If you own a MacBook Pro with Retina Display and desire extra screen real estate, then a 4K monitor can be a good investment, especially as the price of such monitors continue to dwindle.
Why should you consider a 4K display instead of a cheaper monitor with lesser resolution? It all boils down to clarity.
Resolution
Since it’s enabled by default in OS X, many MacBook Pro owners with Retina displays take advantage of HiDPI mode — a setting that doubles interface element pixels on the x and y axis. This allows items on screen to appear larger to compensate for the smaller pixels provided on such a dense display, while allowing for tack-sharp print-like text.
Users will appreciate having a similar experience on an external display. It just so happens that 4K monitors have enough resolution to support HiDPI mode and still be practical for typical usage.
4K displays support a native resolution of 3840-by-2160. When running in OS X’s default HiDPI mode, the amount of available real estate is effectively cut in half, resulting in a display that feels like 1920-by-1080. Granted, you’re giving up screen real estate by running in HiDPI mode, but for the sake of your eyes, it can be worth it.
A 15” MacBook Pro with Retina Display features a native resolution of 2880-by-1800. With the display set as default, the available real estate ends up being half that, at 1440-by-900. As you can see, that’s quite a bit less than the 1920-by-1080 provided by a 4K monitor, although it is possible to set the MacBook’s display to 1920-by-1200 using the More Space option in System Preferences → Displays. The point is, if you’re used to using OS X’s default display settings, then having a 4K monitor will still feel like an upgrade in screen real estate.
An added bonus is that iPhones and now iPads can shoot 4K video. Being able to watch your 4K footage in full resolution on your display is a nice side benefit.
Driving a 4K display
4K monitors are still relatively new in the industry, and as such, the technology continues to mature and improve. Early 4K displays adopted a Multi-Stream Transport (MST) strategy that used multiple input controllers. The result was a single display broken up into two input streams of 1920-by-2160. For GPU’s that supported MST via DisplayPort 1.2, it feeds these two separate streams at 60Hz.
As you might imagine, this is not the most ideal way to go about implementing 4K or higher resolutions into your workflow. It works, and I can personally attest to that, but to be honest, it feels like a hack. Graphical glitches can occur, and you may encounter random issues and display problems that make the monitor appear as two separate displays instead of one. I’ve had mixed results when using MST, but now that Single-Stream Transport displays are available for a reasonable price, I recommend going that route instead.
Not every MacBook Pro is capable of driving a 4K display using SST. According to Apple, here are the Macs that can successfully drive a Single-Stream Transport 4K display at 60Hz:
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) and later
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
- MacBook Air (Early 2015)
Notice that even the Early 2015 and later MacBook Air can get in on the action. This is particularly interesting, since the MacBook’s Air’s own screen is a “normal” low-resolution display.
The main takeaway from this is that you’ll need a 15″ MacBook Pro from Mid 2014 or later, or a 13″ MacBook Pro from Early 2015 or later, in order to take advantage of 4K at 60Hz in the best way. Earlier models can work with 4K, but they use MST, and I simply can’t recommend that you take that route.
I also can’t recommend using any display running at 30Hz. Such a refresh rate results in a less than optimal user experience. The new 12″ MacBook, for example, can drive a 4K display, but Apple says it’s only capable of doing so at 30Hz.
The best 4K Monitor for the MacBook Pro?
I have some strict requirements when it comes to the 4K displays that I’m willing to mate with my MacBook Pro. The displays must meet the following:
- Must be an IPS (or PLS) panel
- Must use Single-Stream Transport
- Must do 4K@60Hz
- Must support DisplayPort 1.2
Here are some of the available options for MacBook Pro users shopping for a 4K display that meet the aforementioned requirements:
| Brand/Model | Size | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Dell P2415Q | 24 | |
| Dell P2715Q | 27 | |
| BenQ BL2711U | 27 | |
| Samsung U32D970Q | 32 | |
| Dell UP3216Q | 32 | |
Of course, there may be other monitors out there, but these are the ones with which I’m most familiar.
There are 4K monitors available that meet some, but not all, of my set requirements. For instance, there are several TN panels available, but I assume that most Mac users would prefer an IPS display, like the ones found in the MacBook Pro and iMac lines. The PLS panel used in the Samsung monitor is very similar to IPS, hence its inclusion.
If you’re looking for more coverage of 4K displays, be sure to check out Jordan Kahn’s earlier breakdown of 4K displays geared towards Mac Pro users.
