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LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread
- Thread starter iBrooker
- Start date
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I assume you're UK-based? Apple's shipping estimates for non-Apple-manufactured products are always massively conservative. The 4K display was meant to ship in 6-8 weeks yesterday, now it is listed as in stock. The 5K display was flipping between 2-3 weeks and 6-8 weeks for a while. I would imagine yours arrives within a couple of weeks.
When I first got the LG 5k I was wondering if other monitors would make the PC run as hot.. today I received the USB-C to Thunderbolt cable and connected it to the LG 34UC97 (34" 3440x1440) monitor to test.
LG 5k (idle temps)
- GPU Die: 116F
- CPU Die: 112F
- Left Thunderbolt Proximity: 133F
LG34UC97 (idle temps)
- GPU Die: 105F
- CPU Die: 102F
- Left Thunderbolt Proximity: 96F
The temp difference driving the 3440x1440 monitor vs 5k is huge on the thunderbolt port (96F vs 133F).
Does it matter? Perhaps not, but I would think the lower operating temperature would prolong component lifespan and reduce the times the fans become audible.
I'm curious if a 4k monitor behaves same as the 3440x1440 or somewhere between that and the 5k.
In terms of performance, resizing Safari windows has no lag on the LG34UC97. The 5k does look a lot more vivid/vibrant.
LG 5k (idle temps)
- GPU Die: 116F
- CPU Die: 112F
- Left Thunderbolt Proximity: 133F
LG34UC97 (idle temps)
- GPU Die: 105F
- CPU Die: 102F
- Left Thunderbolt Proximity: 96F
The temp difference driving the 3440x1440 monitor vs 5k is huge on the thunderbolt port (96F vs 133F).
Does it matter? Perhaps not, but I would think the lower operating temperature would prolong component lifespan and reduce the times the fans become audible.
I'm curious if a 4k monitor behaves same as the 3440x1440 or somewhere between that and the 5k.
In terms of performance, resizing Safari windows has no lag on the LG34UC97. The 5k does look a lot more vivid/vibrant.
Holy cow. I got mine today and it is gorgeous. This thread had me a little freaked out about lag on the 13" and issues with cables and whatnot, but... I'm not sad! This thing works, the animations are fine, etc.
I haven't done any major testing yet but... wow.
And I have to agree with a lot of other posters, I dunno if it's the angle or what, but this monitor looks fine. Pretty? No. But ugly? No. Just kinda fades and I'm too busy staring at the 5K-ness to care!
To add:
No heat issues at all. No fans. Nothing like that.
Color is fine. No weird bleeding and generally consistent.
The sound adjustment is as terrible as everyone has made it out to be. Haha.
One more update:
This monitor just replaced an LG 34UC98 and while that was a very nice monitor it had horrible image retention issues. My terminal and text editor desktops are black and dark gray, where as my "misc" desktop with word processing, email, and web browsing is predominately white. Switching from a white to dark desktop was dreadful. You'd see ghosting like crazy.
Someone else in this thread "guaranteed" retention issues on these units. Mine has none (thank goodness).
Animations on the 13" are a bit choppy (like switching desktops and Mission Control). In no universe can I see that being a show stopper. I know there are a lot of video and graphic pros that need this power, but as someone that looks at text all day, every day, this thing is godsend in terms of clarity. It's going to be difficult to use anything else.
Aaaaaand some last notes (I swear this is the last update):
I'm using a Monoprice USB-A and Ethernet adapter for my keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet. It works. (Not that I thought it wouldn't but there have been some questions.) I haven't done a speed test yet but it still beats the WiFi at the office.
I also read a few spots on this thread that people were having issues with WiFi routers being near the monitor and was prepping to move mine since it's on my desk not directly behind the monitor but like behind and like two feet to the left. It works.
The total lack of cable management is something of a head-scratcher. Nothing a bit of velcro can't solve... but still, kinda odd.
I haven't done any major testing yet but... wow.
And I have to agree with a lot of other posters, I dunno if it's the angle or what, but this monitor looks fine. Pretty? No. But ugly? No. Just kinda fades and I'm too busy staring at the 5K-ness to care!
To add:
No heat issues at all. No fans. Nothing like that.
Color is fine. No weird bleeding and generally consistent.
The sound adjustment is as terrible as everyone has made it out to be. Haha.
One more update:
This monitor just replaced an LG 34UC98 and while that was a very nice monitor it had horrible image retention issues. My terminal and text editor desktops are black and dark gray, where as my "misc" desktop with word processing, email, and web browsing is predominately white. Switching from a white to dark desktop was dreadful. You'd see ghosting like crazy.
Someone else in this thread "guaranteed" retention issues on these units. Mine has none (thank goodness).
Animations on the 13" are a bit choppy (like switching desktops and Mission Control). In no universe can I see that being a show stopper. I know there are a lot of video and graphic pros that need this power, but as someone that looks at text all day, every day, this thing is godsend in terms of clarity. It's going to be difficult to use anything else.
Aaaaaand some last notes (I swear this is the last update):
I'm using a Monoprice USB-A and Ethernet adapter for my keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet. It works. (Not that I thought it wouldn't but there have been some questions.) I haven't done a speed test yet but it still beats the WiFi at the office.
I also read a few spots on this thread that people were having issues with WiFi routers being near the monitor and was prepping to move mine since it's on my desk not directly behind the monitor but like behind and like two feet to the left. It works.
