Mac mini: 4k @ 120hz?

[onlinespending]

Even with 11.1 update my Mac Mini doesn't show 120Hz option with 4K even though the same cable and same monitor allows me to have this option on MacBook Pro 16.

Hi @romanserazhiev

You seem to be the only one to mention getting 4K@120Hz working successfully on a Mac. I can't even get YCbCr444 to work at 60Hz on my MacBook Pro 16. Could you have a look at this thread I created with more details? Thank you for any suggestions! Much appreciated.

 

[romanserazhiev]

Hi @romanserazhiev

You seem to be the only one to mention getting 4K@120Hz working successfully on a Mac. I can't even get YCbCr444 to work at 60Hz on my MacBook Pro 16. Could you have a look at this thread I created with more details? Thank you for any suggestions! Much appreciated.

I'm definitely not the only one to have 4K@120 Hz on an Intel Mac. With the proper cable and monitor it's not a problem. But it is a problem on an M1 Mac.

Very good article about 4K@120 hz on Macs: https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/.

 

[macosvswin]

I managed to import that CableMatters USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter to EU. I can't seem to get anymore than 4k60hz with it using my Macbook Pro 16". I'm willing to help because I would also like to be running 4k@120hz even though the Amazon page now says the adapter does not support 4k@120hz for ANY Mac... seems like a dead end.

 

[onlinespending]

I'm definitely not the only one to have 4K@120 Hz on an Intel Mac. With the proper cable and monitor it's not a problem. But it is a problem on an M1 Mac.

Very good article about 4K@120 hz on Macs: https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/.

Thank you! I’m assuming that you’re using Thunderbolt3 directly to a 4K 120Hz display? I’m using an LG 48CX as my monitor so need to go from TB3 to HDMI 2.1. The adapter claims to support 48Gbps bandwidth and 4K@120Hz. But perhaps that’s messing with the EDID?

 

[onlinespending]

I managed to import that CableMatters USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter to EU. I can't seem to get anymore than 4k60hz with it using my Macbook Pro 16". I'm willing to help because I would also like to be running 4k@120hz even though the Amazon page now says the adapter does not support 4k@120hz for ANY Mac... seems like a dead end.

Interesting that they’ve now changed it to say ANY Mac. Hmm. Wondering if my only option is to run a Hackintosh when driving an HDMI 2.1 4K/120Hz TV? Even my crappy Lenovo work laptop can drive this same TV at full bandwidth with the same TB3 to HDMI 2.1 adapter.

 

[matthoffner]

Interesting that they’ve now changed it to say ANY Mac. Hmm. Wondering if my only option is to run a Hackintosh when driving an HDMI 2.1 4K/120Hz TV? Even my crappy Lenovo work laptop can drive this same TV at full bandwidth with the same TB3 to HDMI 2.1 adapter.

Yeah I hear ya. I can get 4k/120Hz via an eGPU on non Hackintosh Mac, but tough to go back from the M1.

There was a deleted post on this thread with a link to a YouTube video with proof of an adapter powering 4k/120Hz on a M1 floating around. Its listed as in beta and not available on their site though.

I'm hoping that it work eventually with workarounds or software updates. I remember having to patch the pixel clock on my Mac a while back so that I could run 4k.

 

[kasakka]

I managed to import that CableMatters USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter to EU. I can't seem to get anymore than 4k60hz with it using my Macbook Pro 16". I'm willing to help because I would also like to be running 4k@120hz even though the Amazon page now says the adapter does not support 4k@120hz for ANY Mac... seems like a dead end.

That's a huge bummer. I would contact CableMatters about it because to me they said that 4K 120 Hz should work on an Intel Mac. I have the 16" MBP as well and can only get 4K 60 Hz to work with the Club3D adapter and CableMatters DP 1.4 adapter combined. The same combo works fine at 4K 120 Hz on my 2080 Ti's USB-C port.

Are you running Catalina or Big Sur?

 

[kasakka]

Question. Do you get 1440p without low resolution mode on. I cant get regular 1440pwhen using 120 hz using hdmi

I can only get 120 Hz option with the low res setting.

