Apple Studio Display Windows Compatibility

[vignessh]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to connect my Apple Studio Display to my Windows PC using the Asus ThunderboltEX 4 add-on card. I'm using a Sapphire discrete GPU and Asus ROG Strix Z690-E motherboard for the PC. I'm able to see the Thunderbolt Controller - 1137 under System Devices and able to get the display working fine when connecting the output from the card to the display.

However, the speakers, mic and webcam don't get recognized in Windows. The Thunderbolt Control Center app shows "PCIE tunneling" to be Disabled even though I've set the option "PCIE tunneling over USB4" to be in the BIOS to be enabled. I suspect this is why the audio & webcam aren't getting recognized.

I'm currently managing with the Belkin VR Charge & Sync cable and that seems to work fine with regards to resolution, audio & webcam.

Has anyone had luck with the Thunderbolt EX4 card?

 

[vignessh]

Sorry for my sillyness. I am on the verge of getting an ASD for my macbook pro as well as my PC (using Belkin vr cable), but i just came across mentions that firmware 16.4 does not work for PCs.

May I know if anybody here is connecting a PC to an ASD with 16.4 using the Belkin method?

Thanks!

I'm using the Belkin VR cable to connect my PC to the Studio Display (running version 16.4), haven't observed any issues so far. Go for it.

 

[.maxx]

After months of research, I was able to narrow down the problem to some extent.

I found out that the driver (marked in the picture) is responsible for the camera, sound and microphone.

I am convinced that this driver is responsible for the distorted sound as well as for the sudden switching off of the microphone during a session (no matter if Teams or Zoom).

The question now is who is at fault? Apple, Microsoft, Intel or HP?

Believe me, I have gone through the Install/Uninstall, Upgrade/Downgrade Game.

Any updates on that issue?
I've got them too.

 

[monsthamo]

I'm using the Belkin VR cable to connect my PC to the Studio Display (running version 16.4), haven't observed any issues so far. Go for it.

Thanks for the sharing!

 

[missaq]

Any updates on that issue?
I've got them too.

After months of research, I was able to narrow down the problem to some extent.

I found out that the driver (marked in the picture) is responsible for the camera, sound and microphone.

I am convinced that this driver is responsible for the distorted sound as well as for the sudden switching off of the microphone during a session (no matter if Teams or Zoom).

The question now is who is at fault? Apple, Microsoft, Intel or HP?

Believe me, I have gone through the Install/Uninstall, Upgrade/Downgrade Game.

It seems like it's a Windows/Thunderbolt problem.
I installed Ubuntu on my machine this morning and had no problems at all.
Also started feedback regarding this: https://aka.ms/AAmgwe6

 

[aronlugo]

Hello,

I normally use a mac mini M1 with ASD, but i wanted to game so i tried with an AMD RX7900XT(attached to an old PC) using the USB-C in the card.........and it works, sound, webcam, brightness control, usb hub....all using the thunderbolt cable supplied with the monitor. Did anyone try?

 

[prayingnantes]

If you find the colors are oversaturated and do not look quite right when your Windows computer is connected to the Studio Display you may need to set the display preset to the sRGB color gamut. To do so follow these steps:

1. Plug your Mac into the Studio Display
2. Open the System Settings app, in the sidebar go to Displays, Click on Studio Display, in the Preset dropdown select Internet & Web (sRGB).
3. Plug your Windows computer back into the Studio Display, the colors should appear as you expect

 

[aronlugo]

If you find the colors are oversaturated and do not look quite right when your Windows computer is connected to the Studio Display you may need to set the display preset to the sRGB color gamut. To do so follow these steps:

1. Plug your Mac into the Studio Display
2. Open the System Settings app, in the sidebar go to Displays, Click on Studio Display, in the Preset dropdown select Internet & Web (sRGB).
3. Plug your Windows computer back into the Studio Display, the colors should appear as you expect

Is there any diference in doing that way and do it using boot camp control panel in windows??

 

[Chris_Poland]

Hello!

