Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Neil Houghton]

Hi Rod,

 

Sounds like a good plan. For me, if you can find a reasonable deal, I would 
reckon it is worth going to the 2560 x 1440 over the 1920x1080 for a couple of 
reasons:
Screen resolutions have been increasing for a while and, though you don’t need 
4K, I certainly find the QHD 2560x1440 resolution is noticeably better than the 
HD 1920x1080. 
2560x1440 is the same resolution as your 27” iMac – so you then have the option 
of a dual 2560x1440 desktop for:
As a second monitor for your iMac (if you still use it).
Provided your model MacBook pro will drive dual extended displays and you 
resolve the connection issue (as previously discussed, either directly or via a 
Luna display) – then as an external monitor for your MacBook pro with the iMac 
as an extended desktop display.
I would also note that if you find a monitor with both HDMI and Display Port 
inputs (like mine) you can have it simultaneously connected to both the iMac 
(via Display Port) and the MacBook Pro (via HDMI) and chose which computer you 
use it with at any time by just changing the source input on the monitor (I 
tried this & it works as expected).

 

Also price and availability seem to change rapidly and the upcoming EOFY may 
offer new deals but may reduce availability – for example, looking at 
Officeworks today, I cannot see my model listed anymore but:
The flat screen version of my curved monitor is available at a price that is 
$44 more than I paid for the (normally more expensive) curved version 
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-31-5-2k-qhd-ips-monitor-d32q-20-syl65f7gac
The height adjustable version of my curved monitor is shown at a price that is 
$8 less than I paid for the non-height adjustable version – but is not actually 
available!! 
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-31-5-2k-qhd-1ms-144hz-curved-gaming-monitor-g32qc-10-sy66a2gacb
 

Anyway, it really boils down to being clear on what sort of display real estate 
you want/need and getting what suits your working methods, so – shop around!

 

 

Cheers

 

 

Neil

 

 

From:  on behalf of Rod Blitvich 

Reply-To: WAMUG 
Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2022 at 09:10
To: WAMUG 
Subject: Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

 

Thanks to everyone for your useful advice.

So I’m thinking it doesn’t seem essential to spend big bucks.

Nor does it seem the monitor needs to be labelled “mac compatible”.

Probably don’t need 4K resolution, but 1920x1080 or 2560 x 1440  might be nice.

 

I am wondering whether Brightness specs are important? Some are 250 nits? 
Others are 300 or higher.

 

Anyway going to look around at Officeworks and JB.

 

But First - I HAVE TO TIDY THE STUDY!

藍

 

Thanks again everyone

Blitto

 

 



Rod Blitvich  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
  rb...@iinet.net.au 






On 17 May 2022, at 4:57 pm, Marcus Harris  wrote:

 

I bought a 27 inch frameless monitor, 2560x1440 resolution with HDMI connection 
from Kogan. It was about $300 a year ago.

It’s perfect for general use.

I believe the main thing that others have noted is that QHD 2560x1440 
resolution is far superior to HD 1920x1080, so pay that bit extra.

Cheers

Marcus
Marcus Harris
P.O. Box 7135
Shenton Park
Western Australia 6008
Australia
Cryptodome Pty Ltd
cryptodo...@me.com
Mob: +61 (0) 417965618



 



On 16 May 2022, at 7:36 pm, Neil Houghton  wrote:

 

Hi Rod,

 

I’d second what Peter said – I’ve bought a couple of external monitors over the 
last 14 months and both have just connected and worked with both my late 2009 
27” iMac and my new 13” M1 Macbook air. I think the best approach is really to 
just think about:

· what sort of display real estate you want/need

· what is the resolution of your computer

· what is the driving capacity of your computer

 

For myself:

· My iMac has a native resolution of 2560x 1440 and simultaneously 
supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to a 30-inch 
display (2560 by 1600 pixels) on an external display

· My MacBook Air has a native resolution of 2560 × 1600 and 
simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and one 
external display with up to 6016x3384 resolution at 60Hz

· My Phillips 273v7qdsb has Native Resolution of 1920 x 1080 and HDMI, 
DVI-D and D-sub inputs.

· My Lenovo D32qc-20 has Native Resolution of 2560 x 1440 and HDMI and 
Display Port inputs.