 

[manatails]

I am using an M1 Mac mini with Acer XB273K connected via Cable Matters USB-C to DP 1.4 connector.
I do not get 4K@120hz option, I wonder if it is just the Mac Mini that lacks 4k@120hz support, as I've seen reports that say M1 Macbooks do work in 4k@120hz

 

[joevt]

I am using an M1 Mac mini with Acer XB273K connected via Cable Matters USB-C to DP 1.4 connector.
I do not get 4K@120hz option, I wonder if it is just the Mac Mini that lacks 4k@120hz support, as I've seen reports that say M1 Macbooks do work in 4k@120hz

Use the script at https://gist.github.com/joevt/e862b0088ef58b9144877d01401bcee8 to get a list of timings that the M1 Mac sees for the display?
bash ~/Downloads/M1MacTimings.sh

 

[manatails]

This is the output I got

manatails@macmini Downloads % ./M1MacTimings.sh

disp0:

dispext0:
    640x480@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(16 64 80 -)  v(3 4 13 +)   (virtual)
    800x600@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(32 80 112 -)  v(3 4 17 +)   (virtual)
    1024x768@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 104 152 -)  v(3 4 23 +)   (virtual)
    1280x720@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(64 128 192 -)  v(3 5 20 +)   (virtual)
    1280x768@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(64 128 192 -)  v(3 7 20 +)   (virtual)
    1280x1024@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(80 136 216 -)  v(3 7 29 +)   (virtual)
    1400x1050@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(88 144 232 -)  v(3 4 32 +)   (virtual)
    1680x1050@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(104 176 280 -)  v(3 6 30 +)   (virtual)
    1600x1200@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(112 168 280 -)  v(3 4 38 +)   (virtual)
    1920x1080@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(128 200 328 -)  v(3 5 32 +)   (virtual)
    1920x1200@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(136 200 336 -)  v(3 6 36 +)   (virtual)
    2048x1536@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(152 224 376 -)  v(3 4 49 +)   (virtual)
    2560x1440@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(192 272 464 -)  v(3 5 45 +)   (virtual)
    2560x1600@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(192 280 472 -)  v(3 6 49 +)   (virtual)
    3840x2160@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(312 424 736 -)  v(3 5 69 +)   (virtual)
    4096x2160@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(8 32 40 +)  v(48 8 6 -)   (virtual)
    5120x2160@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(8 32 40 +)  v(48 8 6 -)   (virtual)
    5120x2880@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 5 74 -)   (virtual)
    800x600@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(40 128 88 +)  v(1 4 23 +)
    800x600@56.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(24 72 128 +)  v(1 2 22 +)
    640x480@60.000Hz 31.500kHz 25.20MHz  h(16 96 48 -)  v(10 2 33 -)   (preferred)
    1024x768@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(24 136 160 -)  v(3 6 29 -)   (promoted)
    800x600@75.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(16 80 160 +)  v(1 3 21 +)
    1280x960@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(96 112 312 +)  v(1 3 36 +)
    1280x1024@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 112 248 +)  v(1 3 38 +)
    1280x720@60.000Hz 45.000kHz 74.25MHz  h(110 40 220 +)  v(5 5 20 +)   (promoted)
    1280x800@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 6 14 -)
    1440x900@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 6 17 -)
    1680x1050@60.000Hz 0.000kHz 0.00MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 6 21 -)
    1920x1080@60.000Hz 67.500kHz 148.50MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (preferred)
-> 3840x2160@60.000Hz 135.000kHz 594.00MHz  h(176 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@30.000Hz 67.500kHz 297.00MHz  h(176 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@29.970Hz 67.433kHz 296.70MHz  h(176 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@25.000Hz 56.250kHz 297.00MHz  h(1056 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@23.976Hz 53.946kHz 296.70MHz  h(1276 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@24.000Hz 54.000kHz 297.00MHz  h(1276 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    640x480@59.940Hz 31.469kHz 25.17MHz  h(16 96 48 -)  v(10 2 33 -)   (preferred)
    720x480@59.940Hz 31.469kHz 27.00MHz  h(16 62 60 -)  v(9 6 30 -)   (promoted)
    720x480@60.000Hz 31.500kHz 27.03MHz  h(16 62 60 -)  v(9 6 30 -)   (promoted)
    1280x720@59.940Hz 44.955kHz 74.18MHz  h(110 40 220 +)  v(5 5 20 +)   (promoted)
    720x576@50.000Hz 31.250kHz 27.00MHz  h(12 64 68 -)  v(5 5 39 -)
    1280x720@50.000Hz 37.500kHz 74.25MHz  h(440 40 220 +)  v(5 5 20 +)
    1920x1080@50.000Hz 56.250kHz 148.50MHz  h(528 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@59.940Hz 67.433kHz 148.35MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (preferred)
    3840x2160@50.000Hz 112.500kHz 594.00MHz  h(1056 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    3840x2160@59.940Hz 134.865kHz 593.41MHz  h(176 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@119.880Hz 134.865kHz 296.70MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@120.000Hz 135.000kHz 297.00MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@143.563Hz 166.103kHz 332.87MHz  h(8 32 44 +)  v(63 8 6 -)   (promoted)
    2560x1440@143.632Hz 222.056kHz 592.00MHz  h(8 32 66 +)  v(25 8 73 -)
    2560x1440@119.998Hz 182.996kHz 497.75MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 5 77 +)
    3840x2160@119.910Hz 266.561kHz 1066.51MHz  h(48 34 79 +)  v(4 6 53 -)   (preferred)
    1920x2160@143.839Hz 314.433kHz 632.01MHz  h(48 32 10 +)  v(2 4 20 -)