I have published the Studio Display Brightness Controller v1.3.0.0 code on GitHub. This was my first project on GitHub, so I hope it was done reasonably well

The GitHub path is: https:<slash><slash>github.com<slash>Chris-Poland<slash>SDBC

This is version v1.3.0.0, it differs from v1.2.0.0 (which everyone uses) only in that the application runs in a minimized form.

I hope that there will be people who will want to develop this app. As I wrote earlier, I've already done my job and unfortunately I don't have more time for this project.

 

[joevt]

Hello!

I have published the Studio Display Brightness Controller v1.3.0.0 code on GitHub. This was my first project on GitHub, so I hope it was done reasonably well

The GitHub path is: https:<slash><slash>github.com<slash>Chris-Poland<slash>SDBC

This is version v1.3.0.0, it differs from v1.2.0.0 (which everyone uses) only in that the application runs in a minimized form.

I hope that there will be people who will want to develop this app. As I wrote earlier, I've already done my job and unfortunately I don't have more time for this project.

Couple suggestions:

1) Move the build products to a GitHub Release.

2) Don't include in source control the folders and build products and other files that are not necessary to build the project. For GitHub, add a .gitignore file. For example:

bin/
obj/
*.csproj.user

There are examples at https://github.com/github/gitignore

 

[Chris_Poland]

Thank you very much for your suggestions, I have made changes in GitHub. If anything else is incorrect, please write and I will try to correct it.

 

[saberfi]

I just got a Studio Display to go with a Mac mini M2 and my windows work laptop.

I can say the display works fine with HP Elitebook 640 G9 (2022) model. The preparations are that I first start up the display with the Mac mini so that the brightness is automatically adjusted to the surroundings, and then plug the TB3 cable to the windows laptop. The monitor 'remembers' the last brightness setting.

If it gets much darker or brighter during the day, I can plug it the Mac mini again temporarily and allow it to adjust brightness, and then plug in the work laptop again. Not ideal, but it isn't the biggest of hassles either.

Previously I had a home iMac and another external monitor just for my windows laptop separately on the table. Now a single display suffices for business (windows) and pleasure (Mac mini), so I am satisfied.

.. as a side note, the Apple Studio Display seems to suffer from some odd 'rattle' that can be detected from the bottom left corner of the monitor when it's on. Plugged into a separate outlet, but still occurs. Thus, the ASD is going back to Apple.

I do plan to get another unit however. Although now the height adjustable stand is starting to feel tempting. Dang it.

 

[motopascy]

I’m having trouble with my newly purchased Studio Display. If I connect it to my mac, it works fine as expected. If I connect it to my work laptop, the display will briefly flicker on but then go black.

The USB ports work, so does the webcam and speakers. Windows is also detecting the display and detects it at the correct resolution. I’m able to move Windows to the screen and take a screenshot even though the display is black. When my IT department remotes into the machine, they can see the external display rendering as well.

Here’s a demonstration of what’s happening (please watch video).

First, it’s plugged into my wife’s laptop (we work for the same company but different model machine). You can see it’s fully functional, mirroring the display (which is expected).

Then I plug it into my mac. It shows an extended display (as expected) and the image remains.

Then I plug it into my work laptop, and it briefly flickers on for about a quarter second before shutting off. Peripherals all detected and working as expected.


Lenovo P1 can't connect to Apple Studio Display!

Setup​

Keyboard, Mouse and USB mic plugged into Monitor. Monitor plugs into laptop. No docks or other devices connected.

Previous Setup​

This laptop was connected to an LG UltraFiiiiine 5K display. It could be connected directly or through a work provided Lenovo Thunderbolt dock. My peripherals were all connected to the dock. The display is starting to flake out so I bought the new Studio Display hoping to be rid of the LG once and for all. I had 5K resolution but no brightness control.

