USB-C Monitor for 2017 MBP

[BrianJ844]

Hi, I am on a hunt for an external display for my 2017 15" MPB. My main goal is a single USB-C connection that can both run the display, provide connection to a few USB outlets on the display and charge my MBP.

I am looking at 27" monitors but would consider a 24". I am looking at QHD or 4K but am having trouble finding monitors that I can confirm will do the one USB-C cord thing.

The main one I found is the Dell U2720Q. It is pricey and hard to find currently but it is the leading option. Has anyone used an ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV (QHD) or PA279CV (4K)? Its website reads like it should to the USB-C only connection but a review on Amazon says that it doesn't do picture over USB-C and that you have to use a display port.

What is everyone else using for a USB-C only connection monitor? It looks like the M1 macs have their own monitor issues so that is making searching macrumors for this harder.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[hal9000ht]

I am using the PA279CV for a week with a MacBook and it works perfectly over USB-C including power delivery.

 

[azentropy]

I have a Dell U2720Q and a LG 27UK850-W. I like he Dell better, but the LG is pretty great too. Amazon currently has the newer model 27UN850-W for $405, which is a pretty good deal.

 

[BrianJ844]

Thanks for the replies. Hal, what do you think of the PA279CV? Color / contrast / build quality all seems to good on it? I am liking how it looks but feel like I am going in a bit blind since there aren't any reviews out on it yet.

Also, azentropy, thanks for the drop about the LG monitor. I haven't looked much at LG yet, but will now.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Hi, I am on a hunt for an external display for my 2017 15" MPB. My main goal is a single USB-C connection that can both run the display, provide connection to a few USB outlets on the display and charge my MBP.

I am looking at 27" monitors but would consider a 24". I am looking at QHD or 4K but am having trouble finding monitors that I can confirm will do the one USB-C cord thing.

The main one I found is the Dell U2720Q. It is pricey and hard to find currently but it is the leading option. Has anyone used an ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV (QHD) or PA279CV (4K)? Its website reads like it should to the USB-C only connection but a review on Amazon says that it doesn't do picture over USB-C and that you have to use a display port.

What is everyone else using for a USB-C only connection monitor? It looks like the M1 macs have their own monitor issues so that is making searching macrumors for this harder.

Thanks,
Brian

Buy this used and save a ton of money. Best USB-C monitor you can buy.

ViewSonic VP2785-2K 27" WQHD Monitor with USB C 99% Adobergb 96% DCI-P3 100% Rec.709 14-Bit 3D LUT Color Calibration for Photography and Graphic Design, Black (Renewed)

Display Size (in.) 27 Panel Type IPS Resolution 2560 x 1440 Static Contrast Ratio 1,000:1 Display Size (in.) 27 Viewable Area (in.) 27 Panel Type IPS Resolution 2560 x 1440 Resolution Type WQHD (2560x1440) Static Contrast Ratio 1,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio 20,000,000:1 Light Source WLED Brightn...

www.amazon.com

 

[Erehy Dobon]

I am replying on a Mac mini 2018 driving an LG 27UL850-W, a prior model to the aforementioned LG. It's a fine productivity monitor and works great with Macs and PCs.

I have used this monitor with both a MacBook Air 2019 as well as an Acer Swift 3 (10th gen Intel CPU) notebook as well as a couple of Windows desktop PCs. Works great.

 

[hal9000ht]

Thanks for the replies. Hal, what do you think of the PA279CV? Color / contrast / build quality all seems to good on it? I am liking how it looks but feel like I am going in a bit blind since there aren't any reviews out on it yet.

Also, azentropy, thanks for the drop about the LG monitor. I haven't looked much at LG yet, but will now.

Looks like it uses this panel lm270wr4-ssa1

Very good colours, contrast ok (typical IPS and probably similar to the other models you are considering), very good build quality, design is great.

It also has good uniformity which was my main concern before buying it.

Good reflection handling (I work in a very bright room).

Sharpness is amazing.