The total lack of cable management is something of a head-scratcher. Nothing a bit of velcro can't solve... but still, kinda odd.
Last edited:
That's a great price for that adapter. Let me know if you're getting gigabit speeds. I was planning on picking up the Belkin one. Can you also test lag on the LG 5K at higher resolution settings? Many thanks.
That's a great price for that adapter. Let me know if you're getting gigabit speeds. I was planning on picking up the Belkin one. Can you also test lag on the LG 5K at higher resolution settings? Many thanks.
I'll see what I can do on Monday. It's at my office and I won't be back till then. I read elsewhere that the speed isn't great on the Ethernet because Apple's drivers aren't great, but that may have been resolved in the last update.
I'm not sure what you mean by testing lag. I only run at the highest resolution. Is there some actual specific test to run?
You can change the resolution to 2880x1620 or 3200x1620. This puts a lot of stress on the GPU and I was wondering if any window/mouse lag occurs at these resolutions.
I bought some of this Flexi Cable Wrap and it helped with the clutter.
It kind of gives the look of plugging in a big cable (Matrix).
Attachments
Ahh. Right. You're talking about the scaled resolutions. Yeah, I'll try it out.
That might help too. I really don't understand the total lack of anything back there.
I received mine last Wednesday and was instantly amazed by this screen. The panel is gorgeous and the screen itself is not too bad either! My 15" handles it easily, no lags or excessive heating.
But, after a few days of light use, it just does not connect anymore. Disconnect, reconnect, power off and on, etc, nothing! No image, no charging, nothing, I can't believe it. Reading around a bit I'm thinking it's the cable, as many have mentioned.
I guess I'll call in Monday to have it replaced, but my faith in this thing has dropped a lot. If the cable can't handle a week of use, it will certainly fail again sooner or later...
But, after a few days of light use, it just does not connect anymore. Disconnect, reconnect, power off and on, etc, nothing! No image, no charging, nothing, I can't believe it. Reading around a bit I'm thinking it's the cable, as many have mentioned.
I guess I'll call in Monday to have it replaced, but my faith in this thing has dropped a lot. If the cable can't handle a week of use, it will certainly fail again sooner or later...
Still not possible to order in Switzerland and Apple still does not give out any information. So frustrating
Still not possible to order in Switzerland and Apple still does not give out any information. So frustrating
What about buying it in Germany or Austria and getting an electrical outlet adapter? Not the most perfect solution, I know, but maybe a solution nonetheless?
About availability in Switzerland: I spoke to a guy in the Basel Apple shop, and he mentioned that LG simply forgot to put a swiss power cable into the box. Without Swiss power plug, they are not allowed to sell it in Switzerland.
Not sure if you know about this already... However I'm confused why it takes so long to put another power cable into the box.
Not sure if you know about this already... However I'm confused why it takes so long to put another power cable into the box.
So... 3200x1620 is not a resolution I would recommend on the 13". The speed feels like the days of CPU rendering on systems that didn't have accelerated video. If you needed the workspace and were primarily a text processor, it would probably be okay. However, anything with animation jerks and stutters. It's not unusable by any means, but it's a distraction to me. 2880x1620 isn't as bad, but to my eye things are much smoother running at 2560x1440 ("looks like", obviously).
These are not scientific tests by any means. But I can see the difference just moving windows, switching desktops, doing anything Mission Control related. And I didn't even tax this on higher settings. Like... a full screen text editor and 3 windows on my main desktop.
If you're not using a dGPU, using this monitor at its default setting is about as far as you're going to go.
Your best bet is probably to check it out in a store if that's an option. I was waiting on that but bit the bullet as the date kept creeping further and further into the future. My observation is pretty non-scientific and subjective. If you're a video editor I can't imagine it's acceptable, but if you value clarity and workspace, the tradeoff might be worth it. It's not like a slideshow, but it is sluggish by comparison.
How often are you dealing with animations versus whatever it is you normally do? (Not being rhetorical at all.)
The 5K part was what I was most excited about when the new MBPs were announced. I would have even grabbed a 15" if the 13" didn't support 5K. Clarity of text was my primary consideration and working at any of the scaled resolutions is too small for me. I'm trying to be nice to my eyes before they degrade any further.
The Wi-Fi interference issue previously reported by some members is apparently being investigated by Apple/LG...
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...y-wi-fi-interference-from-nearby-wi-fi-router
My WiFi access point is about 5' from my monitor and so far hasn't caused any issues (fortunately).
http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...y-wi-fi-interference-from-nearby-wi-fi-router
My WiFi access point is about 5' from my monitor and so far hasn't caused any issues (fortunately).
I'm a web developer so I don't deal with animations. However, I have many many windows that I switch between. I also use MacOS's built in virtual desktop screens.
My plan is to run the LG 5K at 1 step above 1440p.
I had planned on getting this and running a ton of windows for firewalls and terminals all over the place with it.
The issue is it seems to be a highly flawed roll out so far.
Still not possible to order in Switzerland and Apple still does not give out any information. So frustrating
I can give an answer to this! I buy a lot through the business store and they gave me the reason.
"Thank you so much for your email. Regretfully, the LG displays will not be available in the Swiss market at the current time. The reason is an issue with power cable supplied with the displays. At this time we do not yet have any information as to when the displays will become available to order in Switzerland. "
Basically LG havent produced the display with a Swiss Plug! So you could always buy abroad.
Will