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Great! But why displayport if you can use HDMI 2.0 with that monitor? (4k 60hz)

Why not DisplayPort? The USB-C to HDMI adapters currently available use DisplayPort Alt mode plus an active DisplayPort-to-HDMI converter. I haven't heard anything about USB-C "native" HDMI alt mode support since it was announced a year ago.

Anyway, I've got another display that has displayport and no HDMI that I might want to use at some stage.

In fact, now that I look, the Pluggable USB-C to HDMI 2.0 adapter says "Incompatible with new 2017 iMac and 2017 MacBook systems", while the USB-C to DisplayPort cable explicitly said that it was compatible. So, HDMI is clearly no less of a crapshoot than DisplayPort.

(On the other hand, my 2011 MBP wouldn't drive the 4k display with a regular miniDP-to-DP cable, but an active miniDP-to-HDMI cable did the trick. Only 30Hz but, hey, we're talking about a 6 year old MBP!)
 
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Great! But why displayport if you can use HDMI 2.0 with that monitor? (4k 60hz)
DisplayPort 1.2 provides much more throughput than HDMI 2.0
In fact, now that I look, the Pluggable USB-C to HDMI 2.0 adapter says "Incompatible with new 2017 iMac and 2017 MacBook systems", while the USB-C to DisplayPort cable explicitly said that it was compatible. So, HDMI is clearly no less of a crapshoot than DisplayPort.
No. And, "compatible" is not "compliant", as I've railed on here in these forums. Pluggable manufactures exactly 0/nada/none/zero products that are compliant with DisplayPort/VESA specs - they've never made a product that is compliant with the DP specs, feel free to search the DP product portal. My nitpick with your statement is that DP is not a crapshoot iff (that's engineering-speak for "if and only if") you use compliant products. I've around 75 displays in my offices with DP-compliant cables/adapters/docks/displays and I have zero issues - I disagree with your assertion here.

BTW, at least a dozen of my company's displays are P2715Q displays…
 
My nitpick with your statement is that DP is not a crapshoot iff (that's engineering-speak for "if and only if") you use compliant products.


I thought that it was pretty obvious from the context that the "crapshoot" I was talking about was finding USB-C to DP or HDMI cables that worked with USB-C Macs.

I've looked on https://www.displayport.org/products-database/ and can find 0/nada/none/zero USB-C to DisplayPort cables or adapters made by anybody, and only two USB C to HDMI adapters - with links to manufacturer's sites sorely lacking in "Please take my credit card number and send me one" buttons.

If you know of any "compliant" USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort cables/adapters then please do share. Especially if they are also compatible with 2017 Macs (just in case Apple are the problem here - because I certainly don't see them on the DP product database!)

(Oh, and there are a couple of Pluggable DP-to-HDMI products on that database, so your assertion was false BTW).
 
I thought that it was pretty obvious from the context that the "crapshoot" I was talking about was finding USB-C to DP or HDMI cables that worked with USB-C Macs.

I've looked on https://www.displayport.org/products-database/ and can find 0/nada/none/zero USB-C to DisplayPort cables or adapters made by anybody, and only two USB C to HDMI adapters - with links to manufacturer's sites sorely lacking in "Please take my credit card number and send me one" buttons.

If you know of any "compliant" USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort cables/adapters then please do share. Especially if they are also compatible with 2017 Macs (just in case Apple are the problem here - because I certainly don't see them on the DP product database!)

(Oh, and there are a couple of Pluggable DP-to-HDMI products on that database, so your assertion was false BTW).
Sorry, your post wasn't clear and I didn't see a "sarcasm" tag. I have posted here - recently - about products by Belkin, Accell, and StarTech that are being used in my offices that do work and have been tested by DisplayPort.org.

The cable you linked to isn't the one you're picking nits with.

About Plugable, I didn't know, I stand corrected, and I'll offer that it's one and not two products - it's the same product, listed twice (Model DP-HDMI). I'll stick with Accell/Eizo/Belkin products, having searched for "plugable rebranded" resulting in just about everything they put their sticker on cheaper with other brands' labels affixed. IMO sticking with those 3 companies with multiple compliant products going back years I'm comfortable with them. About Plugable, I'll pass - nit picked.
 
IMO sticking with those 3 companies with multiple compliant products going back years I'm comfortable with them. About Plugable, I'll pass - nit picked.

I take it you mean:


Have you tried one on a 2017 iMac (as per the subject of this thread)?

There are multiple reports saying that cables which work with 2016 models don't work with 2017 iMacs and 15" MBPs... including several reviews onAmazon.com saying that that the Accell cable you recommend doesn't work on 2017 MBPs - and there is no mention of the issue on Accell's website.

It's anybody's guess at the moment whether it is Apple or the cable makers at fault (or, heaven forbid, maybe the spec is just plain ambiguous?)

