Until I saw this video 4 months ago I used an HDMI to HDMI cable to connect my Mac Mini to my 28-in 4k display. That display has two HDMI ports and a full-sized DisplayPort. I now use a USB-C to DisplayPort cable and no longer see distortions or flickering on the screen.
After spending 1,000nds of $$$ on Macs iPhone and iPad and just waiting for what's coming in October-December, my goals were to better understand what and how Macs work as they are SO different that Microsoft I needed some tutoring and found Gary. From what I see, he offers some really good advice and top-notch learning. I just became a Patreon supporter as well.❤
I agree with most of the things you had said. But one thing you recommended was a 4 K monitor I have to strongly disagree after purchasing a Phillips, 27 inch 4K. I put it back in the box and returned it after about two hours of use. I know you disagree but I have found a 27 inch monitor, 2 K 1440 is the exact correct resolution due to the MacBook Air M1 design. I Purchased, the ASUS PA278CV And it works perfectly on my MacBook Air M1 it has a USB C thunderbolt connection and charges MacBook @65 W of power. 100% RGB color certification, and a three-year warranty including any dead pixels. Best of all it only cost $249 US.💻🖥️🤪
Gary, every video you post is just awesome and fabulous. The way you explain the things in a simple and short manner is quite remarkable. There are very few tutorials on Mac OS on TH-cam. I am a newbie to Mac but I am learning a lot just by seeing your videos. Thanks a lot for sharing your immense knowledge with us...!!! Keep sharing your immense knowledge with us. Keep posting these informative videos.
Today I was at the Apple Store looking to replace my iMac with a new Mac mini. Totally contrary to your advice the salesman said I should find the cheapest 1050p monitor and connect it only through hdmi. He said he has eight years experience selling Apple, rendering doesn’t matter, and oh ya he kept getting my name wrong. So glad there’s you to give good advice and not have to rely on the Apple experts.
Gary, I wanted to share how much I enjoy reading all the comments to your videos. Additionally you seem to have responded to a lot of the viewers questions. I think I learn equally from your video and the comments. Maybe it’s the synergy’s of watching/reading both. As always love your channel.
Thank you! I typed in"best monitor for mac mini" and got a sea of over produced, much bs videos with flying graphics and music that used up all my patience. Then I found yours, awesome keep up the good work.
Wow! You did an exceptional job explaining what kind of monitor a Mac user actually NEEDS for best compatibility. Most of the monitor videos on TH-cam only have someone say, these are the best monitors for your Mac, but they never fully explain WHY they're the best or why I need a $1500 monitor. SUBSCRIBING!!!
And the resolution is also important! If you have to scale the size, the graphics performance goes back. So it's better to take screens with 1440 pixel height for non-Retina or with 2880 for Retina resolution. In this case you don't have to scale and you will get higher graphics performance.
I bought two LG Ultrafine 4K displays. They work really great. I initially attached one of them to my 5K 2017 iMac. I later bought a second display right before I bought my M2 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro. I wanted displays that have high pixel density. I have been spoiled by my iMac's 5K display and by the MacBook Pro Retina display. The high pixel density of the 24-inch 4K displays is almost the same quality as the iMac's 5K display. At a normal viewing distance, I can't tell the difference. I cannot use a normal display. These displays costed more ($ 700 each), but they were well worth it. I could have bought a single 5K LG Ultrafine display, but I wanted to have dual displays once I moved from the iMac to my new MacBook Pro. I highly recommend these LG 4K displays. 4K on anything larger than 24 inches won't be as perfect. Anything larger should be 5K at least, in my opinion.
In 2022 I purchased a 27 inch Thunderbolt Display , Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter and new Thunderbolt 3 cables for my existing set up ; 2017 27 inch iMac and 2019 MacBook Pro . I’m satisfied avoiding the over priced Studio .
Gary, thanks so much for this info! My Apple display has been giving me some problems lately so I'm starting to think about replacing it. This is so helpful to give me a place to start!
A few comments from listening to your video (thanks for posting by the way): I've found that most monitors that I've looked at in the stores and online these days, and where DisplayPort is an option, they actually don't have the miniDisplayPort form factor, only the larger DisplayPort form factor. This seems counterintuitive but that's what I've encountered. At 09:14 you mentioned that to pass audio data to speakers you need the USB-C connection. On my 2017 MacBook Air (Big Sur), 2012 MacBook Air (Catalina), , the speaker data passes via DisplayPort. On both of my 2010 MacMinis (HighSierra), the speaker data passes via the HDMI connection (haven't tried it on the DisplayPort connection).
Awesome! It got me thinking and I canceled my order for some kind of adapter cord and I ordered a USB C to Display Port cable. I'm on a budget so I opted for a Phillips 27" 4k UHD. It's only 60 Hz but it's better quality than the old 24" Samsung tv that I've been using for a monitor. I also ordered a cheap but well reviewed set of external speakers, a dock with a plug-in ssd adapter and a 1 Tb ssd. That should complete my Apple ecosystem. I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a iPad mini 6 and an Apple TV.
Great clear explanation on external displays! I have 2 quick questions sir: 1. There seems to be a divide between how good is it for your macbook's battery to be charging through the monitor. Do you have an opinion on this? 2. What is your take on refresh rate on the external display? high resolution, high refresh rate screens cost alot and I've heard conflicting comments on this. Some people tell me 75hz will be good enough but others prefer at least 120hz Thank you very much in advance for the advice!
It is fine to let your MacBook charge through being connected to a screen that provides power. That is how many people do it. Refresh is a personal preference. Do you do some sort of work like animation or video editing that requires high refresh rates?
Gary, Thanks very much for this video, great information. A question for you, is it possible to use an older mac as a second screen (Mid 2010) from a newer mac?
Thank you so much for this. Really well reasoned and so well presented, none of the " Drama" that can be rife on other channels. I've started working my way through your other videos, I thought that I new my Mac pretty well, but I'm realising not as well as I thought as I'm discovering so much genuinely useful stuff. Thanks again, from an Oldie on the other side of the Pond 👍
Gary, As a follow up to this video and the important points (section 12:15) on USB-C Power Adapter Watts. I bought the MacBook Pro 14" with 10 core this models power USB-C Power Adapter is 96 Watts. I am finding it very difficult to find a Display / Monitor with Watts this high at least that are 4K and at a reasonable cost. Also the Watts are difficult to locate when trying to narrow down the selection.
One thing to think about is that your MacBook Pro may not need 96 watts. I'm sure that's great for rapid charging. But just everyday use it may work fine with far less.
Thanks for this. I agree about the utility of having DisplayPort or USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. Getting such a monitor will also be more likely to match up with other computers and video devices my friends and colleagues and I have. HDMI should be on there too, in my opinion. A Thunderbolt-only display would be great with my MBP16, but it would be useless with HDMI-only devices, many older notebook PCs, etc.* ..... I want to suggest that anyone wanting to watch movies on an external screen look for another feature: FreeSync. FreeSync is AMD's adaptive sync technology. If I watch a 24fps movie on my MBP16, I can hold the OPTION key down and change the resolution settings to 48fps -- every frame will be displayed completely, twice, with no tears. A FreeSync display will match the computer's video signal framerate dynamically (it's for games, originally), so the external display would also show the film at the intended 24fps. Adaptive sync eliminates tears and jumping in both games and video. ..... One thing that I've not been able to understand is if every display Thunderbolt 2 has adaptive sync built in. The specs on Thunderbolt 2 seem to require this, from my reading, but some T2-equipped displays don't mention any kind of adaptive sync. * I do not know if a Thunderbolt 2 -- USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 adapter could connect an iMac's T2 to a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3-only screen.
Thank you so much answered so many questions to help make the right decision. Initially I wasn't even looking at these specs at all and these are so important.
