Does the new Macbook Pro 15" (late 2013) supports 4K via Thunderbolt/Displayport?

Nope, the Asus shows up as two 1920x2160 screens using DisplayPort 1.2 MST. In Windows it self-configures automatically as one joined display, running 3840x2160 @ 60Hz. No HDMI was involved.

OS X Can drive it over DisplayPort in SST Mode, but only at 30Hz, which is perceptibly awful.

Message was edited by: kogir - Um, that wasn't profanity. Overaggressive filter?

kogir wrote:

Sadly, I'm trying this out right now with an October 2013 Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display and can confirm that MST is a no-go. Only sees one of two streams on my Asus PQ321Q.

Guess I'll need to return it and wait for the Mac Pro 😟

Agreethisstinks! I have two dp 1.2 compatible moitnors and own the latest MPB and have to use both my TB2 ports for max resolution displays. Come on Apple!

Posted on Intel and they just referred me back to Apple. I would have purchased the TB monitors from Apple, but they are so dated and expensive.

KarlMorton wrote:

So Apple has explicitly said that newest rMBP can't drive it from a TB/DP port, so it sounds like no 60Hz with rMBP. I guess there is still hope that this may change with a driver update.

i still can't believe that apple will really leave all MBP owners without the capability for proper 4k (imo 24/30Hz is not an option). Especially since its only a driver thing and windows can already do it right now.

Let's not get distracted from the goal here: It is not that the 2013 Macbook Pro has DisplayPort 1.2. It in fact has Thunderbolt 2. And it has been proven by installing Windows 8 on the macbook pro that Thunderbolt 2 can indeed drive a 4K monitor at 60 Hz. So this is truly just a case of Apple updating their drivers.

As for the HDMI port, yes, that is not going to break 30 Hz @ 4K, so it will have to be via a Thunderbolt adapter.

Am I missing something here? What was their "statement" on the sharp 4k monitor? I thought the statement only mentioned HDMI, which has nothing to do with displayport...but I could be wrong. Can you post a link?

EDIT:

Nevermind, you're right...wow....

Link:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/HD971LL/A/sharp-32-pn-k321-4k-ultra-hd-led-mon itor

Statement:

Note that 4K DisplayPort operation is only compatible with the new Mac Pro (Late 2013).

If they don't upgrade the drivers for the retinas that have TB 2.0, I'll be ****** ******. That was the whole point of TB 2.0 -- to get 4K displays working.

And Intel Iris and Iris pro are fully capable of doing 4K @ 60Hz, and so is the NVidia...what the heck apple?

Maybe they will update the statement on their site after 10.9.2 comes out?

Man...this is not looking so good now...

Message was edited by: NiqueXyZ

NiqueXyZ wrote:

Guy from reduser says apple will update the drivers to support HBR in the future when HBR displays start coming out...it's not that far fetched I guess. I just don't understand why they won't enable MST on OS X right *now*

So the new Mac Pro also can't drive any current 4k Display at 60Hz?

Would be really kind of embarrassing for apple...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/HD971LL/A/sharp-32-pn-k321-4k-ultra-hd-led-mon itor

"Note that 4K DisplayPort operation is only compatible with the new Mac Pro (Late 2013)."

That's definitely wrong, my new MacbookPro also can drive the new Dell UP3214Q via displayport, but only at 30Hz.

Hi NiqueXyZ,

Unfortunately there are only two Apple computers that currently support 3840 x 2160 resolution @ 60Hz and they are the new MacBook Pro Retina 15" (Late 2013) and the new MacPro.

This is because of Thunderbolt 2 (Display Port 1.2) which no other Apple computer has, it is not a graphics driver issue.

But unfortunately due to a limitation in os x Mavericks, this refresh rate is currently disabled for the MacBook Pro.

As originally discussed by kogir the Display Port 1.2 has no limitations via Windows 8.1, which reveals that the issue is indeed with the os x.

So, people who have a recent MacBook Pro are waiting patiently for a Mac OS X Mavericks update for the DisplayPort 1.2’s Multi-Stream Transport (MST) to be enabled.

Hopefully we will see this resolved in the next Mavericks update 10.9.2?

Does this not let the consumer assume that the newest MBPr will be able to drive a 4K display through the Thunderbolt 2 Port? I would say yes it does, but the TB2 Ports can't power a 4K display because, as previously stated, MST is disabled in Mavericks for the 15" MBPr Late 2013.

yes, but it's only a refresh rate issue, you can drive a 4k Display via Displayport/Thunderbolt, but only at 30Hz.