 

For my main iMac, I am frequently running multiple Excel spreadsheets and/or 
multiple browser windows with many tabs in each – so my need was for an 
extended desktop to maximise viewing area. Initially I had the Phillips 
attached with a direct mini display port to hdmi cable - which all worked fine 
but I found the discontinuity of tracking from the 2560x1440 iMac screen to the 
1920x1080 monitor screen sufficiently annoying that I ended up reducing the 
iMac resolution to 1

Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Peter Crisp]

Yes Blitto, that's exactly what I would be doing. Brightness will be
adjustable. If you're budget constrained, then the lesser resolution
will still be fine. My Lenovo's were $180 a piece - dirt cheap, fine
to use for my engineering/PM type work. 

Kind Regards

Peter Crisp

- Original Message -
From: wamug@wamug.org.au
To:"WA Mac User Group Mac User Group" 
Cc:
Sent:Wed, 18 May 2022 09:04:35 +0800
Subject:Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

 Thanks to everyone for your useful advice.So I’m thinking it
doesn’t seem essential to spend big bucks.Nor does it seem the
monitor needs to be labelled “mac compatible”.
Probably don’t need 4K resolution, but 1920x1080 or 2560 x 1440 
might be nice.
I am wondering whether Brightness specs are important? Some are 250
nits? Others are 300 or higher.
Anyway going to look around at Officeworks and JB.
But First - I HAVE TO TIDY THE STUDY!藍
Thanks again everyoneBlitto

ROD BLITVICH  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
  rb...@iinet.net.au 

On 17 May 2022, at 4:57 pm, Marcus Harris  wrote:
I bought a 27 inch frameless monitor, 2560x1440 resolution with HDMI
connection from Kogan. It was about $300 a year ago.It’s perfect for
general use.I believe the main thing that others have noted is that
QHD 2560x1440 resolution is far superior to HD 1920x1080, so pay
that bit extra.Cheers
 Marcus
Marcus Harris
P.O. Box 7135
Shenton Park
Western Australia 6008
Australia
Cryptodome Pty Ltd
cryptodo...@me.com [2]
Mob: +61 (0) 417965618

On 16 May 2022, at 7:36 pm, Neil Houghton  wrote:
Hi Rod,

 I’d second what Peter said – I’ve bought a couple of external
monitors over the last 14 months and both have just connected and
worked with both my late 2009 27” iMac and my new 13” M1 Macbook
air. I think the best approach is really to just think about:

* what sort of display real estate you want/need

* what is the resolution of your computer

* what is the driving capacity of your computer

 For myself:

* My iMac has a native resolution of 2560x 1440 and simultaneously
supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to a
30-inch display (2560 by 1600 pixels) on an external display

* My MacBook Air has a native resolution of 2560 × 1600 and
simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display
and one external display with up to 6016x3384 resolution at 60Hz

* My Phillips 273v7qdsb has Native Resolution of 1920 x 1080 and
HDMI, DVI-D and D-sub inputs.

* My Lenovo D32qc-20 has Native Resolution of 2560 x 1440 and HDMI
and Display Port inputs.

 For my main iMac, I am frequently running multiple Excel
spreadsheets and/or multiple browser windows with many tabs in each
– so my need was for an extended desktop to maximise viewing area.
Initially I had the Phillips attached with a direct mini display port
to hdmi cable - which all worked fine but I found the discontinuity of
tracking from the 2560x1440 iMac screen to the 1920x1080 monitor
screen sufficiently annoying that I ended up reducing the iMac
resolution to 1920x1080 to match the monitor – which I found much
more useable. However it seemed a shame to have to resort to
downgrading the iMac resolution – so, given that the iMac can
support video output up to 2560x1600 - I decided to upgrade the
monitor and bought the 32” Lenovo.

 As per my previous post, when I initially connected the Lenovo,
using the same direct mini display port to hdmi cable, I found that
the maximum resolution that the iMac could see was 1920 x 1080 but I
then bought a mini display port to display port cable – which
unlocked the full 2560 x 1440 resolution of the monitor – which now
gives a seamless extended desktop of 2x 2560x1440 – which works
great for me.

