Owners opinion : 4K monitor with MBP

[jean512]

Hello,

I have a MBP 13" 2016 and a 4K monitor : LG 27UD88. But there is one issue with 4K monitor and MBP : if you want the best performance you must set it to 1080p or 4K only... because between that all UI is not smooth and youtube video in full screen overload the CPU/GPU (= heat + fan at 80%).

Problem : 1080p is too big and you don't have much workspace whereas 4K is too small and u can't read the text.

Now I need 2 monitors to work with I'm looking for a solution. My budget is 1000€ so I can't afford 2x Ultrafine 5K and set them in 1440p. (also the big bezel looks pretty bad).

I see no one talking about this issue, I supposed you all set your 4K monitor in 1080p scaling ?

 

[mcomp112]

Have you tried the Ultrafine 4K?

 

[jean512]

no but the problem will be exactly the same : in 4k definition, UI will be too small and in 1080p it will be too big.

 

[bcaslis]

No, the UI is fine with the LG UltraFine 4K. I'm running it right now. The UI automatically pixel doubles and treats it as a Retina display. The UI by default runs to 2048 x 1152 apparent resolution with retina mode.

 

[jean512]

Ok but 2048x1152 is almost the same as 1920x1080 witch don't give u enough workspace, to me I need a minimum of 2560x1440 to have enough workspace.
But anyway the UltraFine 4K is too small for more workspace (21.5").

So it seems the only solution to have a Retina display, a good workspace and a smooth UI to run with your MBP is to get the ultrafine 5K, and run it in 2560x1440.

But we should accept the big bezels and huge price for a dual screen... too bad.

 

[mcomp112]

As bcaslis said, the Ultrafine 4K is a retina display meaning the UI will be fine and there will be no scaling slow downs. There is no other 4K monitor option on the market that scales properly to retina mode.

 

[bcaslis]

If you want Retina quality and 2560 x 1440 there is exactly one choice the LG UltraFine 5K. FYI, I had one for the past 2 weeks and exchanged it for the 4K. For me it's good tradeoff with the slightly smaller screen but much less cost.

 

[jean512]

so you mean you can scale it to a definition between superior to 2048x1152 and inferior to 4096x2304 and the UI will be smooth ?

 

[bcaslis]

You can scale it but it's not as smooth. I'm fine running it at 2018 x 115s.

 

[jean512]

ok so that's what I said from the beginning. It will not be smooth.

 

[jean512]

Well, now after digging out the problem I have 2 choice :

- Stay with a dual 4K monitors in 2560x1440p scalling and live with medium performance (UI lagging, full screen video overheating the MBP...)

- Get a dual Dell 25" 2560x1440p and have the max performance, but no retina effect

hard choice

 

[bcaslis]

It's not clear what is driving the 2560x1440 requirement. If this is a hard requirement for some reason, then I'd go with native 2560x1440 monitor if I could not afford the UltraFine 5K or us an iMac instead.