Thanks so much for this video. It solved the problem I had when I switched my MacBook Pro from using two 1920 x 1080 external monitors via an expansion box with 2 HDMI outputs to a single 4K monitor, (Acer CBL282K), using a single HDMI cable. While the set-up worked perfectly with the 2 1920 x 1080 monitors, with the single 4K, unless (I eventually discovered this) I woke the Mac and then switched on the monitor using the power switch, the monitor wouldn't detect an input. Initially I had cursed Apple as I open and shut the Macbook, which would eventually cause the monitor to detect an input. If the monitor went to sleep, it had to be powered off and the circuits power down before it would detect an input when powered on. Eventually I realised it was probably the expansion box's fault. It wasn't until I saw you video I realised that my problem could be solved using a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. Ironically, the electronics store at my local mall only carries one USB-C to DisplayPort cable, all the other digital cables are HDMI.
hey mate you have helped me quite a lot with you mac tips, just wanted to ask this question because i cant really find any answeres and your the goat when it comes to apple. I would like to get 2 24 inch monitos to connect them with my macbook but i dont know which ones i should buy or more specificly what resolutions are good for mac so i can get the full potential
I have that LG 27UN850-W and it's a good screen! Actually bought the Dell S2722QC first but something was wrong with the refresh rate and it made me sick when I looked at it. Only issue with the LG is that sometimes it decides not to charge the MacBook and you have to power cycle the screen to fix.
Brilliant easy to understand video, thank you so much Your work is different than the other, it’s plugged out of real life experiences! For example, I really found it helpful when you shared pages from products on Amazon and showing the viewer what to look out for… keep up the good work buddy 😊
I am 80 years old and mainly use my computer for genealogy research and gathering & scanning photos plus regular life use. I joist bought the M2 Mac Mini with 16GB unified memory 1TB SSD storage Gigabit Ethernet Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, two USB-A ports, headphone jack Looking for 2 monitors as I prefer to have my genealogy program on one while doing my research, etc. on another. Is the 24” really too small? Right now I have a 2015 27” iMac and a very old 21” display. Hmm, maybe a 27” for my main display and a 24” for my program. I do also need good resolution due to my old eyes. I also would like audio and possibly video cam on the one. Adjustable height? Sorry, just very confused although your video helped!
Thanks Gary. You are the best at getting to the point and making it interesting and factual. I have a couple of crazy monitors connected to my M1 Max MBP - Dell 34" ultra wide (3840 x 1440) and a Dell 43" (4k). The 43" feels like I have a TV on my desk....crazy. Keep teaching....we students are very grateful.
Another NEWS Flash, Gary! Digital Trends stated in June, 2021 "...that MacOS Monterey, ...will support Adaptive Sync on external displays. It wasn’t mentioned during the keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference this week, but it was during a WWDC developer session. MacOS Monterey is the latest version of the MacOS, and it will soon be available on MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac Minis. Adaptive Sync will allow a lot of these newer Macs to support variable screen refresh rates, possibly making them more viable for gamers. Not all Macs are going to receive Adaptive Sync support, but a lot of them will. The technology will work on all devices with Apple Silicon inside, including newer models with M1 chips, as well as some of the more recent Intel-based Macs. Another requirement is access to DisplayPort 1.2a connectivity. The use of DisplayPort 1.2a is not a coincidence, as this technology is also used by both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync. One for you Gary! Ha Ha. 😜
I feel sure I saw you do a demonstration how to power a closed laptop thru a external monitor but I cannot find it. Can u direct me to that video please? Your videos have been very helpful to me.
I don't think I have one on that. Should just be a matter of connecting it, assuming the screen does provide power over a Thunderbolt (or good USB-C) connection.
You did a very thorough analysis of a lot of factors important to choosing a monitor. However, I believe you critically missed an important technical point. Retina displays work best at 110 ppi or 220 ppi. When you have a 4K 27" monitor, without any scaling the text will look very small. To correct this you can go into Display settings and change the scaling of the display. The default of this is 1080. When you do this all text will be very large and you will basically loose most of the advantage of having a larger screen. You can scale to a custom scale of 1440p. The caveat of doing this is that MacOS will upscale to 5k, then downscale to 1/2 of this. The outcome of all this is a heavy load on the GPU, resulting in degraded performance if you are working in graphics applications like Photoshop or doing video editing. It most likely will not have a significant impact in other situations unless they are relying heavily on rendering---3D design, etc. So the sweet spot for resolution and performance is 1440p on a Mac. Hunter King explained all this thoroughly in this video: th-cam.com/video/kpX561_XM20/w-d-xo.html T Here is the scaling article Hunter referred to: th-cam.com/users/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHhXd0tPdzQ4TVd1S3ZONWNfcWh3R1MyNzZRQXxBQ3Jtc0tsczJrSk1jT3o5X1dvRHNWVkR4clgwM2JNTEVSUk5tVHlkWHRDTTB4WnJFLUotd2lxdWc4X09lcVpBMkdVUmFSSHFOX01xNXdIQW1HamZBenhrMkxpQVM5cjhma2VuM19WVEFfYWRIV21IR2g4RE13QQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbjango.com%2Farticles%2Fmacexternaldisplays%2F&v=kpX561_XM20 A last note is that having a monitor that can be used as a hub is actually something to seriously consider and actually is important, especially if pairing with the newer MacBook Pros that only have 2 Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports. It will save you the expense of having to buy a hub, enable leaving an RJ-45 connection wired up to your monitor for critical streaming and conferencing, allow your backup drive to be always connected, and with a USB-C supplying 65W you will be able to charge, connect your video, and provide a data connection through 1 cable to your MacBook Pro---eliminating a tangle of connections. Sweet!
This is actually the topic of my next video. 4K used at 1080p is exactly what you should be using. If you have been using it at 2160p and switch to 1080p it will look large at first, but you soon adjust. It is how Apple expects things to look on a 4K screen. Note that only the interface elements change size with this. Everything else, like the size of the text in word processing or the size of video or an image you would adjust accordingly. So if you were using Pages at 150% you may now want to go to 100% instead, etc. As for 1440 screens, you should avoid them with Macs (as my next video will show) since using them at 1440p the interface is too small (subjective), and 720p the interface is too big. That's why 4K at 1080p is the sweet spot.
Hi Gary, great video. I have a late 2014 27" iMac Retina display, 5k. I have connected a few external monitors and they all look terrible - and they also make the main screen look stretch out and corrupted. What would you recommend? I don't need it for graphics, but for text work and excel...and I don't want to spend too much. Any recommendations would be great! Thanks! Ian
Sorry, I spent a lot of time on it and now I know that the main problem with mac interface is ppi, it's either 110ppi or 220ppi, others are not smooth, mac tries to optimize 220ppi to 180ppi and after that it becomes blurry, so you can't work with text at all comparing with retina display on mac. But 1440 monitors on 27 inch has exactly 110ppi which works perfectly without optimizations. It would be great to appologize and remove this video to avoid misleading. There are only 3 models of retina displays at this time super expensive. Most of people use 2k 27'' displays with macbooks. Several teammates return 4k monitors and downgrade to 2k with better effect.
There is a model which apple considers as supported, it was even on apple site. It is LG ultrafine 27 5K but it's not available anymore. It looks like the LG ultrafine 31.5 4K has this supported by apple status.
Thank you for this guidance video! What about refresh rate? Also, which non-Apple displays can match/deliver the full potential of M1 Max chips? Apple says MacBook Pros with M1 Max chips support “Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)” Thoughts?
Refresh rate depends on your use. If you are gaming and want higher refresh rates then look for that. Web and email don't really need it. Not sure how to answer your second question. "Full potential" would imply you want to be able to do everything possible, so that would be multiple Apple ProRes displays which would cost a fortune.