 I now use the Phillips with the MacBook Air at home  - I have a
USB-C hub with an HDMI port and an HDMI cable to handle the connection
and I have the monitor set as the main display and the MacBook display
just set to mirror the monitor – I find the 13” screen hard to
view without glasses but the 27” is great.

 So, as you see, different setups for different purposes – but, if
you are looking to use an extended desktop with 2 displays/monitors, I
do find having the same vertical resolution makes for a seamless
pointer transition between the two screens and avoids the annoyance of
the pointer ‘banging into the brick wall”.

 I did see if the Macbook air would drive both the external monitor
AND the Luna Display connected 27” iMac – but the Luna display app
just told me that I had reached the display limit of my computer. The
Luna Display app obviously makes the iMac just look like an external
display and, since the MacBook air will only drive one external
monitor, it is either/or but not both!

 I’m not sure what size your 2021 MacBook Pro is – the 13”
seems to have the same capability as my MacB

Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Rod Blitvich]

ook air will only drive one external monitor, it is either/or but not 
>> both!
>>  
>> I’m not sure what size your 2021 MacBook Pro is – the 13” seems to have the 
>> same capability as my MacBook Air whilst the 14” and 16” obviously have 
>> greater resolutions AND the ability to drive multiple displays.
>>  
>> So, I hope some of that may help your considerations – and there is no need 
>> to spend $600, or more, on the monitor – I paid $227 for the 27” Full HD 
>> Phillips and $355 for the 32” curved Lenovo (flat is even cheaper) with 2560 
>> x 1440 resolution – all at OfficeWorks.
>>  
>> Cheers
>>  
>>  
>> Neil
>>  
>> From: > <mailto:wamug.org.au-wamug-boun...@lists.wamug.org.au>> on behalf of Peter 
>> Crisp mailto:petercr...@westnet.com.au>>
>> Reply-To: WAMUG mailto:wamug@wamug.org.au>>
>> Date: Monday, 16 May 2022 at 16:34
>> To: WAMUG mailto:wamug@wamug.org.au>>
>> Subject: Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro
>>  
>> Hi Blitto, I bought a pair of Lenovo 24” regular monitors around 18 months 
>> ago when I had to work from home due to you know what. I use my Windows work 
>> laptop but they work equally well on my Macbook by plugging into an HDMI 
>> port. Mac OS figures out what you’ve got and does a pretty good job of 
>> setting up. Sometimes a few tweaks needed to get scaling correct, but no 
>> fundamental flaws. A lot of sellers don’t actually know if they work with 
>> Mac OSX, can check on the manufacturers site for specifics and 
>> compatibility. I’d be surprised if there was a monitor for sale now that 
>> isn’t compatible. At worst you may have to download some drivers off the 
>> manufacturer site or wait for Mac OSX to auto get the drivers for you.
>>  
>> If using multiple external monitors, you might need a third party adaptor to 
>> have two HDMI ports connect via a single input to the Mac.
>>  
>> Regards
>>  
>> Pete. 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 16 May 2022, at 2:34 pm, Rod Blitvich >> <mailto:rb...@iinet.net.au>> wrote:
>>>  
>>> Hi Folks
>>> Please can anyone give recommendations on an external monitor for a 2021 
>>> MacBook Pro?
>>> Can one buy any external monitor (~$600) or does it have to be mac 
>>> compatible (~$1000)?
>>> Thanks
>>> Blitto 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Rod Blitvich  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
>>> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
>>>   rb...@iinet.net.au  
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>  
>>> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
>>> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml 
>>> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml>>
>>> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml 
>>> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml>>
>>> Settings & Unsubscribe - 
>>> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug 
>>> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>>
>> 
>>  
>> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - Guidelines - 
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> 
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Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Neil Houghton]

Hi Rod,

 

I’d second what Peter said – I’ve bought a couple of external monitors over the 
last 14 months and both have just connected and worked with both my late 2009 
27” iMac and my new 13” M1 Macbook air. I think the best approach is really to 
just think about:
what sort of display real estate you want/need
what is the resolution of your computer
what is the driving capacity of your computer
 

For myself:
My iMac has a native resolution of 2560x 1440 and simultaneously supports full 
native resolution on the built-in display and up to a 30-inch display (2560 by 
1600 pixels) on an external display
My MacBook Air has a native resolution of 2560 × 1600 and simultaneously 
supports full native resolution on the built-in display and one external 
display with up to 6016x3384 resolution at 60Hz
My Phillips 273v7qdsb has Native Resolution of 1920 x 1080 and HDMI, DVI-D and 
D-sub inputs.
My Lenovo D32qc-20 has Native Resolution of 2560 x 1440 and HDMI and Display 
Port inputs.
 