The Dell P2415Q provides the most bang for the buck
If you’re in the market for an inexpensive 4K display to pair with your MacBook, then it’s hard to go wrong with Dell’s 24″ P2415Q. It’s the smallest monitor in our list, but when you’re only talking about a 1920-by-1080 effective resolution when using HiDPI, then having a larger monitor isn’t necessarily adding more screen real estate to your workflow.
The Dell P2415Q doesn’t feature the fit and finish of pricier Ultrasharp-designated offerings, which are calibrated at the factory, but for the price, it’s hard to beat. I’ve never been a fan of the build quality of Dell’s displays, and this monitor doesn’t change my opinion.
If color accuracy is of greater importance to you, and you don’t mind paying a little more, then the BenQ BL2711U is a solid offering as well, plus you get three inches of additional screen.
For larger monitors, I’d be more interested in 5K, but as you’ll see in the next section, 5K is kind of languishing in the third-party monitor space.
The 5K factor
To be completely honest, a 5K monitor is really where it’s at, but the prices for such a display are extremely high at this point, and options are just as limited. As of right now, the only 5K display that I can find on Amazon is Dell’s UP2715K Ultra HD 5K Monitor.
5K monitors are awesome, because you get to enjoy the clarity that such resolution brings to the table, while getting tons of screen real estate. 5K monitors have a native resolution of 5120‑by‑2880, which provides 2560-by-1440 of effective space when running in OS X’s default HiDPI mode. This is the same amount of space provided by a Thunderbolt display, but you get the added benefit of the clarity that you’re used to enjoying while using your MacBook Pro.
Strangely, 5K monitor innovation seems to be lagging behind. Prices have remained high, and the amount of options available are miniscule. With this in mind, the 5K iMac, even at full price, is a good deal. A refurbished 5K iMac can thus be a ridiculously good deal if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution.
Unfortunately, Apple states that its 5K iMac cannot be used as an external display with Target Display Mode. It also makes no mention of its 2015 MacBook Pro supporting 5K displays with a dual cable setup on its support site, even though such a statement was there previously. Needless to say, there still seems to be some confusion at Apple HQ about what resolutions its machines support.
Conclusion
Ultimately, only you will be able to determine whether or not a 4K monitor meets your needs. As someone who uses a 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, I believe that 4K monitors, at their current price levels, can be good purchases. Not only do you get extra real estate, but you get to enjoy HiDPI, something that many of us MacBook Pro users are used to by now.
As I stated in our review of LG’s UltraWide 21:9 display, having such added space is great, but it’s hard to downgrade when it comes to clarity. Once your eyes become used to using Retina displays, it’s difficult to make a transition back to lesser resolution. 4K monitors aren’t perfect, but they provide a valuable stopgap at reasonable prices until 5K becomes more mainstream.
If fit and finish, or future-proofing are some of your top concerns, then I suggest waiting it out until Apple releases a ThunderBolt 3-equipped 5K display. That’s certainly what I’m waiting for, but a 4K display can hold me over in the interim.
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I own a 1920×1200 display and a 3840×2400 would be great. I don’t really like the 16:9 displays. Where are the 8:5 displays? Yes 5120×3200 would be even better.
We’ve been waiting for Apple’s updated Thunderbolt monitor for quite some time. When do you think it’s coming? I’d prefer it but I can’t wait forever.
With ThunderBolt 3, I’d say this year would be a prime time. But, honestly who knows?
Unfortunately, even Thunderbolt 3 will be unable to drive a potential 5K Thunderbolt Display because Thunderbolt 3 lacks support for DisplayPort 1.3. Instead, it uses the same DisplayPort 1.2 spec that’s been out for awhile and it cannot power a 5K display using SST (single stream transport) over a single cable – something surely Apple will require to make this product. Intel’s Skylake chips, and even the Kaby Lake successor chips won’t support DisplayPort 1.3, so the wait for a standalone 5K Thunderbolt Display will surely last until well into 2017. MacRumors has a great article explaining this further if you’re interested.
Couldn’t you just double up the cable? You can use a 5K Display now with some Macs, though it requires two cables. Thing is, I don’t see Apple shipping a TBD without TB3, but I still think a Mac will be able to drive such a display, even if it means doubling up cable.
While a two cable solution would work, Thunderbolt 3 also provides DisplayPort enough bandwidth to power a 5K display over a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C cable but only using MST (multi-steam transport). Unfortunately, both a dual cable setup and MST over a single cable are clunky setups and can cause less than desirable performance issues under a number of scenarios making it unlikely Apple would release a display that had to endure these issues.
