Mac Studio M2 Multiple Display Issues

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

Hi everyone
on the 13.07.2023 I purchased a Mac Studio M2 Ultra with a Studio Display to replace my aging IMac Pro,I also have two LG 27’’ 5K monitors so I couldn’t wait to return to my home office a set everything’s up,I have 3 screens as I have ADHD and like to multi task as well as edit images and video,so after the initial set I found to my surprise that only two screens worked plus at the wrong resolutions,so after going though many scenarios i decided to contact apple support, after 2 days off of trying many solutions they decided it was a hardware problem and sent me back to my back to my local Apple Store for an exchang,being a business customer of Apple the exchange was ready and waiting with many apologies from the excellent store team,so i headed back home to get everything up and running, well my excitement was extremely short lived as low and behold it had the exact same problem as before, so I get back in touch with apple and get assigned my own personal expert to work on this issue, so after 2 more days of trial and error he said he would talk to the Apple engineers with regards a solution, excellent I thought won’t take long now, how wrong could I be,after leaving message after message I finally received a reply two weeks later and was told the engineers were getting back to him in a few days,again after 10 days of leaving messages I finally got so fed up I called my support team only to be put though to someone who I can only describe as extremely rude and very frustrating,I was basically told that I’d have to wait until this problem was sorted out by the engineers and in so many words I’d have to wait weather I was a business customer or not,also when I asked if this was a worldwide issue he got rather irate and said I not at liberty to answear those question,when I explained that I had ADHD and that my work for my import and distribution company was suffering his Answear was what do you expect me to do,I’m now at a complete loss and at the mercy of Apple after nearly 32 years as a loyal customer and this is the first time I’ve ever had a problem with any Apple product I’ve purchased in that time,so if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated as I’m really struggling with this situation!
thanks everyone
Foxx Artizan

 

[lcubed]

lots of very dense text.

incredibly difficult to read




what exactly are you expecting as the end result?

are the LG monitors updated to the latest firmware?

are you running the LG monitor software?

how are the individual monitors connected to the m2 studio?
(hdmi, usb-c, display port)?

are there any adapters on the monitor cables?

 

[flygbuss]

Hi everyone
on the 13.07.2023 I purchased a Mac Studio M2 Ultra with a Studio Display to replace my aging IMac Pro,I also have two LG 27’’ 5K monitors so I couldn’t wait to return to my home office a set everything’s up,I have 3 screens as I have ADHD and like to multi task as well as edit images and video,so after the initial set I found to my surprise that only two screens worked plus at the wrong resolutions,so after going though many scenarios i decided to contact apple support, after 2 days off of trying many solutions they decided it was a hardware problem and sent me back to my back to my local Apple Store for an exchang,being a business customer of Apple the exchange was ready and waiting with many apologies from the excellent store team,so i headed back home to get everything up and running, well my excitement was extremely short lived as low and behold it had the exact same problem as before, so I get back in touch with apple and get assigned my own personal expert to work on this issue, so after 2 more days of trial and error he said he would talk to the Apple engineers with regards a solution, excellent I thought won’t take long now, how wrong could I be,after leaving message after message I finally received a reply two weeks later and was told the engineers were getting back to him in a few days,again after 10 days of leaving messages I finally got so fed up I called my support team only to be put though to someone who I can only describe as extremely rude and very frustrating,I was basically told that I’d have to wait until this problem was sorted out by the engineers and in so many words I’d have to wait weather I was a business customer or not,also when I asked if this was a worldwide issue he got rather irate and said I not at liberty to answear those question,when I explained that I had ADHD and that my work for my import and distribution company was suffering his Answear was what do you expect me to do,I’m now at a complete loss and at the mercy of Apple after nearly 32 years as a loyal customer and this is the first time I’ve ever had a problem with any Apple product I’ve purchased in that time,so if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated as I’m really struggling with this situation!
thanks everyone
Foxx Artizan

Can you elaborate on how you're trying to connect the 5K monitors?
Sorry you had to go through this, but I'm quite sure there will be a solution for your problem.

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

lots of very dense text.

incredibly difficult to read




what exactly are you expecting as the end result?

are the LG monitors updated to the latest firmware?

are you running the LG monitor software?

how are the individual monitors connected to the m2 studio?
(hdmi, usb-c, display port)?

are there any adapters on the monitor cables?

