Early 2016 12" MacBook: 1440p at 60hz?

[Sandy34]

Hey all. I'm looking at Christmas gifts for myself, and looking for monitors. I know the 2016 12" MacBook supports 1080p at 60hz and 2160p at 30hz. But what about 1440p? Does the Early 2016 12-inch MacBook support 1440p at 60hz, or is it only 30hz? I've not been able to get a straightforward answer on the internet, so I'm coming to you for help. Thanks in advance.

 

[JtheLemur]

The answer is: it should.

"…up to 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz on an external display…" 1440p = 2560x1440.

I'm also in the market for an external display for my 2017 12" MacBook, for those work-from-home days.

 

[peglegjack]

A slight correction: the 2016 12" MacBook can display 2160p at 60hz. I'm doing it right now on my 21" LG Ultrafine 4K.

 

[jingo_man]

@peglegjack (specifically as you seem to have a working solution, but happy to hear from anyone!) How are you driving the 4K60 monitor?

I have the 12" MacBook 2018 model, and looking at the correct dock to use in combination with this. Recommendations?

I have seen:

• OWC USB-C dock, but its only 4K30.
• Dell D6000 can drive multiple monitors, but sounds as though it does this via DisplayLink (USB-based) drivers and not natively via the HDMI/DP interfaces(??).
• Brand called "Plugable" USB-C Triple Display Dock (via Amazon) - never heard of it!
• Various travel hubs (rather than docks) - I already have the Kingston Nucleum which can drive 4K60 but from its specs but using it more for travel uses and would prefer a desktop based alternative
• CalDigit
• Any Thunderbolt 3 dock from the above vendors - I am sure this would fulfil my requirements, but at a vastly inflated price...

Thanks

 

[peglegjack]

@peglegjack (specifically as you seem to have a working solution, but happy to hear from anyone!) How are you driving the 4K60 monitor?

I have the 12" MacBook 2018 model, and looking at the correct dock to use in combination with this. Recommendations?

I have seen:

• OWC USB-C dock, but its only 4K30.
• Dell D6000 can drive multiple monitors, but sounds as though it does this via DisplayLink (USB-based) drivers and not natively via the HDMI/DP interfaces(??).
• Brand called "Plugable" USB-C Triple Display Dock (via Amazon) - never heard of it!
• Various travel hubs (rather than docks) - I already have the Kingston Nucleum which can drive 4K60 but from its specs but using it more for travel uses and would prefer a desktop based alternative
• CalDigit
• Any Thunderbolt 3 dock from the above vendors - I am sure this would fulfil my requirements, but at a vastly inflated price...

Thanks

Well I can tell you that it's this monitor:

LG 21.5" HD 4K Ultra Fine LED Monitor Black for Mac Only (Renewed)

This Certified Refurbished product is manufacturer refurbished, shows limited or no wear, and includes all original accessories plus a 90-day manufacturer warranty

www.amazon.com

which isn't actually made anymore, though the 24" is at the Apple Store. I got the 21" model for $300 at the time from New Egg refurbished. I'm driving it on my maxed out 2016 12" MacBook (m7, 512 GB HD).

This article mentions how it all works, though it is talking about the newer 24" monitor. However, this applies to the 21" model as well.

Use the 23.7-inch LG UltraFine 4K Display with your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Learn about the 23.7-inch LG UltraFine 4K Display and how to use it with your Mac or iPad.

support.apple.com

I would note that the newer model actually has a lower pixels per inch count as it is a slightly lower resolution.

You don't need a dock at all. You just plug in the USB-C cord, and everything is golden. You have 3 USB 2.0 ports on the back which I use for AV 40 monitor speakers, my SM7B microphone, headphones, two other ports to plug in guitar/keyboard, my external backup hard drive, and whatever else I need for the last port.

But yeah since you're talking about 1 port at regular USB 3 speeds, USB 2 is basically what you would get on the back. I may have read somewhere of someone driving two monitors (in addition to the laptop screen), but that may not actually be possible.

Attached is my current setup. I'm also attaching a pic of my display mentioning 4k 60 so you all know I'm not making things up.

 

[jingo_man]

Well I can tell you that it's this monitor:

LG 21.5" HD 4K Ultra Fine LED Monitor Black for Mac Only (Renewed)

This Certified Refurbished product is manufacturer refurbished, shows limited or no wear, and includes all original accessories plus a 90-day manufacturer warranty

www.amazon.com

which isn't actually made anymore, though the 24" is at the Apple Store. I got the 21" model for $300 at the time from New Egg refurbished. I'm driving it on my maxed out 2016 12" MacBook (m7, 512 GB HD).

This article mentions how it all works, though it is talking about the newer 24" monitor. However, this applies to the 21" model as well.

Use the 23.7-inch LG UltraFine 4K Display with your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Learn about the 23.7-inch LG UltraFine 4K Display and how to use it with your Mac or iPad.

support.apple.com

I would note that the newer model actually has a lower pixels per inch count as it is a slightly lower resolution.

You don't need a dock at all. You just plug in the USB-C cord, and everything is golden. You have 3 USB 2.0 ports on the back which I use for AV 40 monitor speakers, my SM7B microphone, headphones, two other ports to plug in guitar/keyboard, my external backup hard drive, and whatever else I need for the last port.

But yeah since you're talking about 1 port at regular USB 3 speeds, USB 2 is basically what you would get on the back. I may have read somewhere of someone driving two monitors (in addition to the laptop screen), but that may not actually be possible.

Attached is my current setup. I'm also attaching a pic of my display mentioning 4k 60 so you all know I'm not making things up.

Thanks @peglegjack. I hadn't clocked that these monitors have a built-in USB-C hub. This actually seems quite ideal for the 12" MacBook, with its single port. It would also offset a couple hundred bucks / quid buying a hub to work alongside a monitor.

 

[peglegjack]

Thanks @peglegjack. I hadn't clocked that these monitors have a built-in USB-C hub. This actually seems quite ideal for the 12" MacBook, with its single port. It would also offset a couple hundred bucks / quid buying a hub to work alongside a monitor.

Yeah it couldn’t be anymore perfect for me really. Got me through two years of grad school as well, though having a 150GB Windows 10 partition for running forensic/security software helped with that. Running FTK through a VPN worked like a charm.

I do have one of those $40 HooToo hubs, but I very rarely use it. It really is the case that if I were designing a computer, the 12” MacBook would be my ideal, only with less bezels and maybe a little more CPU power.

 

[jingo_man]

I had more recently looked at this particular dock, as it has a physical switch to toggle between 4K30 & 4K60, thereby allowing USB3 connections for other attached peripherals. For me, this would be useful if I could "soft swap" between them, for example when I want to do a fast USB3 based file copy to an attached SSD.

For the UltraFine monitor, can you do the same via the System Preferences? Or is it not possible to control like this?