The more likely scenario is Apple holds out for DisplayPort 1.3 to be supported in both the Thunderbolt 3 controller AND by an Intel chip which won’t happen until 2017 at the earliest it seems. Cannonlake, the chip due in late-2017, is promising DisplayPort 1.3 support which will finally make 5K over a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C cable possible using the cleaner SST.
MacRumours had a post about it back in January. http://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/15/apple-5k-thunderbolt-display/
Essentially we are waiting for DisplayPort 1.3 to provide the bandwidth needed for 5K in a single stream (SST). Intel won’t support it until Cannon Lake — due out in the 2H of 2017. On the other hand, AMD says their Polaris GPUs will support DisplayPort 1.3, which are due to be announced this summer before WWDC. Those GPUs are rumoured to be in upcoming MacBook Pros and iMacs (via wccftech).
Current 5K displays use two cables with DisplayPort 1.2, but using Thunderbolt 3 it should be possible to support 5K displays over a single cable, even with DisplayPort 1.2. However this would be multistream (MST) so it could be a bit glitchy. If you recall, Apple made a custom timing controller for the 5K iMac. It’s certainly seems possible for them to come out with a Thunderbolt 3 display that supports SST with a dedicated GPU (or integrated graphics on future Cannon Lake) but falls back to MST on Skylake integrated GPUs. Either way it’s just one cable.
Considering all the advancements Apple has made with DCI-P3 colour gamuts and anti-reflective coatings on iMacs and iPads, it would be really great if they came out with Thunderbolt 3 display for professional users. But of course I have no idea if or when they will — that’s why I bought a refurbished 5K iMac, and it’s great! :-)
Here’s hoping they support Adaptive Sync (AMD FreeSync) in future internal and external displays as well.
Thanks for your comment. I’ve been toying with buying a 5K iMac for a while now and your comment might push me over the hump to do it. It does seem like this is a transitional machine with ports and video but one can’t wait forever… Thanks.
I saw the article about the AMD GPU’s, but what I don’t understand is whether that matters if the Intel Skylake (or Kaby Lake) CPU doesn’t support DP 1.3. Also, as far as I know, the actual Thunderbolt 3 controller built in to the port would need to support DP 1.3 outbound, but that’s beyond my level of expertise.
Essentially, Apple would need some kind of frankenstein solution like they did internally in the 5K iMac with the custom timing controller in order to ship a TB3 5K Display in 2016. Given that they still sell a 2011 USB 2.0 model for the same $999 price point, my hopes of them focusing on this are very slim. My guess is that they will eventually release this when the DisplayPort tech can comfortable support it using the more optimal SST.
Probably never. Thunderbolt 3 has already been out for quite awhile, if Apple really cared about that tech then they would have made sure that the latest MB Retina supported it. It doesn’t. Tells me Apple could care less about Thunderbolt 3. And before someone chimes in, TB3 is not supposed to be JUST for high end machines…It’s supposed to be for everything; the connector for USB-C has been adopted, and it now supports charging, PCIe devices, USB devices, video and audio!
I really miss 4×3 ratio – made portrait orientation perfect. I can’t stand 16×9, but get by with running 2 16×9 monitors in portrait, yielding 18×16. IPS definitely required here – and if the monitors aren’t designed for portrait, your lateral viewing angles may be seriously compromised.
Anybody else change resolution on MBP 13″ to 1440 X 900, the default seems way too large.
Yep I agree. Personally I’d like to see 1440 x 900 as the default on the 13″ with the pixels to match (i.e. 2880×1800)
I considered 4K monitors when I bought a pair in September. My issue is that my 2014 Macbook Pro is only capable of driving a single 4K monitor, and I really need 2 displays. So I ended up getting two 2560 x 1440 27″ displays. The 2015 Macbook Pro can handle two 4K displays, and if thats what I had, I’d have two 4K displays right now.
I got the Dell 27″ a month ago and love it. Looks as good as my MacBook Pro display and better than my non-retina iMac.
I got the LG 31MU97 which does 4096 x 2160 at 60Hz. That’s considered true 4K, where 3840 x 2160 is considered UHD. Driving it with my 2009 Mac Pro via a AMD Radeon R9 280x 3GB RAM PCIe video card. Don’t confuse this with the mobile version used in recent Retina iMacs.
