MP 7,1 Mac Pro, Be honest what Display are you using ? If you can’t afford the XDR Display.

[Pressure]

I bought a 27” monitor many years ago when HD was becoming the rage. I was shocked that I didn’t get more screen real estate - the icons & all were just bigger. I finally found a 30” monitor that kept the 16:9 ratio. When I switched to an iMac, my husband inherited the 30”. So, I want more screen real estate but not small icons. My older eyes couldn’t handle it. Basically, I want the same size of everything on the iMac, but with more room.

I don’t have the room on my desk for two monitors. 34” is about as big as I can get.

I’m a programmer & in the short term, I’ll just be doing that. Eventually, I will try my hand at some photo & video editing. My husband died in November & I want to go through all of his pictures & videos & do some things with them. If it were practical, I’d use a bigger monitor with the iMac but I just can’t. I don’t want a laptop & I don’t want a Mac Mini which is why I’m watching the Pro refurbished models.

So, after that TMI, what would I need in a 32 or 34 wide or ultrawide monitor to retain icon size but get more real estate. Or, is it just not possible without either small icons or larger icons but not much screen room.

You can change the size of icons. Right click on the desktop and choose "Show View Options". There you can scale the icons from 16x16 to 128x128.

You preferably want the highest resolution display in your price range and run it at HiDPI. That way you get normal size application user interface icons but get to enjoy the increased real estate and render pictures and videos at 1x1.

For example I render my user interface and icons at 3860x2160 pixels HiDPI (7680x4320 Dell UP3218K monitor).

On a 4K display that would render the user interface at 1920 pixels wide so the user interface looks normal but the content is displayed pixel for pixel.

You can read more about "Retina display" here and HiDPI here.

If you have a 5K iMac you obviously need a 5K monitor to match the real estate.

 

[Krevnik]

So, after that TMI, what would I need in a 32 or 34 wide or ultrawide monitor to retain icon size but get more real estate. Or, is it just not possible without either small icons or larger icons but not much screen room.

Based on what you are saying, I'd probably look at a 34" UW, honestly. A 38" UW (3840x1600) would also work and isn't much bigger than the 34", but tend to be more expensive, so might be out of your price range.

It is possible, what you are looking for is to keep the points per inch similar to what you have now. I say points because Apple uses them for layout rather than pixels, because of Retina displays.

27" 2560x1440 @ 1x - ~110 px/inch, ~110 pt/inch
27" UHD @ 1.5x - ~163 px/inch, ~110 pt/inch ("like 2560x1440" in Display Settings)
27" 5K iMac @ 2x - ~220 px/inch, ~110 pt/inch
34" 3440x1440 @ 1x - ~110 px/inch, ~110 pt/inch
38" 3840x1600 @ 1x - ~110 px/inch, ~110 pt/inch

The reason this gets messy is that with UHD displays being common for TVs now, we are seeing a lot of them for monitors in various sizes. 24", 27", 32", all at 3840x2160. So they have to be scaled differently to try to keep it close to that ~110 pt/inch butter zone that Apple has been using for well over a decade on the Mac.

If you have a 5K iMac you obviously need a 5K monitor to match the real estate.

Not true. The 5K iMac is ~220 px/inch @ 2x, which is equivalent to ~110 px/inch @ 1x in how large things get laid out on the screen. The 5K is sharper, but has the same real estate as a 27" 2560x1440 monitor. Going by points (how Apple does layout) rather than pixels, they have the same points/inch: ~110 pts/inch.

Yes, you can have macOS pick a scaled resolution, but if you have a goal to keep things laid out the same size, you can't use pixels by themselves these days like you could a decade ago.

For example I render my user interface and icons at 3860x2160 pixels HiDPI (7680x4320 Dell UP3218K monitor).

On a 4K display that would render the user interface at 1920 pixels wide so the user interface looks normal but the content is displayed pixel for pixel.

Note that the 8K @ 2x is still ~139 points/inch at 32" (same as the 32" UHD @ 1x). Which makes UI elements quite a bit smaller than normal for a Mac. While a 32" UHD @ 2x is ~70 points/inch, making things huge in comparison to Apple's standard of ~110 points/inch for the iMacs and XDR.

 

[HDJulie]

I think I'm going with the Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor: U3415W. The Pro I ordered has the AMD Radeon Pro 580X video card. Should I use the HDMI connection, or DisplayPort & will I need to use two connections, or do I only need one?

 

[Pressure]

...