For my main iMac, I am frequently running multiple Excel spreadsheets and/or 
multiple browser windows with many tabs in each – so my need was for an 
extended desktop to maximise viewing area. Initially I had the Phillips 
attached with a direct mini display port to hdmi cable - which all worked fine 
but I found the discontinuity of tracking from the 2560x1440 iMac screen to the 
1920x1080 monitor screen sufficiently annoying that I ended up reducing the 
iMac resolution to 1920x1080 to match the monitor – which I found much more 
useable. However it seemed a shame to have to resort to downgrading the iMac 
resolution – so, given that the iMac can support video output up to 2560x1600 - 
I decided to upgrade the monitor and bought the 32” Lenovo.

 

As per my previous post, when I initially connected the Lenovo, using the same 
direct mini display port to hdmi cable, I found that the maximum resolution 
that the iMac could see was 1920 x 1080 but I then bought a mini display port 
to display port cable – which unlocked the full 2560 x 1440 resolution of the 
monitor – which now gives a seamless extended desktop of 2x 2560x1440 – which 
works great for me.

 

I now use the Phillips with the MacBook Air at home  - I have a USB-C hub with 
an HDMI port and an HDMI cable to handle the connection and I have the monitor 
set as the main display and the MacBook display just set to mirror the monitor 
– I find the 13” screen hard to view without glasses but the 27” is great.

 

So, as you see, different setups for different purposes – but, if you are 
looking to use an extended desktop with 2 displays/monitors, I do find having 
the same vertical resolution makes for a seamless pointer transition between 
the two screens and avoids the annoyance of the pointer ‘banging into the brick 
wall”.

 

I did see if the Macbook air would drive both the external monitor AND the Luna 
Display connected 27” iMac – but the Luna display app just told me that I had 
reached the display limit of my computer. The Luna Display app obviously makes 
the iMac just look like an external display and, since the MacBook air will 
only drive one external monitor, it is either/or but not both!

 

I’m not sure what size your 2021 MacBook Pro is – the 13” seems to have the 
same capability as my MacBook Air whilst the 14” and 16” obviously have greater 
resolutions AND the ability to drive multiple displays.

 

So, I hope some of that may help your considerations – and there is no need to 
spend $600, or more, on the monitor – I paid $227 for the 27” Full HD Phillips 
and $355 for the 32” curved Lenovo (flat is even cheaper) with 2560 x 1440 
resolution – all at OfficeWorks.

 

Cheers

 

 

Neil

 

From:  on behalf of Peter Crisp 

Reply-To: WAMUG 
Date: Monday, 16 May 2022 at 16:34
To: WAMUG 
Subject: Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

 

Hi Blitto, I bought a pair of Lenovo 24” regular monitors around 18 months ago 
when I had to work from home due to you know what. I use my Windows work laptop 
but they work equally well on my Macbook by plugging into an HDMI port. Mac OS 
figures out what you’ve got and does a pretty good job of setting up. Sometimes 
a few tweaks needed to get scaling correct, but no fundamental flaws. A lot of 
sellers don’t actually know if they work with Mac OSX, can check on the 
manufacturers site for specifics and compatibility. I’d be surprised if there 
was a monitor for sale now that isn’t compatible. At worst you may have to 
download some drivers off the manufacturer site or wait for Mac OSX to auto get 
the drivers for you.

 

If using multiple external monitors, you might need a third party adaptor to 
have two HDMI ports connect via a single input to the Mac.

 

Regards

 

Pete. 



On 16 May 2022, at 2:34 pm, Rod Blitvich  wrote:

 

Hi Folks

Please can anyone give recommendations on an external monitor for a 2021 
MacBook Pro?