My coworker has had some trouble driving an LG 4096×2160 monitor, though I don’t know if it’s the same model. He is using a 12″ MacBook, so the GPU wouldn’t be able to reach 60Hz anyway, but it occasionally has the glitches where half the screen scrolls (likely related to MST).
What a crying shame that mobile class GPUs are used in a desktop machine.
Mac Pro 2012 with AMD radeon Pro Duo is a killer combo
@bradmacpro I have the same graphics card in my 2010 Mac Pro. Do you think it would drive the Dell 5k monitor (5120 x 2880) at 60Hz? My research hasn’t turned up anything. Your post that it drives 4096 x 2160 at 60Hz is good to know.
My MBP can’t even drive a proper 4K display.
IMHO, mobile class GPUs are still not really that great (as evidenced by the supported MacBookPro list above, lol).
I’m going to wait another year at least before I even consider a 4K display.
“A 15” MacBook Pro with Retina Display features a native resolution of 2880-by-1800. With the display set as default, the available real estate ends up being half that, at 1440-by-900.”
Correction, not ‘half that’, but actually 1/4.
I bought an Acer B286HK a month ago and it’s really fantastic. Even with 30hz it’s great, for texts and programming. Unfortunately, I have a MacBook pro 13″ mid 2014, which gives me only 4k at 30hz. Now I’m looking to upgrade my MacBook to continue enjoy this amazing 4k monitor :)
I’ve been using the Dell UP3216Q with my 2015 15″ MBP at 2560 x 1440 and it’s gorgeous. I did try running it at full 3840 x 2160 but everything was too small for my middle-aged eyes and the monitor would occasionally flicker (I don’t know if that was the MBP, cable, or monitor). I do wish it had an auto-brightness feature though.
Does your MBP offer a high DPI setting that is equivalent to 2560 × 1440 px to did you use a “low resolution” setting? I’m trying to use the display with my late 2013 13″ MPB (sadly limited to 30 Hz anyway) and sadly it doesn’t offer me a high DPI setting. Outputting 2560 to the screen does have the advantage of the 60 Hz refresh rate but the picture is quite blurry.
Does Macbook Pro “15 Mid 2015 support 3840×2160 at 60Hz flawlessly with Dell P2415Q or Dell P2715Q? Since HDMI supports only 30Hz, can I simply use included miniDisplayPort to Display Port cable? Can I connect miniDisplay port to MBP’s Thunderbolt2 port and the other side of the cable – the classic DisplayPort connect to Dell monitor? Will it work? Thanks for any advice!
Oh no, I won’t upgrade to 4k.
I can’t even drive my external 1080p screen in its native resolution without having the fans of my macbook pro turning up.
Right now I’m lowering the resolution on the external display to 1600×900 to have a quiet usage
13″ – 4K resolution
15″ – 5K resolution
And yes, Display Port 1.4, if u r demanding, why make a lame one?
Personally, I’d like to see 4K and 5K Thunderbolt Displays with externals GPUs (i’e a built in GPU which a Mac with Thunberbolt 3 can tap into). Also would need good OSX/MacOS support I guess.
Yah. That would be pretty interesting. Then any MacBook Pro could take advantage of an AMD Polaris chip, not just the top-end 15″ MBP. And the discreet GPUs in iMacs are higher powered than what the MacBook Pro can house. On the other hand, GPUs may be upgraded more frequently than displays, so it may not make sense to couple them together. And the laptop would lack a discreet GPU when on the go.
I have my doubts that this will happen any time soon, but Thunderbolt 3 and eGPU’s open up some really interesting possibilities.
You’re missing a “Must feature USB-C connectivity with the ability to charge a MacBook” bullet in your requirements list.
With the next MacBook Pros (and everything) sure to feature this over TB, it’s not very forward-looking to buy a non-USB-C monitor at this time.
I don’t really mind 4K in HIDPI mode because I view such a screen laid back in my chair. I’d rather go for a 2560×1440 32″ / 34″ monitor and use it in “normal” mode. But I’d want that monitor to act as the equivalent of my TB Display, which I love, with USB-A ports, Ethernet and everything else.
Am I the only one who is missing 21 inch 4K display? It would have the right GUI sizes with Retina option. It looks like they don’t exist except “only Apple” can do them, but puts them in 21 inch Retina iMac.
I’ve got a top of the range Macbook Pro Mid 2014 with 16gb ram and the works. This thing can barely drive a 4K display if you extend the desktop. The only way to do it is to disable the Macbook’s screen and use the 4K display as the sole monitor. Otherwise, welcome to screen tearing city.
