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Best Ultrawide Thunderbolt 3 for M1
- Thread starter Relznuk
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Search for deals on the Dell U3818DW. It's Black Friday after all.
They had last month for $860
They had last month for $860
Numerous reviewers praise it as the ideal display to match with a Mac. It even does USB PD 100W.
Sold mine as I realized it was too large for my desk and I ended up moving my head around instead of my eyes.
What got me to buy into the MBP 15"/16" + U3818DW was this video.
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So you had no issues when you had it?
This thread says otherwise, so I’m a bit wary about this monitor.
This thread says otherwise, so I’m a bit wary about this monitor.
I have the Dell 3818 and it works just fine with my MacBook Pro 16 and MacBook Air M1.
Does it even charge them correctly? Do you use a dock or plug in directly?
Can I ask what firmware your monitor is on?
the 16 has been plugged in for the entire year, direct from the Dell, only ever been on the physical charger once Or twice. It has remained fully charged the entire time.
The M1 has only been a couple days now, i charged the M1 fully the day it arrived last weekneed.otherwise it’s been off and on the monitor, last two days, it’s been running Off a caldigit ts3 docking station I purchased.
as this year was turned on it’s head, this is just day to day tasks, managing my server, researching and running a business etc, I think I shot and edited one 10 min video this entire year. I am unsure if this would change under constant heavy loads On the 16” , the M1 seems to run on Natania dust lol
I will check what firmware the monitor is on, haven’t checked in a long while, no updates were needed for the MBA M1 to display fine and accept a charge.
I used a friends U3818DW a few times on a MBP 2017 15” and a MBP 2019 16” and it worked fine for both an external monitor at its full resolution and also for charging at the full wattage (87w but for the 16” forgot if it was 96w or not) but no compatibility issues
Thank goodness you asked me this question, as i went to check and if I hadn’t, i could have ruined my set up.
On the issue of the Dell 3818 working with macOS , i am on the old M3B103 firmware, This version works well with the Mac, the newer version M3B106 DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH MAC, i almost updated and thankfully hit a toxin of people with issues, and dell saying they wont be fixing it.
So just a warning, i am fortunate i purchased mine with that version, and not one today that may have shipped with the newer version, as its not backwards compatible either.
Mine shipped with M3B106 and it doesn’t look like Dell are going to update it. ?
In hindsight you quite right, i only realized now, after being prompted to check my firmware. It works fine on mine, but the issues you speak of are very real on the newer firmware, i am finding a lot of complaints of inconsistencies of signal.
It was even removed from ratings.com website as best monitor for the MacBook Pro (the very reason i bought mine in the first place lol)
so like the OP @Relznuk i suspect i am now on the hunt for a new monitor too for my MacBook lol ,I don’t trust mine now, and seeing the attitude of dell response, nor am i super keen on keeping it.
Does it work, or endless aggravating issues ? I couldn’t even update to the newest firmware on the M1, it rejected the “firmware updater” software that I downloaded. And logged a fault. It was a blessing in disguise i have no discovered.
I got the LG 34WN80C-B 34 ultra wide a couple weeks ago ($550 on Amazon at that time). I LOVE it. It only has a 60Hz refresh rate, but I don't do heavy gaming, so it's not important. It's a great monitor so far and works perfectly with my M1 Mac Mini.
Ditto to all of this, I'm moving from a 2019 imac to a mac mini and I want ultrawide but I'm not ready to give up 5k. It seems that all ultrawide monitors that are high res (5k and up) are riddled with complaints of compatibility issues.
How is the text? I have a Dell P2415Q, which is 2180 horizontal resolution with my MacBook Pro and it's like a lovely huge retina screen. Text is tack sharp. Next to it, I have a Dell P2419H, which only goes to 1080, and the text is not great. A bit blurry. I just ordered a new Dell S3221QS to replace both monitors because of the 2160 4k resolution but I really wanted an ultrawide like the LG but it only went to 1440 resolution. Any thoughts?
PS: I do like the idea of built in speakers on the S3221QS, since I'm going to be hooking it up to a M1 Mac mini.
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Man this thread makes me sad because 21/9 is such a great aspect ratio but its too ignored by the industry
I have so many opinions.
dont buy the 5k2k 34" ultrawides from lg or msi. they have serious image retention problems. Ive been tracking the reviews and reddit and forum posts for the lg 34wk95u and there have been no revisions to the panel that mitigate the burn in problems people are experiencing. the MSI 5k2k uses the same lg panel and has same issues.
if you're doing strict office stuff I do suggest you get one with a slight curve. I've done both and actually prefer the curve because its actually easier to "see" your panels from left to right. 34 or 38" is basically the limit in terms of having to move your head to interact with windows from one side to antoher. anything bigger (with this 21:9 aspect ratio) you're gonna really notice that you're moving your head too much.
Unfortunately if you want an ultra wide (imo it is the PERFECT aspect ratio for desk/computer productivity) you're stuck with lower pixel density panels like
34" 3440 x1440
or
38"
3840x1600
if you're truly crazy you can get the super weird 49" ones.
I have so many opinions.
dont buy the 5k2k 34" ultrawides from lg or msi. they have serious image retention problems. Ive been tracking the reviews and reddit and forum posts for the lg 34wk95u and there have been no revisions to the panel that mitigate the burn in problems people are experiencing. the MSI 5k2k uses the same lg panel and has same issues.
if you're doing strict office stuff I do suggest you get one with a slight curve. I've done both and actually prefer the curve because its actually easier to "see" your panels from left to right. 34 or 38" is basically the limit in terms of having to move your head to interact with windows from one side to antoher. anything bigger (with this 21:9 aspect ratio) you're gonna really notice that you're moving your head too much.
Unfortunately if you want an ultra wide (imo it is the PERFECT aspect ratio for desk/computer productivity) you're stuck with lower pixel density panels like
34" 3440 x1440
or
38"
3840x1600
if you're truly crazy you can get the super weird 49" ones.
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Hard to say. Looks great to me, but my old eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be, so I'm not sure I'd notice.
Have a 49" Odyssey G9 (32:9) but it does not support thunderbolt. All is working well so far, unfortunately it is the 1080p version but love my mini on it still!
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I'd argue that the LG 34WK95U-W is the best Ultrawide for Macs there is.
For one it is close as bright as Mac Displays and just as important to me, it is the only ultra wide (apart from the MSI variant which uses the same panel), that features a good resolution. Though not resembling Apples retina specification it still compares to a 4k monitor at 27". (Current Apple featured LG Ultafines run either with 5K at 27" or 4K at 24".) Also the panels colour calibration is very good.
The monitor is a bit more on the expansiv side, though occasionally there are some good deals available. I would rather wait and save a bit more money than go with another model.
For one it is close as bright as Mac Displays and just as important to me, it is the only ultra wide (apart from the MSI variant which uses the same panel), that features a good resolution. Though not resembling Apples retina specification it still compares to a 4k monitor at 27". (Current Apple featured LG Ultafines run either with 5K at 27" or 4K at 24".) Also the panels colour calibration is very good.
The monitor is a bit more on the expansiv side, though occasionally there are some good deals available. I would rather wait and save a bit more money than go with another model.
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I'm watching this space, but not willing to commit yet. I have to hope a few more options or refinements will pop up if M1 sales are high.
It's a fantastic monitor--colors, resolution, brightness--all great. I worry about the non-flicker display with my already terrible vision and the sudden, random dimming issues that I've observed. I was able to score a deal on a new unit, but now that I'm testing the 38WN95-C, I'm completely certain 38" displays are the sweet spot for me--it even scales better when in PBP mode. However, leaving the higher pixel density behind is rough.