Used TB Display vs Dell Display & Elgato Hub?

[Psyfuzz]

Hey guys,

Long time lurker braving the forums for the first time!

Was looking at getting an external display and was deciding between two different options:

- Used Thunderbolt Display
- or a new Dell 1440p display with a new Elgato Hub

I like the idea of the display, charger and hub being integrated into the TB display for ease of use, but the trade off is I would have to buy it used and the display's outputs aren't as strong as the Elgato's hub (USB 3 vs USB 2 etc)

I would be looking at getting a Dell U2713HM 1440p display with a Elgato hub - both new so I'm guaranteed to be covered incase the screen or hub has any issues- something I wouldn't have with the 2nd hand TB display.

Both prices balance out in the end, so it's boiling down to warrantee & faster IO options vs all-in-one ease of use.

Was just wondering what your guys thoughts were on this situation?

Just as a throw in thought - Dell are offering a new 4k display for a pretty good price online but it's a TN display so it won't be as sharp or have as wide a viewing angle as the other displays out there, however my Macbook can only support a maximum of 1600p out of the thunderbolt port so how would that scale on a 4k display?

Cheers guys!

 

[jdphoto]

Hey guys,

Long time lurker braving the forums for the first time!

Was looking at getting an external display and was deciding between two different options:

- Used Thunderbolt Display
- or a new Dell 1440p display with a new Elgato Hub

I like the idea of the display, charger and hub being integrated into the TB display for ease of use, but the trade off is I would have to buy it used and the display's outputs aren't as strong as the Elgato's hub (USB 3 vs USB 2 etc)

I would be looking at getting a Dell U2713HM 1440p display with a Elgato hub - both new so I'm guaranteed to be covered incase the screen or hub has any issues- something I wouldn't have with the 2nd hand TB display.

Both prices balance out in the end, so it's boiling down to warrantee & faster IO options vs all-in-one ease of use.

Was just wondering what your guys thoughts were on this situation?

Just as a throw in thought - Dell are offering a new 4k display for a pretty good price online but it's a TN display so it won't be as sharp or have as wide a viewing angle as the other displays out there, however my Macbook can only support a maximum of 1600p out of the thunderbolt port so how would that scale on a 4k display?

Cheers guys!

I'd definitely go the Dell/Elgato route with your purchase. While the TB display is indeed a beautiful display the I/O is very dated and the glossy finish isn't the best. If there is room in your budget you could purchase an extra power adapter for your laptop and leave it at the desk so you have that functionality.

As for scaling on 4k, I wouldn't recommend it. While it wouldn't look terrible I don't see the benefit unless you plan on purchasing a 4k capable machine in the near future.

Hope that helps!

 

[Psyfuzz]

I'd definitely go the Dell/Elgato route with your purchase. While the TB display is indeed a beautiful display the I/O is very dated and the glossy finish isn't the best. If there is room in your budget you could purchase an extra power adapter for your laptop and leave it at the desk so you have that functionality.

As for scaling on 4k, I wouldn't recommend it. While it wouldn't look terrible I don't see the benefit unless you plan on purchasing a 4k capable machine in the near future.

Hope that helps!

No problem, cheers for the advice. I'm going to be sticking with my 2012 MBPu for quite a while in the future so it doesn't look like 4k will be in my life for quite a while.

Cheers for the help

 

[jdphoto]

No problem, cheers for the advice. I'm going to be sticking with my 2012 MBPu for quite a while in the future so it doesn't look like 4k will be in my life for quite a while.

Cheers for the help

No problem!

 

[pukrnukr]

I just bought a Dell U2713HM Display. It has 5 USB 3.0 ports built in. 1 port that you connect to your computer, 2 along the bottom, and 2 on the side for anything else. And it comes with a USB3 cable. It also comes with a few video cables, but you are better off ordering a mini display port to display port cable from amazon or somewhere else for under $20. I got the dell display from best buy for $499. It seems like it has been around that price new from a few different places lately.

I haven't tried it yet myself, but I think you can also stream sound through display port and out through the audio out port on the dell display. So you can keep speakers hooked up to the display. That will cut down on hooking up one less cable to your computer.

I looked at 4k displays for a minute. While some of the TN ones have good prices, it didn't really seam worth it yet. Also I think you can only run at 30hz on your machine. I'm not positive but I think the display would look 1080p unless you want to run it native at 4k which would be extremely small. The resolution on the Dell display is great and I figured it will be really nice until Apple or someone releases a decently priced 5k display that works like a retina iMac display.