Can one buy any external monitor (~$600) or does it have to be mac

Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Daniel Kerr]

Hi Rod

There’s a huge range of choice out there when it comes to monitors. But a few 
things I’d definitely advise to keep in mind - not all monitors are the same. 
So even sometimes a 27” monitor can have different resolutions (eg 1920x1080 
which some refer as “HD” versus another 27” that can use QHD which is 2560x1440 
- the same the iMac “generally” uses). So always check what the default 
resolution you want it to work with.
Connections can differ as well. There can be a big difference in what they come 
with - HDMI, DVI, VGA (less often these days), USB-C.
Some monitors can have even USB-C that charges your laptop (so you plug the 
monitor in, and then with one cable you plug your laptop in and it does display 
and charging. (But this can also differ as to what the monitor is outputting 
for charge as well - some do 60W or less, some can do up to 87-90W - so that 
all can differ as well.

I’ve sold a few Samsung monitors which are really nice to clients and they use 
a USB-C connection. They’re QHD quality (so for this client it means the 
monitor is running the same resolution the iMac is so helps when moving windows 
off. These ones also had pivot/swivel - so it could be run in either landscape 
or portrait mode depending which they wanted.

So definitely a huge choice out there. It sometimes comes down to 
budget/quality/type etc etc etc. (and of course build quality and aesthetic’s 
can play a part as well. :)
Plenty of other things I could mention as well, but they’re a few of the main 
things anyway…...

Just my 2cents worth :)

Kind regards
Daniel

 Sent from my iPhone 12 Pro 

---
Daniel Kerr
MacWizardry

p : 0414 795 960
e : 
w : 


**For everything Apple**

NOTE: Any information provided in this email may be my personal opinion and as 
such should be taken accordingly, and may not be the views of MacWizardry. Any 
information provided does not offer or warrant any form of warranty or accept 
liability. It would be appreciated that if any information in this email is to 
be disseminated, distributed or copied, that permission by the author be 
requested. 

> On 16 May 2022, at 2:34 pm, Rod Blitvich  wrote:
> 
> Hi Folks
> Please can anyone give recommendations on an external monitor for a 2021 
> MacBook Pro?
> Can one buy any external monitor (~$600) or does it have to be mac compatible 
> (~$1000)?
> Thanks
> Blitto 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rod Blitvich  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
>   rb...@iinet.net.au 
> 
> 
> 
> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
> Archives - 
> Guidelines - 
> Settings & Unsubscribe - 
> 

-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
Archives - 
Guidelines - 
Settings & Unsubscribe - 

Re: [WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Peter Crisp]

Hi Blitto, I bought a pair of Lenovo 24” regular monitors around 18 months ago 
when I had to work from home due to you know what. I use my Windows work laptop 
but they work equally well on my Macbook by plugging into an HDMI port. Mac OS 
figures out what you’ve got and does a pretty good job of setting up. Sometimes 
a few tweaks needed to get scaling correct, but no fundamental flaws. A lot of 
sellers don’t actually know if they work with Mac OSX, can check on the 
manufacturers site for specifics and compatibility. I’d be surprised if there 
was a monitor for sale now that isn’t compatible. At worst you may have to 
download some drivers off the manufacturer site or wait for Mac OSX to auto get 
the drivers for you.

If using multiple external monitors, you might need a third party adaptor to 
have two HDMI ports connect via a single input to the Mac.

Regards

Pete. 

> On 16 May 2022, at 2:34 pm, Rod Blitvich  wrote:
> 
> Hi Folks
> Please can anyone give recommendations on an external monitor for a 2021 
> MacBook Pro?
> Can one buy any external monitor (~$600) or does it have to be mac compatible 
> (~$1000)?
> Thanks
> Blitto 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rod Blitvich  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
>   rb...@iinet.net.au  
> 
> 
> 
> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
> Archives - 
> Guidelines - 
> Settings & Unsubscribe - 
> 

-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
Archives - 
Guidelines - 
Settings & Unsubscribe - 

[WAMUG] External Monitor for MacBook Pro

[Rod Blitvich]

Hi Folks
Please can anyone give recommendations on an external monitor for a 2021 
MacBook Pro?
Can one buy any external monitor (~$600) or does it have to be mac compatible 
(~$1000)?
Thanks
Blitto 




Rod Blitvich  - Amy & Sam’s Dad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
  rb...@iinet.net.au  



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