What external display?

[dcaccount]

Hello,

I would like to connect my rMBP 2014 to an external display.

Can you please advise the ideal resolution (in terms of ratio quality price) that an external monitor should have to have a clear view?

At the moment I have connected it to a 1,920x1,080 TV but the view is not nice at all.

Thanks,
dan

 

[Applefan2015]

I don’t know the ideal resolution, but what I do know is it is better to connect your MBP to a monitor and not a tv.

I had a issue where my desktop pc was connected to my smart tv, and the text was not very clear and as soon as I connected it to a monitor the text was a lot clearer.

Hope that helps you.

Nick

 

[TGM85]

I have my 2015 rMBP hooked up to two iiyama 24" 1080p displays. Serves me well for my purposes (I do mostly text-based work and some light gaming, I don't require 4K graphics.) I can tell you: having a triple display setup (built in display + two external displays) really changes the way you use your machine.

1080p seems to offer the best ratio quality price at the moment. macOS on 1080p at 24" is very nice to look at. It's not retina quality, nor 4K, but everything still looks crisp and smooth.

 

[dcaccount]

I have my 2015 rMBP hooked up to two iiyama 24" 1080p displays. Serves me well for my purposes (I do mostly text-based work and some light gaming, I don't require 4K graphics.) I can tell you: having a triple display setup (built in display + two external displays) really changes the way you use your machine.

1080p seems to offer the best ratio quality price at the moment. macOS on 1080p at 24" is very nice to look at. It's not retina quality, nor 4K, but everything still looks crisp and smooth.

Thanks for replying, so the resolution is 1,920x1,080?

 

[TGM85]

Thanks for replying, so the resolution is 1,920x1,080?

Yes, 1920 x 1080.

 

[Fishrrman]

Whatever you buy, I recommend that it have a Displayport (or MiniDisplayport) input as well as HDMI.
IMO, Displayport is generally "the better way to go".

Having said that, you should think about what resolution with which you'll be happy:
- 1080p ?
- 1440p ?
- 4k ?

A list that may (or may not) be of help:
IPS Monitor List: Best AHVA, PLS & IPS LCD Displays

Also, you should check this Apple document regarding the 2014 MBP and 4k:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587

 

[Painter2002]

For me personally, I went from 1080 to 1440 and the difference is night and day. I would suggest 1440 monitors (I use two Dell U2515 Ultrafine monitors), as they have a good balance of resolution and price per inch. 1080 is kind of "meh" nowadays, unless you are on a tight budget, while 4k monitors are still pretty pricey.

I also might add, that the 2014 MBP may have more trouble supporting a 4k monitor and scaling that resolution, so 1440p (2k) might be a better medium to go with for your machine. Depending on your model of MacBook and whether or not it has a dedicated GPU, a 4k monitor could eat up some of your CPU bandwidth and heat up your machine quite a bit.

 

[pshufd]

My 2014 MBP drives two QHD (2560x1440) displays and it is fabulous. I used to use WUXGA (1920x1200) and HD (1920x1080) displays and it's no comparison. If you want to drive 2xQHD, then I'd recommend at least the 2015 MBP - the 2014 will drive them but that's all. I can't even use the laptop monitor when I'm using 2XQHD.

 

[dcaccount]

My 2014 MBP drives two QHD (2560x1440) displays and it is fabulous. I used to use WUXGA (1920x1200) and HD (1920x1080) displays and it's no comparison. If you want to drive 2xQHD, then I'd recommend at least the 2015 MBP - the 2014 will drive them but that's all. I can't even use the laptop monitor when I'm using 2XQHD.

Thanks for your comments. I would like to buy a 2K, i.e. 1440 but my doubt is, will a 2014 rMBP drive without slowing down a single 2K monitor?

Thanks!
Dan

 

[pshufd]

Thanks for your comments. I would like to buy a 2K, i.e. 1440 but my doubt is, will a 2014 rMBP drive without slowing down a single 2K monitor?

Thanks!
Dan

I don't have problems driving two of them but I don't do anything graphics-intensive. My work is browser, email, documents, notes application, notes, reminders and VNC to a development cloud server. I also just got a 2015 rMBP with AMD graphics and it will drive the two QHD displays and the internal display at full resolution and I'd guess that that configuration could handle your needs.

I guess you could ask others with 2014s and a QHD how it performs on games, video rendering, etc. The experience is really great for software development as you can see so much.