If you want to run it at true 2x scaling, the yes it looks silly in 1080p. I would suggest turning scaling on but choosing an alternative scale, and run HiDPI 1440p or my personal favourite 3008x1692.
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LG 27UD88-W - 27" 4K Monitor
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If you want to run it at true 2x scaling, the yes it looks silly in 1080p. I would suggest turning scaling on but choosing an alternative scale, and run HiDPI 1440p or my personal favourite 3008x1692.
Until this week I did precisely that and for a 13" MBP this display is a good option. Although, here's some things to consider:
- I didn't manage to use my Xbox One S upscaled to 4K using HDMI, since the output is limited to 4K 30HZ only. However, gaming is still great;
- It doesn't include any speakers;
- The hub is great and works flawlessly;
- like you said, using it in retina mode looks great but things are a bit too big.
I bought one as a secondary monitor.
I just returned it to the store yesterday.
Why? Image retention. Fricken image retention. Light colors being retained on blue and grey. Exact same retention issues I've had with THREE different iMacs.
LG is dead to me. 4 out of 4 LG panels I have now owned had image retention.
I can leave the same crap open on my 4k ASUS TN panel for 72 hours and there is 0 retention. On the LG and the riMac, leaving a window up for 10 minutes results in image retention.
I just returned it to the store yesterday.
Why? Image retention. Fricken image retention. Light colors being retained on blue and grey. Exact same retention issues I've had with THREE different iMacs.
LG is dead to me. 4 out of 4 LG panels I have now owned had image retention.
I can leave the same crap open on my 4k ASUS TN panel for 72 hours and there is 0 retention. On the LG and the riMac, leaving a window up for 10 minutes results in image retention.
I think there's confusion about what "retina mode" really is in this thread.
The marketing word "retina" is simply 2x HiDPI scaling. Nothing more, nothing less. You can change that red factor using system preferences, whilst still driving the full 4K resolution to a much higher quality than, say, a 1440p monitor (which is 1.5x).
In short - 1440p on any 4K monitor should be far sharper than 1440p on a native 1440p monitor.
Edit: FWIW, I experience no image retention issues with my unit. Then again, I haven't tried leaving something on the screen for 72 hours straight.....
The marketing word "retina" is simply 2x HiDPI scaling. Nothing more, nothing less. You can change that red factor using system preferences, whilst still driving the full 4K resolution to a much higher quality than, say, a 1440p monitor (which is 1.5x).
In short - 1440p on any 4K monitor should be far sharper than 1440p on a native 1440p monitor.
Edit: FWIW, I experience no image retention issues with my unit. Then again, I haven't tried leaving something on the screen for 72 hours straight.....
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From what I understand HDMI 2.0 should have no issues running 60hz.
Would you mind posting some photos of how the screen looks at x2 and also scaled to 1440p. Maybe a close up of the icons and text to see how they compare.
[doublepost=1483738709][/doublepost]Ideally I'd like a 24" 4k, but none have HDMI 2.0 for 60hz console gaming.
Well there is one, the Samsung U24E590D but it doesn't look that good in terms of quality and aesthetics especially compared to the LG.
[doublepost=1483740450][/doublepost]Sorry one other question popped into my head. Does it make your MBP run hot or cause the fans to come on? Planning to connect in calm mode and concerned about heat.
Ok, I promised @iBrooker I'd take photos, but decided a video might be better.
I apologise profusely for the amount of wobble in the video - I didn't realise how wobbly the box I rested the GoPro on was. It's dreadful quality as a result of that + poor lighting + I'm far from a video editor, but hopefully still useful for you all...
End of the video is closer up.
Edit: Any tearing/artefacts you see on there are to do with my GoPro/export settings. I assure you the screen is a beautiful thing to look at and I haven't seen a single graphical glitch as of one month usage.
I apologise profusely for the amount of wobble in the video - I didn't realise how wobbly the box I rested the GoPro on was. It's dreadful quality as a result of that + poor lighting + I'm far from a video editor, but hopefully still useful for you all...
End of the video is closer up.
Edit: Any tearing/artefacts you see on there are to do with my GoPro/export settings. I assure you the screen is a beautiful thing to look at and I haven't seen a single graphical glitch as of one month usage.
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Awesome thanks very much for doing that @andy9l !
Now I really want to see what LG's new 32" 4K monitor looks like!! 1440p with the monitor pushed right at the back of my desk on a 32" monitor sounds perfect for me
No problem at all. Always fun to fire up iMovie once every 3 months!
