Apple confirms MacBook Pro 5K resolution support
Rumors from a few weeks ago, hinted at the strong possibility for 5K resolution support for future MacBook devices. In a recent support document, Apple is now confirming 5K support for MacBook laptops.
The supported displays and configurations described in the document, include 4K support, as well as Ultra HD (5K), with the late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina, early 2015 MacBook Air, and 2015 12-inch MacBook Retina.
Other Mac products include the late 2013 Mac Pro, the late 2013 27-inch iMac, and the late 2014 Mac mini.
The , 15-inch 2015 MacBook Pro Retina with AMD Radeon R9 M370X will support 5K through USB-C port, using a digital AV multiport adapter.
With OS X 10.9.3, not all displays, however, support 4K and 5K with full 60Hz refresh rate. the following third party displays and HDTV’s are currently limited to 30Hz refresh rate:
- Sharp PN-K321
- ASUS PQ321Q
- Dell UP2414Q
- Dell UP3214Q
- Panasonic TC-L65WT600
To enable 60Hz refresh rate in 4K and 5K resolution, upgrading to OS X 10.10.3 is required.
MST Support
Owners of the 2013 15 inch MacBook Pro and late 2014 27 inch Retina iMac, will have the option of using only one additional Thunderbolt display.
In that case, users are required to configure the additional MST displays manually according to the following directions:
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
While most displays will be automatically detected by OS X, some may require a firmware update.
The support document also points out that some 4K displays may require two DisplayPort cables to use full 4K and higher resolutions, on the late 2013 Mac Pro, the late 2014 iMac 27 inch Retina 5K, and the 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina, with AMD Radeon R9 M370X.
Distortion issue
Apple is also providing instructions on how to solve a potential distortion occurring when changing resolutions while mirroring to a 4K, or UHDTV display. Turning mirroring off and back on will correct the issue.