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5K, 6K or 8K: new Asus ProArt monitors

The 8K is discussed a bit in this Edge Up Asus page, but I don't see refresh rate noted. DisplaySpecifications.com has a page on a 6K Asus that I presume is the one we're discussing, but I don't see refresh rate noted.

That said, the 8K looks to be targeting more professional users, a high refresh rate at these resolutions would be quite demanding on the interface (to convey it) and computer (to process and support it), and I haven't heard of either of these monitors being marketed for gaming (gaming seems to be a main driver for high refresh rates).

So if I were betting, my money would be on 60-Hz.
 
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Andain said:
I sincerely doubt anyone will be making high res 120hz displays anytime soon. Possibly Apple may be the first next year or so. Only just recently we started to have alternatives to 5k/6k.
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I know and I understand. I'm hoping we can get at least a 5K/6K 100+Hz monitor in the near future.
 
lsquare said:
I'm hoping we can get at least a 5K/6K 100+Hz monitor in the near future.
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I would like that, too. Thing is, so many people seem happy with 4K at 27" and even content with it at 32", which seems odd to me in light of mixed messages I've gotten.

Put aside the extra GPU overhead of Mac processors in scaling to run non-optimal DPI (~ 220 or 110 dpi) displays, such as 5K at 27". If you're not taxing your Mac often, from what I've read you probably won't notice that. And while some say the Mac's lack of sub pixel anti-aliasing (which Windows has) impacts text rendering at those non-optimal dpi resolutions, opinions are mixed about how 4K versus 5" 27" display text looks - some of us think it's very close and maybe too close to call if you're not eye balling it very close striving to discriminate, and some people think the difference is more evident to them. I have 27" 5K old iMac and a 27" 4K Dell monitor side-by-side right now.

But 4K at 27" seems fine for most people. Apple doesn't even bother to make an 'affordable' (under a grand) 27" standalone display (and only 24" iMacs), so Apple doesn't seem to think the issue is terribly important for their non-professional consumer base.

But what about 4K 32" monitors? Does the text not look a tad fuzzy on those? Do photos and photo-realistic graphics not look a bit softer in focus? I'm asking; I haven't observed such monitors up close for this, much less on a Mac.

So I would think even Windows users would be pushing for 6K 32" displays. Never mind the Mac minority, why aren't Windows users pushing for it? Will Thunderbolt 5 and comparable USB4 open the floodgates of pent-up demand?

In a roundabout way I'm saying the odds of our seeing 6K 32" displays in the consumer space largely depends on the degree to which the customer base sees room for improvement and back desire with money. If the big majority are content with 4K 32" displays, I imagine demand may be lacking.
 
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drrich2 said:
I would like that, too. Thing is, so many people seem happy with 4K at 27" and even content with it at 32", which seems odd to me in light of mixed messages I've gotten.

Put aside the extra GPU overhead of Mac processors in scaling to run non-optimal DPI (~ 220 or 110 dpi) displays, such as 5K at 27". If you're not taxing your Mac often, from what I've read you probably won't notice that. And while some say the Mac's lack of sub pixel anti-aliasing (which Windows has) impacts text rendering at those non-optimal dpi resolutions, opinions are mixed about how 4K versus 5" 27" display text looks - some of us think it's very close and maybe too close to call if you're not eye balling it very close striving to discriminate, and some people think the difference is more evident to them. I have 27" 5K old iMac and a 27" 4K Dell monitor side-by-side right now.

But 4K at 27" seems fine for most people. Apple doesn't even bother to make an 'affordable' (under a grand) 27" standalone display (and only 24" iMacs), so Apple doesn't seem to think the issue is terribly important for their non-professional consumer base.

But what about 4K 32" monitors? Does the text not look a tad fuzzy on those? Do photos and photo-realistic graphics not look a bit softer in focus? I'm asking; I haven't observed such monitors up close for this, much less on a Mac.

So I would think even Windows users would be pushing for 6K 32" displays. Never mind the Mac minority, why aren't Windows users pushing for it? Will Thunderbolt 5 and comparable USB4 open the floodgates of pent-up demand?

In a roundabout way I'm saying the odds of our seeing 6K 32" displays in the consumer space largely depends on the degree to which the customer base sees room for improvement and back desire with money. If the big majority are content with 4K 32" displays, I imagine demand may be lacking.
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The thing is, Mac users are a small percentage of the overall market, and the vast majority of Mac users already have a hiDPI screen, in the form of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, and even the iMac.

Furthermore, the midDPI screens that are so common out there actually look fine on Windows, considerably nicer on Windows than on macOS.

And of course midDPI screens are much, much cheaper than hiDPI screens.

Basically this is driven by cost and what Windows users want and need.
 
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EugW said:
Basically this is driven by cost and what Windows users want and need.
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EugW said:
Furthermore, the midDPI screens that are so common out there actually look fine on Windows, considerably nicer on Windows than on macOS.

And of course midDPI screens are much, much cheaper than hiDPI screens.
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In that case, the demand for high res. + high refresh rate displays is apt to be poor given that Macs are infamously seen as 'not serious gaming machines.' The gaming machines are Windows PCs and console systems.

And given that Apple didn't bother to include HDMI or DisplayPort connections in its Apple Studio Display, it doesn't seem they care to entertain those markets. So we may get more high-res., yes, but not so much high refresh rates.

Anyone on this thread using a 32" 4K monitor on a Windows PC and/or gaming console? Is the text and picture clarity lacking, soft, etc...? Do you see anything that'd make you crave a 6K 32" display for Windows or a console?