Hardware:​

Work Machine - Lenovo P1, Gen 2​

Intel Xeon Processor
Dual nVidia/Intel graphics
Thunderbolt display support (up to 5K)
32 GB RAM
Windows 10

Wife’s Work Machine - Lenovo T490​

Intel i5
Base RAM

Personal Machine - 2021 14" MBP​

M1Pro
32 GB RAM

What have I tried​

• Playing with resolutions - no change
• Playing out output modes (extended, mirrored, external only) - no change
• Updating to latest drivers from Lenovo - no change
• Disconnecting all peripherals connected to the display - no change
• Retrying old UltraFine 5K - it worked, but no change for Studio Display
• Different Thunderbolt Cable - Both cables I have work with UltraFine. Both show same behaviour with Apple Studio Display.
• Using the dock as an intermediary device between the display and the laptop - no change
• Installed Studio Display Brightness Controller v1.2.0.0 - only detects 0 brightness and playing with the functions makes no difference
• Installing Bootcamp drivers - IT department is blocking this. No luck running the Bootcamp.msi file.

At this point, if I don’t find a solution soon, I’m going to need to return the monitor to Apple which I REALLY don’t want to do because it’s otherwise very very nice.

 

[saberfi]

Well, I can only wager a guess, but it might be that the chipset on that laptop is ”too old” to handle the ASD.

That Lenovo appears to be a 2019 model, with Intel graphics chipset dating to 2017.

Although that T490 seems to be around the same timeframe, so difficult to say. Still, I don’t think it’s enough that the laptop has Thunderbolt 3, but it also needs to have a sufficiently recent Intel chipset to go with it.

There’s a chance a newer gen model (2020+) would run the ASD.

I don’t know what the policies in your company are, but perhaps you could check if the lease on your laptop has already expired, which could net you a newer gen model that works with ASD.

 

[motopascy]

That was my next thought and I actually submitted for a new laptop. I'll either be getting a Gen 4/5 Lenovo P1 or a Dell Precision 5570. Fingers crossed either of these machines will support the ASD.

Thanks for taking a look though. For now I'm back to my LG with its forgetting to wake up from sleep and unreliable USB-C ports.

 

[vignessh]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to connect my Apple Studio Display to my Windows PC using the Asus ThunderboltEX 4 add-on card. I'm using a Sapphire discrete GPU and Asus ROG Strix Z690-E motherboard for the PC. I'm able to see the Thunderbolt Controller - 1137 under System Devices and able to get the display working fine when connecting the output from the card to the display.

However, the speakers, mic and webcam don't get recognized in Windows. The Thunderbolt Control Center app shows "PCIE tunneling" to be Disabled even though I've set the option "PCIE tunneling over USB4" to be in the BIOS to be enabled. I suspect this is why the audio & webcam aren't getting recognized.

I'm currently managing with the Belkin VR Charge & Sync cable and that seems to work fine with regards to resolution, audio & webcam.

Has anyone had luck with the Thunderbolt EX4 card?

Just wanted to update on this. If you happen to run an Asus motherboard (Intel or AMD) with the Thunderbolt EX4 add-on card, you need to double check the PCIE slot on which the card is installed. In my case, the Asus ROG Strix Z690-E motherboard, the PCIE tunnelling over USB only works when the thunderbolt card is added to the PCIE Gen 3 slot. Which is sort of unfortunate as it is close to the GPU and if you happen to run a beefy GPU, that slot is unusable. Something to watch out for and keep in mind.

 

[chrjohns]

Hey, I wanted to post my experience for anyone interested since this thread has helped me greatly. I have a gaming PC with a RTX 4070. The motherboard also has a single USB-C port which drives the monitor fine (but not for gaming). I tried two DP to USB-C cables.

I started out with the CableCreation Bi-directional cable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY78C42?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

That seemed to work. I had sound working with an additional usb-a cable attached to my AudioEngine speakers. However, the CableCreation became unstable after a short period of period of use and would not wake up the ASD. I was also using a cheaper USB-C Switcher - but that was also flaky. I am not completely sure if the CableCreation cable was contributing to the problem, too, but it does not seem like a robust item.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BK8JBS69?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I tried the WJESOG connector. This seemed to work at first, but I was not getting sound or camera. And then I noticed that the aluminum housing connected at the DP port was extremely hot. I pulled it out. It eventually stopped working. So I spent a lot of time searching for something that would work.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNX7MS6N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

So I ordered the Cable Matters USB-C to DP (even though it says it's not bi-directional) and the Moschi Cable to see if they would work. Those have not yet arrived.

