Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays

[CheesePuff]

It concerns me that people are buying these monitors and they are not fully compatible with the Mac. No boot screen, wake/sleep issues and OSX does not fully support full 4k.

Why does it concern you? I have the P2415Q on a 15-inch rMBP Iris Pro only graphics and it fully supports the native 3840x2160 at 60 Hz resolution out of the box. I am using it scaled at 1920x1080 for best for display appearance. I use my rMBP in clamshell full time at the desk, and there have been zero sleep/wake/reboot issues.

 

[tmoney468]

Also, in terms of screen quality, features, and cost/benefit, these monitors are pretty hard to beat. I love my 27", and the larger text makes it easier to read/code after a long day

 

[nudoru]

Just received mine and it's a great monitor! There is some light bleed in the bottom 2 corners that I can live with.

Having a few issues however ...

USB hub isn't working. It worked on my Dell P23" however.

I have 2 rMPB's - a work issues late '13 on OSX 10.9 that's working perfectly, but my personal mid '14 on Yosemite acting a little funky - it will only detect it as hiDPI and allow for the scaled modes if I connect it with the laptop lid open. I can work with that - just an annoyance.

 

[itcrashed]

Ok, that's officially ridiculous!

What resolution is your desktop? Do you notice a big difference at 30Hz? How would you characterize it?

Yes it is ridiculous

I am running at the middle setting of all the scaled settings. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember what the actual scaled resolution is. There is a difference in 30Hz IMHO. A big difference? Well, I would characterize it as a noticeable difference, but not a big one.

The only annoying thing in my use case is when I zip my pointer across the 30Hz screen, 30Hz is slow enough that the pointer disappears and your eyes lose sight of it. To remedy this I had to increase the size of the pointer to be able to track the movement better. Another solution would be to decrease the tracking speed.

It is definitely more noticeable when watching video - it's tolerable but I would rather watch video on the side monitors at 60Hz.

For gaming, 30Hz is definitely less tolerable. You really can see the slow refresh rate. I tested using Diablo III and it was not a good experience at all.

With 3x 4k screens running there is a definite lag when minimizing and maximizing windows. You can hardly see the animations. This is something I expected knowing that I am running roughly the equivalent of 12x 1080p screens! When I had 2 screens there was a little bit of lag. When I used 1 screen there was no lag at all.

 

[PMS2015]

Hello guys,

I have a maxed-out MacBook Pro Retina 15" Late 2013 and I would like to know if this machine can handle two P2715Q, both at 60Hz?
I am using a U2415 as a external display but the fonts are too blurry.

 

[larrysing1963]

Hello guys,

I have a maxed-out MacBook Pro Retina 15" Late 2013 and I would like to know if this machine can handle two P2715Q, both at 60Hz?
I am using a U2415 as a external display but the fonts are too blurry.

Everything I have seen says NO. One would run at 60 and the other at 30. On the Apple forums there is a post about this and the user said that he could get one of the monitor running at 60, but when he plugged the second monitor in, no output would come from the port unless the monitor was set to 30.

Am today going to be receiving my P2715Q and will connect on the same MacBook you have with an LG 34" 3440x1440 monitor and I will test and see if they both run at 60. That would be a sweet setup for anyone, albeit costing about $1500. I will post my results and come pics maybe, later today.

 

[larrysing1963]

LG34UM95 and P2715Q both run @ 60HZ

Answered my question. My P2715Q arrived and is now attached to my late 2013 rMBP via mDP-DP cable running at 3840x2160 and 60Hz. My 34UM95 3440x1440 monitor is also running @ 60Hz.

Picture attached shows my system report.

 

[PMS2015]

Thanks larrysing1963,

I was thinking about buy another U2415 but as I have said, Yosemite system fonts look very blurry on it.
My second choice was to buy two U2715H but since there is not much price diference between them and two P2715Q, I thought would be better go for the 4Ks monitors.

 

[ra004e]

Thanks larrysing1963,

I was thinking about buy another U2415 but as I have said, Yosemite system fonts look very blurry on it.
My second choice was to buy two U2715H but since there is not much price diference between them and two P2715Q, I thought would be better go for the 4Ks monitors.

