Can I use a Dell P2415Q 4K monitor with my new MacBook Pro 13?

I just got a P2415Q, and connected my 15" retina MBP to the DP port (in), but the monitor does not recognize it. I made sure I plugged it into the DP in port on the monitor, but no dice.

Did anyone have the same problem? Any solution?

Yes it took powering the monitor down and up for it to recognize the laptop. It's now working just fine. Forgot for a moment that (Dell) monitors are tricky like that sometimes. Thanks!

Solution to getting Retina equivalent resolution from rMBP on Dell P2415Q: Use Hi-speed HDMI cable from HDMI output (not from Thunderbolt with Thunderbotl-HDMI adapter) on rMBP to Dell HDMI input.

This comment applies to a MBP Retina 15" (Mid 2012). Anything newer should be as good or better.

After connecting the P2415Q via the supplied MDP to DP cable, the best resolution I could get was 2560/1440, a 50% improvement over the 1080p I was getting with my old Dell monitor, but still not the resolution I thought I would get with the 2415Q, given the specs of both the rMBP and the Dell. I increased the sharpness on the monitor, which helped some, but not enough. I tried all sorts of resolution changes using SwitchResX, again no help, and the custom 2560/1600 i created wouldn't even display--gave me a blank screen on the Dell.

I tried a regular HDMI cable between the rMBP and the Dell and the best I could get that way was 1080p, no matter what.

I then plugged in a Hi-Speed HDMI cable using Thunderbolt Adapter-HDMI to the Dell--best I could get was 2560/1440 again.

Then I used the Hi-Speed HDMI cable from the HDMI output on the rMBP to the Dell HDMI input and there it was! Like looking at a 24" version of a rMBP, sharp and clear as can be.

The Dell reported the resolution as 2160P (3840x2160), which according to Wikipedia, "...is an alternative name for 4K UHD, a resolution supported by UHDTV products and which offers four times the definition of 1080p.^[1] The number 2160 stands for a display resolutionwhich has 2160 pixels along the shortest side, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced. In a progressive image, the lines of resolution of the image go from the top of the screen to the bottom.^[2]"

Wow! It is Retina quality on the Del, for real!

The only issues I've noticed are that every once in a while, and if you open the rMBP lid, "snow" may briefly appear on the screen, and also there are some Windows programs, like Quicken, on a Parallels VM that take a long time to display correctly.

You may have to unplug the Dell (not just turn it off) to get it to recognize the HDMI input the first time, and maybe also reboot the rMBP, but that's about it.

Didn't try that, but with my retina MBP 15" (mid-2014), display port (with the cable that came with the monitor) has no problem giving me retina resolutions based on 3840x2160 @ 60 Hz.

Yes, that makes sense. I suspect the difference is that the rMBPs from late 2013 on have Thunderbolt 2 rather than just Thunderbolt, and it is the Thunderbolt 2 that will handle the higher resolutions. I was even thinking of selling my rMBP 2012 model and getting the 2014 version before I made the happy discovery that the HDMI output seems to solve the problem. It probably doesn't solve the problem of getting the 60hz at 2160P on video games, but I don't have any of those games.

The Apple Store guy said he didn't think the 2014 rMBP was all that much better overall than the 2012 model and not worth the expense unless I needed 16GB RAM (I don't) and a larger HD (already replaced the 256 SSD with an OWC 512 SSD).

I think the Apple Store is the last refuge for getting completely honest answers about computing--they never try to sell you anything you don't need.

sjlee0,

Well, after reading your post I decided I had better check the refresh speed, and it is only 30hz, not 60hz, at 2160P. It still looks sharper to me than the 2560/1140 at 60hz I was getting with the DP cable, but maybe I'm losing something else with the low refresh speed--I don't know. Does it make any difference if you're not using it for games?

Looks as though there's no way to get around the Thunderbolt 2 requirement, and for that I'd have to get a rMBP late 2013 or later, I guess.

I am unable to get adequate resolution with the P2415Q and my rMBP 13" mid 2014 with either DP/mDP or high speed HDMI. Below is what my display options look like:

Any ideas what I can do to get the higher resolutions to function properly? At this point, I'm suspecting that my Iris 1536 is limiting the output, and I should have gone with a 15" that has the Iris Pro.

From the specs, it looks as though you're limited to the lower resolutions with the 13" rMBP, unfortunately.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications

@KenV54 -- That's right. I just replaced my laptop to a 15" rMBP, and the monitor works as expected.

I've a rmbp 13'' mid 2014, can I use the dell P2415Q display at full resolution without issues? Or should I look for another display?

I suggest you read through this whole thread. I don't know anything about other 4K monitors, but the 13" rMBP won't support 3840x2160 at 60 HZ, so far as I know, because it has an integrated IRIS graphics card, not an NVIDIA discrete card. It will support 3840x2160 at 30 Hz via HDMI. You probably have to get a rMBP 15" (late 2013 or later) with a NVIDIA card, not just an integrated IRIS graphics card.

Some of the answer on here refer to the HDMI port, which only supports a 4K display at 30Hz, but what about the Thunderbolt port on the latest rMBP 13"?

Will that allow the "pixel doubling" mode to get retina resolution on the Dell display?

This is a setup I'm thinking about at the moment, with the Dell P2415Q, as it gives me the best portability compared to the rMPB 15", so this is the perfect thread for me at the moment.

This page says:

These computers also support multi-stream transport (MST) displays at 60 Hz.

• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013 and later)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

Dave,

You appear to have a lot more experience than I do with Macs, but I don't believe that any 13" rMBP earlier than the 2015 model will support the 3840x2160 resolution via the DP port at 60 hz. (I do understand the difference between HDMI and DP).

If the 2015 model of the 13" rMBP supports MST at 60 hz, then I assume it would support 3840x2160 at 60 hz, but this is the first I've heard of the 2015 13" model.

Ken

The 2015 rMBP 13" (was upgraded last week at the same time they announced the iWatch) have the new 5th Generation Intel i5 and i7 chips in.

According to the Intel website:

I found the link here and yes, I think you're right that anything earlier can't support it, unless you buy the 15"

Ah!...here we go:

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/13-MacBook-Pro-Retina-2015.htm