Pro Display XDR - Owners Thread

[shurcooL]

Very true. And side by side that aspect cannot be missed. Fortunately, my room is in a basement with no external illumination so I always have the nits very low and the gray of the SD not really noticeable. Even set to 500 nits in a dark room is like looking into the sun. My XDR is on the P3-500 nit preset and the brightness slider is only about 1/3 full.

The HDR is another significant difference (as XDR in its name implies). Try opening a test page like https://www.wide-gamut.com/test or https://www.wide-gamut.com/test/image-hdr in Chrome on both displays—just be sure to use the "Pro Display XDR (P3-1600 nits)" preset. (When it comes to displaying SDR, it's very true they have equivalent visual quality ignoring their size difference.)

 

[wagninger]

I topped my WWDC 2nd gen wishful thinking thread, but wanted to also goose my fellow XDR fans about possibility of an incoming refresh.

Also, how’s it been going? Everybody’s XDR monitors holding on okay?

Mine is holding up very well, I like that there is competition cropping up from third parties as well. Multiple 27" 5k displays in recent months, now a 6k, 32" from LG announced. Apple has to step it up a little bit if they don't offer "good" iMacs anymore...

 

[fpenta]

Hello everyone,

I just got a refurbished Pro Display XDR and suddenly noticed that the contrast and black levels appear a little bit “flatter” when using the “Pro Display XDR (1600 nits)” preset, especially when compared to my MacBook Pro’s built-in XDR display. However, when I switch to the “Photography” preset, the two displays match much more closely in terms of contrast and black depth.

Additionally, when testing using a contrast/black-level website (where all squares should be distinguishable), I can clearly see all the squares on the Pro Display XDR, but not on the MacBook Pro. If I set the “Photography” preset, I can see all squares also on the MacBook Pro.

After calibrating both displays using the Calibrite Display Plus HL, the contrast on the Pro Display XDR has noticeably improved and now closely matches that of the MacBook Pro XDR (which didn’t change at all). As a result, doing the same black level test again, now I can’t see the first squares anymore on the Pro Display XDR being the black levels increased.

Is this behavior expected from the XDR display?

 

[restock3eee]

Apple refurbished? Ive never seen them.

 

[fpenta]

Apple refurbished? Ive never seen them.

Apple authorized retailer

 

[innerproduct]

I am about to buy a second hand XDR 6k since I "need" the res and would like better blacks than my current studio display. Is it still worth it? works fine with current Macs? (I have a mbp m3 max for now, but will get either a m3ultra studio or a Mac Pro if that comes out this year)

 

[etc]

I am about to buy a second hand XDR 6k since I "need" the res and would like better blacks than my current studio display. Is it still worth it? works fine with current Macs? (I have a mbp m3 max for now, but will get either a m3ultra studio or a Mac Pro if that comes out this year)

Considering current economic situation even 5k for the brand new XDR looks decent.
So yes, I think it's worth it, especially if you consider used options.

 

[Onimusha370]

I am about to buy a second hand XDR 6k since I "need" the res and would like better blacks than my current studio display. Is it still worth it? works fine with current Macs? (I have a mbp m3 max for now, but will get either a m3ultra studio or a Mac Pro if that comes out this year)

Yeah works great for me - I'm also rocking an M3 Max MBP and I have no issues. It is essentially the MBP display but 4x larger, which is exactly what I wanted it to be.

The only thing that might tempt me to hold off (in your shoes) is if you're shortly going to be moving to a Thunderbolt 5 system with the M3 Ultra or M4 family. At some point Apple will most likely release an XDR2 with 120hz, tandem OLED, possibly 7k/8k. Given how awesome that will be, you could argue its worth waiting for... but given how much uncertainty there is about the release timing of that - I'd say go for the current XDR and enjoy it.

 

[innerproduct]

Yeah works great for me - I'm also rocking an M3 Max MBP and I have no issues. It is essentially the MBP display but 4x larger, which is exactly what I wanted it to be.

