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Level 1

1 points

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

I understand that the new Macbook Pro 15" (late 2013 with Nvidia) supports 4K screen resolutions via HDMI at low hertz. But does it support 4K via Thunderbolt/Displayport? I read on Intel's web that the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB memory in theory can support it. Would be important as a range of new 4K 32" monitors will come out over the next year. Would be great for photo, video editing etc.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 24, 2013 2:48 AM

Best reply

jbg233

Level 1

5 points

Posted on Oct 26, 2013 10:30 AM

I also am very confused by this because per apple's support page it only supports 4K via HDMI at 30Hz but SHOULD support 60Hz via a mini display port 1.2 specification built into thunderbolt 2.

However, I think it does include 60Hz support (although not mentioned on apple's website). My evidence of this is that on the ifixit teardown they found a an Intel DSL 5520 Thunderbolt 2 controller which according to Intel's and Wikipedia's website is falcon ridge which means it should support Display port 1.2 natively. Plus, on apple's thunderbolt page they specifically mention connecting a 4K display to a macbook pro through the thunderbolt port (not which is suggested by the support page listed above):

"Now with Thunderbolt 2 built into the new Mac Pro and MacBook Pro with Retina display, you can connect the latest 4K desktop displays and get double the bandwidth for your peripherals. And the two generations of Thunderbolt technology are compatible with each other."

Also, the Apple mini displayport support page has not been updated since 2012 but I believe it is just showing old information

The BIG piece of evidence against the new macbook pro's supporting 4K through the thunderbolt port is that on apple's tech specs page they specifically mention 4K under the HDMI section but make no mention of it under the thunderbolt 2 section.

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312 replies

Stacy_C

Level 1

4 points

Jan 12, 2016 12:59 PM in response to trumpetmic

The cable link is below.

Does your monitor have a DisplayPort connection? If it only has HDMI that might be the issue limiting you to 30Hz.

My Samsung monitor has two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort (see photo) — the cable uses that and the Thunderbolt port on the Mac.

Cable Matters Gold Plated Mini DisplayPort (Thunderbolt Port Compatible) to DisplayPort Cable, Black, 6 Feet

amzn.com/B00C7RJQPY

Jan 12, 2016 1:33 PM in response to Stacy_C

Oh I see. Your monitor has a DP input. Mine doesn't. I bet that makes a difference.

Still, it seems there must be a way to get 60Hz 2160p. I know the laptop can output this... and my brand new monitor is capable of displaying it.

Stacy_C

Level 1

4 points

Jan 12, 2016 1:39 PM in response to trumpetmic

trumpetmic wrote:

Oh I see. Your monitor has a DP input. Mine doesn't. I bet that makes a difference.

Still, it seems there must be a way to get 60Hz 2160p. I know the laptop can output this... and my brand new monitor is capable of displaying it.

Seems like it should work somehow. I hope your research leads you to a solution very soon. Good luck!

Jan 19, 2016 7:25 PM in response to Stacy_C

I tried a few things to get 60Hz working and haven't found a solution yet.

I found a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 2.0 adapter on Amazon, which some people posted success stories about in their reviews, but it remains "out of stock". Have you seen anything like this?

I also tried using SwitchResX to create a custom resolution of 4k at 60Hz (and 4k at 50Hz), but SwitchResX keeps saying the resolution was "Not Activated - Invalid?". Odd.

No luck getting 60Hz yet.

EazyV

Level 1

4 points

Jan 23, 2016 4:02 AM in response to MacPlus87

So, has anyone gotten a 4k 60hz via SST working on the Late 2013 mbpr 15"???

The latest Apple article states that 4k 60Hz via SST works on a Mid 2014 mbpr 15", so what would be the limitation of the Late 2013???

Mar 3, 2016 7:47 PM in response to trumpetmic

I tried the Club3D MindDP-to-HDMI 2.0 adapter if that's the one you're seeing on Amazon and it didn't work. I tried SwitchResX to force a 4k@60hz option and all I got was a purple screen with a pink bar across the top. Interestingly, running the TV through the adapter also prevented 4k@30hz from working properly despite the fact that that resolution worked fine over native HDMI.

EazyV

Level 1

4 points

Mar 30, 2016 10:51 PM in response to Whistletutor

Have you tried using a miniDP to DP 1.2 cable?

EazyV

Level 1

4 points

Apr 12, 2016 1:45 AM in response to MacPlus87

I got a NEC EA275UHD monitor with a StarTech mDP->DP 1.2 cable and I'm getting 60Hz SST via the latest MacOS El Capitan

I'm using a Late 2013 mpbr 2.0Ghz / 16GB RAM / Iris Pro

May 3, 2016 9:24 AM in response to MacPlus87

Been reading the whole thread now and can't figure out why it doesn't work for me.

I have a MBProRetina 13" mid 2014 running 10.11-beta El Capitan and Samsung U28E590D 4K monitor (the back of the monitor is posted above).

Through HDMI I can run on 4K but only 30 hz which of course is horrible. With DP (Monitor) to Mini DP (computer) the maximum I can choose is 3008 x 1692 (low res.) and 30 hz or 2560 x 1440 (low res.) with 60 hz. I have chosen DP 1.2 in the monitor settings. The DP to Mini DP - cable I'm using is told to have support for 4K 60 hz but how can I know for sure?

So right now I'm not sure if it is my computer or my cables fault I can't run 4K 60 hz.

Best regards.

Edit: The computer run Intel Iris 1536 mb.

Jul 14, 2016 4:32 AM in response to MacPlus87

I'm looking for the answer too, everywhere I read I see no reason why running a mini display port to display port on my monitor shouldn't work.

I have a 43 inch Phillips BDM4350 monitor and can only get it to run through my DP 1.2 port.

Multiple articles state it should work through a single channel as long as I don't use HDMI, I have the geforce 750m GPU

http://www.macrumors.com/guide/4k-5k-displays-buyers-guide-mac/

15" Late 2013: This model is equipped with two Thunderbolt 2 ports that can drive one 4K display at 60Hz or two 4K displays at 30Hz. This model also supports one 4K display at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one 4K display at 30Hz over HDMI.

open to suggestions here, 30hz is terrible for what I need

Jul 14, 2016 5:01 AM in response to scottrotton

I can confirm it works in windows 10, the setting is just hidden for me, I have to click secondary minitor > go to display adapter settings > List all modes select from the list. I now works perfectly

snoopjav

Level 1

4 points

Nov 15, 2016 3:43 PM in response to mvandillen

Hi,

so could you reach 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz with your MacBook Pro described above with any other 4K monitor which has mDP 1.2? For example this one: https://www.amazon.de/LG-Products-27UD88-W-AEU-Zoll-Monitor/dp/B01CDYB0QS/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479247739&sr=8-1&keywo…

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