What needs to be considered iro EXTERNAL screen/display resolution - cMBP 13" 2012

[Cassady]

Hello all,

I'm the first to admit I know next to nothing about screen resolution/aspect ratio/output blah blah blah.

I'm also the ONLY person in the whole world who hasn't noticed the amazing difference between Retina and Standard displays. So clearly - I'm blind.

What I do know, is that my el cheapo Samsung 19", is making my eyes bleed.

So time for an upgrade.

This tells me that the native supported resolution for my MBP is 1280 x 800.

This is the Dell P2414h 24" that I am looking at.

I do plenty of writing etc., and being able to fit my writing/research apps side by side on a widescreen 24" is very appealing. A 27" is obviously more appealing, but won't fit on my desk/my arms are too short.

The Dell says it's Full HD 1920 x 1080 (at 60Hz), 16:9 aspect ratio.

Question:

Will my i5 mid 2012 MBP play nicely with this monitor? Or is/are my fan/fans going to screaming all day just to drive it? I know so little that I have no clue just how stupid that last statement was - but hey, that's why I'm here!

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[Cassady]

Aw shoot.

How do you delete a post?

You know - I do plenty of reading for a living. I should remember that...

Further down the page: Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors

So looks like it should work just fine?

 

[xera]

If you're powering an external 1920 x 1080 monitor via DisplayPort or DVI, the MBP will handle it fine, and I don't think the fans will spin up so that you can hear.

The mid 2009 MBP I had could power a 2560x1440 monitor without fans going loud for office work, only doing more intense things like watching a movie would make the fans audible.

 

[Cassady]

If you're powering an external 1920 x 1080 monitor via DisplayPort or DVI, the MBP will handle it fine, and I don't think the fans will spin up so that you can hear.

The mid 2009 MBP I had could power a 2560x1440 monitor without fans going loud for office work, only doing more intense things like watching a movie would make the fans audible.

Appreciate the reply. Always useful to hear real-world experiences, as opposed to what is possible, in theory.

 

[itareanlnotani]

That model has a crappy Intel HD4000, so max resolution on an external screen is limited to a maximum of 2560x 1600.
A Dell with 1920x1080 will be fine.

Don't forget, you'll also need an adaptor to dvi or vga or hdmi (depending what the screen you choose uses for input).
Those will be another R150-200 extra (using takealot pricing as a guide).

 

[Cassady]

That model has a crappy Intel HD4000, so max resolution on an external screen is limited to a maximum of 2560x 1600.
A Dell with 1920x1080 will be fine.

Don't forget, you'll also need an adaptor to dvi or vga or hdmi (depending what the screen you choose uses for input).
Those will be another R150-200 extra (using takealot pricing as a guide).

Thanks.

Ja - I steered away from a 27", mainly due to space issues - but also since I didn't think my machine would do justice to it's resolution etc.

That day can wait for when I upgrade my laptop.

Have the DVI at work, connected to a Dell. Had a VGA connection at home, driving the 19" Samsung.

From what I gather, anything will work/look better on something other than VGA, so will probably purchase an adapter for that. Struggled to find one last time, but will shop around.

 

[Cassady]

Ah.... so it appears I might have rushed into things slightly...

The Dell monitor I just ordered, comes with a VGA, DVI-D and DisplayPort "in"...

Don't want to use VGA.

Currently using DVI-D between my work monitor, and my MBP - using a [thankfully still available] Mini-Display to DVI-D adapter.
I would be able to get a similar setup, through Takealot, for a few hundred rand (including cable for another hundred).

Question: Should I just run with the DVI-D, or try and make a plan with the DisplayPort in -- would it be significantly 'better'?

The latter is complicated though. I can get a Mini-Display Port to HDMI converter easily enough - but then cannot find a HDMI <> DisplayPort cable.... Or a Mini-Display to DisplayPort cable... Or a DisplayPort to HDMI converter... Granted -- this has just been on Takealot - will still look around, but what do you all think?

 

[itareanlnotani]

Your MBP should have displayport, so use that.

Check if the screen is MiniDP or DP though. Mac's use MiniDP, so you'd need an appropriate cable. eg MiniDP on Mac end -> DP on Dell end.

Not sure why you're complaining about VGA, it doesn't really matter at the resolution you're using.
VGA still has bandwidth to run HD without issues.

Suitable cable - http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-32AWG-Mini-DisplayPort-Cable/dp/B0034X6SCY

(I'd probably order off Amazon, as customs will be zero, as its < R300). I don't think shipping will be too much either.