4K as secondary monitor disappointing on Retina 5K

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44 points

4K as secondary monitor disappointing on Retina 5K

I use multiple desktops, but I've always used a secondary monitor, as well. There are now highly-reviewed 4K monitors in the sub-$600 range. They use TN panels, but reviewers have been very impressed at how well the manufacturers have been able to implement them. Having worked with my 5K iMac for several months, I grew weary of moving my eyes back and forth between my iMac and my 2560 x 1440 secondary. The difference in text is obvious.

I postponed buying one of the new, inexpensive 4K monitors because I was concerned that OS X 10 might not know how to scale it properly to maintain screen elements in readable size. I finally took the plunge, though.

On the default "scaled" display setting ("looks like 2560 x 1440"), the size of screen elements is perfect, nearly identical to my 5K screen. However, the text more closely resembles that on my old 2560 x 1440 monitor than it resembles text on my Retina display. This upgrade seems to have achieved nothing that I sought.
When setting the resolution to native 4K, the screen elements are rendered smaller, of course, but the text is still fuzzier than Retina quality, still not really better than the 2560 x 1440 display.
This 4K monitor was 28". I must presume that on a 32" 4K, the text would be even less crisp as the pixel density is lower.

My questions are:

Has anyone had a different experience using a 4K next to and iMac 5K?
Might a 4K IPS panel (when they become available) work better for achieving "near-Retina-quality" text?

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Apr 25, 2015 8:00 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 12, 2015 10:46 PM in response to milleron

I am considering getting a IPS Dell P2715Q 27" monitor, which offers 4K Ultra HD resolution for crystal-clear visuals. I wonder how it would look besides my 5K iMac. Have you compared both monitors on "More Space" or full res so to speak? I have a crappy 1920x1080 monitor right now so everything is super big when I drag from one screen to another. I am getting accustom to the "more space" vs. default on the 5K monitor.

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Answer 2

milleron Author

Level 1

44 points

Dec 13, 2015 11:21 AM in response to Bryan Debnam

Bryan,

After the above post, I DID, in fact get a very good deal from Dell on the P2715Q. Very UNlike the previous 4K monitor I describe in the original post, this IPS monitor does provide me with retina- or very-near-retina quality. For practical purposes, it's a match for my iMac 5K. It has a height-adjustable stand so that I can match the lower margin of the display perfectly with the iMac. I then place it immediately behind the left edge of the iMac so that only the Mac's bezel separates the two.

I was terribly disappointed with the original TN display from Asus or Acer (I forget which it was). I am exceedingly pleased with the Dell P2715Q -- couldn't be happier, in fact, considering that when I bought it, I got nearly $300 off Dell's MSRP. It theoretically is possible to run a Dell 27" 5K monitor from my iMac by using both Thunderbolt outputs. I've never seen this done, but I seriously doubt that I could appreciate improvement from the Retina-like display the P2715Q gives me. I have the Dell's resolution set to Scaled/Standard, by the way, so that the size of the screen elements (icons, menu text, etc.) exactly match those on the 5K display. I'm far from 20 years of age, but I simply cannot see any difference unless I put on my high-magnification reading glasses and get as close to the screen as I can, but even then, the difference is trivial.

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Answer 3

Dec 15, 2015 6:22 PM in response to milleron

Thanks for the feedback! I believe I got a pretty good deal for the P2715Q at $449 (Best Buy price matched Amazon). This allowed the use of a BB gift card to buy the extended warranty. I feel much better about the purchase now 🙂.

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Answer 4

milleron Author

Level 1

44 points

Dec 15, 2015 7:06 PM in response to Bryan Debnam

That's great. To my eye, IPS made an astonishing difference from TN. Subjectively, it was much greater than differences between the two technologies than I was able to appreciate on lower-resolution monitors a few years ago. In fact, a 27" Korean-brand 2550 x 1440 IPS monitor (which I originally paired with my iMac 5K) gave a display quality that I thought was as good as the 27" 4K TN that I tried before taking a chance on the Dell. That's why the TN 4K went immediately back to the store.

When choosing a secondary monitor to use with a Retina Mac, one's eye will move most easily from one to the others and back when the secondary monitor is a 4K IPS panel, at least until 5K IPS monitors become affordable and can be connected via a single Thunderbolt port.

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