Looking for advices to buy an external display for MBP M1

[dname]

Greetings, everyone!

Last year, I purchased my first Mac, the MPB 2021 M1 Pro laptop, for my studies, and I've been getting accustomed to using it. Recently, I managed to save up enough to invest in a good external monitor, the Dell U2722D, to enhance my productivity. Unfortunately, this turned into a frustrating experience as the monitor started exhibiting issues like vertical lines and flickering, making it impossible for me to continue my work. I tried numerous online suggestions to no avail, and eventually, I had to sell the monitor.

However, I still require an external monitor, particularly for coding, reading documents, and occasional movie-watching. I am seeking recommendations for a good monitor that is compatible with the MBP 2021 and does not suffer from the aforementioned issues (at least, based on your experiences ).

I believe a 27-inch 4K configuration (probably around $500) would be ideal for my needs, but I am open to other suggestions.

I would greatly appreciate any help you can provide in this matter. Thank you very much!

 

[lyleschmitz]

That doesn't sound like a compatibility issue to me, just a faulty monitor.

In general, having learned from experience, I'd avoid 4K. It doesn't scale well with Apple's display drivers. Stick to 1440p or go with a 5K. I tend to stick with LG monitors, anything over like $300 will be plenty good from them. I'm currently using the 34WP60C with a thunderbolt dock. It's bright, the colors are good, and the VA panel gives me deep contrast in exchange for some not-so-great viewing angles, which is fine enough with me.

 

[dname]

That doesn't sound like a compatibility issue to me, just a faulty monitor.

In general, having learned from experience, I'd avoid 4K. It doesn't scale well with Apple's display drivers. Stick to 1440p or go with a 5K. I tend to stick with LG monitors, anything over like $300 will be plenty good from them. I'm currently using the 34WP60C with a thunderbolt dock. It's bright, the colors are good, and the VA panel gives me deep contrast in exchange for some not-so-great viewing angles, which is fine enough with me.

Hello @lyleschmitz,

I greatly appreciate your reply and the suggestions. I will look into a LG one.

The reason why thought to go with 4k is the reasons discussed in this video.

I kind of agree with the video's explanation that the default 2K resolution may appear slightly smaller, and the scaled 720p resolution may seem a bit larger. Therefore, the idea behind opting for a 4K monitor is to use it with a scaled resolution of 1080p. Let me know if you think this gonna look bad because of apple's display drivers scaling issues. Anyway, I am to check on this before the next buy.

Again, I thank you for your suggestion.

 

[Fishrrman]

A few months ago, I helped a friend with the purchase of an M2pro Mini and also a 4k display for it.

The display he bought was a Dell S2722QC (27" 4k).

After he placed the order, I read about the "flickering" problem that has been reported with m-series Macs.

I started researching the issue.

It seems to be related to "a mix" of factors.
Sometimes the Mac is sending out a YpBr (or whatever that is) video signal, instead of RGB.
Sometimes the Mac and display aren't synching to the right frequency.
Other factors, too.

I archived together an entire folder of experiences (of others), suggestions, etc.
A good [short] video I found here:

I did take the time to write down the settings the guy used in the video above.
Before I connected the new display to my friend's Mini, I hooked it up to my MacBook Pro 14" (also m1pro), and ran through the Dell setup menus, to get it "pre-configured" before I connected it to the Mini.

Finally, connected it to the M2pro Mini and... it worked fine from the start.
Several months later, my friend has reported no problems, as far as the display goes.

 

[dname]

A few months ago, I helped a friend with the purchase of an M2pro Mini and also a 4k display for it.

The display he bought was a Dell S2722QC (27" 4k).

After he placed the order, I read about the "flickering" problem that has been reported with m-series Macs.

I started researching the issue.

It seems to be related to "a mix" of factors.
Sometimes the Mac is sending out a YpBr (or whatever that is) video signal, instead of RGB.
Sometimes the Mac and display aren't synching to the right frequency.
Other factors, too.

I archived together an entire folder of experiences (of others), suggestions, etc.
A good [short] video I found here:

I did take the time to write down the settings the guy used in the video above.
Before I connected the new display to my friend's Mini, I hooked it up to my MacBook Pro 14" (also m1pro), and ran through the Dell setup menus, to get it "pre-configured" before I connected it to the Mini.

Finally, connected it to the M2pro Mini and... it worked fine from the start.
Several months later, my friend has reported no problems, as far as the display goes.

Hello @Fishrrman,

Thanks a lot for sharing the experience. Looks like the Dell S2722QC is a good choice, but the scary part is I see a lot of discussions online as well related to this monitor having issues with M1.

Anyways, it is great to hear that you were able to get things to work with the above settings.

I do see some references saying,
* Prioritizing high resolution
* Turning off HDR
* Turning off DDC/CI
* Turning off True tone
* Turning off night shift
* Turning off auto brightness

helped people. But as you said it's "a mix" of factors and it seems pretty much vary from one to another.