I would check in to Dell U2515H and see if that might an option as well, I have a P2415Q and U2515H and both have their merits, love the AG coating on U2515H and the tight pixel pitch works really well for screen size, not quite retina but very sharp. I really like this panel and actually enjoy working on it more than the P2415Q as I really don't care for AG coating on P2415Q and compared to the U2515H the P2415Q seems "dull" even after both have been calibrated to same luminance. Just another option but worth checking out.

BTW I have a U2415 and know the blurriness you describe ( it's really just very big pixel size ). You will not have this issue with U2515H. Let me say this thought ,the U2515 will match up very nice with U2415 if you will be using them together as it has a similar AG ( U2515H is still better though ) and seems closer matched ( backlight, panel design, etc ) than if pairing with P2415Q.

Not trying discourage the P2415Q as if you want/need 4k it's a wonderful display, just wanted to share my experiences.

 

[CheesePuff]

Woke up this morning to my 5 day old P2415Q dead.

It shows the sleeping LED, but it no longer gets a signal from my rMBP. OS X will not detect the display. Switched Thunderbolt ports, no luck. Power cycled Mac and monitor a few times. I can get the OSD to show on the monitor, so the panel isn't dead. Very disappointing..

 

[xav8tor]

Woke up this morning to my 5 day old P2415Q dead.

It shows the sleeping LED, but it no longer gets a signal from my rMBP. OS X will not detect the display. Switched Thunderbolt ports, no luck. Power cycled Mac and monitor a few times. I can get the OSD to show on the monitor, so the panel isn't dead. Very disappointing..

When you say "power cycled," did you physically unplug the monitor, wait a sec, then plug it back in? If not, do that. If that brings it back, disable DCI/CI in the menu under "others."

 

[aviduser2]

Today i have a u2713hm and i'm looking to buy the p2715q rather soon.

However, my dell screen have had issues waking up from sleep (using a m-disp to m-disp cable), and i'm worried about this issue since there have been some reports in this thread as well.

1) Is this m-displayports fault? E.g. does people who use hdmi (stronger signal) have this issue as well?
2) Have you, if you got sleep issues, been able to solve it?

I've read some about disable DCI/CI (or simular) which i've done but i've not been able to try it out on my current monitor since i have it in another location.

 

[isomorphic]

UPDATE: I bought a third-party DisplayPort 1.2 cable off of Amazon and used it to replace the Dell cable that came in the box. The P2715Q now works perfectly at 60Hz with the Mac Pro.

Thanks, Dell, for QA testing the monitor but not the cables.

I still think the menu system is wacky (it should appear when one hits the button, whether or not there is signal), but I'm willing to live with that now that the panel is working.

For any of you having issues with the monitor, do not assume that the included Dell DisplayPort cable works properly.

 

[celta]

Answered my question. My P2715Q arrived and is now attached to my late 2013 rMBP via mDP-DP cable running at 3840x2160 and 60Hz. My 34UM95 3440x1440 monitor is also running @ 60Hz.

Picture attached shows my system report.

Before buying the P2715Q and the U2715H, i would like to know something.

Can you try to connect the 34UM95 to the P2715Q (in daisy chain) instead of connecting it to the second TB2 of the rMBP ?

I would like to chain it for saving the second TB2 of my rMBP.

30hz or 60hz ?? mirror or extended desktop ??

 

[larrysing1963]

Before buying the P2715Q and the U2715H, i would like to know something. Can you try to connect the 34UM95 to the P2715Q (in daisy chain) instead of connecting it to the second TB2 of the rMBP ? I would like to chain it for saving the second TB2 of my rMBP. 30hz or 60hz ?? mirror or extended desktop ??

I connected the P2715Q to the other TB port of the 34UM95 and got no display on the Dell monitor. But I think that's because I was using the mDP-DP cable for the P2715Q and not another TB cable. I'll try it the way you asked sometime later today and report back. Thanks.

 

[kwijbo]

Looking to get new monitors and like others feel its not worth getting less than 4k at this point for future proofing purposes.

Can anyone test if a late 2013 or newer 15" rMBP can drive 2x 4k displays, one at 60hz and one at 30hz? Not sure if there is enough bandwidth from TB so if possible try 2x over TB and 1 TB + 1 HDMI.

 

[celta]

I connected the P2715Q to the other TB port of the 34UM95 and got no display on the Dell monitor. But I think that's because I was using the mDP-DP cable for the P2715Q and not another TB cable. I'll try it the way you asked sometime later today and report back. Thanks.

