User Name
Password
AppleNova Forums » Purchasing Advice »

I need new monitors for a Mac Studio (2024 edition)


Register Members List Calendar Search FAQ Posting Guidelines
I need new monitors for a Mac Studio (2024 edition)
Thread Tools
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-02-29, 14:39

As soon as the M3 Max Mac Studios are up for sale I'm ordering one. I want new monitors to go with that machine and figure I might as well start to get those now.

What I'm after:
  • 27"
  • 2 HDMI (or 1 HDMI and 1 USB-C/Thunderbolt)
  • Integrated Speakers (don't have to be good, just basic work.)
  • VESA mountable
  • Greater than 1080p
  • ~<$200

These are the monitors (ASUS VE278H) I'll be replacing, so anything will be an improvement.

Yes I do still dabble in photo and video work, but color correcting and such is very basic for me and not something I'm worried about. It is less than a hobby at this point so not critical at all.

I can go over $200, but would rather not if possible. My desk looks little different from this picture late last year:


Since my MBP's display is dead, it stand upright and closed (Macally Vertical Laptop) on the edge of the desk now. I'm going to take one of the existing 1080p monitors and get a stand so it can be oriented portrait and handle the screen stuff my MBP used to. This gives me the two 27" screens for my day job and fun. The Xbox connects directly to one of the HDMI ports and the other monitor is for when I need to bench a PC/Pi and need a screen to connect it to. That is why I need a minimum of one HDMI on each monitor.

I can use one of the HDMI ports on the Studio and Thunderbolt to my existing CalDigit TS3 dock seen in the picture for the other monitor. So hubs and such in the monitors aren't needed though always a plus. I should figure out a mic for the Studio too for when I don't want it using my phone as the mic. I'm going to screw the Studio under my desk so you won't see it on top. If it has a built in mic, it would struggle to pick up my voice well from under there.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2024-03-06, 15:44

You can probably get a very good sRGB IPS 2.5K (2560x1440) at that size/cost level. I thought I saw some Dells at about 300, some other brands might be less.

.........................................
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-03-06, 21:23

If I'm going to hit the $300 range then these look like they might fit the bill perfectly.

LG 27BP85UN-W 27" 4K HDR Monitor
Key Features
27" 16:9 IPS Panel
HDMI | DisplayPort | USB Type-C
4K UHD 3840 x 2160
FreeSync Support
5 ms Response Time (GtG)
1200:1 Static Contrast Ratio
400 nits Brightness
1.07 Billion Colors with HDR10
178°/178° Viewing Angles
Integrated Speakers & USB Hub

Thoughts?

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2024-03-06, 23:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle View Post
If I'm going to hit the $300 range then these look like they might fit the bill perfectly.

LG 27BP85UN-W 27" 4K HDR Monitor
Key Features
27" 16:9 IPS Panel
HDMI | DisplayPort | USB Type-C
4K UHD 3840 x 2160
FreeSync Support
5 ms Response Time (GtG)
1200:1 Static Contrast Ratio
400 nits Brightness
1.07 Billion Colors with HDR10
178°/178° Viewing Angles
Integrated Speakers & USB Hub

Thoughts?
A decent mid-range monitor, should do the job for any office type work. Other than the bottom of the barrel stuff and off brands it's hard to go wrong these days.
  quote
Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2024-03-07, 05:53

You gotta stare at ‘em all day, get the best ones you can reasonably afford. Unfortunately eyes don’t get any better over time.
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-03-07, 16:07

Good points y'all. I ordered the LGs above. It was 4K and has everything I was looking for. Trying to cheap out just isn't making sense. I'm sure these things will last me for a very long time so why not go ahead for the extra $100 from my planned budget. Plus, these are $120 off right now.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-03-13, 17:19

Monitors came in and I'm set up. Still need to re-route wires and such but this is what it is going to look like.


I'm a tad disappointed about the USB-C on this. I thought it was video driven by USB-C, but it is only a USB hub. Not a problem, I was just going to go with a different cable and no USB-C/Thunderbolt to HDMI adapters.

Edit: never mind the problem with USB-C. It was bad cables. I didn't use the ones in the box because they are too short for routing. Using them they are fine and display with USB-C just fine.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.

Last edited by turtle : 2024-03-13 at 18:33.
  quote
PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2024-03-13, 18:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle View Post
I'm a tad disappointed about the USB-C on this. I thought it was video driven by USB-C, but it is only a USB hub. Not a problem, I was just going to go with a different cable and no USB-C/Thunderbolt to HDMI adapters.

Edit: never mind the problem with USB-C. It was bad cables. I didn't use the ones in the box because they are too short for routing. Using them they are fine and display with USB-C just fine.
The cables might not even be bad, but there are so many types of USB-C cables, some that carry video and others that don't, you never know what you've got. I don't even remember, do modern M series Macs send video over regular USB-C (USB 1-3.2) or is it via the Thunderbolt protocol --> USB4?
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-03-14, 07:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by PB PM View Post
The cables might not even be bad, but there are so many types of USB-C cables, some that carry video and others that don't, you never know what you've got. I don't even remember, do modern M series Macs send video over regular USB-C (USB 1-3.2) or is it via the Thunderbolt protocol --> USB4?
Yeah, I'm sure that is it. They are likely charge only. They are thinner than the ones included with the monitors. Of course, there is no indicator on the cables that they do one thing or another.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2024-03-14, 10:10

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle View Post
Yeah, I'm sure that is it. They are likely charge only. They are thinner than the ones included with the monitors. Of course, there is no indicator on the cables that they do one thing or another.
Yes, given how many types of USB there are it is bewildering that they do not have to be marked with version numbers at the very least. Charge only cables should have to have a different symbol too.
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2024-03-14, 13:01

The thing is, I'm still going to likely need to buy new cables when I get my Studio so that they will be able to routed with good cable management. I have wires visible everywhere right now because I have little choice at the moment.

So then do I just buy TB4 cables and not have to mess with it? Overkill for monitors only, but at least I know the cable would do everything I need without a fuss.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2024-03-14, 14:02

It would be nice if they color coded the cables.



...
  quote
PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2024-03-15, 08:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle View Post
The thing is, I'm still going to likely need to buy new cables when I get my Studio so that they will be able to routed with good cable management. I have wires visible everywhere right now because I have little choice at the moment.

So then do I just buy TB4 cables and not have to mess with it? Overkill for monitors only, but at least I know the cable would do everything I need without a fuss.
Good question. I assume you’d need UBB4 cables, I’ve not looked at the specs of the Studio, does Apple even use TB4? Is it even out yet, don’t remember.
  quote
Posting Rules Navigation
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Post Reply

Forum Jump
Thread Tools
Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
AppleNova Minecraft Server 2024 Edition kscherer GamingNova 34 2024-02-18 01:09
HELP matching different monitors chaos123x Genius Bar 3 2009-02-05 15:14
Connecting two monitors to a MBP luxuryreplica Genius Bar 13 2008-08-22 22:09
SMM! - Monitors! Ebby Purchasing Advice 0 2005-08-19 20:43
Low-cost monitors? Wyatt Purchasing Advice 2 2005-04-10 09:30


« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 21:54.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2024, AppleNova