Anybody running 27" 4K monitors in 1440p scaled mode?

[chfilm]

Amazon marketplace is an absolute train wreck. Never buy from Amazon unless it's actually from Amazon, that's what I always stick to.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Hope you get your cash back buddy.

Yea I spoke to amazon, so far no money has been withdrawn and they also sent me an email that they'll cancel it all.
It's crazy though. How can this even happen, that a number of marketplace retailers get hacked at the same time and suddenly offer this monitor for one night? (Seriously yesterday there were like 10 different offers) And the next day, they're all gone, and then this shady email..? Super strange.

 

[chfilm]

YESSSS I was able to score one of the dell displays in a local store for a reduced price of 900 bucks.
Have it here now, next to the 4k. Ok, I'm silenced, the quality ok 5k in direct comparison is mind blowing. Wouldve never thought that it's still such a big difference, but it is. This Dell is all I wanted. Glossy, 5k, beautiful!

 

[LiE_]

So OCUK got some LG 27UD88-W in stock and I've ordered 1. I'm going to try running at 1440p scaled mode, otherwise 2x retina and still a little further back from the monitor. Which ever is easier on my eyes.

 

[Fozziebear40]

So OCUK got some LG 27UD88-W in stock and I've ordered 1. I'm going to try running at 1440p scaled mode, otherwise 2x retina and still a little further back from the monitor. Which ever is easier on my eyes.

I'd like to know if it takes an actual 1440p signal and the monitor scales it to 4K. I know my MacBook Air will send 4K and scale it to look like 1440p. I'm thinking my PC that max's out at 1440p. The manual states 1 preset of 3840 x 2160.

 

[andy9l]

I'd like to know if it takes an actual 1440p signal and the monitor scales it to 4K.

The monitor does not scale-up any inputs, as far as I know. Again, when people say "1440p" in this thread, they are referring to a full 4K signal, with macOS scaling set to 'look like 1440p'.

I can check tonight for you - I'll just force a low resolution signal from my MacBook or PC and post a photo of the result (if there is a result!).

If you have a device that cannot support 4K do not buy a 4K monitor.
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So OCUK got some LG 27UD88-W in stock and I've ordered 1. I'm going to try running at 1440p scaled mode, otherwise 2x retina and still a little further back from the monitor. Which ever is easier on my eyes.

Try 3008x1692 too. I sit maybe 1 metre away, and find it to be a very good balance between quality and workspace size. It's the third default scaling option in Sys. Prefs after 1440p.

 

[Fozziebear40]

Thanks for that andy91, that would be great, thanks. I appreciate Mac users here output at 4K and just talk about software scaling to make text bigger etc. I have two 4K devices that I am buying the monitor for, MacBook and PS4 Pro. I was hoping it would take a lower resolution input from a PC as well so I could get rid of a 1080p monitor on my desk. Most monitors take a variety of signals normally, from SVGA and up but I guess they took the scaler chip out of this monitor to reduce costs and you have to feed it a 4K signal.

 

[andy9l]

Thanks for that andy91, that would be great, thanks. I appreciate Mac users here output at 4K and just talk about software scaling to make text bigger etc. I have two 4K devices that I am buying the monitor for, MacBook and PS4 Pro. I was hoping it would take a lower resolution input from a PC as well so I could get rid of a 1080p monitor on my desk. Most monitors take a variety of signals normally, from SVGA and up but I guess they took the scaler chip out of this monitor to reduce costs and you have to feed it a 4K signal.

If you push an old 640x480 VGA signal to a 1080p monitor, the result will be dreadful. If you push a 1080p HDMI signal to a 4K screen, the result probably won't be quite as comical, but definitely poor.

My point is, it's not unique to this monitor. I'm curious as to what exactly a "scaler chip" is. You get onboard software scaling in some TVs, but I don't think it's very common on monitors.

 

[chfilm]

I have to say, after running the dell 4k next to the 5k, both in 1440p, of course the 5k looks considerably better. But having the 5k as the main display and the 4k only for UI elements in after effects or so, it's quite ok!

