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Monitor specs for a MacBook Pro 2015

Almost all of us are working at home now and I need to buy a monitor for my 2015 MacBook Pro as part of my new home office setup. I am looking for a budget monitor, I just need to know what specs in a monitor I should be looking for such as:

  • resolution
  • refresh rate
  • Display panel type: IPS or TN or whatever else
  • LCD or LED
  • screen size (24” or 27”)
  • connection (Thunderbolt 2 or HDMI)

Any advice would help so I know what to look for when I am purchasing a monitor. I want to know what’s optimal for my Mac so that I have a good monitor setup. Here are the screen specs of my Mac:

  • Screen: 13.3-inch IPS, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels


Looking forward to your help!


Dan

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 20, 2020 1:29 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 21, 2020 6:49 AM

Your Mac contains separate display generators for each possible display you can attach. But it uses shared display memory, so the more pixels you show on all displays, the harder that display RAM must work. 15-in and 16-in (and 17-in) MacBook Pro models have a private display RAM used for all displays when external displays are attached. Most others try to share system RAM.


Using a "heartbeat refresh" display (including the built-in display) puts stringent timing requirement on the rate at which display data muct be supplied, and is more taxing.


When you choose [√] Mirror displays, the Mac uses a compromise resolution that both displays should be able to handle, and uses ONE display generator for both displays.

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4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 21, 2020 6:49 AM in response to incredibles11

Your Mac contains separate display generators for each possible display you can attach. But it uses shared display memory, so the more pixels you show on all displays, the harder that display RAM must work. 15-in and 16-in (and 17-in) MacBook Pro models have a private display RAM used for all displays when external displays are attached. Most others try to share system RAM.


Using a "heartbeat refresh" display (including the built-in display) puts stringent timing requirement on the rate at which display data muct be supplied, and is more taxing.


When you choose [√] Mirror displays, the Mac uses a compromise resolution that both displays should be able to handle, and uses ONE display generator for both displays.

Apr 20, 2020 7:54 AM in response to incredibles11

  • connection (Thunderbolt 2 or HDMI)


the preferred connection method is [full size] or [Mini] DisplayPort. This protocol uses a packet interface and puts the smallest load on your computer, because it is not a "heartbeat refresh" protocol.


(DisplayPort family is roughly equivalent to the more expensive ThunderBolt and the less-common USB-C)

Apr 20, 2020 7:20 AM in response to incredibles11

You have to decide what monitor works best for you then check that it works with your Mac. We have no idea what resolution you want, what refresh rate, what size, etc. best meets your needs. We could list a hundred or more compatible monitors but that would not help you in the least. You need to tie down your monitor requirements.

Monitor specs for a MacBook Pro 2015

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