 

[phrehdd]

Months ago I got a BenQ PD2700u 4k monitor. Presently I have an Nvidia Shield TV connected via HDMI, a MacBook Pro 2015 connected via DP mini to the monitor's regular DisplayPort and now a Mac Mini M1 USB-C to the monitor's Mini DisplayPort. All 3 work fine. I mention this as you can consider USBC to HDMI or DisplayPort as potential means to an end. There best part about all this was that I got the monitor on Amazon and it seems that for some BenQ, you can do it in mostly payments to pay it off without* any additional action. Simply pick that option for payment.

Other than the KVM facet being a bit manual to switch between them all, it is an excellent monitor and 4k@60 being a great fit for all my needs.

 

[BrianJ844]

Thank y'all for the continued replies. In my research, I ran across this article talking about which resolution monitors are best companions for MBPs that have retina displays. https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays/

The article basically is making a case that retina has a ppi (pixels per inch) of 220 so it is best to get a monitor with a ppi of around 220 or half that of 110 in order for the scaling to look best on it. In the 27inch realm, that means a 5K display or a 1440p display. A 4k display has a ppi of around 160 and to quote the web page: "For example, 160PPI will show non-Retina UI too small, but Retina UI too large".

Naturally, I haven't actually seen any of these resolutions powered off of a retina MBP but it seems most of y'all enjoy your 4K monitor. Anyone care to comment on the having items / test on the screen too large or too small? See any banding if trying to force the scaling to something comfortable?

 

[hal9000ht]

Retina is by default downscaled from 4k in a MacBook Pro and looks amazing. AFAIK the same happens in iPhones.

You'll have more sharpness in a 4k downscaled than in a QHD native.

 

[aliasfox]

Retina is by default downscaled from 4k in a MacBook Pro and looks amazing. AFAIK the same happens in iPhones.

You'll have more sharpness in a 4k downscaled than in a QHD native.

15" MacBook Pros aren't quite 4k - 2880 x 1800, scaled to 1440 x 900 equivalent. A 4k display would be 3840 x 2160, or possibly 3840 x 2400 for a 16:10 display.

I just got a Viewsonic VG2756-2k for use with a 13" 2015 MBP for my parents, and it looks good. Obviously, without USB-C on the MBP, can't tell you about charging capabilities - Viewsonic is very cagey about how much power the monitor can pass through. I read somewhere that the 2755 can pass 60w, and the 2756 can pass 87w, which is why I got that one - however, the monitor's power supply is only rated at 67w, so I doubt it would be capable of it.

Would definitely be interested in finding a 2560 x 1440 27" that can pass enough power to a 16" MBP, which the wife has.

 

[ascender]

Thank y'all for the continued replies. In my research, I ran across this article talking about which resolution monitors are best companions for MBPs that have retina displays. https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays/

The article basically is making a case that retina has a ppi (pixels per inch) of 220 so it is best to get a monitor with a ppi of around 220 or half that of 110 in order for the scaling to look best on it. In the 27inch realm, that means a 5K display or a 1440p display. A 4k display has a ppi of around 160 and to quote the web page: "For example, 160PPI will show non-Retina UI too small, but Retina UI too large".

This is the issue I think I'm having with a 32" LG screen. Supported resolutions are:

• 3840*2160
• 2560*1440
• 1920*1080
• 1504*846
• 1152*648

On the 32" screen, 3840x2160 has a very small text size. But running 2560x1440 means I end up with everything very large. I've used switchresx to try a couple in between but they just don't look great at all. The linked-article above shows that there's a very good reason why the screen I want is an Ultrafine 5K or a Dell UP2715K and why the retina iMac screen looks great.

 

[javigarrido]

I'm also interested in getting the new Asus PA279CV. For $500, this monitor seems to deliver decent HDR and great image quality.

I wonder how it compares in quality this monitor with the new iMac. Do the image look in the Asus as good, worse or better?

 

[Moonjumper]

Retina is by default downscaled from 4k in a MacBook Pro and looks amazing. AFAIK the same happens in iPhones.

You'll have more sharpness in a 4k downscaled than in a QHD native.

I'm looking at this thread for future options, but I have just swapped to a 28" 4K monitor as a second screen for my iMac, from a 27" QHD. Scaled 4K does indeed look much better than native QHD.