 

[Fozziebear40]

If you push an old 640x480 VGA signal to a 1080p monitor, the result will be dreadful. If you push a 1080p HDMI signal to a 4K screen, the result probably won't be quite as comical, but definitely poor.

My point is, it's not unique to this monitor. I'm curious as to what exactly a "scaler chip" is. You get onboard software scaling in some TVs, but I don't think it's very common on monitors.

AFAIK every monitor has a scaler chip in it, and thinking about it, this monitor must have. I know it will look poor but it must at least show the SVGA boot screen (PC) to enable you to adjust the BIOS etc. It would also handle the PIP and PBP as well.

Thanks in advance if you give it a try.

 

[andy9l]

AFAIK every monitor has a scaler chip in it, and thinking about it, this monitor must have. I know it will look poor but it must at least show the SVGA boot screen (PC) to enable you to adjust the BIOS etc. It would also handle the PIP and PBP as well.

Thanks in advance if you give it a try.

I'll give it a go on my MacBook for sure, not sure how to do it in Windows as I'm not very savvy with the OS. Having said that, though, my "Gigabyte" boot logo shows up when I boot my PC, and I can only assume that the input resolution from my GPU is much lower at that stage since there's no drivers active. The logo is relatively low quality, as you'd expect. Same applies to the Windows logo and spinning circle thing.

With the MacBook you can just hold 'alt' when you click 'Scaled' in Display Settings and check the "Show low resolution modes". You can then pick a number of resolutions that, as I understand it, will be sent directly to the monitor without any macOS scaling. I'll see what happens, anyway.

 

[LiE_]

Try 3008x1692 too. I sit maybe 1 metre away, and find it to be a very good balance between quality and workspace size. It's the third default scaling option in Sys. Prefs after 1440p.

You must have a massive desk if you sit 100cm away standard desk depth is 60-80cm.

 

[andy9l]

You must have a massive desk if you sit 100cm away standard desk depth is 60-80cm.

It's tiny! But I'm cheating...I sit with it in one corner of the desk, and I basically sit at the opposite corner. Awful for posture as I'm looking very slightly left at all times, but I'm just about young enough to get away with it

It's my "next" thing to upgrade, along with a decent chair. Problem is, they're such boring things to buy I never get round to it.

 

[Fozziebear40]

LG customer services got back to me, 'I do not believe there would be an issue with this signal being accepted'. So I should be able to feed it 2560 x 1440. If your PC does that resolution andy9l and it looks ok?

 

[andy9l]

LG customer services got back to me, 'I do not believe there would be an issue with this signal being accepted'. So I should be able to feed it 2560 x 1440. If your PC does that resolution andy9l and it looks ok?

Right, I've just tried it with my MacBook. It does indeed accept a 2560x1440 input, but as I expected it looks noticeably worse than a native 1440p monitor. Arguably unusable for long periods of time, depending on what you're doing - you're definitely not going to be doing your eyesight any good.

I've put a link to a comparison image below, but it's not particularly useful due to the poor quality iPhone camera.

Comparison photo: http://i.imgur.com/nvkDZc3.jpg

Honestly, the difference is night and day - and I'm not exaggerating.

 

[Fozziebear40]

Right, I've just tried it with my MacBook. It does indeed accept a 2560x1440 input, but as I expected it looks noticeably worse than a native 1440p monitor. Arguably unusable for long periods of time, depending on what you're doing - you're definitely not going to be doing your eyesight any good.

I've put a link to a comparison image below, but it's not particularly useful due to the poor quality iPhone camera.

Comparison photo: http://i.imgur.com/nvkDZc3.jpg

Honestly, the difference is night and day - and I'm not exaggerating.

Thank you very much, that is very kind of you. I may get a 1440p monitor and leave the PS4 Pro at 1080p for now then.

 

[andy9l]

Thank you very much, that is very kind of you. I may get a 1440p monitor and leave the PS4 Pro at 1080p for now then.

What about getting the 4K monitor for the MacBook and PS4, but keep the 1080p for your PC?

I'd imagine gaming in 4K on the PS4 would be quite a nice upgrade. Battlefield 1 at ultra settings in 4K on my PC is staggeringly impressive.

