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Why can't the '12 15" non-Retina MBP run 3 monitors?

5

50thVert

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
183
0
St. Louis, MO
The RMBP and MBP have the same CPU/GPU combo, yet the RMBP can display it's screen @ 2880x1800 plus two externals @ 2560x1600 apiece. What gives? Is this a stupid software limitation or do we need that second Thunderbolt port to drive the second external monitor?
 
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Op calm down bro as mentioned above you can run 2x thunderbolt (or 1x thunderbolt 1x cinema display) monitors on any TB macbook pro except for the Air and perhaps the MBP 13" i believe.
 
macbook-pro-dual-thunderbolt-displays.jpg
 
pgiguere1, I was under the impression that if you daisy chained two TBolt monitors your classic MBP 15 the internal display went blank.

This is what I was going off of, from Apple's Website:

Retina MBP
Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on up to two external displays, at millions of colors

Classic 15 MBP
Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
 
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50thVert said:
Has anyone tried running two TBolt monitors and their internal display off a 2012 non-retina MBP 15?
Click to expand...

Yes. It is specifically designed to do this. It has been like this since 2011 when the thunderbolt display was first introduced.

Edit: the built-in display can be on or off. Doesn't matter.
 
In a similar vein, can the RMBP run three external monitors using two separate TB->HDMI adapters and the built in HDMI out (with the internal monitor on or off)?
 
It's a hardware limitation. There isn't yet a mobile equivalent of AMD's Eyefinity (up to 6 monitors).
 
Nothing peeves me more than artificial software limitations.

The 3rd gen Core i7 procs and HD4000 graphics can drive 3 displays according to Intel's website. The 650M can definitely handle the load as displayed in the rMBP. The Thunderbolt controllers can handle two simultaneous displays across all MacBook variants. But if you connect two thunderbolt displays to the 15" non-retina, the attached 15" display goes dark. The rMBP will continue to drive both external monitors AND it's attached display.

What a crock. :mad:
 
I think it's madness to buy a £900 display off Apple anyway, but I guess that's another matter.

Does seem pointless having two tb ports for sure.
 
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