In the case of Plugable, they are clearly aware of the issue and provide clear info on what works with 2017 Macs and what doesn't. Plus there are multiple user reports here confirming that the Plugable USB-C to DisplayPort cable works on the 2017 iMac.

OTOH there are bad reviews of the Plugable cable on Amazon, too - as I say, crapshoot. Mine is working fine - and its mostly going to live tucked around the back of the iMac so it's not going to have its durability tested.

(Meanwhile, the Accell cable isn't available in the UK, it is out of stock on Amazon.com and, as far as I can tell, Belkin don't make a USB-C to DisplayPort cable... although they do offer a USB-C to HDMI 2 adapter which they say works on 2017 iMacs.)
 
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Guys about the Plugable cable from Amazon
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01EXKDRAC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?tag=macr05-21&ie=UTF8&psc=1

This cable works! Like a charm! 4K resolution and 60hz refreshrate!

I received this cable this morning. It works.

I spent so much time trying to make this work with a bad cable and then various other combinations, taking the iMac to the Apple Store, searching online and in stores for various cables and combinations of cables and adapters, and at the end I was really pissed off having spent all the money on the iMac and monitor and not being able to have them work together.

This cable made me feel so much better.
 
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I take it you mean:



Have you tried one on a 2017 iMac (as per the subject of this thread)?

There are multiple reports saying that cables which work with 2016 models don't work with 2017 iMacs and 15" MBPs... including several reviews onAmazon.com saying that that the Accell cable you recommend doesn't work on 2017 MBPs - and there is no mention of the issue on Accell's website.

It's anybody's guess at the moment whether it is Apple or the cable makers at fault (or, heaven forbid, maybe the spec is just plain ambiguous?)

In the case of Plugable, they are clearly aware of the issue and provide clear info on what works with 2017 Macs and what doesn't. Plus there are multiple user reports here confirming that the Plugable USB-C to DisplayPort cable works on the 2017 iMac.

OTOH there are bad reviews of the Plugable cable on Amazon, too - as I say, crapshoot. Mine is working fine - and its mostly going to live tucked around the back of the iMac so it's not going to have its durability tested.

(Meanwhile, the Accell cable isn't available in the UK, it is out of stock on Amazon.com and, as far as I can tell, Belkin don't make a USB-C to DisplayPort cable... although they do offer a USB-C to HDMI 2 adapter which they say works on 2017 iMacs.)
Funny how internet experts vanish when asked a simple question about if they actually had experience with the products being discussed. ;)
 
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BTW, there are lots of buggy monitors out there, and they (almost) never get updates. Video drivers have a list built in.
 
BTW, there are lots of buggy monitors out there, and they (almost) never get updates. Video drivers have a list built in.

At least in my case I wouldn't blame it on the monitor.
The monitor works fine with a TB2/mini DisplayPort TO DisplayPort cable connected to a late 2012 iMac.
Ran the tests on a different monitor with the same results.
That leaves the iMac or the cable as the possible culprits.

If it's true that some USB-C TO DisplayPort cables work on some products and not on others (like 2016 MBPs vs 2017 iMacs), while other cables work for other products, I would suspect that the spec is too damn complex, and cables cover it just partially, different cables covering different parts. Having no idea about what the specs are, it anyway seems stupid to me that cables are expected to be more than just dumb wires transporting data. I would expect the 2 connected devices to have to handle the specs and the cables to just move bits around.
 
If it's true that some USB-C TO DisplayPort cables work on some products and not on others (like 2016 MBPs vs 2017 iMacs), while other cables work for other products, I would suspect that the spec is too damn complex, and cables cover it just partially, different cables covering different parts. Having no idea about what the specs are, it anyway seems stupid to me that cables are expected to be more than just dumb wires transporting data. I would expect the 2 connected devices to have to handle the specs and the cables to just move bits around.


BINGO!

The specs are actually quite complex. Especially because the specs for USB 3.1 actually allows partially covering the spec. To be certified as a USB 3.1 cable, you for instance don't need to support alternate modes or power over USB. See the problem is mainly that the spec includes a lot of different pins, and that some of these pins are not required by regular USB 3.1 transfers. So if a cable says "I can do USB 3.1 transfers", it may be fully able to do that, but not support Display Port transfers, as they can go through the USB 3.1 spec, but using different pins than the regular USB transfer. Thunderbolt adds even more complexity as that's not just a "dumb cable", but it requires actual logic inside the cable with a little processor and everything.
 
I had the same problem with the Dell p2715Q. I had used the monitor for about a year with a 2013 27" imac with no problems. When I purchased the new 27" 2017 imac, I connected it with the Apple USB-C to thunderbolt adapter (A1790) and and apple thunderbolt cable but the mac did not recognize that the monitor was connected. I also tried a thunderbolt to display port cable connected to the adapter and still nothing. I had just purchased several of the 2017 imacs, both 21" and 27" and the results were the same with all of them. I couldn't find the pluggable brand cable at one of our approved vendors so purchased a startech 6ft USB-C to display port cable (CDP2DPMM6B) and this worked successfully.
 