I’m running a 4K screen at 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz on a late 2013 MacBook Pro over DisplayPort. It’s not limited to 30Hz on this model
Right, because it’s using MST, which the Late 2013 MacBook Pro supports. My requirements for this particular post was SST support, as there’s less chance of encountering compatibility issues and screen tearing issues. But it does work, as you stated; I personally can attest to that. Enjoy!
Ah, I see
Same here, my 2013 MacBook Pro 15″ works on DisplayPort or Thunderbolt on my Acer UHD 4K2K B326HK at 60Hz at 3840×2160 or 1920×1080.
I have the LG 27UD68. Awesome monitor. 27″ UHD @ 60 Hz and it is an IPS panel.
I just bought this same monitor but I couldn’t get it to run at 60 Hz at 1920 by 1080 on my Macbook Pro Retina 13″ Early 2015. Hooked it up with a mini display port to HDMI adapter and had the LG panel mirroring my Mac. Any ideas on what could be wrong? I’m thinking I need to use a Mini DP to DP adapter…
I have the same problem…did you find a solution???
I have the same problem trying to run 60 Hz with a MiniDisplay to HDMI 2 adaptor. I think the problem is with the OS itself, not allowing setting the refresh rate even if both the adaptor and the monitor is capable to do so. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to get around this. Would love to hear suggestion from others.
HDMI can only carry 30hz, have you try mini-dp to dp adapter?
Are You running that with a Mac? Is it running MST or SST? Getting 60 Hz?
In UK we can get a professional 4K 24″ Samsung U24E850R which works great with the 2015 MacBook Pro 15″. Not sure why this model isn’t in USA.
Is this based on having your MacBook open at the same time, or docked and closed?
I was trying to drive a Vizio M43-C1 UHD TV at 3840 x 2160 @60Hz using the Thunderbolt port on a Macbook Pro mid 2015 using MD to HDMI and going to the HDMI port 5 on the TV which is rated for 4K@60Hz. All cables and adapters are rated for 4K@60Hz. Regardless of what I did I was only able to get 30Hz at any resolution whether it was at 4K or 1080. I wasted a lot of time and effort reading through many post and articles, tried changing cables, ports, power cycled TV and computer to no avail. Finally I searched the app store for an application that would help change the resolution and also show the frequency like on some Windows PC’s. I found Resolution Switcher for $6.99 and decided to give it a try since that was much cheaper that trying out another cable, Now everything works as expected and shows me all the options available to me. Hope this will help others who are looking for a solution and save some time in the process.
Does Macbook Pro “15 Mid 2015 supports 3840×2160 at 60Hz flawlessly with Dell P2415Q or Dell P2715Q? Since HDMI supports only 30Hz, can I simply use included miniDisplayPort to Display Port cable? Can I connect miniDisplay port to MBP’s Thunderbolt2 port and the other side (the classic DisplayPort) to Dell monitor? Will it work? Thanks for any advice!
Does Macbook Pro “15 Mid 2015 support 3840×2160 at 60Hz flawlessly with Dell P2415Q or Dell P2715Q? Since HDMI supports only 30Hz, can I simply use included miniDisplayPort to Display Port cable? Can I connect miniDisplay port to MBP’s Thunderbolt2 port and the other side of the cable – the classic DisplayPort connect to Dell monitor? Will it work? Thanks for any advice!
Great article. I’m trying to figure out if my MacBook Pro can support a 32″ 4k display at 60hz. This is my Mac (according to “About This Mac”): MacBook Pro (retina, 15-inch, mid 2015). And this is the monitor I’m thinking about getting: https://goo.gl/KcYE4k. I’ve never used an external display with my laptop and I’m not sure if it has the right ports/power to handle a display like that one. Please help! Thanks a lot.
I’ve got a Macbook Pro Retina Display (Late 2013) model which has a Thunderbolt 2 ports. Now I understand that Thunderbolt 2 incorporates DisplayPort 1.2 support, and DisplayPort 1.2 support 4k @ 60hz. I’m planning to buy an LG 4k monitor (27UD68) which had a DisplayPort 1.2 input port. It seems like I should be able to run 4k @ 60hz with this setup using a Mini DisplayPort to Display Port cable, but I’m worried coz Apple’s website claims we need atleast an “Early 2015” MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch for 4k @ 60hz. Can someone help?