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What external monitors for 2017 MBP

W

WayneLL2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 4, 2017
4
0
Los Angeles County CA
May purchase 2017 MBP 13 " TouchBar.
(upgrading from mid 2012 MB Air)
1. What is best monitor at any price?
2. What is best monitor for $200-$400?

Are there any specifically for Macs?
Thanks
 
The only officially sanctioned displays from Apple are currently the Ultrafine 4k and 5k. I absolutely adore my 5k, the screen is beautiful.

That said, they're not for everyone, and both are out of your price range. Do you have a particular need (photo/video), does the display need to be color accurate?
 
I still use my thunderbolt display, still is great. You may be able to find used on craigslist or eBay.
 
rawweb said:
The only officially sanctioned displays from Apple are currently the Ultrafine 4k and 5k. I absolutely adore my 5k, the screen is beautiful.

That said, they're not for everyone, and both are out of your price range. Do you have a particular need (photo/video), does the display need to be color accurate?
Click to expand...
No particular need for phtos/vids. Just looking to maybe replace two 5 yr old monitors with better res model.
I am also learning about monitors. See now after writing my post, that there are others on the subject.
Thanks!
 
I dont have the 2017 MBP yet. Not sure how to answer your question if I did have it.
[doublepost=1504637590][/doublepost]
rawweb said:
The only officially sanctioned displays from Apple are currently the Ultrafine 4k and 5k. I absolutely adore my 5k, the screen is beautiful.

That said, they're not for everyone, and both are out of your price range. Do you have a particular need (photo/video), does the display need to be color accurate?
Click to expand...

Found this: Good price?
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01CH9ZTI4/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3GTQFO8GUOLWI&colid=1XD6FJL1JTY8Y
 
Tight Budget:
Any kind of IPS equipped 24" or 27"
+ Larger screen
- just about everything else
- usb-c adapter required

Budget: (hard to find a better specced one for this kind of money)
HP Envy 27s
+ 4K
+ USB-C/Thunderbolt3 graphics, and it powers/charges the 13" MBP (2016/2017)
+ 99% Adobe sRGB
- 350cd/m2 (but brighter than most of the competition)
Dunno the US $ price, but it retails just below €500 over here.

Best:
I guess the LG UltraFine 5K that apple sells.
+ 5K
+ USB-C/Thunderbolt3 graphics, and it powers/charges the 13" and 15" MBP (2016/2017)
+ P3 wide color gamut
+ 500cd/m2
- €1400

edit:
Typo
 
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The Dell P2415Q is a compact (24") UHD IPS display with excellent colour and supports DisplayPort 1.4 for high refresh rates and pass-through. Street price is typically under $500 USD. Doesn't have audio, though, or a camera. Dell used to make multimedia monitors with these built in but they're not currently listed, though you might find new-old stock from resellers or on eBay.
 
27" 4K is quickly becoming the sweet spot in the market. QHD is another slightly lower res option (at 27" you may very well not notice the difference). There are solid QHD monitors for $150. There are solid 27" 4K monitors at #400.
 
I'll throw one recommendation in with the LG 27UD69P-W, it's a 27 inch 4K monitor. Not so great name but I'm extremely satisfied with this display. 4K @ 60 Hz, faster response time than I'll ever need, and the panel itself looks fantastic.

My favorite thing about the monitor, and why I paid slightly more than some competitors, is the monitor stand itself. It moves up/down vertically, tilts, and can rotate a full 90 degrees. I realize VESA mounts can solve for this, and some users likely already have a mount they like. But I, and many other users, just want to buy a monitor, not a monitor and a VESA mount. This device gives me the flexbility of a true VESA mount.

Monitor is $400 (regular $500, currently on sale) and for some odd reason is only available at Best Buy. I've had 0 issues using the monitor with my Mac standalone as well as with a Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock hooked up via DisplayPort.
 
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Ultrafine 21.5 inch 4K is my preferred monitor after trying out several others. Perfect size for a compact desktop setup. Same brightness and color accuracy as the internal Macbook display as well.

Plus, the Ultrafines are the only glossy displays I can think of right now in the market. The rest are matte and text appears blurry for that reason.

Also, with a 27-inch 4K, you'll have to run a scaled resolution, which affects performance (and isn't as sharp). See this: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/anybody-running-27-4k-monitors-in-1440p-scaled-mode.2026551/
 
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OP asks:
"1. What is best monitor at any price?"