The LG monitors are up to date in all respects they are connected via USB-C as they always have been and no adapters,i have used 3 screens for many years as I multi task and edit images and videos,due to my ADHD I find this a far easier way to work,sorry for being difficult to read Im new to this

 

[elfamosisimoJON]

The LG monitors are up to date in all respects they are connected via USB-C as they always have been and no adapters,i have used 3 screens for many years as I multi task and edit images and videos,due to my ADHD I find this a far easier way to work,sorry for being difficult to read Im new to this

isn't the ultra fin 5k supposed to connect with a thunderbolt cable?

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

Can you elaborate on how you're trying to connect the 5K monitors?
Sorry you had to go through this, but I'm quite sure there will be a solution for your problem.

The same way as I had my IMac Pro via USB-C,even Apple are extremely touchy regards this issue

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

isn't the ultra fin 5k supposed to connect with a thunderbolt cable?

I’m using the same cables that came with the LG’s and they work perfect,I’ve had the screens since 2019 on a IMac pro I presume they are thunderbolt and we have tried both thunderbolt and USB-C cables which work

 

[flygbuss]

I’m using the same cables that came with the LG’s and they work perfect,I’ve had the screens since 2019 on a IMac pro I presume they are thunderbolt and we have tried both thunderbolt and USB-C cables which work

So you did try different cables? If you only connect the two LGs, they both work? Can you change brightness and volume via your keyboard? Display's USB ports work?

 

[flygbuss]

Maybe you'll find some useful information.

17 Ways To Fix External Monitors Not Working or Recognized on a Mac

If you're having problems with external monitors not working on your Mac after upgrading to macOS Sonoma, Ventura or Monterey or after buying an Apple

machow2.com

(Check out #5. Try to set the LGs to DisplayPort version 1.2)

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Hi everyone
on the 13.07.2023 I purchased a Mac Studio M2 Ultra with a Studio Display to replace my aging IMac Pro,I also have two LG 27’’ 5K monitors so I couldn’t wait to return to my home office a set everything’s up,I have 3 screens as I have ADHD and like to multi task as well as edit images and video,so after the initial set I found to my surprise that only two screens worked plus at the wrong resolutions,so after going though many scenarios i decided to contact apple support, after 2 days off of trying many solutions they decided it was a hardware problem and sent me back to my back to my local Apple Store for an exchang,being a business customer of Apple the exchange was ready and waiting with many apologies from the excellent store team,so i headed back home to get everything up and running, well my excitement was extremely short lived as low and behold it had the exact same problem as before, so I get back in touch with apple and get assigned my own personal expert to work on this issue, so after 2 more days of trial and error he said he would talk to the Apple engineers with regards a solution, excellent I thought won’t take long now, how wrong could I be,after leaving message after message I finally received a reply two weeks later and was told the engineers were getting back to him in a few days,again after 10 days of leaving messages I finally got so fed up I called my support team only to be put though to someone who I can only describe as extremely rude and very frustrating,I was basically told that I’d have to wait until this problem was sorted out by the engineers and in so many words I’d have to wait weather I was a business customer or not,also when I asked if this was a worldwide issue he got rather irate and said I not at liberty to answear those question,when I explained that I had ADHD and that my work for my import and distribution company was suffering his Answear was what do you expect me to do,I’m now at a complete loss and at the mercy of Apple after nearly 32 years as a loyal customer and this is the first time I’ve ever had a problem with any Apple product I’ve purchased in that time,so if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated as I’m really struggling with this situation!
thanks everyone
Foxx Artizan

I also use external displays (three 4K Viewsonics) to improve productivity. On my 2016 MBP connection is finicky as could be, however on the new M2 MBP connecting one display via HDMI and two others via different TB4 ports everything works effortlessly; even taking the MBP back and forth mobile, which every time is a huge PITA getting reconnected using the 2016 MBP.

The fact that Apple tech says they are investigating after a replacement attempt suggests that some specific issue above our expertise exists. So, just keep checking back with Apple tech support.

