# Monitors TV



## fraz (Jul 4, 2018)

Hi,

I'd like to start another thread on the topic of monitors. I know there is a thread running for the trashcan/Vader Helmet etc.....but that is not specific to monitors.

It can be tedious to look through all the specs of lots of monitors which I have been doing for a while now.

Before mentioning any names i'd like to ask the community here how much they like USB ports on the monitors?

It seems maybe that DP/HDMI/ are the important connectors with some offering more than 1 HDMI.

There are curved monitors as well - How popular are those here with the Mac Pro users?

The monitors I've been looking at are 4k and some are not too expensive (but they're not too cheap either)-

Do any users here skip the 4K and get something less than this? - I figure the monitors I do get will be kept so a decent pair.

Do some folks just get one huge monitor? instead of 2 x 27" or combine a 27" with an odd 34" + - Anyhow I'll suggest some names of monitors later on that I've shortlisted for a brief discussion. thanks


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## Wunderhorn (Jul 4, 2018)

Personally, I would never ever get anything smaller than 40" at full 4K resolution. I have a second (older) 30" to be replaced by another 40" in future. To answer your other question. It is always nice to have an extra USB hub, but that is not a criteria for picking a monitor. If you want to experiment with a (cheaper) TV, make sure your computer and the TV offers HDMI 2.0. In regards to the trashcan Mac Pro, they are not suitable for TVs.


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## babylonwaves (Jul 4, 2018)

Wunderhorn said:


> In regards to the trashcan Mac Pro, they are not suitable for TVs.


@Wunderhorn why?


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## Wunderhorn (Jul 4, 2018)

babylonwaves said:


> @Wunderhorn why?



Because until now Apple has failed to implement HDMI 2.0. This means current Macs are limited to a refresh rate of 30Hz or 24Hz while display port/thunderbolt can do 60Hz.


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## fraz (Jul 4, 2018)

OK for regular use I can see how it is not best to use a TV.

I've had this Panasonic 50" TV for 10 years+ with 4 x HDMI in so it's ideal to "try out" the Mac Pro 2013.

This is an aspect of tech I'm not so well up on so please elaborate - HDMI=30 Hz & Display Port = 60 Hz

Because of age of TV I suspect it is HDMI 1 - Now we need to be very clear the Mac will operate won't it? eg - it won't get damaged? - The Trashcan has 1 x HDMI connection late 2013 model with all the mini-display port connections over the 3 busses which could also use HDMI with an adapter

Is it safe to use these (either of them) this is just to get it up and running and to check it over / experiment with the OS (not for using ongoing)...please comment...thanks

EDIT-I've currently got a desktop connected for DVD playback which is via the one of the HDMI connectors of already mentioned TV

Quality/options range from for the input signal format:525 (480) 60i/60p > 625 (576) 50i/50p > 750 (720) /n 50p/60p > 1125 (1080) 50i/60i/60p/50p/24p

Current settings from PC 1920 X 1080 Intel HD4600 (i7 4790K) 60 Hz so yes I'm sure it should work for testing but please comment as I'm not well up on monitors etc.....


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## fraz (Jul 4, 2018)

3840x2160=4k - This resolution is 4k (I didn't know)


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## babylonwaves (Jul 4, 2018)

Wunderhorn said:


> Because until now Apple has failed to implement HDMI 2.0. This means current Macs are limited to a refresh rate of 30Hz or 24Hz while display port/thunderbolt can do 60Hz.


works fine for me (I don't play games though). I was feeling a small difference to my old DP connected display for a couple of days and then totally forgot about it. on top, did you ever see a DAW which reacts super snappy ...?


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## funnybear (Jul 5, 2018)

60hz vs 30hz is night and day for me. The added latency / low refresh rate makes a 30hz connection unusable for working fast. Sure I can survive, but for me 60hz is a must.

For example, I use a very high acceleration setting for my mouse pointer. At 30hz, because of the low refresh rate, it is extremely difficult do position the mouse pointer extremely fast and precisely due to the fact that my mouse pointer travels very fast at small mouse movements (e.g. about 3cm mouse movement for covering the entire width of my 4K screen)

But I caviate this by saying that I am a total sucker for fast and low latency setups. That covers everything from 1000hz mouse polling to using mechanical keyboards with n-rollover etc.


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## fraz (Jul 5, 2018)

So are you saying if 30 Hz is used that the refresh rate is slower and the mouse movements are more exaggerated and harder to control?

If so how can this be overcome? - use 60 hz of course - I have experienced these big movements


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## fraz (Jul 5, 2018)

Do any users go with sub-4 K monitors with the Mac Pro? (or is this a no no)?

An interesting fact I came across is that if the resolution is 3840x2160 it is 4 K!!! so we are talking resolution aren't we? -

So on my TV TV that has a desktop connected the maximum resolution is 1920 x 1080 - Any useful comments please on quality lack of etc...

OK-just done a quick Google so I get the idea more resolution is a clearer more detailed picture which is better - !

And the Open Box Mac Pro I got a good deal on had the D500 GPU's - What is the maximum resolution of these GPU's?


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## funnybear (Jul 5, 2018)

fraz said:


> So are you saying if 30 Hz is used that the refresh rate is slower and the mouse movements are more exaggerated and harder to control?
> 
> If so how can this be overcome? - use 60 hz of course - I have experienced these big movements



30hz means you get 30 frames per second on the screen (i.e. the image is redrawn 30 times every second).

So for example, let’s say you want to move your mouse pointer 3000 pixels horizontally (almost a 4K screen) in a third of a second and land the pointer precisely on a mixer button on your DAW. 

At 30hz, the mouse pointer would be drawn every 300 pixels (3000 / (30 / 3)). So you see the pointer jump 300 pixels at a time.

At 60hz, in this example it is drawn every 150 pixels.

I can't wait until they release large size >=43'' 4k screens with 120hz refresh rates as is now standard for gaming monitors.


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## fraz (Jul 5, 2018)

The Panasonic TV 50" display shows as 31" in the preferences - I'll search it...but if you've got any comments fire away...!


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