The only thing that might tempt me to hold off (in your shoes) is if you're shortly going to be moving to a Thunderbolt 5 system with the M3 Ultra or M4 family. At some point Apple will most likely release an XDR2 with 120hz, tandem OLED, possibly 7k/8k. Given how awesome that will be, you could argue its worth waiting for... but given how much uncertainty there is about the release timing of that - I'd say go for the current XDR and enjoy it.

Thanks for the feedback! I actually ordered a 6k xdr in 21 but it got delayed and for some reason I cancelled it. Since then I have been expecting a new XDR display (7K rumors and what have you...) but it never seems to materialize.. Now I get a little bit "scared" there will never be an update and we will get back to the horrible situation we had with no apple displays during the LG Ultrafine era. So I got an 5k studio display to have something that's neat and well integrated. I use all the ports on that but only for low bandwidth stuff like audio, Wacom etc.

 

[Onimusha370]

Thanks for the feedback! I actually ordered a 6k xdr in 21 but it got delayed and for some reason I cancelled it. Since then I have been expecting a new XDR display (7K rumors and what have you...) but it never seems to materialize.. Now I get a little bit "scared" there will never be an update and we will get back to the horrible situation we had with no apple displays during the LG Ultrafine era. So I got an 5k studio display to have something that's neat and well integrated. I use all the ports on that but only for low bandwidth stuff like audio, Wacom etc.

Aaa nice - yeah I can totally relate to the fear of a new one coming out, especially given how much I'd love 120hz and even more pixels

I was thinking about it for a few years from 21-23 and finally decided in June 23 to just go for it, even though I thought TB5 was on the horizon. As you say, there's no guarantee (given how expensive and low volume this display is) that they'll make a 2nd gen. The 60hz is slightly jarring when coming from the MBP, but if you can deal with that on the studio display then you should be fine!

 

[fpenta]

I am about to buy a second hand XDR 6k since I "need" the res and would like better blacks than my current studio display. Is it still worth it? works fine with current Macs? (I have a mbp m3 max for now, but will get either a m3ultra studio or a Mac Pro if that comes out this year)

I recently bought a refurbished/demo unit from an Apple Store reseller, upgrading from the Studio Display.

I also managed to activate AppleCare on the XDR.

It was the best decision, and honestly, I couldn’t justify buying it new..so selling the Studio Display is now helping fund part of the XDR

I wanted a larger screen, the same PPI, solid design and HDR capabilities and the XDR was the only real option. I think it will remain the only viable option for a while.
I also managed to get it work with Windows at full resolution and HDR, so now I’m enjoying the screen also while gaming.


I’m aware a refresh might be coming, but honestly, I don’t care about 120 hz, Mini LED, or OLED or higher resolution. I honestly can’t see much difference between my Mini led MacBook Pro and the XDR. Sure, the XDR has a bit more blooming, but it’s a small difference. I also don’t care about webcams or speakers.

For my needs, this is the perfect display. Buying it used today is great value, especially since it’s still the only option of its kind.

 

[Onimusha370]

I recently bought a refurbished/demo unit from an Apple Store reseller, upgrading from the Studio Display.

I also managed to activate AppleCare on the XDR.

It was the best decision, and honestly, I couldn’t justify buying it new..so selling the Studio Display is now helping fund part of the XDR

I wanted a larger screen, the same PPI, solid design and HDR capabilities and the XDR was the only real option. I think it will remain the only viable option for a while.
I also managed to get it work with Windows at full resolution and HDR, so now I’m enjoying the screen also while gaming.


I’m aware a refresh might be coming, but honestly, I don’t care about 120 hz, Mini LED, or OLED or higher resolution. I honestly can’t see much difference between my Mini led MacBook Pro and the XDR. Sure, the XDR has a bit more blooming, but it’s a small difference. I also don’t care about webcams or speakers.

For my needs, this is the perfect display. Buying it used today is great value, especially since it’s still the only option of its kind.