@@macmost by “full potential” I meant getting a monitor that can handle what Apple promises for the M1 Max, which is 3 external, displays with 6K resolution. It seems the only option on the market is Apple’s Pro Display XDR monitor at $6000 (which is not a reasonable price to spend on a monitor even for someone who spent $5000 on a MacBook). No other manufacturers make 6K monitors. Those who use non-Apple monitors have to settle with 5k and have reported getting (almost systematically) scaling issues; resolution is either too small or too large, but never the resolution size intended by Apple.
@@techworld8961 Right. That's the only 6K screen.I use the cheaper 5K screen and the resolution looks great. I've used a couple of 4K screens before that and they look great too.
Hello my friend, I have a question about my old iMac (2011, Intel Chip & with Thunderbold 1) and my MacBook Air (2023 m2). I wanna use the Mac as a Monitor for my Macbook. Do you think it will be work with any adapter or anythin else. Apple say me, it isn't worked, because the intel chip and the m2 are not conecting with each other. i really can belive, that i have no options... maybe you have a good idea to fix this problem :) Thank for your awesome content Gary
Im thinking of getting a 32” 4K display Ive come across one that has HDR10, 2 HDMI + 1 DP (same as my current display) I currently have a 4K 28” screen which I think might be starting to reach the end of its life Due to my weird setup (which has a 16 device HDMI KVM Switch), i am unfortunately stuck with using HDMI (i only have space for 1 display, keyboard, and mouse)
Great talk. I've lately come to really love your mac tips talks! As for displays, I'm one of those folks who may be overusing the HDMI ports on my older monitors. My justification for avoiding display port is that I've been told it is not hot-swappable, and my monitors seem to be working fine with HDMI. Are the thunderbolt 2 or 3 or usb-c (with thunderbolt) hot swappable between the mac and the display?
DisplayPort does support hot swapping, although it is generally not recommended, as apparently it is possible to damage the hardware by hot swapping HDMI or DisplayPort connections As for Thunderbolt 3 and USB C, hot swapping is supported
Really helpful video, thank you. But I still don't know what to do with the scaling issue I've read so much about on internet. I have MacBook Air M2 Silicon and like LG UltraFine Ergo 4K 32". Will the MacOS be legible when looking at it from 50-60 cm (2 feet)?
I have an LG 4K 32-inch as my second screen. Looks great. You'll have some resolution options to choose from and you'll have to pick one based on your eyes and personal preferences.
One minor error in your video...you said HDMI is only on older Macs, and not recent ones.....that's incorrect. The brand new M1 Mac mini has a HDMI 2.0 connection.
@@macmost Can you elaborate? On my M1 Mini, I connected an LG 27UN850-W, which came with both a USB-C and HDMI cable, in the box. Trying both, I saw no difference. I have been using HDMI for months now, simply to keep the two USB-C ports open on the mini, for other needs, as they arise.
Hi my MacBook Air screen got cracked automatically. I want to take backup of all data before giving to service or if the service cost is too much I am planning to buy an external display for my MacBook Air m1. Suggest me how to take backup for internally cracked screen MacBook Air m1. Also suggest me which monitor will hold good for both mac air m1 and windows?
Use Time Machine. Aren't you doing that already? There are tons of screens available. What is right for you depends on your needs and budget. I don't review screens, so I don't have any specific recommendations.
Do you mean Zoom? Using the iMac's camera? What sort of problem are you having? Comes down to lighting, mostly. Get more lights. You may also want a better camera than the 720p one in that model. Maybe a Logitech Brio.
Hi Gary, in case you see this. I got 2 questions: 1) any reason why Apple never produce their Macbook Pro/Air in 4K display. 2) If I buy a display without speakers then the sounds will still come out from my Macbook Air/Pro, right? -- Thanks!!
MacBooks and most (all?) other laptops don't have 16:9 displays like TVs do. So a 4K display would be impossible unless it was a very odd-shaped MacBook or the screen didn't fit vertically in the top part of the laptop. But the current MacBook Pro 16-inch has a 3456-by-2234 which is pretty close to the 3840x2160 that is 4K. Yes, it is common to have a display without speakers and use your MacBook's speakers or simply get external speakers.
@@macmost awesome Gary thanks. I heard some monitor has flickering problem when attached to Mac with M1 chip - But not sure if it happens to M2 chip. Right now I’m undecided between buying LG 27UP850 vs Dell S2722QC for Mac mini M2 🤔
I have a question about a usb-c powered connection on a monitor, to an m3 MacBook for example. The m3 MacBook is now powered by the MagSafe cable, so will it damage the Mac if the monitor send power to one of the usb-c in on the Mac?
I have a MacBook Pro 2018 with Intel Iris Plus Graphics running latest OS Ventura 13.1 going direct from USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 either crashes the MacBook or shows on both displays lines across way. No change if rebooting. Tried going via Caldigit TS4 again via USB-c or going via DisplayPort to DisplayPort same result. Sideways lines. External Display is a Samsung Odyssey G9 with latest firmware.
I have a late 2015 27 iMac with USB ports (not USB C) and Thunderbolt 2 ports. Would the USB C port on a monitor work with my Thunderbolt 2 port? Do most of the monitors come with cables?
I have a NEC MultiSync PA271W and would like to use it as an other computer for my Mac Book Pro (2015 late) and would like to know the exact cable to purchase.
Check to see what you have on the screen. Probably DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort. Then check your Mac. A 2015 probably has a Thunderbolt 2 port that can also be used as a Mini DisplayPort port. But check carefully. Then get the cable that goes from one to the other.
Hi Gary, I had a old IMac 27 mid 2011 n I wanted to use for my MacBook Air M1 2020 as monitor purpose. Is there a good safe solution to work out? If yes, where can I purchase to thunderbolt 2 cable ? I’m from Singapore ur subscriber. Thanks Gary for taking time to response
No, you could only do this with a few iMac models and only if you are currently using an older macOS on your new Mac. Why use a 12-year-old screen anyway when there are better screens (resolution, brightness, range, heat, power) that you can get today.
Hey Gary, I have a question. My MacBook Pro M1 usually charged with 67 wt charger. Recently, I got an external display; LG 27” UHD 4K (3840×2160) IPS Monitor with USB Type-C. It's mentioned on the product specifications that this display provided 96 wt. Is it safe to keep MacBook connected to this external display and charging with 96 wt?
I'm sticking to my Asus pg279q which has 109 ppi. It looks decent and its been with me for the last 6 years, I just got my Mac mini m2 last week and learned about macOS scaling so I'm not wasting money in sub 220ppi monitors till I can get my hands in a (hopefully) future promotion studio display or a second hand studio display.
On a 4k screen, does scaling require more computer power and slow down performance? My 27" iMac finally died and trying to find a good 27" monitor to us with my 16" MacBook pro.
Scaling to what? At 1920x1080 HiDPI it should be optimal. But scaling to something else, if that looks good to you, shouldn't use much more GPU power. Unless you have a very old Mac you shouldn't even notice it. See th-cam.com/video/DRzvlbw9e4I/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the helpful video. What happens if you get a usb-c connected monitor that doesn't have the same charging power? Does it harm the computer or just not charge it? And is it OK to plug the magsafe charging in at the same time? (Specifically wondering what to get for a new macbook m1 pro, that comes with 96W power adapter).
You should still be able to select them, I think. Try it. But even if they do, the sound will be horrible since the lid is closed over them. So you'll want to get some speakers unless your screen has some.
