P
Peter Cohen
More Macs are supporting external 4K displays than ever before. Here's a roundup of some Mac-compatible displays you can use if you'd like to expand your Mac's desktop real estate in leaps and bounds. I've also provided some details about 4K display support on specific Mac models, to help guide your decision-making, because 4K displays are still a really significant investment.
Before we get started
As of November, 2014, the following Macs support external 4K displays:
- MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 and later)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
- Retina iMac (27-inch, Late 2013 and later)
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
If you're using a Mac that's more than a few months old, make sure you're running at least OS X Mavericks version 10.9.3 or later. Apple improved 4K display support in 10.9.3 with more scaled resolutions that make text look better on 4K displays.
Also, there's a caveat, about using 4K displays: Not all Macs support them the same way. 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros and the Mac mini support 4K through their HDMI 1.4 connectors, for example, and HDMI 1.4 on all Macs is limited to 24 Hz or 30 Hz refresh rates when displaying 4K content.
24 or 30 Hz is fine if all you plan to do is watch 4K movies or media content. But if you're going to be working in 4K all day long as an extension of the desktop, you'll probably want 60 Hz instead.
To do 60 Hz, you're going to need a late 2013 or later Mac Pro, a late 2013 or later 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, or a Retina iMac. The Mac Pro can support up to three 4K displays simultaneously. If you use a 4K display with the Retina MacBook Pro, Mac mini or Retina iMac, bear in mind that you can also attach a second monitor, though you'll have to settle for a "measly" 2560 x 1440 pixel display (the resolution of Apple's Thunderbolt Display).
As for the display itself, at this point, Apple doesn't make its own 4K display. The only external display Apple sells is the $999 Thunderbolt Display. While it's very nice, it's limited to 2560 x 1440 pixels, well below 4K. That means you have to look at third parties.
4K displays are awesome, but here's the thing: they can be tricky with what they support. Double-check that your Mac supports the display you're looking into.
Here are the 4K displays Apple notes on its own web site, because they all support Multi Stream Transport (MST) over DisplayPort, enabling them to work at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt.
Asus PQ321Q
31.5-inch display with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. Built-in DisplayPort 1.2 and two HDMI 1.4 inputs. VESA wall mount-compatible.
- $1,455.95 - Buy now
23.8-inch display with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. 178 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle. Stand supports tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment. Sports 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort 1.2, 1 Mini DisplayPort, 4 USB 3 ports (built-in USB 3 hub) with 1 upstream port, and 6-in-1 media card reader.
- $710.11 - Buy now
31.5-inch display with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution, 176 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle. Tilt, swivel and adjust height. Equipped with 1 HDMI, 1 Mini DisplayPort, 1 DisplayPort 1.2 interface, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 1 upstream USB 3 port, and 6-in-1 media card reader.
- $1,587 - Buy now
64.5-inch 4K TV with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. 176 degree viewing angle, 3 HDMI inputs, one DisplayPort 1.2 input, component video, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, also supports DLNA for media servers.
- $4,995 - Buy now
31.5-inch display with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. DisplayPort 1.2 interface, two HDMI 1.4 ports.
$3,103.02 - Buy now
These displays aren't listed on Apple's web site, but they're all equipped with DisplayPort 1.2 interfaces and the manufacturers say they support 60 Hz.
Asus PB287Q
28-inch 3840 x 2160 pixel display. DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, stand with tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment.
- $601.49 - Buy now
28-inch 3840 x 2160 resolution display. Sports 1 DVI-D (Dual Link), 1 VGA connector, two HDMI and 2 DisplayPort connections. 170 degree horizontal and 160 degree vertical viewing area, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m(2) brightness.
- $766.45 - Buy now
28-inch display with 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. 370 cd/m(2) brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio. Equipped with two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort interface.
- $578.44 - Buy now
Got your eye on one? Let me know what it is in the comments.
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