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Samsung Odyssey G9 49" DQHD 240Hz 1ms GTG Curved VA LED G-Sync Gaming Monitor (LC49G95TSSNXZA) - White

I have a MacBook Pro 13' with the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 1536 MB.


There were a number of posts that the ultra wide 49" monitors cannot be fully utilized with this little Mac. But my question is this: what is the best set up?


This monitor is for productivity, and I like that it is just one instead of two monitors with a divider in the middle. I love that it feels lie 3 monitors. That said, is there a way to "boost" performance?


I've set it up as USB - C to HDMI. It is my own cable, as it did not come in the box. In the box I have Display Port to Display Port, which doesn't work for USB-C.


Should I buy the adapter for Display Port to USB - C? Will it improve performance? Or will that be a just waste of money because the resolution is already at max with the HDMI?


What is the difference between Display Port and HDMI?


P.S. I do plan to upgrade my computer next year and din't want to have and monitor that would later need an upgrade again, just went for the latest and greatest.

Posted on Aug 22, 2020 10:33 AM

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Posted on Aug 31, 2020 11:54 AM

You won't be able to get the full resolution + refresh rate on the G9 on any currently available Mac laptop. You could do USB-C to HDMI & DP for each side but it will need to be in Picture by Picture (PBP) mode which has its own limitations.


Displayport to USB-C should get you 5120x1440@120hz on the single cable (make sure whatever adapter you get lists DisplayPort 1.4), which should be better than whatever you're getting on HDMI (like 50-60hz and/or running at a lower resolution). Something like the CRG90 (the previous generation) would likely work better but I'm guessing you already have the monitor. :)

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 31, 2020 11:54 AM in response to volodya

You won't be able to get the full resolution + refresh rate on the G9 on any currently available Mac laptop. You could do USB-C to HDMI & DP for each side but it will need to be in Picture by Picture (PBP) mode which has its own limitations.


Displayport to USB-C should get you 5120x1440@120hz on the single cable (make sure whatever adapter you get lists DisplayPort 1.4), which should be better than whatever you're getting on HDMI (like 50-60hz and/or running at a lower resolution). Something like the CRG90 (the previous generation) would likely work better but I'm guessing you already have the monitor. :)

Aug 22, 2020 10:46 AM in response to volodya

And forgot to ask a dumber question to the smart people here. What if I used two USB-C ports at the same time, one for the USB-C to HDMI to monitor, and second USB-C to Displayport on the same monitor? I wish I had those cables already, I'd just try it but I don't. Before I buy one - what are your thoughts? Would that separate the screen into "dual" mode and improve? Or is this really as dumb a question as I thought it might be? *facepalm*

Aug 31, 2020 12:35 PM in response to volodya

Readers are saying that the 2020 model MacBook Pro 13-in high-line (four Thunderbolt Ports) CAN hook up to those Ultra-wide displays with one DisplayPort cable.


Older MacBook Pro 13-in seem to require requires two cables and Picture-by-Picture.


In my opinion, you should use two DisplayPort cables to accomplish this, not HDMI of any description.


when you use Picture-by-Picture you can use "Extended Desktop" to combine the screens back together and get the effect of one single large display. The fairly seamless.




... except in your case, the displays will be exactly the same size and exactly adjacent.



Aug 31, 2020 12:40 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The laptops can connect and display with a single DisplayPort cable but not at 240hz - the only devices currently available that can display at that resolution + refresh rate (due to the amount of bandwidth required) is the Nvidia RTX lineup as they support Display Stream Compression (DSC). They will be able to display at 5120x1440@120hz at most using a single cable.


Though note - I forgot that the G9 has two DisplayPort inputs, so in that case you can do two USB-C to DP1.4 adapters and that should be able to drive both sides of the display at 240hz, though the MacBook will likely turn into a mini-furnace/lag significantly given the additional load that draws (and how weak the integrated GPU is on the 655).

Aug 31, 2020 12:55 PM in response to Mandersoon

The reason I said what I did is:


I read several discussions here where dozens of Readers were unable to get their 13-in MacBook Pro (older than 2020 models) to get a single-cable solution to work AT ALL at the advertised 5120-wide resolution, for various wide displays. No solutions seemed forthcoming, except to use two cables and Picture-by-Picture.


Some knowledgeable Users worked hard using SwitchResX and other tricks, but to no avail. Someone finally stated the one-cable solution for those pre-2020 models was simply not possible, and it was never refuted.

Samsung Odyssey G9 49" DQHD 240Hz 1ms GTG Curved VA LED G-Sync Gaming Monitor (LC49G95TSSNXZA) - White

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