For rMBP late 2013 and later ​

Display1 = 4K
Display2 = 3440x1440 or 2560x1440..
TB = Connector Thunderbolt 2 of rMBP
cable Used = Displayport Cable with mini or standard connector.

First Connection example :
- Display1 2560x1440 connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 2560x1440 connected to the second TB of rMBP = 60hz OK
Mirror and Extented = OK

Second Connection example :
- Display1 2560x1440 connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 2560x1440 connected to Display1 2560x1440 (daisy chaining) = 60hz OK
Mirror = OK
Extented =Not OK (seems to be rMBP Drivers issues)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6518702

Third Connection example :
- Display1 4K connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 2560x1440 connected to the second TB of rMBP = 60hz OK
Mirror and Extented = OK (Tested by larrysing1963)

Fourth Connection example :
- Display1 4K connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 2560x1440 connected to Display1 2560x1440 (daisy chaining) =30hz or 60hz ????
Mirror = ???
Extented = ???

Fifth Connection example :
- Display1 4K connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 4K connected to the second TB of rMBP = 30Hz OK on HDMI
or
- Display1 4K connected to the first TB of rMBP = 30Hz OK
- Display2 4K connected to the second TB of rMBP = 30hz OK
Mirror = OK
Extented = OK
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6516153

Sixth Connection example :
- Display1 4K connected to the first TB of rMBP = 60Hz OK
- Display2 4K connected to Display2 4K (daisy chaining) = 30hz or 60Hz ?????
Mirror = ???
Extented = ???
I doubt it's ok because not enough bandwith

Links:
Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Using 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with Mac computers

Please, help me to complete it.

 

[aviduser2]

Looking to get new monitors and like others feel its not worth getting less than 4k at this point for future proofing purposes.

Can anyone test if a 2013 or newer 15" rMBP can drive 2x 4k displays, one at 60hz and one at 30hz? Not sure if there is enough bandwidth from TB so if possible try 2x over TB and 1 TB + 1 HDMI.

Should be no problem, assuming you got the late 2013" 15".

4k 60hz = 8gb/s
4k 30hz = 6gb/s

DP 1.2 is able to output 17gb.

Thus it should work in both 2xdisplayport or hdmi+dp.

 

[kwijbo]

Should be no problem, assuming you got the late 2013" 15".

4k 60hz = 8gb/s
4k 30hz = 6gb/s

DP 1.2 is able to output 17gb.

Thus it should work in both 2xdisplayport or hdmi+dp.

Yes late 2013, sorry I forgot to mention that. Updated my post to reflect that.

I believe a 4k60hz stream is about 12.5gb/s per this calculator:

https://emsai.net/projects/widescreen/bandwidth/

So my thoughts are 2 wouldn't work over 1 DP stream. But, if the TB controller can send 2 DP streams there should be the remaining ~7.5 gb/s from the full 20 gb/s available for a second stream.

 

[larrysing1963]

Before buying the P2715Q and the U2715H, i would like to know something.Can you try to connect the 34UM95 to the P2715Q (in daisy chain) instead of connecting it to the second TB2 of the rMBP ? I would like to chain it for saving the second TB2 of my rMBP. 30hz or 60hz ?? mirror or extended desktop ??

I don't think this will work, because the P2715Q does not have a "TB out," it only has a "DP out."

In fact, it did not work. When I used an Apple TB cable to go from my rMBP to the mDP-in port on the Dell, and then used the DP-out port to go to the TB-in port on the LG, neither of them had an image.

My best bet for your scenario would be to buy yourself a TB hub.

 

[celta]

Strange, TB same connector than DP

Specs P2715Q :
Specs Dell
DisplayPort in
Mini DisplayPort in or out ?? unspecified
DisplayPort out
HDMI (MHL)
Speaker-line out
4 x USB 3.0 downstream
1 x USB upstream

This connection ?
rMBP miniDP > DP in Display1 after Display1 DP out (or miniDP) > Display2

 

[larrysing1963]

Strange, TB same connector than DP

Specs P2715Q :
Specs Dell
DisplayPort in
Mini DisplayPort in or out ?? unspecified
DisplayPort out
HDMI (MHL)
Speaker-line out
4 x USB 3.0 downstream
1 x USB upstream

This connection ?
rMBP miniDP > DP in Display1 after Display1 DP out (or miniDP) > Display2

The mDP port is marked "mDP In" on the back of the 2715Q. So that is why I used it as the input from my rMBP using the Apple TB cable. No image, but not sure why not. And the DP-out to the LG did not create an image either.

