M1 Pro 14' Macbook Pro eye strain using external 27 inch 4K monitor

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Level 1

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M1 Pro 14' Macbook Pro eye strain using external 27 inch 4K monitor

Is anyone else experiencing a similar issue with a similar or an almost identical setup? I have a 14' inch Macbook Pro M1 pro and I have connected it to an external Dell S2721QS 27' 4K monitor. As soon as I plug in and use the monitor I start having immediate eye strain and headaches. Interestingly if I use the same monitor and HDMI 2.0 cable (provided with monitor) with a Windows/Linux machine, I do not have similar issues and can use the Window machine for long working hours without any headache or eye strain.

Things I have tried:

Tried USB-C to Display Port cable.
Tried StillColor and BetterDisplay app and disabled dithering effect.
Tried changing the monitor brightness to 30%.
Tried other 4K monitors all having similar issue.

So far nothing has seemed to work for me.

I would really appreciate if somebody knows a fix for it or atleast know the reason behind it.

MacBook Pro 14″

Posted on Oct 23, 2024 12:49 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Servant of Cats

Level 7

34,535 points

Oct 23, 2024 5:51 PM in response to Shashank6341

You might try going into Display Settings and selecting the Retina "2560x1440" setting.

I can't be sure, but the screenshot in Tesserax's post looks as if Retina "3360x1890" mode is selected. I find that on a 27" 4K monitor, that setting results in very small and hard to read text.

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Answer 2

Oct 23, 2024 6:36 PM in response to Shashank6341

High Dynamic Range ON means you intend to use 10-bit color, which raises the bandwidth required fairly substantially. If you are not doing high-end color work, turning OFF High Dynamic Range feature off may allow the display to stop being forced to use 'tricks' to get all those extra colors, that many people can barely distinguish.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

157,932 points

Oct 23, 2024 1:24 PM in response to Shashank6341

FWIW, I don't have the exact combo you have. Instead I have a 2023 M2 Pro Mac mini with a Dell U2718Q monitor.

I pretty much use the default settings with this monitor and elected to not enable the High Definition Range option ... which I find causes some display blurriness.

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Answer 4

Shashank6341 Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 24, 2024 7:13 AM in response to Tesserax

I currently have my 4K display scaled at 2x to appear as 1080p, making text sharp and easy to read. I've tested this with both 1440p and 1080p scaling, and the effect remains consistent. HDR is disabled, and the response time is set to 4ms for optimal performance, minimizing ghosting as much as possible.

Weird enough is the issue persists for me on three different 27' 4K monitors (Dell, Samsung and LG) that I have tried with multiple setting changes. However, I tried the Studio Display at the store yesterday for 25-30 minutes and I didn't feel the same effect.

Using my own monitor with any other Window, Linux or even Intel based Mac doesn't seem to reproduce the issue for me. I cannot buy a $2000 monitor but I am happy to spend 500-600$ for a decent monitor to help me with the issue.

If you know of any leads or compatible monitors with M-series chip, I would highly appreciate.

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Answer 5

Tesserax

Level 10

157,932 points

Oct 24, 2024 9:40 AM in response to Shashank6341

FWIW, I purchased my current Dell monitor primarily because it provided the needed ports to connect both my Mac mini (via HMDI) and Windows PC gaming tower (via DisplayPort). I'm sure there are other monitors out today (my Dell came out in 2017) that will outperform mine ... but, being my current monitor has been extremely dependable, I have no urgent need to replace it.

Obviously, you will have to make compromises when it comes to what you get for a certain price point to meet your goals. Since we are all different, what works best for you, will be up to you to decide. The only advice would be to understand the return policy before making any purchases.

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M1 Pro 14' Macbook Pro eye strain using external 27 inch 4K monitor

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