitor for work and loved it. No issues, etc. I'm now in the market to buy one for myself but am very concerned that Apple might update it in a few months (the last update was sept 2011!).

Should I wait a few months and see what happens? i really do need it soon, but I'll be very upset if they suddenly release a thinner and more powerful version and I'm sitting here with the old one.

 

[firedept]

Have not heard any recent rumors of a new one. If you need it now go for it. I never wait for something new to come along when I need it for my business.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Hi all,
I previously used a thunderbolt monitor for work and loved it. No issues, etc. I'm now in the market to buy one for myself but am very concerned that Apple might update it in a few months (the last update was sept 2011!).

Should I wait a few months and see what happens? i really do need it soon, but I'll be very upset if they suddenly release a thinner and more powerful version and I'm sitting here with the old one.

If and when there is a one cable solution for 5K I think apple will do a 5K thunderbolt monitor. That won't be until skylake at the earliest though. To be honest there are better cheaper monitor solutions around than the apple thunderbolt. I think you'll be better off with a 4K monitor and a thunderbolt dock at the moment unless you are buying one cheap second hand or refurbed...

 

[welling111]

If and when there is a one cable solution for 5K I think apple will do a 5K thunderbolt monitor. That won't be until skylake at the earliest though. To be honest there are better cheaper monitor solutions around than the apple thunderbolt. I think you'll be better off with a 4K monitor and a thunderbolt dock at the moment unless you are buying one cheap second hand or refurbed...

Any recos on good 4k monitors? I've been looking around but haven't really seen one that I like.

 

[gman36]

Have you looked at the 34in Ultrawides from LG? Part number is 34UC97

 

[theluggage]

but I'll be very upset if they suddenly release a thinner and more powerful version and I'm sitting here with the old one.

The problems with the current Thunderbolt display are that its not 4k/5k, the USB ports are only USB2 and if you have a newer MacBook you have to use a Magsafe 2 adapter. If Apple had dropped the price as the technology became less cutting edge (when it was launched 2560x1440 was a big deal) then you might be able to forgive that, but not on a $1000 display.

On the other hand, the screen may not be 4k but unless you're allergic to glossy screens its pretty nice and if you want features like ethernet and/or Firewire docking and a built-in MacBook power supply its still the only game in town (I think some of the LG models work with Thunderbolt and give you USB - but no ethernet or PSU). Its your money - just be aware that you're getting poor bangs-per-buck, even by Apple standards. I think I'd only consider it if I saw a good second hand/refurb deal.

If and when there is a one cable solution for 5K I think apple will do a 5K thunderbolt monitor.

...which will probably be Thunderbolt 3/USB-C only and would only work with future TB3 MacBooks.

OTOH, I'm not convinced that a single-wire 5k connection, even with USB-C or TB3, is going to leave enough bandwidth for a docking system - according to this USB-C in DisplayPort mode can support 5k, but that uses all of the high-speed lanes and only leaves the legacy USB-2 channel (OK for a keyboard and mouse, but not for docking). Also, according to the announcements for Thunderbolt 3 it still only supports DisplayPort 1.2 (could be the death of TB as a display connection) so it will need both of its DisplayPort channels for 5k (i.e. one TB cable emulating two DP1.2 cables).

 

[gman36]

(I think some of the LG models work with Thunderbolt and give you USB - but no ethernet or PSU).

Correct, the Thunderbolt LGs have USB hubs that is ran over the thunderbolt connection. It is really nice for docking a laptop because you can plug all your peripherals into the monitor. Then when you get home, just plug in one port, and boom, audio/mouse/keyboard/storage/etc. all works flawlessly.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

The problems with the current Thunderbolt display are that its not 4k/5k, the USB ports are only USB2 and if you have a newer MacBook you have to use a Magsafe 2 adapter. If Apple had dropped the price as the technology became less cutting edge (when it was launched 2560x1440 was a big deal) then you might be able to forgive that, but not on a $1000 display.

On the other hand, the screen may not be 4k but unless you're allergic to glossy screens its pretty nice and if you want features like ethernet and/or Firewire docking and a built-in MacBook power supply its still the only game in town (I think some of the LG models work with Thunderbolt and give you USB - but no ethernet or PSU). Its your money - just be aware that you're getting poor bangs-per-buck, even by Apple standards. I think I'd only consider it if I saw a good second hand/refurb deal.



...which will probably be Thunderbolt 3/USB-C only and would only work with future TB3 MacBooks.

OTOH, I'm not convinced that a single-wire 5k connection, even with USB-C or TB3, is going to leave enough bandwidth for a docking system - according to this USB-C in DisplayPort mode can support 5k, but that uses all of the high-speed lanes and only leaves the legacy USB-2 channel (OK for a keyboard and mouse, but not for docking). Also, according to the announcements for Thunderbolt 3 it still only supports DisplayPort 1.2 (could be the death of TB as a display connection) so it will need both of its DisplayPort channels for 5k (i.e. one TB cable emulating two DP1.2 cables).

TB3 gives 40GB/sec bandwidth, which is more than enough....

 

[SpinalTap]

I've just bought a 'refurb' TB Display from the AppleStore (UK) for £649 - down from £899.

As far as I can tell it's 'brand new' and has saved me £250.

Compared to my outgoing 20" Cinema Display, it's a joy to use with my 2012 Mac Mini.

In Eire, they're €799 (or £525) with free shipping to the UK mainland.

 

[theluggage]

TB3 gives 40GB/sec bandwidth, which is more than enough....

...and a 5k display will use over half of that (my calculation is 5120x2880 x 60Hz x 24 bits = 21.2 Gbps and that's an underestimate because there will be overheads).

Perhaps someone who understands TB's channel bonding better than I can elaborate on the implications of that.

Also, Thunderbolt 3 still uses the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol (not 1.3*) to drive displays, so that is going to use both of TBs virtual DisplayPort connections, so no daisy chaining a second display either.

So yes, TB3 won't have any trouble driving a 5k monitor, but any other USB3.1 or TB stuff hung off the monitor hub is going to see less-than-TB2 bandwidth. You'll probably want to run another TB3 cable to the computer (which diminishes the value of 'docking').

(* Come to think of it, two full bandwidth DP 1.3 connections would be too much for TB3, so that may be why they've stuck with 1.2).