Anyone driving a Studio Display with a 2018 15" MacBook Pro?

[zoom25]

Hi,

I wanted to know if there's anyone out there using a 2018 15" MacBook Pro with a Studio Display and how they find the experience? I have a 2.2 Ghz 6-core i7 16GB and might be looking to use that with the Studio Display. How is the noise? Do the fans run all the time at max because of the dGPU kicking in? Due to the extra work, does the machine slow down in use and UI animations become jittery etc?

 

[DMG35]

It won't be a good experience. The 2018 MacBook Pro is underpowered and your fans will be going at full blast the entire time. You will also notice some slow downs as well. I wouldn't recommend this if noise and slow downs are a concern.

 

[zoom25]

It won't be a good experience. The 2018 MacBook Pro is underpowered and your fans will be going at full blast the entire time. You will also notice some slow downs as well. I wouldn't recommend this if noise and slow downs are a concern.

I don't doubt that at all, having owned several Intel MacBook Pros over the years and they'd get loud with regular 1080p or 4K external monitors.

Btw do you own a Studio Display? If so, what have you used it with?

I wonder if the M1 Mac mini will be sufficient or even that will suffer some slowdowns with a 5k panel, and whether the Studio is required for a flawless experience. I also have a M1 Air here that I could try it with, but I figure the Mini will be better than the Air as there is one less screen (Air's screen) being driven?

 

[BeatCrazy]

I wonder if the M1 Mac mini will be sufficient or even that will suffer some slowdowns with a 5k panel, and whether the Studio is required for a flawless experience. I also have a M1 Air here that I could try it with, but I figure the Mini will be better than the Air as there is one less screen (Air's screen) being driven?

Before I got my Apple Studio, I ran the 6K Pro Display XDR via M1 mini. You're not going to be 'slowed down'.

 

[zoom25]

Before I got my Apple Studio, I ran the 6K Pro Display XDR via M1 mini. You're not going to be 'slowed down'.

Thanks for the feedback. My Intel 2018 MacBook Pro running latest Monterey has no problems with things like animations and lag with UI. The M1 Air is just like that, except much smoother than the Intel in both Safari and Chrome.

How would you rate the experience of using the M1 Air by itself with the bullt-in screen as a laptop vs. feeding the Studio Display or your XDR via the M1 Mini? Have you noticed any differences between the two in terms of performances or lag/responsiveness etc?

 

[BeatCrazy]

Thanks for the feedback. My Intel 2018 MacBook Pro running latest Monterey has no problems with things like animations and lag with UI. The M1 Air is just like that, except much smoother than the Intel in both Safari and Chrome.

How would you rate the experience of using the M1 Air by itself with the bullt-in screen as a laptop vs. feeding the Studio Display or your XDR via the M1 Mini? Have you noticed any differences between the two in terms of performances or lag/responsiveness etc?

I rarely use the M1 Air + Studio Display/XDR. I never noticed any issues, when I do hook it up. I used the M1 mini a lot more. There were occasional dropped frames on macOS UI, but 99% of people would never notice them.

 

[zoom25]

I rarely use the M1 Air + Studio Display/XDR. I never noticed any issues, when I do hook it up. I used the M1 mini a lot more. There were occasional dropped frames on macOS UI, but 99% of people would never notice them.

I haven't had issues like that on my personal devices, but that is something I have noticed on a Mid 2015 15" with the iGPU only that a family member uses. They never notice it, but it's something that's very noticeable for me whenever I use it. Surprisingly, the issue wasn't there on an older 2012 15" (with a dGPU, but that wouldn't be active for basic work, so the iGPU in use would not lag) or 2018 15", all running the same OS.

Looks like there is a M2 release as well. Lots to check out. Apparently the Studio and its Max/Ultra removes a lot of those dropped frames that the regular M1 has? Has that been your experience as well?

 

[BeatCrazy]

I haven't had issues like that on my personal devices, but that is something I have noticed on a Mid 2015 15" with the iGPU only that a family member uses. They never notice it, but it's something that's very noticeable for me whenever I use it. Surprisingly, the issue wasn't there on an older 2012 15" (with a dGPU, but that wouldn't be active for basic work, so the iGPU in use would not lag) or 2018 15", all running the same OS.

Looks like there is a M2 release as well. Lots to check out. Apparently the Studio and its Max/Ultra removes a lot of those dropped frames that the regular M1 has? Has that been your experience as well?

Zero dropped frames with my Mac Studio M1 Max, even when running both Pro Display XDR and Studio Display simultaneously.

 

[zoom25]

Zero dropped frames with my Mac Studio M1 Max, even when running both Pro Display XDR and Studio Display simultaneously.

That's great to hear. What configuration is your M1 Max?

 

[BeatCrazy]

That's great to hear. What configuration is your M1 Max?

Just the base model Studio M1 Max.

 

[zoom25]

Just the base model Studio M1 Max.

That's what I've considered as well. I'd upgrade to 1TB for sure. Aside from that, I think 32GB will be fine and 64GB may not be required.

Did you consider the 32 core GPU or 64GB option? How is the 32GB RAM working out?

 

[BeatCrazy]

That's what I've considered as well. I'd upgrade to 1TB for sure. Aside from that, I think 32GB will be fine and 64GB may not be required.

Did you consider the 32 core GPU or 64GB option? How is the 32GB RAM working out?

I didn't consider 64GB of RAM or 64 core GPU, as I couldn't find any YouTube or written comparison where those upgrades made any meaningful difference for my use cases. I don't do any 3D modeling, etc. Just relatively basic stuff, with some audio editing.

 

[zoom25]

I didn't consider 64GB of RAM or 64 core GPU, as I couldn't find any YouTube or written comparison where those upgrades made any meaningful difference for my use cases. I don't do any 3D modeling, etc. Just relatively basic stuff, with some audio editing.

Yeah for casual uses, even the normal M1 is exceptional. FWIW, I gave the M1 24" iMac a shot as well in stores. With the screen being built-in like with Air, there weren't any issues with UI lags whatsoever. Currently having a 27" iMac, I was even ready to get used to the smaller size. However, the biggest thing that stopped me, which somehow no one has mentioned, is that the panel quality is vastly inferior and not at all on the level of the Studio Display or even the non-OLED Macbook Pros. Both the M1 Air I have here and the 8-10 M1 iMacs I saw at Apple Store and Best Buy all displayed poor colours, contrast level, and sharpness. I actually prefer my 2018 Intel 15" MacBook Pro over the M1 Air because of the panel. It's clearly noticeable and makes a big impact in long term use. If the 24" iMac's screen looked like Studio Display or recent MacBook Pros, I'd have considered it as a potential stop gap.

However, I can't ignore my eyes, so have to figure out an Studio Display option. I really wish Apple could make the 27" iMac again with a Pro like display. Throw an M2 in it and I'd buy it.