At the same time, I returned the WJESOG cable and requested a replacement. That arrived today, and what do you know, it works perfectly at 5k, ASD speakers, and camera. I also believe I am getting 4:4:4 color.

It seems like a good product, but may have some quality control issues.

I have it connected to a Sabrent TB4 KVM switch along with a MacBook Pro M1 (which is first connected to a CalDigit TS3+ dock and then connected to the KVM via TB3). It works well.

I may return the Sabrent and try a Cable Matters USB-C KVM instead because the TB4 KVM is probably overkill (and $300).

Hoping the WJESOG keeps working!

 

[CamelCase1]

Hey all - I've got a Lenovo ThinkStation desktop with a GeForce RTX 3080, and I bought the Belkin Charge and Sync cable to connect to my Apple Studio Display. However Windows doesn't seem to recognize the display at all when plugged in to the DisplayPort. Has anyone experienced this?

I can plug in another monitor and the machine works fine, but never recognizes the second monitor plugged in. I thought it could be the DisplayPort cable not fully seating in the port because of the large plastic around the connector, but I jimmied around the graphics card to make sure it fully seats in the port and still nothing.

Thanks in advance for any help. It seems like everyone else has had good luck with this cable!

 

[goodthymes]

Make sure your Belkin is the bidirectional 32 Gbps one and double check you are plugging into the right port on the ASD, otherwise with that setup it should work.

 

[natsukosen]

I returned the WJESOG cable and requested a replacement. That arrived today, and what do you know, it works perfectly at 5k, ASD speakers, and camera. I also believe I am getting 4:4:4 color.

@chrjohns Thank you for that insight!

Which motherboard are you using it with?

That you made the WJESOG cable work with the Apple Studio Display + Speakers + Camera is amazing! How about controlling Display Brightness?

I am switching back and forth on the fly between a MacBook Pro M1 and a PC with the following setup and have a lot of issues with the PC‘s signal.

I have an ASUS ROG STRIX X570-E GAMING WIFI II motherboard without Thunderbolt Port, but with a Displayport 1.2 and a few USB 3.2 ports:

And I have the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC with 2x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a

In the meantime I have tried the Cable Matters cable which works without speaker, camera and brightness support.

Same for the Moshi cable.

On top of this both of the cables above make scary and ugly glitches and screen outages in a frequency of seconds on my ASD:




With the Moshi cable there are times without glitches when I newly turn on the power of the PC or sometimes when it awakes from „Sleep“. When I switch from the MBP on the fly by switching the cables manually on the Apple Studio Display, glitches are guaranteed.

Both cables have to be connected to one of the RTX3090 Displayports in order to work.

The motherboard‘s Displayport 1.2 doesn‘t seem to provide any signal to the Apple Studio Display.

I also tried this bi-directional KVM from Amazon Germany https://amzn.eu/d/4YHE3ra which seems to have fried my Moshi Cable while MacBook Pro and PC have been connected. While I was working on my MacBook Pro and the PC was in Sleep mode I switched to the PC output port and the PC just didn‘t wake up anymore, where the RTX had a red blinking light on only. I then shut the PC down via the PSU Switch and restarted, without success, the ASD kept staying off. I then tried it again with a Cable Matters cable I still had and fortunately it worked again.

Site is undergoing maintenance

email: service@kceve.com whatsapp: +8615899799333

kceve.com

Returned the KVM and will probably never use such a device again after having this horrific experience.

Now I was wondering, if I use your recommended WJESOG cable, how I shall connect it to the USB port, since the RTX Card‘s port and the motherboard USB port are apart like 20cm’s from each other and the splitted USB connection cable on it seems to be like 5cm long only.

Any thoughts and feedback highly appreciated!

