1 Mac Pro controlling 2 separate 4k monitors in different location

[mellofello]

The apple care on my iMac is running out so I am considering its replacement. So far all I know is that I would like to replace it with a larger 4k screen. I also have a Samsung 4k tv in another room that I would like to have access to the full interface, and hopefully at 60hz.

First question is would it be possible to have 2 separate Bluetooth keyboards and mice setup so that depending where I was I could control the cursor? It would be rare that I would have 2 people at the different locations but is their any software that allows 2 separate users to have their own desktop?

Also how does OS X handle multiple displays if one were off does the desktop automatically just go to whichever screen is on at the time?

Last question is being that my tv only has hdmi 2.0 is their anyway to connect the Mac Pro at 4k 60hz?

 

[PhiLLoW]

The apple care on my iMac is running out so I am considering its replacement. So far all I know is that I would like to replace it with a larger 4k screen. I also have a Samsung 4k tv in another room that I would like to have access to the full interface, and hopefully at 60hz.

works fine. You can mirror the screen to have the same experience on both desktops or you use advanced-desktop mode for two separate desktops. If you use the later I suggest to bind some "switch monitor" hotkey so you can easily move any window from one screen to the other without dragging it. I use BetterSnapTool for this.

First question is would it be possible to have 2 separate Bluetooth keyboards and mice setup so that depending where I was I could control the cursor?

yes. Works fine. I have a bluetooth mouse and a trackpad connected all the time. Both control the same cursor. Works flawless. Remember that the bluetooth range isn't that big - especially for mouses - if you're in another room you might experience lag.

It would be rare that I would have 2 people at the different locations but is their any software that allows 2 separate users to have their own desktop?

I made this once on a windows pc. it's possible but it's not easy and requires some time to set everything up.

I basically created a virtual machine and redirected the usb devices for the second user to the VM. The main OS just redirects all commands, clicks and movements directly to the virtual OS. The OS has to run full screen on the second monitor. This way you basically have two machines running on one machine. worked flawless on a first gen i7 mobile GPU but you won't have the full power of the nMP in the VM.

Also how does OS X handle multiple displays if one were off does the desktop automatically just go to whichever screen is on at the time?

This depends on the monitor. My nMP still knows that my LG monitor is there even when it's off. So if I turn my monitor off the second desktop is still there. Other monitors kill the connection when you turn them off. The later is more common IMO.

If you turn the second monitor off all windows will be moved to the screen that is still one.

Multiple displays is not perfect. But I'm really happy with it. Sometimes locations are even remembered by OS X so you don't have to rearange everything everytime. ( for example: you're running safari on monitor#2. you turn monitor#2 off. Safari will be moved to monitor#1 which is still on. Turn monitor#2 on again and safari will be moved back to #2. )

Last question is being that my tv only has hdmi 2.0 is their anyway to connect the Mac Pro at 4k 60hz?

Not up-to-date ( maybe some crazy adapter is available now ) but as far as i know you have to connect the displays via Displayport to have 4k.

 

[mellofello]

Thank you for taking all the time to answer my questions. I think just mirroring the two displays would be fine. The only time I would use it on my TV would be for entertainment, and in that case me and my gf are both in the living room.

Is their any chance that a updated mp will have a GPU with HDMI 2.0?

Its frustrating that apple is neglecting 4k TV owners when they started the whole retina high res movement.

 

[benjaprud]

Old Mac Pros can't output 4k@60Hz due to os limitations, even with HDMI 2.0 or DP 1.2 (it might work on some DP SST monitors but that doesn't concern UHD TVs). This might change with future updates but for now Apple restricts 4k@60Hz to the latest macs and DP only, there is currently no HDMI 2 support as no mac makes use of it for now. My MP is stuck at 25Hz with the default driver and 30Hz with the nVidia webdriver with both DP 1.2 and HDMI 2 (my TV and graphics card have both).

Any Mac will do 4k@60Hz under windows assuming it has a capable graphics card and port.

The new Mac Pro can do 4k@60Hz but via DP only. There is currently no DP 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 adapter that I know of (I might be wrong on this one but I wouldn't rely on this unless it has been tested).

Apple's note about 4k is pretty precise about what's possible without hacking. It's possible to enable MST 60Hz support with a bit of hacking, but again it concerns only DP monitors.

We can reasonably hope that future machines will come with HDMI 2 and that support will be added in the os (hopefully including for old Mac Pros) but nothing sure when it comes to the nMP, which might still rely on DP.

I use a 4kTV at 30 Hz for now and it's bearable for my usage although 60 Hz would be appreciated for smooth web scrolling and mouse cursor movement (mouse lag is the most annoying). It's also ok for movies but in that case it's recommended to match the video and monitor framerate as viewing 23,97 to 25 FPS video on 30 Hz monitor causes a lot of judder. Plex can do this automatically. For fast-paced gaming windows is the way to go.