Hi Gary! Thank you for this awesome content and explanation. I recently bought a Mac Mini M1 and I'm wondering, is the scaling an issue when you don't have an "original" screen adapting inside another? I mean, how does scaling work with Mac Mini? I'm completely lost with that. I'm thinking on buying a Samsung UR55 4k 27" monitor but I just came across with all this topic and I'm so confused. I just want to have a nice set up for my web design projects and that my Mac Mini last another 10 good years, like my old iMac did. In conclusion... I don't want to f*ck things up hahaha. All best, I'll be so grateful for some guidance. Connie
Can I ask a question? Setting up a new M1 Macbook Air, with a powered dock. Is it bad to leave dock or any other things plugged into the USB-C jacks in sleep mode?(with or without AC power brick turned on) Trying not to ware out those jacks. Coming from PC & Linux New to Apple. Been going through all your awesome videos. Thanks for what you do...
I have a new very m1 MacBook Air with Apple's stingy 2 USB-C sockets. You emphasizes the advantages of display port, but... For the Air do you recommend USB C to C cable only? I have a couple of docks with HDMI out (plus other USBs and ethernet, etc). Is that a bad idea? Or should I find a dock that has display port. I definitely realize there's a multitude of ways you can connect the Air to a 4K display. Very confused
If you have the dock already, then try it. If it works well for you, then there's no need to change. Otherwise, if you are getting a new one, try for one with DisplayPort.
Would night shift work on the external display using a MacBook Air? Is there any way to make this or another program work or is it ultimately important for the external monitor to have features such as low blue light?
I was very excited when I first saw the video. I thought you were going to address the 110 ppi issue in rtings. If you prefer a monitor that does not have 110 ppi or its multiples, there is a problem such as loading the fans due to the choice of macOS scale. In addition, the 110 ppi created difficulties in terms of the clarity of the texts. That's why they usually prefer 27 inches 1440 ppi. I hope you address this in another video. This is not a bug but a topic that has been spoken for many years in the forums. A situation caused by an operating preference regarding scaling. It is not a good or bad situation. Unfortunately, there are some limitations in the use of external monitors. www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/monitors-macbook-pro
@@macmost i think u should visit forums. i said same as u when searching external monitor for my macbook pro. but scaling forcing internal gpu. fans always working. 1440 on 27 gives nearly 110 ppi which macos can easily scale.
concerning the ratio for the external monitor, which one is the best for an 27" for general use ?? I thought about 16/9 but saw that it wasn't a native for my macbookair M2. Any advices ??
Not sure by what you mean by "it wasn't a native." As for "best" that is a subjective term. What is "best" for you is up to you. You will find a lot of screens at 16:9, and fewer options if you want something else.
Gary, great content and very useful information. In 2018 I upgraded from my trusty and wonderful MacBook Pro 15" mid 2009 to a MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018). Yes I have an external display but based on the content of this video definitely not the optimal choice but that is for another time. My question relates to the use of my mid 2009 MacBook Pro which is still fully functional. Can I use it as a "Sidecar" type display directly connected to my MacBook Air and if so, how? Thank you.
Do you know if the new iMacs with the M1 chip can support the addition of two external monitors? I currently have a 2013 iMac with two extra monitors connected to it and I need to replace the iMac.
Just looking at the specs and the base model with 7 core GPU only has two ports on the back, The next model up with 8 core GPU has four and would be a better choice
They can support 2 screens total (2 externals for Mac mini, one additional for MacBooks). Wait for the next round of new Macs for the ability to add more.
Any change you could do an update of this video Gary. I am currently looking to go the Mac Mini M1 route with a 32 inch monitor. Your views would be welcome. TIA......
I have a question… Can I buy a TV that has the same usb-c/Thunderbolt hookup to also be my computer screen? I currently don’t have a TV in my bedroom and have thought of buying one, like a 45”. Would I get the same viewing pleasure between great tv picture with great computer text? Can I make it work like that?
I've never seen one, but maybe. A 45-inch computer screen would probably be too big though. Think of how much you'd have to turn your head while sitting in front of it to see side-to-side.
Am I wrong to ‘assume’ that the Apple Monitors will (work) or (function) better because they’ve got similar tech with their chipsets being proprietary?
When did the 27" iMac become THE Standard size? I'm moving up from an old 13" MacBook Pro so Anything larger will be great. I'm getting a Mac mini because it's the cheapest way to get an M1. Yes, it really DOES have a speaker, just not a very good one. I have external speakers. Thank you for confirming that the 1080p HDMI monitor I have will work. I have never had a Retina Mac (just a phone and iPad) so that'll be fine. This way I won't have to buy Anything extra (except the external Superdrive). I can use ALL the peripherals I already have and then upgrade later as I feel the need.
Reminds me of when in the late-'90s they were saying you had to have At Least 19" when we had been running our home desktop publishing/graphic design business quite successfully for years with a 15" screen. I keep seeing reviews of the new iMac where they are saying it is "small" when it's actually so much larger than the model it is replacing.
Until I saw this video 4 months ago I used an HDMI to HDMI cable to connect my Mac Mini to my 28-in 4k display. That display has two HDMI ports and a full-sized DisplayPort. I now use a USB-C to DisplayPort cable and no longer see distortions or flickering on the screen.
Awesome! I just canceled my order for some funky HDMI adapter cord and ordered a USB C to Display Port cable.
My BenQ 4K monitor flickers to even when using a usb to display port cable, is there something I can do about it?
After spending 1,000nds of $$$ on Macs iPhone and iPad and just waiting for what's coming in October-December, my goals were to better understand what and how Macs work as they are SO different that Microsoft I needed some tutoring and found Gary. From what I see, he offers some really good advice and top-notch learning. I just became a Patreon supporter as well.❤
Thanks for your support!
I agree with most of the things you had said. But one thing you recommended was a 4 K monitor I have to strongly disagree after purchasing a Phillips, 27 inch 4K. I put it back in the box and returned it after about two hours of use. I know you disagree but I have found a 27 inch monitor, 2 K 1440 is the exact correct resolution due to the MacBook Air M1 design. I Purchased, the ASUS PA278CV And it works perfectly on my MacBook Air M1 it has a USB C thunderbolt connection and charges MacBook @65 W of power. 100% RGB color certification, and a three-year warranty including any dead pixels. Best of all it only cost $249 US.💻🖥️🤪
This perfectly clears up so many confusions I've had. Most solid and clear advice I've ever seen on buying a monitor!
Not many people do such an in depth review of requirements, great job
Gary, every video you post is just awesome and fabulous. The way you explain the things in a simple and short manner is quite remarkable. There are very few tutorials on Mac OS on TH-cam. I am a newbie to Mac but I am learning a lot just by seeing your videos. Thanks a lot for sharing your immense knowledge with us...!!!
Keep sharing your immense knowledge with us. Keep posting these informative videos.
Today I was at the Apple Store looking to replace my iMac with a new Mac mini. Totally contrary to your advice the salesman said I should find the cheapest 1050p monitor and connect it only through hdmi. He said he has eight years experience selling Apple, rendering doesn’t matter, and oh ya he kept getting my name wrong. So glad there’s you to give good advice and not have to rely on the Apple experts.
Yikes.
Gary, I wanted to share how much I enjoy reading all the comments to your videos. Additionally you seem to have responded to a lot of the viewers questions. I think I learn equally from your video and the comments. Maybe it’s the synergy’s of watching/reading both. As always love your channel.
Thanks!
Thank you! I typed in"best monitor for mac mini" and got a sea of over produced, much bs videos with flying graphics and music that used up all my patience. Then I found yours, awesome keep up the good work.
I must say you are an excellent teacher! Great video today a great reference for the future. Thank you, Gary! ❤️👍🏻
Wow! You did an exceptional job explaining what kind of monitor a Mac user actually NEEDS for best compatibility. Most of the monitor videos on TH-cam only have someone say, these are the best monitors for your Mac, but they never fully explain WHY they're the best or why I need a $1500 monitor. SUBSCRIBING!!!