Cables remain a black art; just because specific cables work in setup A does not mean that the same cables will work in setup B. So in the meantime I suggest trying new top quality cables and for sure driving one of the displays via HDMI if possible.

Edit: You may want to try a different display brand temporarily or permanently if your productivity is badly impeded.

Good luck.

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

So you did try different cables? If you only connect the two LGs, they both work? Can you change brightness and volume via your keyboard? Display's USB ports work?

Yes every possible way has been tried with the Apple support team on both the first Mac Studio and it’s replacement I fear it’s a software issue which there being quite about and will fix it in a near future update which doesn’t help a lot,many thanks for your reply

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

I also use external displays (three 4K Viewsonics) to improve productivity. On my 2016 MBP connection is finicky as could be, however on the new M2 MBP connecting one display via HDMI and two others via different TB4 ports everything works effortlessly; even taking the MBP back and forth mobile, which every time is a huge PITA getting reconnected using the 2016 MBP.

The fact that Apple tech says they are investigating after a replacement attempt suggests that some specific issue above our expertise exists. So, just keep checking back with Apple tech support.

Cables remain a black art; just because specific cables work in setup A does not mean that the same cables will work in setup B. So in the meantime I suggest trying new top quality cables and for sure driving one of the displays via HDMI if possible.

Edit: You may want to try a different display brand temporarily or permanently if your productivity is badly impeded.

Good luck.

Cables even in my industry of high end audio are a dark art,I can’t connect via HDMI but I’ve just ordered some new cables to try out plus yes I am considering purchasing a second Studio display plus a Pro Display XDR,also I fear that yes this is a known issue and I’m going to have to wait until the update arrive! Many thanks for your reply

 

[theorist9]

To summarize:
When you do direct connections via TB cables from your iMac Pro to each of your LG Ultrafine 5k's, all three displays (the iMacs's + the two LG's) work fine.

When you try to connect the ASD plus your two LG's to your M2 Ultra Studio, you said: "only two screens worked plus at the wrong resolutions".

I take this to mean the ASD and one LG worked, but only at incorrect resolutions for both?

I would try ordering three TB cables from CableMatters on Amazon. They are reasonably-priced, and certified by Intel:

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable 3.3ft with 8K Video and 240W Charging - 1m, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable and USB-C

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable 3.3ft with 8K Video and 240W Charging - 1m, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable and USB-C

www.amazon.com

If that doesn't fix things, I would test what happens when you connect:
ASD only
one of the LG's only
the other LG only
two LG's only
one ASD plus one LG
one ASD plus the other LG

Please do that and let us know the results.

Also, if you have issues even with just the ASD and either of the LG monitors: I know it's inconvenient, but if you live near an Apple store, make a Genius Bar reservation, and bring both your M2 Ultra Studio and one of your LG monitors. Then plug your M2 into both the LG, and one of the ASD's at the store, and see if you can replicate the issue there. [You'll want to ask the store beforehand if you can do this, which may require a pre-visit in person.] Maybe you can get a friend to help you lug those in. And I think you can schedule back-to-back appts., to give you enough time.

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

To summarize:
When you do direct connections via TB cables from your iMac Pro to each of your LG Ultrafine 5k's, all three displays (the iMacs's + the two LG's) work fine.

When you try to connect the ASD plus your two LG's to your M2 Ultra Studio, you said: "only two screens worked plus at the wrong resolutions".

I take this to mean the ASD and one LG worked, but only at incorrect resolutions for both?

I would try ordering three TB cables from CableMatters on Amazon. They are reasonably-priced, and certified by Intel:

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable 3.3ft with 8K Video and 240W Charging - 1m, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable and USB-C

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable 3.3ft with 8K Video and 240W Charging - 1m, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable and USB-C

www.amazon.com

If that doesn't fix things, I would test what happens when you connect:
ASD only
one of the LG's only
the other LG only
two LG's only
one ASD plus one LG
one ASD plus the other LG

Please do that and let us know the results.

Also, if you have issues even with just the ASD and either of the LG monitors: I know it's inconvenient, but if you live near an Apple store, make a Genius Bar reservation, and bring both your M2 Ultra Studio and one of your LG monitors. Then plug your M2 into both the LG, and one of the ASD's at the store, and see if you can replicate the issue there. [You'll want to ask the store beforhand if you can do this, which may require a pre-visit in person.] Maybe you can get a friend to help you lug those in.