Unfortunately no change with latest 10.9.2 Beta 2.

DannyWoods wrote:

But that's not true either! There is no display port 1.2 functionality with the Thinderbolt 2 Ports through OSX. You can only use first gen SST through the TB2 ports... The ONLY way to hook up 4K is through the HDMI port which is only 1.4 (not 2.0). How do u know that there's no support in 10.9.2 Beta? Evidentially there was a new build released today.

3860x2160@30Hz (Dell UP 3214Q) works just fine over displayport!

the lack of 60 Hz (currrently only possible via Multi Stream Transport MST, and this is not implemented in OSX Geforce graphics driver) and missing HiDpi functionality is the problem...

Once again, that monitor is for the Mac Pro, the only machine currently capable of 4K through Mac OSX. Apple wants you to buy a 2014 MacBook Pro to experience 4K. They do not want to update their drivers for 4K60hz for the 2013 model as they believe it would jeopardize sales of the 2014 MacBook Pro model. They know that the pro's that demand 4K60hz will take no compromises and opt for the newest model. It's a smart business decision for them as a whole, because ultimately even though it could make some small percentage of people unhappy it gives them a big selling point for the 2014 model. In other words, they know most people won't know that the 2013 MacBook Pro model is technically capable of 4K 60hz and they're right. Because they won't update the drivers.

AnandTech says it's a whitelist on Mavericks. It already supports 4K 60Hz MST but only on whitelisted monitors (Sharp and ASUS). Windows uses the stock nVidia / AMD driver which doesn't have artificial restrictions.

Yes, according to:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/03/first-os-x-10-9-3-beta-comes-with-improved- 4k-display-support/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/03/07/apple-enables-pixel-doubled-retina-mod e-for-4k-monitors-in-os-x-1093

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/07/os-x-10-9-3-retina-option-4k-displays/

The brand new just released MacOSX 10.9.3 Beta allows for 4K60Hz on 2013 Macbook Pro's! Whether or not it's just the 15 inch or it also includes the 13 inch model I'm not 100% sure yet but this looks like great news so far.

Unfortunately there is no 4k @ 60 Hz for rMBP in the beta 10.9.3 because Khaos Tian (the person who had announced the improvements of this beta release on the Internet) has just confirmed that "rMBP has the new option for resolution scale but not 60Hz" and his rMBP is the high-end 15'' with the Nvidia 750M. Given this, in my opinion it is unlikely 60 Hz would be available for low-end 15'' rMBP with Iris Pro and 13'' rMBP with Iris.

See his twitter conversation in this regard: https://twitter.com/KhaosT

Holger G. wrote:

It actually seems to be the case that Khaos Tian’s 15" rMBP does output 4K at 60 Hz to the Dell UP2414Q, as his screen’s OSD indicates:

https://twitter.com/KhaosT/statuses/442733969994313729

He states, however, “Both rMBP and nMP says 60Hz (…) but it feels different …” (https://twitter.com/KhaosT/statuses/442733770483851264)

Thanks for sharing this. He first said 60Hz is no-go for rMBP but I guess he has discovered it works. It is very apparent from the youtube videos he has posted that 60Hz on rMBP is laggy compared to nMP, which might be expectable given the different specs.

Perhaps kogir or Aron may comment on how smooth the 4k 60Hz experience is and compare it to Khaos's videos below?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD6x8Ja-F5o&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxaTEq4ANb8&feature=youtu.be

If you guys concur that 4k 60Hz is not smooth as in Khaos's video, then it is very obvious we should not expect a pleasing experience at all on Iris Pro and Iris, let alone 4k at such refresh rate.

I just ran the following test:

1. System Info and/or gfxCardStatus with just my rMBP LCD running - the Color LCD is being driven by the Intel Iris Pro.

2. Turn on Dell UP2414Q and System Info/gfxCardStatus show that both the Color LCD and Dell are now being driven by the GT 750M.

I tried forcing the machine to integrated only using gfxCardStatus but it doesn't allow this while an external monitor is running.

I just had static browser windows and such open ... so I am guessing that one *cannot* run 4k @ 60Hz from the models with Integrated graphics only ... including both 13" Iris and 15" Iris Pro. Glad I bought the high-end 15". But there is still a small possibility as I haven't been able to force the machine into integrated only and prevent it from auto-switching to the dedicated gpu.