You give me a lot motivation and also inspiration with your videos, because I self also makw Mac videos.
And the resolution is also important! If you have to scale the size, the graphics performance goes back. So it's better to take screens with 1440 pixel height for non-Retina or with 2880 for Retina resolution. In this case you don't have to scale and you will get higher graphics performance.
I bought two LG Ultrafine 4K displays. They work really great. I initially attached one of them to my 5K 2017 iMac. I later bought a second display right before I bought my M2 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro. I wanted displays that have high pixel density. I have been spoiled by my iMac's 5K display and by the MacBook Pro Retina display. The high pixel density of the 24-inch 4K displays is almost the same quality as the iMac's 5K display. At a normal viewing distance, I can't tell the difference. I cannot use a normal display. These displays costed more ($ 700 each), but they were well worth it. I could have bought a single 5K LG Ultrafine display, but I wanted to have dual displays once I moved from the iMac to my new MacBook Pro. I highly recommend these LG 4K displays. 4K on anything larger than 24 inches won't be as perfect. Anything larger should be 5K at least, in my opinion.
Great and useful video. Just in time cuz just bought MBA M2. Thanks a lot, Gary! Greets from Latvia!
In 2022 I purchased a 27 inch Thunderbolt Display , Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter and new Thunderbolt 3 cables for my existing set up ; 2017 27 inch iMac and 2019 MacBook Pro . I’m satisfied avoiding the over priced Studio .
very happy with that 27'' LG recommendation
Gary, thanks so much for this info! My Apple display has been giving me some problems lately so I'm starting to think about replacing it. This is so helpful to give me a place to start!
Hello Snacky which Macbook do you own and what is the issue you are facing? I would like to know since I am considering to buy one myself.
Great explanation. It can be so confusing for someone like me that doesn't understand all the pixel numbers.
A few comments from listening to your video (thanks for posting by the way):
I've found that most monitors that I've looked at in the stores and online these days, and where DisplayPort is an option, they actually don't have the miniDisplayPort form factor, only the larger DisplayPort form factor. This seems counterintuitive but that's what I've encountered.
At 09:14 you mentioned that to pass audio data to speakers you need the USB-C connection. On my 2017 MacBook Air (Big Sur), 2012 MacBook Air (Catalina), , the speaker data passes via DisplayPort. On both of my 2010 MacMinis (HighSierra), the speaker data passes via the HDMI connection (haven't tried it on the DisplayPort connection).
Awesome! It got me thinking and I canceled my order for some kind of adapter cord and I ordered a USB C to Display Port cable. I'm on a budget so I opted for a Phillips 27" 4k UHD. It's only 60 Hz but it's better quality than the old 24" Samsung tv that I've been using for a monitor. I also ordered a cheap but well reviewed set of external speakers, a dock with a plug-in ssd adapter and a 1 Tb ssd. That should complete my Apple ecosystem. I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a iPad mini 6 and an Apple TV.
Crystal clear !! Very much appreciated.
Made my intro and outro using things you’ve taught, thanks Gary . Love #macmost, !!
LG 40WP95C. Next!
Thanks for the video! I didn’t learn anything particularly new but to see that I checked all the right boxes in my head just helps immensely! :)
Brief, to-the-point, & informative == good job!
Great clear explanation on external displays!
I have 2 quick questions sir:
1. There seems to be a divide between how good is it for your macbook's battery to be charging through the monitor. Do you have an opinion on this?
2. What is your take on refresh rate on the external display? high resolution, high refresh rate screens cost alot and I've heard conflicting comments on this. Some people tell me 75hz will be good enough but others prefer at least 120hz
Thank you very much in advance for the advice!
It is fine to let your MacBook charge through being connected to a screen that provides power. That is how many people do it. Refresh is a personal preference. Do you do some sort of work like animation or video editing that requires high refresh rates?
@@macmost thanks for sharing! I went for a 75hz display eventually.
Gary, Thanks very much for this video, great information. A question for you, is it possible to use an older mac as a second screen (Mid 2010) from a newer mac?
Thank you so much for this. Really well reasoned and so well presented, none of the " Drama" that can be rife on other channels. I've started working my way through your other videos, I thought that I new my Mac pretty well, but I'm realising not as well as I thought as I'm discovering so much genuinely useful stuff.
Thanks again, from an Oldie on the other side of the Pond 👍
Gary, As a follow up to this video and the important points (section 12:15) on USB-C Power Adapter Watts. I bought the MacBook Pro 14" with 10 core this models power USB-C Power Adapter is 96 Watts. I am finding it very difficult to find a Display / Monitor with Watts this high at least that are 4K and at a reasonable cost. Also the Watts are difficult to locate when trying to narrow down the selection.
One thing to think about is that your MacBook Pro may not need 96 watts. I'm sure that's great for rapid charging. But just everyday use it may work fine with far less.
@@macmost Ok, I was worried that it might need to match. Thanks for the reply.
Thanks for this. I agree about the utility of having DisplayPort or USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. Getting such a monitor will also be more likely to match up with other computers and video devices my friends and colleagues and I have. HDMI should be on there too, in my opinion. A Thunderbolt-only display would be great with my MBP16, but it would be useless with HDMI-only devices, many older notebook PCs, etc.* .....
I want to suggest that anyone wanting to watch movies on an external screen look for another feature: FreeSync. FreeSync is AMD's adaptive sync technology. If I watch a 24fps movie on my MBP16, I can hold the OPTION key down and change the resolution settings to 48fps -- every frame will be displayed completely, twice, with no tears. A FreeSync display will match the computer's video signal framerate dynamically (it's for games, originally), so the external display would also show the film at the intended 24fps. Adaptive sync eliminates tears and jumping in both games and video. .....
One thing that I've not been able to understand is if every display Thunderbolt 2 has adaptive sync built in. The specs on Thunderbolt 2 seem to require this, from my reading, but some T2-equipped displays don't mention any kind of adaptive sync.
* I do not know if a Thunderbolt 2 -- USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 adapter could connect an iMac's T2 to a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3-only screen.
Well organized, direct, and so easy to follow! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much answered so many questions to help make the right decision. Initially I wasn't even looking at these specs at all and these are so important.
Thanks so much for this video. It solved the problem I had when I switched my MacBook Pro from using two 1920 x 1080 external monitors via an expansion box with 2 HDMI outputs to a single 4K monitor, (Acer CBL282K), using a single HDMI cable.
While the set-up worked perfectly with the 2 1920 x 1080 monitors, with the single 4K, unless (I eventually discovered this) I woke the Mac and then switched on the monitor using the power switch, the monitor wouldn't detect an input. Initially I had cursed Apple as I open and shut the Macbook, which would eventually cause the monitor to detect an input. If the monitor went to sleep, it had to be powered off and the circuits power down before it would detect an input when powered on.
Eventually I realised it was probably the expansion box's fault. It wasn't until I saw you video I realised that my problem could be solved using a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. Ironically, the electronics store at my local mall only carries one USB-C to DisplayPort cable, all the other digital cables are HDMI.
hey mate you have helped me quite a lot with you mac tips, just wanted to ask this question because i cant really find any answeres and your the goat when it comes to apple. I would like to get 2 24 inch monitos to connect them with my macbook but i dont know which ones i should buy or more specificly what resolutions are good for mac so i can get the full potential
A lot of good information here. Thanks.
Just the video and advice I needed! Subscribed, thank you!
nice video as always!
But I have question about if MacBook will reduce its battery life because its always plugged in?
No. Why would that be the case? See th-cam.com/video/Ot3bzKKgzp8/w-d-xo.html
I have that LG 27UN850-W and it's a good screen! Actually bought the Dell S2722QC first but something was wrong with the refresh rate and it made me sick when I looked at it. Only issue with the LG is that sometimes it decides not to charge the MacBook and you have to power cycle the screen to fix.