 

[joevt]

This is the output I got

 -> 3840x2160@60.000Hz 135.000kHz 594.00MHz  h(176 88 296 +)  v(8 10 72 +)   (promoted)

    1920x1080@119.880Hz 134.865kHz 296.70MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@120.000Hz 135.000kHz 297.00MHz  h(88 44 148 +)  v(4 5 36 +)   (promoted)
    1920x1080@143.563Hz 166.103kHz 332.87MHz  h(8 32 44 +)  v(63 8 6 -)   (promoted)

    2560x1440@143.632Hz 222.056kHz 592.00MHz  h(8 32 66 +)  v(25 8 73 -)
    2560x1440@119.998Hz 182.996kHz 497.75MHz  h(48 32 80 +)  v(3 5 77 +)

    3840x2160@119.910Hz 266.561kHz 1066.51MHz  h(48 34 79 +)  v(4 6 53 -)   (preferred)

    1920x2160@143.839Hz 314.433kHz 632.01MHz  h(48 32 10 +)  v(2 4 20 -)

Can you do 1920x1080 120Hz and 144Hz? What about 2560x1440?
Does your monitor have a 144Hz setting that you can disable?
Is the monitor set to DisplayPort 1.4 version?
Are you connected with HDMI or DisplayPort? You need to use DisplayPort for max bandwidth. You said you're using USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 adapter so that should work. You're not connecting any other ports of the display?

 

[manatails]

Can you do 1920x1080 120Hz and 144Hz? What about 2560x1440?
Does your monitor have a 144Hz setting that you can disable?
Is the monitor set to DisplayPort 1.4 version?
Are you connected with HDMI or DisplayPort? You need to use DisplayPort for max bandwidth. You said you're using USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 adapter so that should work. You're not connecting any other ports of the display?

The monitor is set to DP 1.4 and it can properly output 4k 120hz on windows.
my mac mini can do 1080p/1440p at 144hz using the aforementioned USB-C to DP cable, it does not show up in display settings but I can manually set it using SwitchResX, but 4k 120hz still doesn't show up

 

[Ninja Dom]

I am using an M1 Mac mini with Acer XB273K connected via Cable Matters USB-C to DP 1.4 connector.
I do not get 4K@120hz option, I wonder if it is just the Mac Mini that lacks 4k@120hz support, as I've seen reports that say M1 Macbooks do work in 4k@120

The monitor is set to DP 1.4 and it can properly output 4k 120hz on windows.
my mac mini can do 1080p/1440p at 144hz using the aforementioned USB-C to DP cable, it does not show up in display settings but I can manually set it using SwitchResX, but 4k 120hz still doesn't show up

That’s interesting.

I’m using the exact same cable as you on my M1 Mac Mini and I’m running at 2560 x 1440 @ 120Hz with HDR turned on. My monitor isn’t 4K. Mine shows up in the display settings. No need for SwitchResX.

But my resolution at that refresh rate isn’t listed in the output from the script you posted.

 

[joevt]

But my resolution at that refresh rate isn’t listed in the output from the script you posted.

Could it be using a scaled mode? Does one of the resolutions in the output have a -> next to it?

 

[Ninja Dom]

Could it be using a scaled mode? Does one of the resolutions in the output have a -> next to it?

Yes it is a scaled mode.

 

[Huggi]

I have the same problem. I have an Acer ConceptD CP3271KP, no 4K@120 hz with the Mac mini M1. All examples of 4K@120 hz I have seen is with a Macbook M1. 1440p@144hz is no problem... Maybe a lack of support with the Mac mini M1 or have I missed someone that have got it work?