No one can answer that, because each individual's needs and expectations are different.
Only YOU can tell US which is "best" for you.

Having said that, if cost is no object, you might do well with top-of-the-line displays from either NEC or EIZO (hope I spelled that right). But be prepared to spend thousands.

"2. What is best monitor for $200-$400?"

Again, no one can tell you which is best. There -are- several good choices. If you want to get an idea of how others are doing, pick a display and read amazon user reviews on it. As you read them, try to separate "the wheat" from "the chaff".

A good list for searching for a display:
http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php
 
Fishrrman said:
OP asks:
"1. What is best monitor at any price?"

No one can answer that, because each individual's needs and expectations are different.
Only YOU can tell US which is "best" for you.

Having said that, if cost is no object, you might do well with top-of-the-line displays from either NEC or EIZO (hope I spelled that right). But be prepared to spend thousands.

"2. What is best monitor for $200-$400?"

Again, no one can tell you which is best. There -are- several good choices. If you want to get an idea of how others are doing, pick a display and read amazon user reviews on it. As you read them, try to separate "the wheat" from "the chaff".

A good list for searching for a display:
http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php
Click to expand...
Yes, looks great!
Been a fairly experienced end-user for 30 years but not a techie so always learning.
Long time MacRumorPhile but a Forums newbie.
Thanks to you and all others for really informative monitor advice and info.
 
Heruhur said:
I checked the dutch HP site, they ditched the usb-c connection here as well. Unbelievable.
And they don't even mention it on the US site, though they do package it with an usb-c cable.
Click to expand...

Your avatar picture is gonna come real handy now at them jokers. :p
 
Heruhur said:
Well I was thinking more along a certain finger raised.
I had that monitor on my wishlist, was gonna buy it as soon as I had the funding raised.:(
Click to expand...

That monitor, at ₹ 46,000 meaning roughly US$ 686 MRP, is a very good steal. I have an HP 27xi that was the only monitor I ever found that looked at home with my MBP 2011 and cost me $350 in 2013. This 4k monitor at around $650 is very good. But then, possibly we could pay some more and get a 5k or a better 4k with USB-C.

Their removing USB-C was a sad gesture. Wonder why they did that buffoonery.
 
macintoshmac said:
That monitor, at ₹ 46,000 meaning roughly US$ 686 MRP, is a very good steal. I have an HP 27xi that was the only monitor I ever found that looked at home with my MBP 2011 and cost me $350 in 2013. This 4k monitor at around $650 is very good. But then, possibly we could pay some more and get a 5k or a better 4k with USB-C.

Their removing USB-C was a sad gesture. Wonder why they did that buffoonery.
Click to expand...
Indeed it was a steal, until they decided to remove the usb-c.
Well the Envy 27s off the board . . . . next up the LG 27UD88-W
(spec wise, it looks like it uses the same panel as the HP)
unfortunately it's about €600 around here, that adds an extra 100.
 
Well saw the LG 27UD88-W at the store for just under €500 euro's and took one home with me.
Excellent monitor! 4K looks amazing the colors are excellent and it charges the MBP as advertised.
<-- happy camper over there :)
 
Hello guys, a question about the scaling. It's made all by the gpu right?

So if I plan to use one or more 4k displays (27' or 32') attached to an external gpu ( rx 580 or vega 56) it should run smooth. Am I correct? Thanks
 
Lou-X said:
Hello guys, a question about the scaling. It's made all by the gpu right?

So if I plan to use one or more 4k displays (27' or 32') attached to an external gpu ( rx 580 or vega 56) it should run smooth. Am I correct? Thanks
Click to expand...

To my knowledge, scaling will always impact performance (which is why the Ultrafine 4K and 5K are great options for Mac users as they run in retina mode) versus otherwise. However, it will be mitigated slightly with a stronger GPU. I don't think you should expect any serious performance hit with a GPU of that caliber.

But, also keep in mind that when scaling you lose a bit of sharpness.
 
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mcomp112 said:
To my knowledge, scaling will always impact performance (which is why the Ultrafine 4K and 5K are great options for Mac users as they run in retina mode) versus otherwise. However, it will be mitigated slightly with a stronger GPU. I don't think you should expect any serious performance hit with a GPU of that caliber.

But, also keep in mind that when scaling you lose a bit of sharpness.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your point of view.
Sadly ultrafine monitors are not an option for me. I cannot even attach 'em to the eGPU AFAIK.
 
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