Oh, and can current PlayStations and Xboxes drive a 6K display at 120-Hz?
 
drrich2 said:
Oh, and can current PlayStations and Xboxes drive a 6K display at 120-Hz?
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Nope. BTW I play games on a PC and XDR connected to it. 4K if possible, mostly 2.5K (this looks ugly actually...). Even 4K@60 is still difficult to handle for the most graphic cards.
 
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drrich2 said:
opinions are mixed about how 4K versus 5" 27" display text looks - some of us think it's very close and maybe too close to call if you're not eye balling it very close striving to discriminate, and some people think the difference is more evident to them.
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I find text perfectly crisp and can see no individual pixels on my 4k (164ppi) 27" display. I think the reason why it looks so good even at 164 ppi (vs Apple's retina standard of 218 ppi found on the Apple Studio Display) is because my eyes are typically 32" from the screen. Apple's retina standard pixel density is based on eyes 20" from the screen so because I am almost twice that distance even the 164 ppi might be more than sufficient. I suspect this is why a lot of people are fine with their 27" 4k screens.
 
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Overall I have been happy with my display paired to the Mac mini.

I love the hdmi in for using with an Xbox, the kvm hun is nice as well (but I wish it switched between all 3 inputs, you can only switch between two of them unless I am misunderstanding the menu.
 
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1734104589441.png



This is my first HDR monitor, so I don’t have another one to compare it with, but I’m really happy with how it performs! :)
The KVM functionality isn’t quite as smooth as Dell’s, but it does the job.
I got it in Czechia for around $866 locally.
 
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Archer13 said:
This is my first HDR monitor, so I don’t have another one to compare it with, but I’m really happy with how it performs! :)
The KVM functionality isn’t quite as smooth as Dell’s, but it does the job.
I got it in Czechia for around $866 locally.
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I should mention that when people outside the US see US prices and are envious, realize that merchants in the US never price things with sales tax (i.e., VAT) included. While our sales tax is not as high as VAT, it can add some $$$. In the Seattle area, for instance, the local rate is 10.35% these days.
 
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Cult of Mac has a really nice review of the 5K ProArt from Nov. 23rd; the reviewer recommends turning off dynamic dimming (and shows why), and demonstrates the wobble factor - that while the monitor can be adjusted between landscape and portrait orientations, it smoothly moves between those, can stop at any point, and moves too easily and doesn't lock in position, so if you bump it you can easily make it a bit uneven from strict landscape orientation, etc... He was dissatisfied with the ambient light sensor adjustment and turned it off and disparaged the built-in speaker. Overall, he seemed quite impressed with this monitor.

Starting around 7:07, he said even if you're only using it with one computer, you can't use the 2 USB-C ports on the back (beside the HDMI port and DisplayPort) to connect peripherals, you can only use them to connect your computer to the hub. But I see another USB-C 3rd port farther away. He said you can plug each of the 2 into a different computer to share peripherals plugged into the 4 other ports on the monitor.

I found this review a nice balance of concise and comprehensive and in terms of pro.s and con.s.
 
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drrich2 said:
Cult of Mac has a really nice review of the 5K ProArt from Nov. 23rd; the reviewer recommends turning off dynamic dimming (and shows why), and demonstrates the wobble factor - that while the monitor can be adjusted between landscape and portrait orientations, it smoothly moves between those, can stop at any point, and moves too easily and doesn't lock in position, so if you bump it you can easily make it a bit uneven from strict landscape orientation, etc... He was dissatisfied with the ambient light sensor adjustment and turned it off and disparaged the built-in speaker. Overall, he seemed quite impressed with this monitor.

Starting around 7:07, he said even if you're only using it with one computer, you can't use the 2 USB-C ports on the back (besides the HDMI port and DisplayPort) to connect peripherals, you can only use them to connect your computer to the hub. But I see another USB-C 3rd port farther away. He said you can plug each of the 2 into a different computer to share peripherals plugged into the 4 other ports on the monitor.

I found this review a nice balance of concise and comprehensive and in terms of pro.s and con.s.
Click to expand...
It was a great review, and it sold me. The biggest complaint in the Amazon Reviews of the monitor seems to be about the built-in speakers. That is a moot point because my computers are tied to a 90-watt Yamaha AVR per channel home theater system.
 
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A few notes on the KVM setup.

I have a Mac Mini at home and a Dell work laptop. The laptop is connected via USB-C with a DisplayPort icon (Upstream 1), and the Mac is connected via HDMI and a second USB-C cable (Upstream 2).

In the KVM settings:
• Upstream 1: Auto
• Upstream 2: HDMI

Switching takes 6–7 seconds, about the same time as waking up. This is slower compared to Dell monitors, where it takes only a second or two.

There’s also another unpleasant issue. After a while, when the screen timeout triggers on the computer that is not currently connected, the Asus KVM doesn’t recognize this and assumes that there’s no device on the other end. As a result, it won’t allow input switching. I have to press something on the second computer to wake it up again so that the KVM detects it. On the laptop, I can open and close the lid; on the Mac Mini, I have to press the button on the device (let’s all smile and wave at the Mac Mini M4 owners! :)). It’s clear that in this situation, the keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor are useless.

Fortunately, my keyboard supports Bluetooth and multiple connections, so I just switch it to the second computer, press any key, and it wakes up. Then I can use the KVM to switch the input, and I can either switch the keyboard back to the USB port with a shortcut or leave it on Bluetooth.

On the Dell KVM, this worked differently. It switched inputs in any case, and pressing a key on the keyboard would wake up the screen, just like on a regular computer with a screensaver.
 
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