I will be testing out new cables in a few days but after trying out every solution with the Apple guys twice on the original and the replacement Mac Studio and getting the same results I don’t hold much hope

 

[theorist9]

...also, @Allen_Wentz 's suggestion to try hooking one up to HDMI is a good one. CableMatters also offers certified HDMI cables:

Cable Matters [Ultra High Speed HDMI Certified] 48Gbps 8K HDMI Cable 3.3 ft / 1m with 8K@60Hz, 4K@240Hz and HDR Support for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, RTX3080/3090, RX 6800/6900, Apple TV, and More

Cable Matters 8K HDMI Cable - 3.3ft/1m

www.amazon.com

 

[lcubed]

you've probably already tried this, but

do you get the correct resolution when ONLY the ASD is connected via the
very nice black apple TB cable?

if you plug that apple TB cable into a single LG monitor,
do you get the correct resolution?

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I will be testing out new cables in a few days but after trying out every solution with the Apple guys twice on the original and the replacement Mac Studio and getting the same results I don’t hold much hope

Not to make light of your problem, but this totally reminds me of dealing with SCSI devices. IIRC you could daisy-chain up to 6 devices (usually mass storage of various kinds), but whether it all worked or not depended not only on the iffy cables, but where in the chain each device was placed. ;~)

 

[Shirasaki]

Cables remain a black art

More like manufacturers make them black art. E.g. saving cost on features/quality.

 

[RonJedi]

For what it is worth. I took delivery of a M2 Ultra with Ventura on 10 July. I have three monitors: LG 2018 32" 2.5K 75Hz; LG 2019 32" 2.5K 60Hz; HP 2017 27" 2K or so 75Hz. I previously used a MacPro5.1 cheese grater with an 580 card in it and all the monitors worked fine with it using 2 HDMI cables and one DVI cable. To hook these monitors to the Studio, I tried a variation of three different USB-C dock style adapters that had HDMI ports on them as well as using the Studio's built-in HDMI port. Original connectors were: 1-port Anker to HDMI; 4-port Belkin with 1 HDMI port; and 10-Port Xcellon with 1 HDMI port. All monitor connections are with HDMI cables that have perviously worked fine with these or other monitors. In setting up the three monitors, I experienced every problem that you have outlined and I messed with this for three days before things began to work for me.

1. I found that some monitors would start and some not start depending upon connector and or port used.
2. I found using the built in HDMI port, might or might not work for a monitor.
3. I found that if I had a document open on each screen and the computer went to sleep, that upon awakening all the documents often ended up collected on one of the screens. And I found that in some cases one screen was emptied of its open document, but the other two still had their documents on them. This condition is really annoying as I tend to live things open and I like to find things as I left them when I return to the computer.
4. I found that moving monitors from one port to another might or might not make a difference. And It is not apparent to me why this should matter.
5. To tidy up my cable situation, I used some simple tie-wraps to tie coils of extra HDMI cables together and to keep them in a bundle as they ran across my desktop. In retrospect, I suspect that there is/was cable interference created by this. In the end I got rid of all tying wires together in a bundle. This seemed to reduce variability in monitor performance.
6. Somewhere along the resolution on my 27" HP monitor got reduced and when I went to the Display screen, the higher native display resolution simply did not show as available. To get out of this condition, I had to unhook all monitors and boot with only this monitor and then usually the desired resolution showed up and once chosen, it generally remained chosen with multiple monitor setups.
7. I suspect that there are timing differences and perhaps interference issues caused by the three different adapters and different monitor refresh frequency rates.
8. I also found that plugging various USB devices into the USB-C docking adapters could cause screens to go off line and or cause the collection of open documents onto one screen. Again it is not fully apparent what is going on, but I suspect that one would be better served using three identical USB-C adapters and cables to control timing responses from the monitors.