1440p at 27" is a mere ~109 ppi.
5K at 27" is ~218 ppi.
UHD at 32" is ~138 ppi.
8K at 32" is ~275 ppi.

The UI is scaled while the content isn't.

 

[flowrider]

I think I'm going with the Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor: U3415W. The Pro I ordered has the AMD Radeon Pro 580X video card. Should I use the HDMI connection, or DisplayPort & will I need to use two connections, or do I only need one?

That's a QHD Monitor not a 4K Monitor. As far as connection, the Pro 580X does not have a DisplayPort connection. It only offers an HDMI connection, as well as TB through the USB C ports on the NcMP.

Lou

 

[Krevnik]

1440p at 27" is a mere ~109 ppi.
5K at 27" is ~218 ppi.
UHD at 32" is ~138 ppi.
8K at 32" is ~275 ppi.

The UI is scaled while the content isn't.

To a point. You’re trying to “correct” me with information I already have (and shared in the post you quote, ironically). Px/inch is not points/inch, and if you want UI elements and fonts to be roughly a certain size for readability, you want to hold pts/inch at a specific value, and go for an integer scaling factor if at all possible. When doing graphics work, non-integer scales don’t handle content that does rely 1px in the frame buffer being 1px on the display on macOS all that well.

Don’t confuse pixel density with real estate. Real estate is a function of points, not pixels, in macOS.

That's a QHD Monitor not a 4K Monitor. As far as connection, the Pro 580X does not have a DisplayPort connection. It only offers an HDMI connection, as well as TB through the USB C ports on the NcMP.

Lou

More accurately, DisplayPort has to be done via a USB-C to DisplayPort cable using the TB3 ports.

 

[HDJulie]

Is that a better choice than HDMI?

 

[Krevnik]

Is that a better choice than HDMI?

In this case it doesn't matter, both support the full 60Hz refresh and native resolution of the monitor.

 

[foonon]

I did not know such a thing existed. I will definitely give that one a go when the time comes.

So, I did try to use this:

Answin USB C to Mini Displayport (4K@60Hz), Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DisplayPort Adapter for iPhone 15 Series, M1/M2 MacBook, MacBook Air/Pro 2016-2023, Galaxy S8-S23, Steam Deack and Rog Ally

Answin USB C to Mini Displayport (4K@60Hz), Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DisplayPort Adapter for iPhone 15 Series, M1/M2 MacBook, MacBook Air/Pro 2016-2023, Galaxy S8-S23, Steam Deack and Rog Ally

www.amazon.com

and I got a blank screen when I powered up. Wrong adapter?

 

[Krevnik]

So, I did try to use this:

Answin USB C to Mini Displayport (4K@60Hz), Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DisplayPort Adapter for iPhone 15 Series, M1/M2 MacBook, MacBook Air/Pro 2016-2023, Galaxy S8-S23, Steam Deack and Rog Ally

Answin USB C to Mini Displayport (4K@60Hz), Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DisplayPort Adapter for iPhone 15 Series, M1/M2 MacBook, MacBook Air/Pro 2016-2023, Galaxy S8-S23, Steam Deack and Rog Ally

www.amazon.com

and I got a blank screen when I powered up. Wrong adapter?

That’s disappointing. It shouldn’t be any different than a passive USB-C to DisplayPort adapter. It won’t work with a TB display, but the Cinema Display isn’t one, so I’m not sure why it isn’t working here.

The sales copy for it even calls out the LED Cinema Display as compatible, which is why it seemed OK to me when I recommended it. (There are even reviews of folks using LED Cinema Displays with it, so it should work)

The only thing I can think of is that the display doesn’t know to turn on for some reason. If you haven’t tried this already, I might try having the USB cable also connected to the Mac Pro. I might also just double check everything is seated completely (the TB3/USB-C ports have a sort of click/thunk when they seat properly). If that doesn’t work, I’d try an exchange, TBH.

EDIT: Might also just try a different TB3/USB-C port. There have been reports of a couple bugs with the top ports and 10.15.4 that require zapping the PRAM.

 

[DLary]

Anyone tried the old Thunderbolt display with the new MacPro?

 

[SayCheese]

Anyone tried the old Thunderbolt display with the new MacPro?

I'd certainly be interested to know if it'll work. Only ordered my 7,1 today so I can't test it out, if anyone knows in the meantime.

 

[codehead1]

OK, stuff getting real now, ordered a 16-core/W5700X today. I'm use to 2 x 24" (LED Cimema, Cinema HD—ok, one's 23", but close, and same pixels) for the past decade. Definitely want to double the pixel density, could go with a 27" 5k, add another if I'm happy with it...but I'll could break the bank and go XDR if I it's best. For non-XDR, I might lean towards Dell if practical but not sure they have the right fit (I work for Dell, via EMC—employee discount ya know).