Yep I bet the 32" be excellent too. I absolutely love this monitor - running both Windows and macOS.
Matte
Edit: I will add that with my weak MacBook (literally the weakest you can buy - 2015 base model 12" MacBook), performance is definitely impacted by using the scaled resolutions.
If you run native 4K or 1080p@2x then the frame rate is almost always 60FPS. If you run scaled 2560x1440p then it drops during certain animations or tasks. Apple does warn of this, and I think using a Core M processor magnifies the impact.
Also remember that Apple has no vested interest in optimising for scaled resolutions other than 2x (retina) since leaving macOS scaling poorly optimised for other third party displays will drive sales of the, presumably commissioned, LG UltraFines. Business is business, I get that.
As I think I mentioned before, I'm swapping for a 13" MBP TB once the manufacturing issues are ironed out, I'm confident that will be enough to drive a smooth scaled experience. I don't need any real power from my Mac, so it's a slightly reluctant upgrade as I have absolutely loved my little MacBook - one of my favourite purchases ever.
Point is, I would recommend using 4K/5K displays only if you have a relatively new/decent Mac.
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I would have thought at as well, but now that the new MacBooks are set to used a scaled resolution by default, I wonder if they are changing tact?
Either that, or an admission that the real estate of 1280x800 on a 13inch pro laptop is a little small in comparison to their competitors.
Question. I have a 2015 MBP, so no USB C. I noticed the monitor comes with a USB A to C, does this allow me to use the monitor as a USB hub? Speakers and Keyboard via USB into monitor. Then monitor into MBP via USB A to C.
Also how goes running this monitor in calmshell do with heat, do the fans come on?
Also how goes running this monitor in calmshell do with heat, do the fans come on?
You'd need to connect the USB-C end to the monitor and the USB-A end to your MBP. You'd then need to use HDMI 2.0 cable for the display. All of these cables are included in the LG box.
My rMB has no fans, so can't comment. It runs warm for sure. It's the lowest model ever though - 1.1GHz Early 2015.
yes, but I believe you'd still need to send usb signal separately
Random question involving the LG 27UD88... but Anyone have a way to split the upstream USB-C on this monitor so I can share my peripherals between a desktop PC and a 2016 MBP that share the monitor (obviously not at the same time).
Would love to know if this is possible, but I don't think it is.
I share mine between Mac and PC too and this is the only drawback.
I just moved to high sierra (10.13.1) on my MBP 13 TB with the LG 27UD88-W - 27" as external display, and I don't have anymore the choice of scaled zoom level in system preferences !!
Only 3840 x 2160 (text too small) and 1920 x 1080 (too big)
Moreover it is now in 30 hz whereas before it was 60 (almost sure)
Didn't change anything, it is hooked up with the USB C cable that came with the display.
Anybody knows how to fix this ?
Only 3840 x 2160 (text too small) and 1920 x 1080 (too big)
Moreover it is now in 30 hz whereas before it was 60 (almost sure)
Didn't change anything, it is hooked up with the USB C cable that came with the display.
Anybody knows how to fix this ?
I just moved to high sierra (10.13.1) on my MBP 13 TB with the LG 27UD88-W - 27" as external display, and I don't have anymore the choice of scaled zoom level in system preferences !!
Only 3840 x 2160 (text too small) and 1920 x 1080 (too big)
Moreover it is now in 30 hz whereas before it was 60 (almost sure)
Didn't change anything, it is hooked up with the USB C cable that came with the display.
Anybody knows how to fix this ?
This happened to me once ages ago. Turn the monitor off and unplug it from the mains, disconnect all cables between monitor and Mac, then reconnect everything. Fixed it for me and never had it since.
Thanks for the info, did try that and it didn't change anything, I will retry, you reconnected the monitor the after having rebooted the mac in stand alone ?
Edit
I just retried :
Stoped the mac
Disconnected the display from power and mac
Restarted the mac
Reconnected the monitor to power and mac
Still the same ...
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Ok problem solved !
I reconnected the display to the other USB C port on the same side (the one closest to the mac front, farther from the hinge), and now it works
Only one of them has the right bandwidth to do the proper settings I guess, right ?
(good to know)
Edit :
Strange, according to below the two right ports are the same (I'm using one of them), and I should used a left one, might do that (but problematic with my set up).