 

[celta]

Yes late 2013, sorry I forgot to mention that. Updated my post to reflect that.

I believe a 4k60hz stream is about 12.5gb/s per this calculator:

https://emsai.net/projects/widescreen/bandwidth/

So my thoughts are 2 wouldn't work over 1 DP stream. But, if the TB controller can send 2 DP streams there should be the remaining ~7.5 gb/s from the full 20 gb/s available for a second stream.

I confirm with this link https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6518702
On each stream but at 30hz

Look at my previous post.

----------

The mDP port is marked "mDP In" on the back of the 2715Q. So that is why I used it as the input from my rMBP using the Apple TB cable. No image, but not sure why not. And the DP-out to the LG did not create an image either.

Normally, we must use only Displayport cable for these displays.

Apple TB cable doesn't work with a DP Input/Output on this display but only with Apple Thunderbolt display or Display with Thunderbolt Input/Output .

 

[JKNorth]

Got a P2715q four days ago. So far it meets but doesn't exceed my expectations. Decent monitor, you can't beat it for the price right now. Any complaints I have are really as a result of Dell's typical quality, and the fact that UHD/4K is still an emerging technology.

I'm running a nMP with D300's.

Order process from Dell was ungainly. I did manage to get a discount from them just by asking, so good enough.

Hooked up the monitor with the dp cable and it booted up straight away. I don't have an encrypted drive so no issue there. The OSX login screen came up as usual. By default the nMP put it at 1080p scaled.

The Good:
* Love the resolution. Set to the second highest scaled setting it approximates the 1440 of my old Thunderbolt monitor but with a cleaner appearance.
* Since Yosemite I've hated the grainy look of the Thunderbolt with the new fonts. Especially since I have a rMBP sitting next to it. This solved my complaints with the fonts, everything looks great now!
* I like the adjustability of the monitor for tilt, rotation, and height.
* It wakes from sleep no problem (just a tad slower than the TB).
* IPS bleed is typical, so no complaints there.
* The USB hub works fine but...the USB cable must be connected when you power up the monitor. First go around the hub was dead, but then I power cycled the monitor and voila, everything works fine. Haven't had an issue since.

The Bad:
* I get the flicker every few minutes. It's really fast and only a very minor annoyance for my use case. I can live with it to get the resolution.
* It looks and feels cheap. The TB was typical Mac industrial designed lovely. The Dell is a flimsy, plastic office monitor. Again, happy to live with it for the UHD.
* Anti-glare I don't dig. Adds softness that doesn't need to be there. This is pretty subjective though, I don't have ambient light issues in my setup. Some do. I liked the glass front of the TB, some didn't.

The Ugly:
* One dead pixel (dark). It's in an out of the way place in the top left corner just under the menu bar. Looks like a tiny piece of dust so I keep wanting to swipe at it. Disappointing, but fairly typical from most value oriented monitors I've used. And make no mistake, even though this is a pricey monitor, you have to look at its competition. Then it's clear this is a cheapo built to expand UHD to more demographics.

Summary:
I like it well enough to keep it for now. It's A LOT easier on the eyes since Apple changed up the fonts in Yosemite. The dead pixel is a Dell quality issue and honestly I half expected that. The flicker issue is something I attribute to working out the kinks in UHD. Hoping it will be a driver issue that Apple can resolve.

It's not a purchase I love, but it also isn't one that I regret. If and when Apple ever comes out with an updated TB with UHD/4K/5K that will work with my nMP I would sell the Dell and buy one of those. But since that Apple display is still a unicorn, the Dell does the job quite nicely for now.

 

[Aboo]

So based on the advice here, I picked up a Dell P2715Q on the recent sale. I have a late 13 RMBP. I know that I cannot run full 4K at 60Hz. That being said, I am trying to get this monitor setup and going now, but I am unable to set it up in the native 3840x2160 resolution. I downloaded SwitchResX and tried to use the custom resolution, but the status just says "not installed". Anyone willing to provide some step-by-step instructions for a newbie?

Thanks!