Anyways, I will look into this one as well and really appreciate sharing the information.

 

[meson]

When it comes to high dpi scaled resolutions, I’ve never seen anyone on here complain that the default resolution on a MacBook Pro looks bad, yet it is a scaled resolution. Why? Because the YouTube universe never told them it was bad.

A 27” 4k display should treat you very well. I use a 32” LG UL500 4k, but usually run at its native 3840x2160 resolution. Looks like 3008x1692 looks great and even looks like 2560x1440 doesn’t look bad when in high dpi mode. Running anywhere from 1920x1080 to 3008x1692 should work out pretty well on a 27” 4k display.

The penalty for running a scaled resolution is a few percent of gpu load.

I don’t have experience with a particular 27” to recommend. Find a model that seems to fit your wants and budget and enjoy. Connect via thunderbolt/usbc to DisplayPort, even if you have to use a dongle. Apple’s hdmi implementation on the M series Macs is too flaky and doesn’t allow brightness/volume control of displays connected via hdmi.

 

[FrodeLarsson]

Hello @Fishrrman,

Thanks a lot for sharing the experience. Looks like the Dell S2722QC is a good choice, but the scary part is I see a lot of discussions online as well related to this monitor having issues with M1.

Anyways, it is great to hear that you were able to get things to work with the above settings.

I do see some references saying,
* Prioritizing high resolution
* Turning off HDR
* Turning off DDC/CI
* Turning off True tone
* Turning off night shift
* Turning off auto brightness

helped people. But as you said it's "a mix" of factors and it seems pretty much vary from one to another.

Anyways, I will look into this one as well and really appreciate sharing the information.

Then whats is the best monitor for M1

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

That doesn't sound like a compatibility issue to me, just a faulty monitor.

It's not a faulty monitor. My Acer Nitro monitor is doing the same thing too. The 14/16 inch Macbook Pros have some kind of software issue with 27 inch 1440p displays and has had this issue for a while.

 

[dname]

Then whats is the best monitor for M1

Hi @FrodeLarsson, still exploring options. ☺️

Hi @Spaceboi Scaphandre,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, mine was also not seems to be a monitor problem as it was perfectly working with non-apple silicon chips.

Anyways, do you have any specific reason for mentioning “27 1440p” monitors. I am inquiring because I tested my MBP with couple of Dell 1080p monitors(two or three 24” inch, one 27” inch), and did not see the issue(at least within couple of hours of testing). So, i was wondering if we can narrow down the issue MOSTLY to 27” 1440p monitors. I have no idea about 4k monitors so far(i see reports online for 4k monitors also though).

 

[curnalpanic]

When it comes to high dpi scaled resolutions, I’ve never seen anyone on here complain that the default resolution on a MacBook Pro looks bad, yet it is a scaled resolution.

You don't think it could have something to do with 254 ppi (MBP) or 224 (MBA) over the grainy 163 ppi (4K/27-inch)? That is a much higher resolution on the Macbooks. Even scaled resolutions look way better. Of course not perfect, but better.

Coincidentally, 163 ppi was the resolution of the original iPhone.

 

[meson]

You don't think it could have something to do with 254 ppi (MBP) or 224 (MBA) over the grainy 163 ppi (4K/27-inch)? That is a much higher resolution on the Macbooks. Even scaled resolutions look way better. Of course not perfect, but better.

Coincidentally, 163 ppi was the resolution of the original iPhone.

Have you read the analysis? It clearly states that only 218+ppi or 109ppi are acceptable resolutions and that scaled resolutions are inherently bad.

I certainly know that a higher pixel density is better, but the argument falls apart when the analysis tells you, if you cannot get a display with 218+ ppi, then you are better off at 109 ppi. The whole discussion hinges on either displaying at 4 pixels to one or one pixel to one resolution and that scaled resolutions are inherently bad.

If a scaled resolution is bad on a desktop display, it will be bad on a laptop display. It is not bad on a laptop display, and it is not bad on a desktop display with reasonable pixel density and appropriate setting on the display.

My monitor choice is well within the “no zone” as they call it. I use 32” 4k at about 140ppi. I can say without a doubt that regardless of whether the resolution is scaled or not, it produces a far better image than the 109ppi or lower monitors I have been using for the last few decades. However, if I choose one of the gaming presets for my monitor, the text looks absolutely horrid even at full 4k resolution. Basically if you use a setting that promotes sharpness, you lose the pixels used for smoothing. I’m willing to bet that such a setting on a higher ppi monitor would degrade the text quality as well.

If the folks that wrote and perpetuate that analysis simply gave justification for why 218ppi is best on the desktop, I wouldn’t take exception. It is a fantastic resolution and the screen on my wife’s 5k iMac is beautiful, but the argument that 109ppi is better than 140ppi or 163ppi is simply garbage. It’s like saying a person should choose a compact high mileage car that gets 32 mpg or a light truck that gets 16 mpg and that there is no use case for vehicles that fall in between.