Brilliant easy to understand video, thank you so much
Your work is different than the other, it’s plugged out of real life experiences! For example, I really found it helpful when you shared pages from products on Amazon and showing the viewer what to look out for… keep up the good work buddy 😊
I am 80 years old and mainly use my computer for genealogy research and gathering & scanning photos plus regular life use. I joist bought the M2 Mac Mini with 16GB unified memory
1TB SSD storage
Gigabit Ethernet
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, two USB-A ports, headphone jack
Looking for 2 monitors as I prefer to have my genealogy program on one while doing my research, etc. on another. Is the 24” really too small? Right now I have a 2015 27” iMac and a very old 21” display. Hmm, maybe a 27” for my main display and a 24” for my program. I do also need good resolution due to my old eyes. I also would like audio and possibly video cam on the one. Adjustable height? Sorry, just very confused although your video helped!
“HDMI available on some of the older Macs but none of the current ones"
I think he overlooked the current M1 Mac mini which has HDMI
Thanks Gary. You are the best at getting to the point and making it interesting and factual. I have a couple of crazy monitors connected to my M1 Max MBP - Dell 34" ultra wide (3840 x 1440) and a Dell 43" (4k). The 43" feels like I have a TV on my desk....crazy.
Keep teaching....we students are very grateful.
Another NEWS Flash, Gary! Digital Trends stated in June, 2021 "...that MacOS Monterey, ...will support Adaptive Sync on external displays. It wasn’t mentioned during the keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference this week, but it was during a WWDC developer session. MacOS Monterey is the latest version of the MacOS, and it will soon be available on MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac Minis. Adaptive Sync will allow a lot of these newer Macs to support variable screen refresh rates, possibly making them more viable for gamers. Not all Macs are going to receive Adaptive Sync support, but a lot of them will. The technology will work on all devices with Apple Silicon inside, including newer models with M1 chips, as well as some of the more recent Intel-based Macs. Another requirement is access to DisplayPort 1.2a connectivity. The use of DisplayPort 1.2a is not a coincidence, as this technology is also used by both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync. One for you Gary! Ha Ha. 😜
On the subject of external speakers, a stereo pair of HomePod Minis are very effective.
I feel sure I saw you do a demonstration how to power a closed laptop thru a external monitor but I cannot find it. Can u direct me to that video please? Your videos have been very helpful to me.
I don't think I have one on that. Should just be a matter of connecting it, assuming the screen does provide power over a Thunderbolt (or good USB-C) connection.
Thank you so much. This is a steep learning curve for me. Your videos have helped immensely.
You should have millions of subscribers
You did a very thorough analysis of a lot of factors important to choosing a monitor. However, I believe you critically missed an important technical point. Retina displays work best at 110 ppi or 220 ppi. When you have a 4K 27" monitor, without any scaling the text will look very small. To correct this you can go into Display settings and change the scaling of the display. The default of this is 1080. When you do this all text will be very large and you will basically loose most of the advantage of having a larger screen. You can scale to a custom scale of 1440p. The caveat of doing this is that MacOS will upscale to 5k, then downscale to 1/2 of this. The outcome of all this is a heavy load on the GPU, resulting in degraded performance if you are working in graphics applications like Photoshop or doing video editing. It most likely will not have a significant impact in other situations unless they are relying heavily on rendering---3D design, etc. So the sweet spot for resolution and performance is 1440p on a Mac. Hunter King explained all this thoroughly in this video: th-cam.com/video/kpX561_XM20/w-d-xo.html T Here is the scaling article Hunter referred to: th-cam.com/users/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHhXd0tPdzQ4TVd1S3ZONWNfcWh3R1MyNzZRQXxBQ3Jtc0tsczJrSk1jT3o5X1dvRHNWVkR4clgwM2JNTEVSUk5tVHlkWHRDTTB4WnJFLUotd2lxdWc4X09lcVpBMkdVUmFSSHFOX01xNXdIQW1HamZBenhrMkxpQVM5cjhma2VuM19WVEFfYWRIV21IR2g4RE13QQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbjango.com%2Farticles%2Fmacexternaldisplays%2F&v=kpX561_XM20
A last note is that having a monitor that can be used as a hub is actually something to seriously consider and actually is important, especially if pairing with the newer MacBook Pros that only have 2 Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports. It will save you the expense of having to buy a hub, enable leaving an RJ-45 connection wired up to your monitor for critical streaming and conferencing, allow your backup drive to be always connected, and with a USB-C supplying 65W you will be able to charge, connect your video, and provide a data connection through 1 cable to your MacBook Pro---eliminating a tangle of connections. Sweet!
This is actually the topic of my next video. 4K used at 1080p is exactly what you should be using. If you have been using it at 2160p and switch to 1080p it will look large at first, but you soon adjust. It is how Apple expects things to look on a 4K screen. Note that only the interface elements change size with this. Everything else, like the size of the text in word processing or the size of video or an image you would adjust accordingly. So if you were using Pages at 150% you may now want to go to 100% instead, etc. As for 1440 screens, you should avoid them with Macs (as my next video will show) since using them at 1440p the interface is too small (subjective), and 720p the interface is too big. That's why 4K at 1080p is the sweet spot.
Hi Gary, great video. I have a late 2014 27" iMac Retina display, 5k. I have connected a few external monitors and they all look terrible - and they also make the main screen look stretch out and corrupted. What would you recommend? I don't need it for graphics, but for text work and excel...and I don't want to spend too much. Any recommendations would be great! Thanks! Ian
Just got a basic 4K display.
Sorry, I spent a lot of time on it and now I know that the main problem with mac interface is ppi, it's either 110ppi or 220ppi, others are not smooth, mac tries to optimize 220ppi to 180ppi and after that it becomes blurry, so you can't work with text at all comparing with retina display on mac. But 1440 monitors on 27 inch has exactly 110ppi which works perfectly without optimizations. It would be great to appologize and remove this video to avoid misleading. There are only 3 models of retina displays at this time super expensive. Most of people use 2k 27'' displays with macbooks. Several teammates return 4k monitors and downgrade to 2k with better effect.
Sorry for dislike, but it could save money and be satisfied with better option.
I bought LG ultrafine ergo 31.5 4K and it works perfectly. I tried 6 different before including 27 4k, 27 2k. Text is awful there.
There is a model which apple considers as supported, it was even on apple site. It is LG ultrafine 27 5K but it's not available anymore. It looks like the LG ultrafine 31.5 4K has this supported by apple status.
Thank you for this guidance video! What about refresh rate?
Also, which non-Apple displays can match/deliver the full potential of M1 Max chips?
Apple says MacBook Pros with M1 Max chips support “Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)”
Thoughts?
Refresh rate depends on your use. If you are gaming and want higher refresh rates then look for that. Web and email don't really need it.
Not sure how to answer your second question. "Full potential" would imply you want to be able to do everything possible, so that would be multiple Apple ProRes displays which would cost a fortune.
@@macmost by “full potential” I meant getting a monitor that can handle what Apple promises for the M1 Max, which is 3 external, displays with 6K resolution. It seems the only option on the market is Apple’s Pro Display XDR monitor at $6000 (which is not a reasonable price to spend on a monitor even for someone who spent $5000 on a MacBook). No other manufacturers make 6K monitors. Those who use non-Apple monitors have to settle with 5k and have reported getting (almost systematically) scaling issues; resolution is either too small or too large, but never the resolution size intended by Apple.
@@techworld8961 Right. That's the only 6K screen.I use the cheaper 5K screen and the resolution looks great. I've used a couple of 4K screens before that and they look great too.
@@macmost thank you for your feedback!