Ultrawide style is an OK idea, but I do want something like double the pixel density and not have either everything in the UI much bigger or smaller without making bad compromises. I haven't had a high-density (retina, etc.) display besides the iPhone, so not too aware of the pitfalls especially with non-Apple monitors.

Super big deal is no fan. People freak about other people paying $10k+ for a computer when they could get a threadripper, blah blah, but I'm happy to pay a huge premium for quiet. My sd old Mac Pro 8-core 4,1 (ok, bumped to 5,1) has been good that way, and when I have to turn on the old G5 quad-core, it's intolerable. One of the things I do is music and audio programming. I sleep my Dell work laptop if its fan is going, I will not like a fan in my monitor, not even "it rarely turns on".

How common are fans in some of these options people are talking about here? (Especially with bigger monitors, I suppose?) I've taken a quick look at a few, but not sure if it's rare or whether it goes unmentioned.

 

[OkiRun]

OK, stuff getting real now, ordered a 16-core/W5700X today. I'm use to 2 x 24" (Cimema HD, Cinema—ok, one's 23", but close) for the past decade. Definitely want to double the pixel density, could go with a 27" 5k, add another if I'm happy with it...but I'll could break the bank and go XDR if I it's best. For non-XDR, I might lean towards Dell if practical but not sure they have the right fit (I work for Dell, via EMC—employee discount ya know).

Ultrawide style is an OK idea, but I do want something like double the pixel density and not have either everything in the UI much bigger or smaller without making bad compromises. I haven't had a high-density (retina, etc.) display besides the iPhone, so not too aware of the pitfalls especially with non-Apple monitors.

Super big deal is no fan. People freak about other people paying $10k+ for a computer when they could get a threadripper, blah blah, but I'm happy to pay a huge premium for quiet. My sd old Mac Pro 8-core 4,1 (ok, bumped to 5,1) has been good that way, and when I have to turn on the old G5 quad-core, it's intolerable. One of the things I do is music and audio programming. I sleep my Dell work laptop if its fan is going, I will not like a fan in my monitor, not even "it rarely turns on".

How common are fans in some of these options people are talking about here? (Especially with bigger monitors, I suppose?) I've taken a quick look at a few, but not sure if it's rare or whether it goes unmentioned.

The XDR has a different 'look' than other monitors - especially something like the iMac late 2015 5k Retina Display. I would recommend spending time on one at an apple store running a project typical of your workflow before getting it...

 

[Krevnik]

OK, stuff getting real now, ordered a 16-core/W5700X today. I'm use to 2 x 24" (Cimema HD, Cinema—ok, one's 23", but close) for the past decade. Definitely want to double the pixel density, could go with a 27" 5k, add another if I'm happy with it...but I'll could break the bank and go XDR if I it's best. For non-XDR, I might lean towards Dell if practical but not sure they have the right fit (I work for Dell, via EMC—employee discount ya know).

...

How common are fans in some of these options people are talking about here? (Especially with bigger monitors, I suppose?) I've taken a quick look at a few, but not sure if it's rare or whether it goes unmentioned.

32” XDR over the 27” 5K gets you HDR and more real estate. And a couple of high end features useful for color grading work. The pixels per inch is the same, and are both meant to run at 2x scaling, so they will be the same sharpness. So I think it depends on what you do, and if you really crave that extra real estate that going to 32” 16:9 will get you.

As for Dell, they don’t really have a good display to use at 2x (Retina) right now, IMO. It really is just the LG 5K or the XDR, sadly. There are some 4K 27” displays you can *kinda* use in Retina mode, but the results aren’t great for pixel accurate graphics work. Rendering at 5K and then scaling to 4K creates interpolation problems and softness.

Fans in monitors tend to be because of the power consumption from driving an HDR display with a higher nit rating. The XDR has a fan, but I can’t tell you how loud it is. The LG 5K does not. I think the key is knowing the noise level of your workspace. For example, my workspace is about 32-35dB with the computer off. My monitor (38GL950G) does have a fan, but I can’t hear it 24-30” away. I can hear it if my ear is a few inches from the top vents, but it is still quiet. Coil whine on my PC’s GPU is my worst enemy in terms of unwanted noise.

 

[codehead1]

The XDR has a different 'look' than other monitors - especially something like the iMac late 2015 5k Retina Display. I would recommend spending time on one at an apple store running a project typical of your workflow before getting it...

