External Monitor - advice please.

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Level 1

4 points

External Monitor - advice please.

Hi all. I need to replace my ageing 21.5 inch imac and I'm on a budget. As I have a 2017 macbook pro, my hope is that I can hook up an external monitor to my macbook. The set up will be primarily for photo editing (lightroom and photoshop) as well as a occasional use of MS office apps and a bit of browsing. The monitor won't be used for games, video or TV. Size wise, either a 24 or 27 inch monitor would fit the bill.

My thoughts are that a 4k screen (3840 x 2160) will be nearest quality to an Apple Retina screen - is that right or would a much cheaper HD (1920 x 1080) screen be adequate?

Will scaling be an issue when used as above from the 13" macbook to the 24" or 27" screen and is it just a matter of connecting the two via the displayport or HDMI and switching everything on?

Is there anything I haven't thought of?

Apologies if these seem simple and straightforward issues to you, sadly they're not to me!

Really grateful for all replies,

Take care all,

Ian

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Oct 17, 2021 9:34 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

133,969 points

Oct 17, 2021 12:55 PM in response to baddoch

In addition to the built-in display, your Mac can simultaneously support up to two 4K displays, or one at 5K under ideal conditions using Thunderbolt or DisplayPort.

When you choose "SCALED" resolutions for HiDPI displays, graphics continue to be displayed at the native resolution of the display, and only TEXT is doubled (or 1.2 or 1.5, or 1.8) to get larger sizes that are more readable.

This article provides more background information, but no pictures are included:

Use multiple displays with your Mac - Apple Support

This graphic can help you understand how Extended Desktop works:

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Answer 2

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,180 points

Oct 17, 2021 11:30 AM in response to baddoch

Howdy, Ian, maybe I can help you… actually, yes, you can use a 4k tv with an HDMI 2.0 socket as a monitor.. that works no problem. Maybe you can find a good used model on your local kijiji website. Other than that, there are a few things you should know about monitor panel technology.. the best overall ( supposedly) is IPS. ( in plane switching) followed by TN( twisted nematic ) and VA. Unfortunately, good IPS monitors command a premium,So if you want one, expect to pay more for it… maybe a bunch more.. A refurbished monitor may be a good option for you especially if you might find a good deal on eBay. Scaling should be no problem… just pick the size that looks right to you… If you hold down the option key when you are in “ displays” under “System preferences“.. it’ll show “ Best for display and then scaled“ so pick whichever seems right to you. You should also pick a brand that is known to be Mac friendly, e.g. works with both Mac and PC without a hitch.

john B

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