With the Studio display out now do you think its overpriced? I’m upset you have to pay $400 for height adjustment and non removable power cord
"Overpriced" is a subjective term. Up for you to decide.
Hello my friend, I have a question about my old iMac
(2011, Intel Chip & with Thunderbold 1) and my MacBook Air (2023 m2).
I wanna use the Mac as a Monitor for my Macbook. Do you think it will be work with any adapter or anythin else.
Apple say me, it isn't worked, because the intel chip and the m2 are not conecting with each other. i really can belive, that i have no options...
maybe you have a good idea to fix this problem :)
Thank for your awesome content Gary
th-cam.com/video/dtZl4PyQSEg/w-d-xo.html
Im thinking of getting a 32” 4K display
Ive come across one that has HDR10, 2 HDMI + 1 DP (same as my current display)
I currently have a 4K 28” screen which I think might be starting to reach the end of its life
Due to my weird setup (which has a 16 device HDMI KVM Switch), i am unfortunately stuck with using HDMI (i only have space for 1 display, keyboard, and mouse)
Apple has designed macOS to work best with the following resolutions at the following sizes:
At 21”: 4K
At 24”: 4.5K
At 27”: 5K
At 32”: 6K
Have they? Where do they say that? What is "best" for one person isn't "best" for another.
Very helpful video. Thanks
very useful, thank you so much
Great video!
Great talk. I've lately come to really love your mac tips talks! As for displays, I'm one of those folks who may be overusing the HDMI ports on my older monitors. My justification for avoiding display port is that I've been told it is not hot-swappable, and my monitors seem to be working fine with HDMI. Are the thunderbolt 2 or 3 or usb-c (with thunderbolt) hot swappable between the mac and the display?
DisplayPort does support hot swapping, although it is generally not recommended, as apparently it is possible to damage the hardware by hot swapping HDMI or DisplayPort connections
As for Thunderbolt 3 and USB C, hot swapping is supported
Really helpful video, thank you. But I still don't know what to do with the scaling issue I've read so much about on internet. I have MacBook Air M2 Silicon and like LG UltraFine Ergo 4K 32". Will the MacOS be legible when looking at it from 50-60 cm (2 feet)?
I have an LG 4K 32-inch as my second screen. Looks great. You'll have some resolution options to choose from and you'll have to pick one based on your eyes and personal preferences.
One minor error in your video...you said HDMI is only on older Macs, and not recent ones.....that's incorrect. The brand new M1 Mac mini has a HDMI 2.0 connection.
Good point. It does. I'd recommend using it as your second display, not your primary one.
@@macmost Can you elaborate? On my M1 Mini, I connected an LG 27UN850-W, which came with both a USB-C and HDMI cable, in the box. Trying both, I saw no difference. I have been using HDMI for months now, simply to keep the two USB-C ports open on the mini, for other needs, as they arise.
Hi my MacBook Air screen got cracked automatically. I want to take backup of all data before giving to service or if the service cost is too much I am planning to buy an external display for my MacBook Air m1. Suggest me how to take backup for internally cracked screen MacBook Air m1. Also suggest me which monitor will hold good for both mac air m1 and windows?
Use Time Machine. Aren't you doing that already? There are tons of screens available. What is right for you depends on your needs and budget. I don't review screens, so I don't have any specific recommendations.
Could you make a video on how to improve your video quality when recording a loom video? I have an iMac retina 5k 27inc. 2019
Do you mean Zoom? Using the iMac's camera? What sort of problem are you having? Comes down to lighting, mostly. Get more lights. You may also want a better camera than the 720p one in that model. Maybe a Logitech Brio.
Excellent Video 👍🏽
Hi Gary, in case you see this. I got 2 questions: 1) any reason why Apple never produce their Macbook Pro/Air in 4K display. 2) If I buy a display without speakers then the sounds will still come out from my Macbook Air/Pro, right? -- Thanks!!
MacBooks and most (all?) other laptops don't have 16:9 displays like TVs do. So a 4K display would be impossible unless it was a very odd-shaped MacBook or the screen didn't fit vertically in the top part of the laptop. But the current MacBook Pro 16-inch has a 3456-by-2234 which is pretty close to the 3840x2160 that is 4K. Yes, it is common to have a display without speakers and use your MacBook's speakers or simply get external speakers.
@@macmost awesome Gary thanks. I heard some monitor has flickering problem when attached to Mac with M1 chip - But not sure if it happens to M2 chip. Right now I’m undecided between buying LG 27UP850 vs Dell S2722QC for Mac mini M2 🤔
I have a question about a usb-c powered connection on a monitor, to an m3 MacBook for example.
The m3 MacBook is now powered by the MagSafe cable, so will it damage the Mac if the monitor send power to one of the usb-c in on the Mac?
Your MacBook will only take power from one at a time. There's no need to plug it into power if the screen is providing it anyway.
Thanks for the info, very helpful. I have an early 2013 Mac Book Pro 16gb of RAM, which is still working fine. Can I connect an LG UltraFine to it?
Not sure with that model. It is the GPU not the RAM that is important there.
@@macmost Ok, thanks.
I have a MacBook Pro 2018 with Intel Iris Plus Graphics running latest OS Ventura 13.1 going direct from USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 either crashes the MacBook or shows on both displays lines across way. No change if rebooting. Tried going via Caldigit TS4 again via USB-c or going via DisplayPort to DisplayPort same result. Sideways lines. External Display is a Samsung Odyssey G9 with latest firmware.
Amazing tutorial! Subscribed
I have a late 2015 27 iMac with USB ports (not USB C) and Thunderbolt 2 ports. Would the USB C port on a monitor work with my Thunderbolt 2 port?
Do most of the monitors come with cables?
I have a NEC MultiSync PA271W and would like to use it as an other computer for my Mac Book Pro (2015 late) and would like to know the exact cable to purchase.
Check to see what you have on the screen. Probably DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort. Then check your Mac. A 2015 probably has a Thunderbolt 2 port that can also be used as a Mini DisplayPort port. But check carefully. Then get the cable that goes from one to the other.
Hi Gary, I had a old IMac 27 mid 2011 n I wanted to use for my MacBook Air M1 2020 as monitor purpose. Is there a good safe solution to work out? If yes, where can I purchase to thunderbolt 2 cable ? I’m from Singapore ur subscriber. Thanks Gary for taking time to response
No, you could only do this with a few iMac models and only if you are currently using an older macOS on your new Mac. Why use a 12-year-old screen anyway when there are better screens (resolution, brightness, range, heat, power) that you can get today.
@@macmost thanks Gary . Will take your advice . You take care
Hey Gary, I have a question.
My MacBook Pro M1 usually charged with 67 wt charger.
Recently, I got an external display; LG 27” UHD 4K (3840×2160) IPS Monitor with USB Type-C.
It's mentioned on the product specifications that this display provided 96 wt.
Is it safe to keep MacBook connected to this external display and charging with 96 wt?
Yes.
I'm sticking to my Asus pg279q which has 109 ppi. It looks decent and its been with me for the last 6 years, I just got my Mac mini m2 last week and learned about macOS scaling so I'm not wasting money in sub 220ppi monitors till I can get my hands in a (hopefully) future promotion studio display or a second hand studio display.
On a 4k screen, does scaling require more computer power and slow down performance? My 27" iMac finally died and trying to find a good 27" monitor to us with my 16" MacBook pro.
Scaling to what? At 1920x1080 HiDPI it should be optimal. But scaling to something else, if that looks good to you, shouldn't use much more GPU power. Unless you have a very old Mac you shouldn't even notice it. See th-cam.com/video/DRzvlbw9e4I/w-d-xo.html
Hi Gary.. How to know if my LAN is already connected to my MacBook Air? Thank You 💻
Thanks for the helpful video. What happens if you get a usb-c connected monitor that doesn't have the same charging power? Does it harm the computer or just not charge it? And is it OK to plug the magsafe charging in at the same time? (Specifically wondering what to get for a new macbook m1 pro, that comes with 96W power adapter).