Well, that was my thought too, but the lack of an Apple Store at the moment makes that tough.

I run a pretty wide variety of stuff. A couple that take up the most space are Digital Performer (or other DAW) and FCPX. Also Xcode and others, but that sort of thing works well with multiple monitors (debug on one while running the app on another). Most others don't require a lot of space individually, just when you want multiple apps in view (browsers, editors, drawing apps).

For sure, I want a bigger individual screen (avoid splitting big windows and UI clusters between monitors) and higher pixel density (with similar UI size). Higher pixel density because it's easier on the eyes, but also for an opportunity to code for hi-res when needed (software dev is not my main gig anymore, but part time). It's possible two 27" 5k is a better choice than one 32", not sure.

 

[SayCheese]

I've only ordered my 7,1 yesterday but I'm going to be using my Benq SW2700PT with it. I'm a photographer and colour accurate work is essential to me.

 

[codehead1]

32” XDR over the 27” 5K gets you HDR and more real estate. And a couple of high end features useful for color grading work. The pixels per inch is the same, and are both meant to run at 2x scaling, so they will be the same sharpness. So I think it depends on what you do, and if you really crave that extra real estate that going to 32” 16:9 will get you.

As for Dell, they don’t really have a good display to use at 2x (Retina) right now, IMO. It really is just the LG 5K or the XDR, sadly. There are some 4K 27” displays you can *kinda* use in Retina mode, but the results aren’t great for pixel accurate graphics work. Rendering at 5K and then scaling to 4K creates interpolation problems and softness.

Fans in monitors tend to be because of the power consumption from driving an HDR display with a higher nit rating. The XDR has a fan, but I can’t tell you how loud it is. The LG 5K does not. I think the key is knowing the noise level of your workspace. For example, my workspace is about 32-35dB with the computer off. My monitor (38GL950G) does have a fan, but I can’t hear it 24-30” away. I can hear it if my ear is a few inches from the top vents, but it is still quiet. Coil whine on my PC’s GPU is my worst enemy in terms of unwanted noise.

Yeah, the Dell choices don't fit for me, looks like they used to make a 5k 27" but no more.

So, it seems I need to start by paying attention to ppi and eliminate what won't work. I'm used to 95 and 98 on my LED Cinema and Cinema HD, on my Mac. I don't mind going up or down bit, but 4k 27" isn't ideal (~163 ppi), so you're probably right on LG ultrafine or XDR. The LG probably isn't big enough (compared to the ones I have) to keep me happy with a single monitor, but it might hold me over while I decide to either get another or the XDR.

Thanks

 

[codehead1]

I’m starting to think the XDR more and more. Two LG 5K would be half the cost and 50% more pixels, but for something like FCPX I think I’ll appreciate the single unbroken expanse of the XDR. (But 2x5k would be more convenient for most other things—dammit, if I could get 3 minutes in front of these…)

On the tax thing earlier in the thread, I found it funny...No, the IRS doesn’t care what monitor you buy. (I can see it: “So what if the XDR was the best choice for you—you should have bought the Benq—it’s good enough for you! Disallowed!”) Yeah, I’m sure the tax lady was saying it might catch up an eye for an audit, but more than deducting office in home? Mileage on a BMW? And no one is personally poring over returns (“Bob—check this $5k computer monitor with a $1k stand—no one really needs this ****, I’ve seen monitors at Best buy for $500, with a stand and webcam. Let’s put some heat on this one”).

Schedule C, folks, that’s all you need. Sure, if you’re doing it fraudulently, maybe you should fret being audited, but otherwise I’ve been filing sched C for almost 40 years (non-fraudulently), never been audited. (By “fraudulent” I mean going for a tax break with no intent of business. It’s OK if you never earn money, you just need to be trying—this has held up in court for decades. No, the IRS can’t make a judgement whether your business is viable, or whether you could have spared expenses, just whether it’s fraudulent.)

 

[HDJulie]

I purchased this model:

LG UltraWide™ 34'' 5K2K WUHD Nano IPS Display Monitor - 34WK95U-W | LG SG

Discover LG 34WK95U-W. Click for pictures, reviews, and tech specs for the LG product LG UltraWide™ 34'' 5K2K WUHD Nano IPS Display Monitor .

www.lg.com

and then this cable:

6ft USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable 8K/4K - USB-C Display Adapters | Display & Video Adapters | StarTech.com Canada

6ft (2m) USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable 8K 60Hz/4K - Reversible DP to USB-C or USB-C to DP Video Adapter Cable HBR3/HDR/DSC | Canada

www.startech.com

It works great in MacOS also with HDR on at 5120x2160. The LG thunderbolt 3 white cable isn't able to show the hdr signal coming from the Radeon Pro 580X mpx module, the Startech TB3 to Displayport cable 1.4 is ok.
Unfortunately DaVinci Resolve Studio doesn't support this display as hdr monitor, neither Apple TV plays 4K HDR movies directly on it.