 

[williamtracy]

Does the failure of the CableMatters USB-C to HDMI 2.1 cable to enable 4k/120 on M1 MacBooks mean that both the club-3D and this previously linked cable are definitely dead ends?

 

[manatails]

Still no 4k@120hz after 11.2.2 update, I started thinking that this is caused by macOS being unable to, or at least doesnt want to utilize full DP bandwidth? All reports of working 4k@120hz seem to be from DSC capable monitors

 

[kasakka]

Does the failure of the CableMatters USB-C to HDMI 2.1 cable to enable 4k/120 on M1 MacBooks mean that both the club-3D and this previously linked cable are definitely dead ends?

They probably all use the exact same Realtek converter chip as it's probably the only one on the market for that. Cable vs adapter just changes how it's packaged and powered.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread with the Club3D CAC-1085, if I hook it up to a CableMatters USB-C to DP 1.4 adapter it works 100% fine with my 2080 Ti's USB-C port, but on my 2019 Intel MBP running Catalina it refuses to use DSC it seems as it behaves the same as if it was connected over HDMI 2.0.

Or maybe it's a similar issue to what newer than 456.71 version Nvidia drivers have with the adapter where it can't output above 600 MHz pixel clock.

MacOS external display support is such a pile of crap in general, I wish Apple would put some effort in it. It's like they never tested it on anything but their own screens and you can't even change things like bit depth and color format without hacking your display EDID if MacOS handles it wrong.

 

[Huggi]

Still no 4k@120hz after 11.2.2 update, I started thinking that this is caused by macOS being unable to, or at least doesnt want to utilize full DP bandwidth? All reports of working 4k@120hz seem to be from DSC capable monitors

I'm most puzzled to why it seems to work on Macbook M1s and not Mac Mini M1s

 

[manatails]

I'm most puzzled to why it seems to work on Macbook M1s and not Mac Mini M1

Can you confirm that actual non-DSC monitors like XB273K or XV273K work with Macbooks? Acer's poor naming adds to the confusion because they have different models sharing the same name. XB273K Gpbmiipprzx is non-DSC while XB273K Pbmiphzx is DSC capable, but they both are marketed as XB273K.

 

[Monstieur]

4K 120 Hz HDR 8-bit RGB with dithering does not require DSC via DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1. Given that this setup works in Windows via Boot Camp, there is some other reason macOS is limited to 60 Hz when using the CAC-1085 adapter.

DSC is required only for 4K 120 Hz 10-bit RGB over DisplayPort 1.4, but macOS seems to support even 8-bit RGB only on DSC capable monitors. It looks like macOS does not want to use the full DisplayPort 1.4 bandwidth without DSC.

Macs and 4K 120Hz displays compatibility list

Macs/4K 120Hz displays compatibility list

tonsky.me

 

[manatails]

4K 120 Hz HDR 8-bit RGB with dithering does not require DSC via DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1. Given that this setup works in Windows via Boot Camp, there is some other reason macOS is limited to 60 Hz when using the CAC-1085 adapter.

DSC is required only for 4K 120 Hz 10-bit RGB over DisplayPort 1.4, but macOS seems to support even 8-bit RGB only on DSC capable monitors. It looks like macOS does not want to use the full DisplayPort 1.4 bandwidth without DSC.

Macs and 4K 120Hz displays compatibility list

Macs/4K 120Hz displays compatibility list

tonsky.me

That is a useful website, do you know if it is possible to force enable 4k 120hz using SwitchResX or something similar on Intel macs?

 

[joevt]

That's another adapter/cable like the Club-3D or Cable Matters products. They probably all use the Realtek RTD2173.

They probably all use the exact same Realtek converter chip as it's probably the only one on the market for that. Cable vs adapter just changes how it's packaged and powered.

I have both the Club-3D CAC-1085 and the Cable Matters 201388-GRY. The CAC-1085 is Realtek (probably RTD2173) and the 201388-GRY is Synaptics (I'm guessing VMM7100 because it's a single output with a USB billboard device). fwupd in Linux won't identify the adapter because it's not a Synaptics MST Hub or any other device it knows about.

Both adapters support HBR3 x4 + DSC. I only have a HDMI 2.0 monitor so I can't test DSC without a method to reduce the lanes from four to two. I don't think either of them will enable the HDR option in macOS even though it should be possible. HDR and DSC are enabled in Catalina with the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ransfers-recommendation.2278473/post-29466205

Update: They can support HDR from macOS using a firmware update that requires Windows to apply.