Sorry to hi-jack this slightly, but I just wanted to check how you got it to work with windows so well? When I plug in a windows laptop the XDR comes on at full brightness and I lose the ability to control the brightness via the PC. If you know a way to edit brightness after plugging in, I would massively appreciate it!

 

[fpenta]

Sorry to hi-jack this slightly, but I just wanted to check how you got it to work with windows so well? When I plug in a windows laptop the XDR comes on at full brightness and I lose the ability to control the brightness via the PC. If you know a way to edit brightness after plugging in, I would massively appreciate it!

You need to install bootcamp to make the HDR and brightness work:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/studio-display-brightness-in-windows.2338479/page-2

Apple Pro Display XDR on Windows · Blog @ Ben | imbushuo

Why? Because I can.

imbushuo.net

 

[hackerliye]

Hello everyone, I have a very tricky question that I couldn’t find an answer to anywhere online. I feel this might be the most authoritative source of information, so I’m hoping to try my luck here.

I want to use my Pro Display XDR with my Intel-based 2019 Mac Pro (7,1). Everything works fine when the Mac Pro is running macOS. However, when I boot into Windows via Boot Camp and install all the drivers provided by Boot Camp, the Pro Display XDR doesn't support HDR. Although the desktop mode shows 6016×3384, the active signal mode is only 3008×3384—exactly half the full resolution.

From what I’ve read in previous discussions, the Pro Display XDR signal is composed of two merged 3008×3384 streams. So I suspect that under Windows, only one signal stream is being transmitted.

I’ve tried various AMD drivers, including those from AMD's official website as well as third-party drivers from BootCampDrivers, but none of them have allowed me to enable 6K60 with HDR on the Pro Display XDR. Interestingly, when I connect the display to a Dell XPS 9320, it correctly outputs 6K60 with HDR, so I believe the issue lies with the Mac Pro's drivers under Windows.

Has anyone managed to get 6K60 with HDR working on a Pro Display XDR connected to a Mac Pro running Windows? Thanks a lot for help!

 

[etc]

Hello everyone, I have a very tricky question that I couldn’t find an answer to anywhere online. I feel this might be the most authoritative source of information, so I’m hoping to try my luck here.

I want to use my Pro Display XDR with my Intel-based 2019 Mac Pro (7,1). Everything works fine when the Mac Pro is running macOS. However, when I boot into Windows via Boot Camp and install all the drivers provided by Boot Camp, the Pro Display XDR doesn't support HDR. Although the desktop mode shows 6016×3384, the active signal mode is only 3008×3384—exactly half the full resolution.

From what I’ve read in previous discussions, the Pro Display XDR signal is composed of two merged 3008×3384 streams. So I suspect that under Windows, only one signal stream is being transmitted.

I’ve tried various AMD drivers, including those from AMD's official website as well as third-party drivers from BootCampDrivers, but none of them have allowed me to enable 6K60 with HDR on the Pro Display XDR. Interestingly, when I connect the display to a Dell XPS 9320, it correctly outputs 6K60 with HDR, so I believe the issue lies with the Mac Pro's drivers under Windows.

Has anyone managed to get 6K60 with HDR working on a Pro Display XDR connected to a Mac Pro running Windows? Thanks a lot for help!

View attachment 2523581

I guess the radeon driver just shows wrong info. If you see the full picture, that means you have 2 active streams.
The recent problem with HDR was related to the color profile chosen. To get HDR in Windows settings you need to choose P3-1600 profile first in the Bootcamp control panel.
Details are here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/studio-display-to-pro-display-xdr.2457587/post-33926172

 

[hackerliye]

I guess the radeon driver just shows wrong info. If you see the full picture, that means you have 2 active streams.
The recent problem with HDR was related to the color profile chosen. To get HDR in Windows settings you need to choose P3-1600 profile first in the Bootcamp control panel.
Details are here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/studio-display-to-pro-display-xdr.2457587/post-33926172

Thanks for the answer! I already installed the bootcamp panel and set the profile to P3-1600 nits, but it still does not support HDR. When I try to enable HDR the screen goes black and the setting goes to enabled for 1 second and turns back to disabled again.
When I try to link the Pro Display XDR to XPS 9320(or other laptop supports Thunderbolt), it automatically supports 6K60 with HDR, and the active signal mode is 6016 * 3364 instead of 3008 * 3364.

