Yet another "Should I update" thread... (sorry guys, no apple friends)

[evrard]

I just purchased a 40'' 4K TV to replace my external monitor, however my current MBP (Mid-2012, 2.9 Ghz Intel Core i7, 8GB Ram, Intel HD Graphics 4000) does not output to 4K -- which I knew when I purchased the TV.

I figured I would upgrade my MBP when the rMBP's refresh later this year. However, I didn't think the quality from my current MBP would be so poor. There is noticeable lag (mouse/keyboard), ghosting, and the text is extremely blurry (or too sharp?). These may be artifacts of my TV rather than the MacBook.

I purchased a LG 40UB8000 TV (http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-40UB8000-led-tv). It has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which leads me to believe it is my MBP that is causing the poor performance. If my logic is correct, I now have to choose whether or not to upgrade.

I don't have many tech nor apple fans, thus I am reaching out to this subreddit. Here are some of my questions

1. Can I upgrade just the Thunderport from 1.1 to 1.2 permitting 4k output?
2. How big of an upgrade is rumored for the rMBP line?
3. My graduate school offers a $1000 reimbursement for "professional development" that can be applied to a computer purchase. Assuming I use this along with the resell value of my current MBP, should I upgrade now or wait?

 

[yjchua95]

I just purchased a 40'' 4K TV to replace my external monitor, however my current MBP (Mid-2012, 2.9 Ghz Intel Core i7, 8GB Ram, Intel HD Graphics 4000) does not output to 4K -- which I knew when I purchased the TV.

I figured I would upgrade my MBP when the rMBP's refresh later this year. However, I didn't think the quality from my current MBP would be so poor. There is noticeable lag (mouse/keyboard), ghosting, and the text is extremely blurry (or too sharp?). These may be artifacts of my TV rather than the MacBook.

I purchased a LG 40UB8000 TV (http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-40UB8000-led-tv). It has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which leads me to believe it is my MBP that is causing the poor performance. If my logic is correct, I now have to choose whether or not to upgrade.

I don't have many tech nor apple fans, thus I am reaching out to this subreddit. Here are some of my questions

1. Can I upgrade just the Thunderport from 1.1 to 1.2 permitting 4k output?
2. How big of an upgrade is rumored for the rMBP line?
3. My graduate school offers a $1000 reimbursement for "professional development" that can be applied to a computer purchase. Assuming I use this along with the resell value of my current MBP, should I upgrade now or wait?

You can't upgrade the ports. It's soldered.

Besides, the bandwidth of TB1 just isn't enough to support 4K @ 60 Hz.

Also, the late-2013/mid-2014 13" rMBPs also will not support 4K @ 60 Hz, due to the hardware limitations of Intel's Haswell-U processors.

You need a minimum of a baseline 15" rMBP (with Iris Pro) to support 4K @ 60 Hz.

 

[kelon111]

I just purchased a 40'' 4K TV to replace my external monitor, however my current MBP (Mid-2012, 2.9 Ghz Intel Core i7, 8GB Ram, Intel HD Graphics 4000) does not output to 4K -- which I knew when I purchased the TV.

I figured I would upgrade my MBP when the rMBP's refresh later this year. However, I didn't think the quality from my current MBP would be so poor. There is noticeable lag (mouse/keyboard), ghosting, and the text is extremely blurry (or too sharp?). These may be artifacts of my TV rather than the MacBook.

I purchased a LG 40UB8000 TV (http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-40UB8000-led-tv). It has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which leads me to believe it is my MBP that is causing the poor performance. If my logic is correct, I now have to choose whether or not to upgrade.

I don't have many tech nor apple fans, thus I am reaching out to this subreddit. Here are some of my questions

1. Can I upgrade just the Thunderport from 1.1 to 1.2 permitting 4k output?
2. How big of an upgrade is rumored for the rMBP line?
3. My graduate school offers a $1000 reimbursement for "professional development" that can be applied to a computer purchase. Assuming I use this along with the resell value of my current MBP, should I upgrade now or wait?

You might be able to get 4K @ 30 Hz.

Check the links below:
http://superuser.com/questions/776288/do-modern-ivy-bridge-and-haswell-graphics-support-4k
http://apple.stackexchange.com/ques...-pro-to-work-with-my-seiki-39-inch-4k-monitor
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1681560/

 

[austinpike]

There is noticeable lag (mouse/keyboard)...

TVs generally stink for lag due to excessive image processing, which is especially noticeable with cursor movements. That aspect won't be improved regardless of what laptop you are driving it with. Look for a game or PC mode on the TV, but even that may not help all that much.