Just wanted to chime in and say a StarTech USB C to DVI Adapter (CDP2DVIW) didn’t work on my 27” iMac (2017) and Dell S2340M.

Previously I was using the Dell with a 27” Mid-2010 iMac and a StarTech Mini DisplayPort to DVI Video Adapter Converter (MDP2DVIW). No issues there. The "old" iMac was also running 10.12.6.

I’ve reseated the cables and adapter, powered the monitor off and on and restarted my Mac (including a safe boot) but it will not see the monitor. Clicking Option when in the Monitors prefs will toggle the "Detect Displays", but clicking on the button does nothing.

I then picked up an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter to use with the DisplayPort to DVI Adapter. Again … nothing. At least I can return it ($59 CDN. Ugh.)

I've ordered another adapter and a straight USB-C to DVI cable, but I'm not holding my breath. This really seems to be a hit or miss thing, and it shouldn’t be.
 
Just wanted to chime in and say a StarTech USB C to DVI Adapter (CDP2DVIW) didn’t work on my 27” iMac (2017) and Dell S2340M.

Previously I was using the Dell with a 27” Mid-2010 iMac and a StarTech Mini DisplayPort to DVI Video Adapter Converter (MDP2DVIW). No issues there. The "old" iMac was also running 10.12.6.

I’ve reseated the cables and adapter, powered the monitor off and on and restarted my Mac (including a safe boot) but it will not see the monitor. Clicking Option when in the Monitors prefs will toggle the "Detect Displays", but clicking on the button does nothing.

I then picked up an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter to use with the DisplayPort to DVI Adapter. Again … nothing. At least I can return it ($59 CDN. Ugh.)

I've ordered another adapter and a straight USB-C to DVI cable, but I'm not holding my breath. This really seems to be a hit or miss thing, and it shouldn’t be.
[doublepost=1512672107][/doublepost]One thing to try if you're having trouble getting your dell monitor to connect - make sure the monitor is connected and then restart your Mac. I just spent an hour trying to figure out why my Mac wasn't picking up the monitor - then I restarted and when it booted back up it was there.
 
Guys about the Plugable cable from Amazon
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01EXKDRAC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?tag=macr05-21&ie=UTF8&psc=1

This cable works! Like a charm! 4K resolution and 60hz refreshrate!
Guys about the Plugable cable from Amazon
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01EXKDRAC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?tag=macr05-21&ie=UTF8&psc=1

This cable works! Like a charm! 4K resolution and 60hz refreshrate!

I'm wondering if this cable can charge my macbook pro 2017 connected to the dell p2715q as well. I have a USB-C to displayport cable connected and works perfectly fine 4kx60hz but doesn't charge my macbook pro. so I'm looking for a cable or a solution to be able to connect to the monitor while charging at the same time.
 
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I'm wondering if this cable can charge my macbook pro 2017 connected to the dell p2715q as well. I have a USB-C to displayport cable connected and works perfectly fine 4kx60hz but doesn't charge my macbook pro. so I'm looking for a cable or a solution to be able to connect to the monitor while charging at the same time.
I have this plug and monitor and 2017 15 inc MB Pro. The plug and monitor are both fantastic. But it won't change the MB Pro. Even if yours is a 15 inch, I don't think it will work.
 
I'm wondering if this cable can charge my macbook pro 2017 connected to the dell p2715q as well. I have a USB-C to displayport cable connected and works perfectly fine 4kx60hz but doesn't charge my macbook pro. so I'm looking for a cable or a solution to be able to connect to the monitor while charging at the same time.

Nope, you need USB-C in both ends for that to work, plus the display has to be able to supply power.
 
Hello!

Has anyone tried to use the Plugable cable with the new iMacs from 2019?

I've just bought one and I need my dell second screen working here...

thanks !
 
I'm having issues with the plugable cable. It backs out a tiny bit all the time resulting in artifacts and blackouts. I'm now waiting for a cable with a lock mechanism on the connector. Something all displayport connectors should have in my opinion
 
Hello everyone!

I bought the Plugable cable and I dont have any issues with it backing out from the connection, that is working just fine.

What I can not do is make the display to work in a descent resolution at 60hz. I installed the SwichresX app and there's no way to make it work.

Any idea about what to do?

I think is just so disrespectful towards us consumers that Dell and Apple do not collaborate. This is just crazy.
 
Hello everyone!

I bought the Plugable cable and I dont have any issues with it backing out from the connection, that is working just fine.

What I can not do is make the display to work in a descent resolution at 60hz. I installed the SwichresX app and there's no way to make it work.

Any idea about what to do?

I think is just so disrespectful towards us consumers that Dell and Apple do not collaborate. This is just crazy.

try to enable HiDPI Mode in macOS via terminal also you should try quickres app instead of switchres
 
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