 

[etc]

Thanks for the answer! I already installed the bootcamp panel and set the profile to P3-1600 nits, but it still does not support HDR. When I try to enable HDR the screen goes black and the setting goes to enabled for 1 second and turns back to disabled again.
When I try to link the Pro Display XDR to XPS 9320(or other laptop supports Thunderbolt), it automatically supports 6K60 with HDR, and the active signal mode is 6016 * 3364 instead of 3008 * 3364.
View attachment 2523636

Ok, it seems the problem is the GPU you use. What GPU you have?

If this is 580X, then it makes sense. Because to make it work with the XDR Apple developed its own protocol to run it, like using 2 streams to display the picture. The same way they used to support LG UltraFine 5K displays, but they don't support HDR at all. So that could be a reason that you can't get HDR.

You can try to get rid of Thunderbolt bus involved here and switch to USB-C transport, but 580X does not support DSC, so you probably lose 6K and get 4K max, but with HDR (maybe).

So I guess you have only one option here: you need to replace your 580X GPU with something that at least supports DSC and make it work via USB-C, not Thunderbolt. Maybe W5xxxX or W6xxxX MPX modules can be an option, but they also have TB ports.

I've found some posts over the Internet about upgrading Mac Pro with Radeon GPUs, so you can try to find RX 6800 XT with USB-C output.

 

[hackerliye]

Ok, it seems the problem is the GPU you use. What GPU you have?

If this is 580X, then it makes sense. Because to make it work with the XDR Apple developed its own protocol to run it, like using 2 streams to display the picture. The same way they used to support LG UltraFine 5K displays, but they don't support HDR at all. So that could be a reason that you can't get HDR.

You can try to get rid of Thunderbolt bus involved here and switch to USB-C transport, but 580X does not support DSC, so you probably lose 6K and get 4K max, but with HDR (maybe).

So I guess you have only one option here: you need to replace your 580X GPU with something that at least supports DSC and make it work via USB-C, not Thunderbolt. Maybe W5xxxX or W6xxxX MPX modules can be an option, but they also have TB ports.

I've found some posts over the Internet about upgrading Mac Pro with Radeon GPUs, so you can try to find RX 6800 XT with USB-C output.

Thanks a lot! My GPU is Readon Pro Vega II, the same generation as 580X, that explains lol. On macos it works, Apple might only run it's own protocal on macos but not windows. Maybe I need to get a new non-mpx GPU and use the displayport with the Pro Display XDR.

 

[joevt]

From what I’ve read in previous discussions, the Pro Display XDR signal is composed of two merged 3008×3384 streams. So I suspect that under Windows, only one signal stream is being transmitted.

I think you should be able to tell the difference between 3008x3384 and 6016x3384. I believe you are getting the correct 6016x3384 pixels (two streams of 3008x3384). The Windows UI is not smart enough to show you that there are two 3008x3384 streams. Like @etc said, the radeon driver just shows wrong info. It's at least more info than you get with the Mac UI.

When I try to link the Pro Display XDR to XPS 9320(or other laptop supports Thunderbolt), it automatically supports 6K60 with HDR, and the active signal mode is 6016 * 3364 instead of 3008 * 3364.

The XPS 9320 probably has a GPU that supports DSC so it can do a single 6016x3384 stream.

I wonder if there's an issue with the EDID? You can get the EDID from Mac OS and try to load it into Windows using CRU. This is complicated because each half of the display has a different EDID. Does CRU show two similar EDIDs? Do they include HDR info?