JeffGinger

Q: Why can't my Retina Macbook Pro (late 2013) run displayport 4K at 60hz?

I'm using a 4K TV as my main monitor now. It works great (4K@60hz) on my Windows 7 desktop with a Radeon R9 290 + Club3D displayport to HDMI 2.0 adapter. I can connect my Macbook (late 2013 15" retina, nVidia 750M) to it via a similar Club3D mini displayport adapter but it is only able to run 4k@30hz. The HDMI port direct also is only able to do 4k@30hz (as expected). Here's the weird part thought - if I switch the Macbook over to Bootcamp Windows 10 it is able to run the TV at 4K@60hz just fine via HDMI. If I plug Win10 in via displayport everything goes black and the display adapter crashes.

 

The post "Use 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac - Apple Support" suggests that the Macbook can do 4k@60hz via multi-stream transport but not single-stream... but why is that? If Windows 10 on the same machine can do it why can't OSX? There's no way to forcefully install a kext or 3rd party driver or something, right? Is there a way to override it via terminal? "Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) - Apple Support" verifies that the Macbook has Thunderbolt 2.0 ports... and it's unable to do any firmware updates (they're from 2011ish). Based on the difference of behaviors this seems like it could be a driver issue, rather than a hardware one. Hoping someone might have some insight - thanks!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), Windows 10 uses the latest nVidia

Posted on Apr 19, 2016 10:13 PM

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Q: Why can't my Retina Macbook Pro (late 2013) run displayport 4K at 60hz?

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  • by Lanny,

    Lanny Lanny Apr 24, 2016 11:59 AM in response to JeffGinger
    Level 5 (7,900 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 24, 2016 11:59 AM in response to JeffGinger

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856

    Multi-Stream Transport (MST) Displays

    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)
    • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
    • iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

    If you use a 60Hz MST display with the MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), only one additional Thunderbolt display can be supported. Learn more about Thunderbolt ports and displays.You need to manually configure 4K displays to use MST. Follow the steps below to use the display's built-in controls to enable this feature.

    • Sharp PN-K321: Choose Menu > Setup > DisplayPort STREAM > MST > SET
    • ASUS PQ321Q: Choose OSD menu > Setup > DisplayPort Stream
    • Dell UP2414Q and UP3214Q: Choose Menu > Display Setting > DisplayPort 1.2 > Enable
    • Panasonic TC-L65WT600: Choose Menu > Display Port Settings > Stream Setting > Auto

    Your Mac will automatically detect an MST-enabled display. However, your display might require a firmware update to support 60Hz operation. Please contact your display vendor for details. If your specific DisplayPort display is not listed above, check with the display’s manufacturer for compatibility information.