USB-C power delivery is “smart”, and the devices negotiate how much power will be delivered. Neither device will be harmed by this mismatch.
If I am using clamshell mode and powering back to external monitor, will my mac book speakers still work or do I need to look for speakers?
You should still be able to select them, I think. Try it. But even if they do, the sound will be horrible since the lid is closed over them. So you'll want to get some speakers unless your screen has some.
Hello, can you plug a macbook air to the new M1 iMac? Thank you!
Hi Gary! Thank you for this awesome content and explanation. I recently bought a Mac Mini M1 and I'm wondering, is the scaling an issue when you don't have an "original" screen adapting inside another? I mean, how does scaling work with Mac Mini? I'm completely lost with that. I'm thinking on buying a Samsung UR55 4k 27" monitor but I just came across with all this topic and I'm so confused. I just want to have a nice set up for my web design projects and that my Mac Mini last another 10 good years, like my old iMac did. In conclusion... I don't want to f*ck things up hahaha.
All best, I'll be so grateful for some guidance.
Connie
I think a 4K 27-inch is a good idea. Use it at 1080 HiRes. I worked that way for years.
Another major factor is NITS. How bright the screen is.
Can I ask a question? Setting up a new M1 Macbook Air, with a powered dock. Is it bad to leave dock or any other things plugged into the USB-C jacks in sleep mode?(with or without AC power brick turned on) Trying not to ware out those jacks. Coming from PC & Linux New to Apple. Been going through all your awesome videos. Thanks for what you do...
It does not hurt the jacks to leave them plugged in; what wears them out is plugging and unplugging them.
@@altosack I have purchased USB-C magnetic adapters, so no more ware and tare on my jacks. They work great!
I have a new very m1 MacBook Air with Apple's stingy 2 USB-C sockets.
You emphasizes the advantages of display port, but... For the Air do you recommend USB C to C cable only? I have a couple of docks with HDMI out (plus other USBs and ethernet, etc). Is that a bad idea? Or should I find a dock that has display port.
I definitely realize there's a multitude of ways you can connect the Air to a 4K display. Very confused
If you have the dock already, then try it. If it works well for you, then there's no need to change. Otherwise, if you are getting a new one, try for one with DisplayPort.
Love this, thanks so much, Gary!
What brand of display port cables have you used and had good luck with? So many brands out there now with mixed reviews.
Brand shouldn't matter. I suppose durability may be an issue, but DisplayPort cables don't get rough handling like iPhone charger cables do.
Would night shift work on the external display using a MacBook Air? Is there any way to make this or another program work or is it ultimately important for the external monitor to have features such as low blue light?
I was very excited when I first saw the video. I thought you were going to address the 110 ppi issue in rtings. If you prefer a monitor that does not have 110 ppi or its multiples, there is a problem such as loading the fans due to the choice of macOS scale. In addition, the 110 ppi created difficulties in terms of the clarity of the texts. That's why they usually prefer 27 inches 1440 ppi. I hope you address this in another video. This is not a bug but a topic that has been spoken for many years in the forums. A situation caused by an operating preference regarding scaling. It is not a good or bad situation. Unfortunately, there are some limitations in the use of external monitors.
www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/monitors-macbook-pro
For most uses, why would you get a 1440 screen instead of a 4K (2160) one though?
@@macmost i think u should visit forums. i said same as u when searching external monitor for my macbook pro. but scaling forcing internal gpu. fans always working. 1440 on 27 gives nearly 110 ppi which macos can easily scale.
@@kaplansedat I think that has been addressed in recent macOS updates.
concerning the ratio for the external monitor, which one is the best for an 27" for general use ?? I thought about 16/9 but saw that it wasn't a native for my macbookair M2. Any advices ??
Not sure by what you mean by "it wasn't a native." As for "best" that is a subjective term. What is "best" for you is up to you. You will find a lot of screens at 16:9, and fewer options if you want something else.
Gary, great content and very useful information. In 2018 I upgraded from my trusty and wonderful MacBook Pro 15" mid 2009 to a MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018). Yes I have an external display but based on the content of this video definitely not the optimal choice but that is for another time. My question relates to the use of my mid 2009 MacBook Pro which is still fully functional. Can I use it as a "Sidecar" type display directly connected to my MacBook Air and if so, how? Thank you.
Very informative
Hi Gary, what 27" or 32" external monitor would you recommend for a MacMini that has 1080P or 4K camera and a very good microphone?
macmost.com/recommendations
@@macmost Thank you Gary for your awesome recommendations!
If it supports it it supports it doesn't matter what port you choose to go through.
In the case of HDMI vs DisplayPort it often does.
@Mateusz Graczyk I said if it is supported it doesn't matter which is used
Excellent information....L love a big screen....
Do you know if the new iMacs with the M1 chip can support the addition of two external monitors? I currently have a 2013 iMac with two extra monitors connected to it and I need to replace the iMac.
Just looking at the specs and the base model with 7 core GPU only has two ports on the back, The next model up with 8 core GPU has four and would be a better choice
They can support 2 screens total (2 externals for Mac mini, one additional for MacBooks). Wait for the next round of new Macs for the ability to add more.
Any change you could do an update of this video Gary. I am currently looking to go the Mac Mini M1 route with a 32 inch monitor. Your views would be welcome. TIA......
I recommend a 4K screen unless you can afford apple’s Studio Display. See th-cam.com/video/jaWpq-dNVro/w-d-xo.html
How about 1440p? 4K monitors are still quite expensive but i found good 1440p screens at 27" size. Will that resolution work well on a MacBook?
IMHO no. 4K screens aren't that expensive ($300?) and have more than twice as many pixels as a 1440. See th-cam.com/video/jaWpq-dNVro/w-d-xo.html
I have a question…
Can I buy a TV that has the same usb-c/Thunderbolt hookup to also be my computer screen? I currently don’t have a TV in my bedroom and have thought of buying one, like a 45”. Would I get the same viewing pleasure between great tv picture with great computer text? Can I make it work like that?
I've never seen one, but maybe. A 45-inch computer screen would probably be too big though. Think of how much you'd have to turn your head while sitting in front of it to see side-to-side.
Hi, How to use iPad pro as a main display for M1 mac mini?
Am I wrong to ‘assume’ that the Apple Monitors will (work) or (function) better because they’ve got similar tech with their chipsets being proprietary?
Do you mean the Apple Studio Display? Depends what you mean by "better." They are higher-end with nice specs, good camera and excellent speakers.
@macmost Yes, the Studio Display. Wouldn't it be better if 🎉I don't care about 120 refresh, I like the look of aluminum better than plastic❤
When did the 27" iMac become THE Standard size?
I'm moving up from an old 13" MacBook Pro so Anything larger will be great.
I'm getting a Mac mini because it's the cheapest way to get an M1.
Yes, it really DOES have a speaker, just not a very good one. I have external speakers.
Thank you for confirming that the 1080p HDMI monitor I have will work.
I have never had a Retina Mac (just a phone and iPad) so that'll be fine.
This way I won't have to buy Anything extra (except the external Superdrive).
I can use ALL the peripherals I already have and then upgrade later as I feel the need.
Reminds me of when in the late-'90s they were saying you had to have At Least 19" when we had been running our home desktop publishing/graphic design business quite successfully for years with a 15" screen.
I keep seeing reviews of the new iMac where they are saying it is "small" when it's actually so much larger than the model it is replacing.
I personally consider 21.5 inch to be the standard size for displays (especially as displays of this size are quite cheap)