I am thinking about switching to an ASUS ProArt B550 motherboard with 2x Thunderbolt 4 Ports and one Thunderbolt Display-In Port. But I am wondering if the ASD will work smoothly with the speakers, camera and brightness control by simply connecting it to one of the TB4 ports and the ASD USB-C Port via Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt cable (which cable to use in this case?) — or how do you best connect to the ASD from the B550? Does this work seemlessly from the TB4 ports on the B550‘s backplate?

And what is confusing me a bit is the Display-In port. The manual says the graphics card can be wired to this port, but which cable shall be used then to connect it to the ASD? Any insights on this?

 

[natsukosen]

Both of my thunderbolt devices were able to display the full resolution 5k@60hz but the Surface Go 2 was only able to do 4k @60hz, I suspect this might be a GPU limitation as the UHD 615 cannot output more than 4k.

I wanted to add a note, (in case anyone wanted to try that ProArt b550 board) that you must update the BIOS of the motherboard to update the thunderbolt firmware. After the thunderbolt firmware update I was able to get all of the USB C ports along with the speakers camera mic working.

I suspect the reason that one additional reason Thunderbolt Ex4 card does not work is because it has an outdated thunderbolt firmware.

@kreasu_ Thank you for the insight on the Asus ProArt B550.

Would you mind sharing which cable you use to connect to the ASD and in which port of your motherboard you plug it into? Also, do you make any use of the „Display-in“ port the ProArt B550 comes with?

 

[joevt]

Now I was wondering, if I use your recommended WJESOG cable, how I shall connect it to the USB port, since the RTX Card‘s port and the motherboard USB port are apart like 20cm’s from each other and the splitted USB connection cable on it seems to be like 5cm long only.

The WJESOG cable and most cables like it are limited to USB 2.0. You should have no problem using a USB extension cable.

 

[natsukosen]

Hey, I wanted to post my experience for anyone interested since this thread has helped me greatly. I have a gaming PC with a RTX 4070. The motherboard also has a single USB-C port which drives the monitor fine (but not for gaming). I tried two DP to USB-C cables.

I started out with the CableCreation Bi-directional cable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY78C42?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

That seemed to work. I had sound working with an additional usb-a cable attached to my AudioEngine speakers. However, the CableCreation became unstable after a short period of period of use and would not wake up the ASD. I was also using a cheaper USB-C Switcher - but that was also flaky. I am not completely sure if the CableCreation cable was contributing to the problem, too, but it does not seem like a robust item.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BK8JBS69?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I tried the WJESOG connector. This seemed to work at first, but I was not getting sound or camera. And then I noticed that the aluminum housing connected at the DP port was extremely hot. I pulled it out. It eventually stopped working. So I spent a lot of time searching for something that would work.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNX7MS6N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

So I ordered the Cable Matters USB-C to DP (even though it says it's not bi-directional) and the Moschi Cable to see if they would work. Those have not yet arrived.

At the same time, I returned the WJESOG cable and requested a replacement. That arrived today, and what do you know, it works perfectly at 5k, ASD speakers, and camera. I also believe I am getting 4:4:4 color.

It seems like a good product, but may have some quality control issues.

I have it connected to a Sabrent TB4 KVM switch along with a MacBook Pro M1 (which is first connected to a CalDigit TS3+ dock and then connected to the KVM via TB3). It works well.

I may return the Sabrent and try a Cable Matters USB-C KVM instead because the TB4 KVM is probably overkill (and $300).

Hoping the WJESOG keeps working!

@chrjohns do you have a directlink to the Cable Matters KVM you are planning to use? Excited about your insights!

 

[CamelCase1]

Make sure your Belkin is the bidirectional 32 Gbps one and double check you are plugging into the right port on the ASD, otherwise with that setup it should work.

Thanks for the response @goodthymes. How do I know if the cable is the bidirectional 32 Gbps one? I just bought one off Aliexpress from one of the links here, but nothing on the box seems to indicate this.

 

[BeatCrazy]

@natsukosen those garbled squares are the result of a poor cable/connection, in my experience. Try switching to another DisplayPort output on your GPU. I use the WJESOG cable for best results.