Can the 15" MBP Early 2013 power THREE external 27" (2560x1440) displays?

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Can the 15" MBP Early 2013 power THREE external 27" (2560x1440) displays?

Hi,

I know this has been discussed several times, but only for earlier models. I am looking how to deploy a possible setup of three (yes, 3) external 27" monitors running at native resolution of 2560x1440 each.

One option is of course the current iMac with two Apple Thunderbolt displays... but the Thunderbolt displays are a) quite expensive and b) design-wise nearly 3 years old and actually thicker than a current iMac, not even containing an actual computer though.

Other option is to use a MBP 15" Early 2013 with either a daisy-chained Apple Thunderbolt-Display pair behind one TB-port on the MBP and a third Apple TB-Display behind the second TB-port on the MBP... OR one generic Mini-Display-Port 27" Monitor (e.g. the HP ZR2740w) behind each of the TB-ports on the MBP and a third 27" screen using the HDMI port. BUT... does the HDMI port on the current MBP support 2560x1440 resolution or is it still limited to 1080p?

Would either of these options work? Not sure about the daisy-chaining nor the >1080p HDMI signal...

Best Regards,

//

Posted on Aug 14, 2013 12:21 PM

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Answer 1

matt00

Level 5

4,041 points

Aug 16, 2013 1:07 PM in response to Doubleslash

Hey Doubleslash,

Thanks for the question. I understand you have some questions about using multiple displays with a MacBook Pro. At this time, OS X supports up to two connected Apple Thunderbolt Displays. The following article provides more information:

Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219#dispnum

[…]

14. How many Apple Thunderbolt Displays can I use with my Mac in OS X?

The table below indicates how many Thunderbolt displays can be connected to Thunderbolt-capable Mac computers in OS X.

Computer Maximum number of connected displays

Thunderbolt-capable Macs with only Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics can support one connected Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch).

MacBook Air (Mid 2011)

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) and (13-inch, Late 2011)¹

Mac mini (Mid 2011), 2.3 GHz

Mac mini with Lion Server (Mid 2011)

One Thunderbolt display

Thunderbolt-capable Macs that can support up to two connected Apple Thunderbolt Displays.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012) and later⁴

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012) and later⁴

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)

MacBook Pro (15-inch and 17-inch, Early 2011) and later

MacBook Air (Mid 2012) and later

iMac (Late 2012)²

iMac (Mid 2011)²

Mac Mini (Late 2012)⁴

Mac Mini (Mid 2011), 2.5 GHz³

Two Thunderbolt displays

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012), and Mac Mini (Late 2012) computers can use an HDMI-compatible device on it's HDMI port while using one Thunderbolt display, or they can use two Thunderbolt displays.

Thanks,

Matt M.

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Answer 2

Doubleslash Author

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Aug 16, 2013 1:28 PM in response to matt00

Thanks mat00. I know this KB article but it seems to have changed recently.

Originally (i.e. until a couple of months ago) the statement for the Mid 2012 MacBook Pro Retina was that it can use the HDMI-port while using TWO Thunderbolt displays.

The KB now states that it can make use of HDMI while one TB Display is connect OR they can use two Thunderbolt displays which implies that you cannot use two Thunderbolt Displays and an HDMI-capable monitor concurrently. However this has been proven to work already http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/20/retina-macbook-pro-can-run-three-external-di splays-simultaneously/ and not too long ago the KB article supported that.

However after all the KB just says how many Thunderbolt Displays a Mac can drive, not how many displays in general. So I guess the 2xTB Display + 1 HDMI-Display-Setup is still working and supported on a MacBook Pro Retina, Early 2013 but the HDMI-Port is limited to HDMI 1.2. The latter means maximum resolution of 1920x1080 at 60 Hz. Can you confirm this? Other user reports seem to confirm this, although running Windows on Bootcamp on the same machine makes the HDMI-port go up to 2560x1440, so at least HDMI 1.3.

If so, my intent to use the MBP Early 2013 for 3 Displays running at 2560x1440 is not going to work.

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Computer	Maximum number of connected displays
Thunderbolt-capable Macs with only Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics can support one connected Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch). MacBook Air (Mid 2011) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) and (13-inch, Late 2011)¹ Mac mini (Mid 2011), 2.3 GHz Mac mini with Lion Server (Mid 2011)	One Thunderbolt display
Thunderbolt-capable Macs that can support up to two connected Apple Thunderbolt Displays. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012) and later⁴ MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012) and later⁴ MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) MacBook Pro (15-inch and 17-inch, Early 2011) and later MacBook Air (Mid 2012) and later iMac (Late 2012)² iMac (Mid 2011)² Mac Mini (Late 2012)⁴ Mac Mini (Mid 2011), 2.5 GHz³	Two Thunderbolt displays