On Windows 10 (bootcamp) Microsoft Edge plays 4K HDR Youtube videos correctly but you need the TB3 to displayport 1.4 cable.

Do you still have this monitor & would you recommend it for general purpose, non-gaming use on the Mac Pro with the base video card?
[automerge]1587224861[/automerge]

That's a QHD Monitor not a 4K Monitor. As far as connection, the Pro 580X does not have a DisplayPort connection. It only offers an HDMI connection, as well as TB through the USB C ports on the NcMP.

Lou

I got it & it is definitely not as sharp as a 4K or 5K monitor. It will go back & I continue my quest for ideally a 34" or 38" 4k or 5k monitor. Barring that, I'll settle for a 32", probably from Dell.

 

[Pressure]

OK, stuff getting real now, ordered a 16-core/W5700X today. I'm use to 2 x 24" (LED Cimema, Cinema HD—ok, one's 23", but close, and same pixels) for the past decade. Definitely want to double the pixel density, could go with a 27" 5k, add another if I'm happy with it...but I'll could break the bank and go XDR if I it's best. For non-XDR, I might lean towards Dell if practical but not sure they have the right fit (I work for Dell, via EMC—employee discount ya know).

If you work for Dell, why not grab the UP3218K? 4K HiDPI is ridiculously awesome.

I don't quite see the fascination of the XDR at $5,999.00. It's not a reference monitor despite their best efforts to sell it as such and professional reviews back that up.

 

[flowrider]

I got it & it is definitely not as sharp as a 4K or 5K monitor. It will go back & I continue my quest for ideally a 34" or 38" 4k or 5k monitor. Barring that, I'll settle for a 32", probably from Dell.

Have you looked at this one:

32” UltraFine™ UHD 4K Monitor - 32UL950-W | LG USA

Discover the 32” UltraFine™ UHD 4K Monitor that features HDR10 and AMD FreeSync™. Find reviews, specs, and more for 32UL950-W.

www.lg.com

Lou

 

[codehead1]

If you work for Dell, why not grab the UP3218K? 4K HiDPI is ridiculously awesome.

I don't quite see the fascination of the XDR at $5,999.00. It's not a reference monitor despite their best efforts to sell it as such and professional reviews back that up.

I did have it on my radar, made a spread sheet with candidates and have it at 275 ppi. I haven't had a monitor better than 1080p, but it seems that 2x scaling is the most convenient, and that would scale UIs to be pretty small compared to what I'm used to, while the XDR or LG UltraFine fit better. I'm really not familiar with how fexlible Mac OS is with scaling, but I know that integer scaling is going to be better then non-int. But at least it's in the right direction of too many pixels instead of not enough.

And I thought one of the problems is that it would only support 30 Hz with the Mac? I need to see if that's (still) true...

 

[foonon]

That’s disappointing. It shouldn’t be any different than a passive USB-C to DisplayPort adapter. It won’t work with a TB display, but the Cinema Display isn’t one, so I’m not sure why it isn’t working here.

The sales copy for it even calls out the LED Cinema Display as compatible, which is why it seemed OK to me when I recommended it. (There are even reviews of folks using LED Cinema Displays with it, so it should work)

The only thing I can think of is that the display doesn’t know to turn on for some reason. If you haven’t tried this already, I might try having the USB cable also connected to the Mac Pro. I might also just double check everything is seated completely (the TB3/USB-C ports have a sort of click/thunk when they seat properly). If that doesn’t work, I’d try an exchange, TBH.

EDIT: Might also just try a different TB3/USB-C port. There have been reports of a couple bugs with the top ports and 10.15.4 that require zapping the PRAM.

So, none of that worked. I returned the adapter to Amazon and ordered an LD Ultrafine 5K 27" display instead.

It worked the first time!

~f

 

[straightMacin]

Anyone tried the old Thunderbolt display with the new MacPro?

Yes, the TB display definitely works with the 7,1. I was running one XDR and two TB displays before, now I’m running three XDR’s. Make sure you get the TB to TB3 adapter from Apple.