After messing with this, here is what seems to have gotten me out of it:

1. I purchased three Apple USB-C to Digital AV adapters and hooked a monitor to each one of them with HDMI cables. The objective was to get to a common USB-C type of device feeding the monitors., I doubt if this solution would work with your higher resolution monitor setup, but it suggests a directional approach for your consideration. Try to get to a common interface between the monitors and the computer.
2. I unhooked all other connections to the computer except for the keyboard and mouse. After doing this the monitors all started and documents remained where they were placed after awakening and after restart.
3. I then plugged the Belkin 4-port into the Xcellon 10-port and plugged the Xcellon adapter into one USB-C TB ports on the back of the Studio. I then experimented with hooking various USB devices to the various USB ports on the adapter as well as directly to the Studio USB ports.
4. I have a 4 bay OWC drive bay and this seems to work best hooked into the USB-C port on the front of the Studio and not running through one of the adapters.
5. After everything was settled down for a couple of days, I unhooked one of the Apple USB-C adapters and hooked that monitor to the Studio built-in HDMI port. And this worked! Earlier this alternative did not work.

Some years ago I went through an episode like this when Apple relied heavily on DVI connectors. To get out of it, I remember having to buy new Apple DVI adapters and new DVI cables.

1. I think that there are some timing issues involved here between different refresh frequencies, different adapters, and possibly the cables. That is why I recommend using a common connection approach for the various monitors to the Studio.
2. And there are clearly interference issues between the USB devices and the various USB ports on USB-C docking adapters that one has to work with.
3. This is crazy, but it also appears to me that the Studio is learning stuff as this unfolds. Even after moving the monitors around on the various ports, much of the time, but not always, the studio remembers the desired physical placement of the monitor and one does not need to rearrange monitors or the menu bar in the Display window. And I have seen combinations that did not work on day, but worked a day or so later.

I think Apple has issues with Multiple monitors on the Studio and the computer is overly sensitive and the computer and or Ventura are not robust enough to accommodate the hardware one encounters in the field. Perhaps these comments will assist you in finding a path through this. Regards. Ron

 

[Mity]

Any resolution on this? Did this happen on any other M2 gen or M1 gen machines? I have a three LG 4K monitor setup with my 2019 16" and I'm contemplating an M2 Max Studio.

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

Any resolution on this? Did this happen on any other M2 gen or M1 gen machines? I have a three LG 4K monitors setup and I'm contemplating M2 Max Studio.

I’m honestly at my wits end as no Apple hasn’t resolved my issue with screens,Its been ongoing since the 16 June 23 and I’ve been though 6 online apple advisors and ignored by most who promise to get back in touch with more info,never in 30 plus years have I had a problem with Apple like this,very disappointing

 

[Mity]

I’m honestly at my wits end as no Apple hasn’t resolved my issue with screens,Its been ongoing since the 16 June 23 and I’ve been though 6 online apple advisors and ignored by most who promise to get back in touch with more info,never in 30 plus years have I had a problem with Apple like this,very disappointing

What model monitors do you have? Mine are LG 43UN700-B and LG 32UN880-B and I use the following cable from Amazon:

Cable Matters USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable 10 ft, Support 8K 60Hz / 4K 144Hz (USB-C to DisplayPort, USB C to DP Cable)

ASIN: B06XTYKLNJ

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I’m honestly at my wits end as no Apple hasn’t resolved my issue with screens,Its been ongoing since the 16 June 23 and I’ve been though 6 online apple advisors and ignored by most who promise to get back in touch with more info,never in 30 plus years have I had a problem with Apple like this,very disappointing

Being _very_ persistent like RonJedi described may help. Although my M2 Max MBP easily drives the three Viewsonic 4K displays fine, whenever disconnected my 2016 MBP would always take trial and error and time to get the external displays working again at the correct arrangement locations and resolutions.

 

[Obsidian-Dreadnought]

What model monitors do you have? Mine are LG 43UN700-B and LG 32UN880-B and I use the following cable from Amazon:

Cable Matters USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable 10 ft, Support 8K 60Hz / 4K 144Hz (USB-C to DisplayPort, USB C to DP Cable)

ASIN: B06XTYKLNJ

I use 2 LG 27 ultra fine 4K screens and the newish Apple Studio display all connected with thunderbolt 3 cables🙏😌🙏

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I use 2 LG 27 ultra fine 4K screens and the newish Apple Studio display all connected with thunderbolt 3 cables🙏😌🙏

It should not matter, but your M2 Studio is TB4 not TB3.