 

[LiE_]

My 27UD88-W arrived today. I didn't realise it didn't come with miniDP to DP so I'm running it off HDMI. I guess HDMI is not 2.0 on my MBP since it's 30hz and I'm unable to adjust the scaling to 1440p. I'll order a cable now.

 

[chfilm]

To finally end my story: I today received my 2nd Dell 2715K 5k Display.
Now I have both of these monsters running at the mac pro. Works like a breeze, absolutely no difference functionality wise to the 4ks. Only the picture quality is much more brilliant

 

[nnn21]

Hey everyone! I'm a little bit confused regarding selecting of the monitor.. I have MBP 13" mid 2014 with Thunderbolt 2 port. I went to Apple Store to check out LG 5K which is supposed to work at 3840x2160@60Hz with Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 converter and was pretty much impressed with the text crispness.. my daily work consists of a lot of reading and writing - so that factor is most important to me. Since they are out of stock across whole Europe and I need solution almost immediately, LG 27UD88 which is mentioned here in thread few times seems like a way to go - but I'm a little bit confused because official Apple support seems tricky (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587) -> they are not mentioning that MBP 13" mid 2014 can drive 3840x2160@60Hz at all? Is it enough to hook it up with mini DP to DP cable and use 3840x2160@60Hz or other scaling possibilities?

Also, would you recommend to wait for another month or even more for them to stock the UltraFines 5k or just order 27UD88 as an alternative?

Thank you a lot!

 

[LiE_]

I'm not sure whether it can drive 4k@60Hz - maybe someone with your MBP can comment.

The 5k monitor has quite a few issues from what I've been reading, and it's quite a bit more expensive - so depends on your budget.

 

[chfilm]

Hey everyone! I'm a little bit confused regarding selecting of the monitor.. I have MBP 13" mid 2014 with Thunderbolt 2 port. I went to Apple Store to check out LG 5K which is supposed to work at 3840x2160@60Hz with Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 converter and was pretty much impressed with the text crispness.. my daily work consists of a lot of reading and writing - so that factor is most important to me. Since they are out of stock across whole Europe and I need solution almost immediately, LG 27UD88 which is mentioned here in thread few times seems like a way to go - but I'm a little bit confused because official Apple support seems tricky (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587) -> they are not mentioning that MBP 13" mid 2014 can drive 3840x2160@60Hz at all? Is it enough to hook it up with mini DP to DP cable and use 3840x2160@60Hz or other scaling possibilities?

Also, would you recommend to wait for another month or even more for them to stock the UltraFines 5k or just order 27UD88 as an alternative?

Thank you a lot!

I think it all depends on your upgrade path. If you plan to stick with your '14 Macbook for a while, then I'd recommend going 4k..
The crispness of the 4k is similar to the 5k in upscaled tb 2->tb3 mode.
I was impressed with the result in the apple store as well, but felt the 4k screens looked a little easier on the eye, because at least they receive a native 4k signal. (Even though the 1440p scaling is of course not ideal.) But If I wouldnt have gotten my hands on the 5k Dells, I would have sticked with the 4ks over the LG 5ks.

I think the apple support document is pretty clear that your computer is not able to run anything at 4k @ 60hz at all. Only the 15" model from 2014 can do it.

 

[nnn21]

Thank you all for fast response!

I think the apple support document is pretty clear that your computer is not able to run anything at 4k @ 60hz at all. Only the 15" model from 2014 can do it.

Indeed, that was something I was thinking as well - but in the other hand official support page for LG UltraFine 5K (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207448) it states that with Thunderbolt3 to Thunderbolt2 13" MBP mid 2014+ is supported normally.. Am I missing something?

 

[chfilm]

Thank you all for fast response!



Indeed, that was something I was thinking as well - but in the other hand official support page for LG UltraFine 5K (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207448) it states that with Thunderbolt3 to Thunderbolt2 13" MBP mid 2014+ is supported normally.. Am I missing something?

well yes but probably at 30hz?

 

[nnn21]

well yes but probably at 30hz?

60Hz. Look at the picture provided, that's the reason why I'm in doubt.

 

[chfilm]

Oh, right, sorry, my bad. Well I suggest you just call apple. Or get one of the LGs and return it if it won't work.