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Which 13" uMBP to display 1080p on LED cinema display

L

leemkule

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 6, 2009
49
39
I'm considering a combo of the 13" uMBP and the apple 24" LED cinema display.

I'm wondering if anyone has any information as to how well it would manage 1080p video on the display. I'm either going to get the base 2.26ghz model and upgrade it myself to 4gb ram and a SSD or just go for the 2.53ghz model.

Anyone have any experience with the base 13" and the cinema display?

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
All the 13" models have the same GPU (9400M). The SSD and processor differences won't have any noticeable impact on graphics.

I really suggest going for the 15" anti-glare with the 9600M GT GPU upgrade.
 
Thanks for the input but I was really only looking at the 13" model, will the 9400M be unable to handle 1080p output to the monitor smoothly?
 
I have the 2.53Ghz MacBook Pro 13" and i can play 1080p mkv files fine on the built in 13" monitor obviously not at full resolution and while plugged into a tv displaying 1080p video with no problems what so ever
 
I haven't had any major issues on the 2.26GHz 13" MBP, it's not the best, but it works for me.

Honestly though, like snakesqzns, the 15" would be better. For the price of upgrading the RAM and HDD to an SSD, you could probably pick up a 15" with the dedicated GPU and be better off. Just something to consider.
 
You could save a whole lot of money by picking a different monitor and then getting the 15" with dedicated graphics.

I'm also curious as to what 1080p files you are actually playing. I won't talk about how you obtain these files but my guess is they aren't the 30-50gb movie files and are a condensed version. I can't imagine you'd could not play these files on the 9400M, but you will probably be better off with dedicated graphics for that task.

Unless you are in the market for a monitor with more professional panels, but even then there are cheaper monitors out there. Personally I picked up a Samsung T240HD and have been extremely happy. But that's just my opinion. I never was one to like the new LED monitors or the piece of glass apple wants in front of all there screens.;)
 
The 9400M built into the new uMBPs is powerful enough to drive a 24" LED Cinema display with 1080p videos. Anything higher will be difficult...
I drive a 26" 1920x1200 HDTV monitor via Mini DisplayPort - DVI adopter just fine. Playing 1080p .mkv files.
 
xhambonex said:
You could save a whole lot of money by picking a different monitor and then getting the 15" with dedicated graphics.

Unless you are in the market for a monitor with more professional panels, but even then there are cheaper monitors out there. Personally I picked up a Samsung T240HD and have been extremely happy. But that's just my opinion. I never was one to like the new LED monitors or the piece of glass apple wants in front of all there screens.;)
Click to expand...

I use the T260HD and am extremely satisfied XD.
I drive my Wii, xbox, desktop and sometimes my MBP on it and it's just a great monitor/TV overall :D
I don't do ANY designing or any professional work, so as long as my movies are crisp and clear, I'm very happy :)
 
Thanks for the replies. I really don't want to venture into 15" territory, the 13" is a perfect size for my needs, the only intense thing I would be doing would be watching 1080p content. I'd only consider the 15" if the 9400m was going to struggle. Will there be much difference between 2.26 and 2.53?

snakesqzns, cheers for the link but I am a UK customer.
 
leemkule said:
Thanks for the replies. I really don't want to venture into 15" territory, the 13" is a perfect size for my needs, the only intense thing I would be doing would be watching 1080p content. I'd only consider the 15" if the 9400m was going to struggle. Will there be much difference between 2.26 and 2.53?

snakesqzns, cheers for the link but I am a UK customer.
Click to expand...

i have 13" higher end model and 24 led cinema display.. im in uk and it works fine with high def! the panel the 24" uses (h-ips) is great for design work and colour accuracy but not great for movies, i think it has a slow refresh rate which seems to cause some motion blurring.. im only comparing this to my home tv which is top spec equipment but dvds looks great! i am being VERY picky when i mention this so dont be put off! its an amazing setup!

i was also considering the 15" but they are too big for what i want, the dedicated gpu of the 15"/17" is generally only needed when rendering 3D graphics, playing games and like someone else said outputting to a larger screen.. i have been shocked how well my 13" handles all of that stuff though!

hope that helps :)
 
My 13" MBP can play 1080p pretty good. It can be a little bumpy in random spots, but SL actually improved its play in VLC. Playing 1080p .mkv in Quicktime is a waste of time... and I only have 2GB of ram, so maybe if you had 4GB that would help.
 
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