I reconnected the display to the other USB C port on the same side (the one closest to the mac front, farther from the hinge), and now it works
Only one of them has the right bandwidth to do the proper settings I guess, right ?
(good to know)
Edit :
Strange, according to below the two right ports are the same (I'm using one of them), and I should used a left one, might do that (but problematic with my set up).
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Sorry for what will likely be some dumb questions...
I have my personal 2013 MacBook Pro 13" with 2560 x 1600 screen (227 PPI) as well as a work 2016 MacBook Pro 15.4" with 2880 x 1800 screen (220 PPI).
I had been using an Acer K272HUL 27" monitor with 2560 x 1440 resolution and thought it looked pretty great. But the older 1920 x 1080 monitor that my wife was using started acting flakey, so she's stolen the Acer. So I started looking into getting another monitor for either my wife or me to use, and that got me to thinking about moving up to a 4K resolution, but I'd also be happy down-sizing from the 27" to a 24" or 21.5". I'd prefer not to spend a ton, and I believe there's a Dell 24" U2415 that was once highly rated and can be had for under $350.
So those monitors, despite having a higher resolution than my MacBook displays are also still quite a bit larger physically, so the PPI would be lower than the native MacBook displays. If I'm using a 4K screen and slide the OSX slider to the far right ("More Space"), will text be smaller than what I get on my MacBooks with their display mode set to that same "More Space" setting? I'll be working very close to this monitor, so I'd like the text to be about the same size as what I get on my MacBooks, but also get more real estate for having more windows open, etc.
Coming at things from a different angle...what are the best bang-for-the-buck monitors out there? The monitor discussed in this thread seems to go for about $600, and I'd prefer to be under $400. FWIW, I just care about it as a display. I don't care about extra USB ports, USB-C charging, etc.
I have my personal 2013 MacBook Pro 13" with 2560 x 1600 screen (227 PPI) as well as a work 2016 MacBook Pro 15.4" with 2880 x 1800 screen (220 PPI).
I had been using an Acer K272HUL 27" monitor with 2560 x 1440 resolution and thought it looked pretty great. But the older 1920 x 1080 monitor that my wife was using started acting flakey, so she's stolen the Acer. So I started looking into getting another monitor for either my wife or me to use, and that got me to thinking about moving up to a 4K resolution, but I'd also be happy down-sizing from the 27" to a 24" or 21.5". I'd prefer not to spend a ton, and I believe there's a Dell 24" U2415 that was once highly rated and can be had for under $350.
So those monitors, despite having a higher resolution than my MacBook displays are also still quite a bit larger physically, so the PPI would be lower than the native MacBook displays. If I'm using a 4K screen and slide the OSX slider to the far right ("More Space"), will text be smaller than what I get on my MacBooks with their display mode set to that same "More Space" setting? I'll be working very close to this monitor, so I'd like the text to be about the same size as what I get on my MacBooks, but also get more real estate for having more windows open, etc.
Coming at things from a different angle...what are the best bang-for-the-buck monitors out there? The monitor discussed in this thread seems to go for about $600, and I'd prefer to be under $400. FWIW, I just care about it as a display. I don't care about extra USB ports, USB-C charging, etc.
There are plenty of options (27-28'') to be had for $350 or less, I would recommend going with that size...it seems to be the sweet spot for most. There's a Samsung QLED 28'' 4K monitor on sale on Amazon right now for $350. Another monitor around that price range which I own personally is the LG UD69P-W 4K 27" display. It's very similar to the monitor the OP referenced but it's a slightly inferior model, with only DisplayPort and HDMI ports. You can easily pick up a USB-C to DisplayPort native cable (no adapters). The monitor runs between $400-500 and frequently goes on sale; interestingly it's only sold online or in retail at Bestbuy. I'd almost guarantee it'll be on sale for $400 at some point in 2017; it goes on sale all the time. The best part about this monitor is the included vertical-rise/tilting stand which also rotates 90 degrees.
I'd recommend trying out the monitor you'll purchase with a Mac before you purchase it to ensure you're good with the scaling options. Personally I love the scaling on my 27" 4K, but some people are not fans. Again there are literally a ton of options in the 27-28" inch range under $400, and I think you'll be very impressed with your 4K display. While the PPI is not quite on par with the screen on the MBP, 27" 4K screens are so large and bright that it more then compensates for the lack of PPI. Without very close examination, you can't easily decipher a real difference in terms of PPI in my opinion.