Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

julianbremann

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2019
9
0
Hi, i have a new Macbook pro m2 and want to connect an external monitor to it, i have an old but good quality monitor i like , NEC PA271W, i'm connecting it through an svga to usbc adapter, sometimes it does not connect so i have to plug and unplug the cord 5-10 times until it actually is recognized and starts workings, sometimes works fine right away, so that's annoying but i can deal with it...
But most importantly I noticed that when the monitor is connected the battery drains faster than normal, at an important rate, i'd say 50% faster. so the questions are:

is it better to connect the monitor with an HDMI cord, which the monitor also has, and if it'll reduce battery drain or this will not matter and either way it'll do the same? are newer monitors less battery power draining or there wouldn't be a considerable difference?

tnx
 

dmccloud

macrumors 68030
Sep 7, 2009
2,990
1,727
Anchorage, AK
From what I've seen, using a USB-C to HDMI cable (not an adapter) drained the battery just as fast on my old M1 13" Pro as HDMI to HDMI does with my 14" M2 Max MBP. However, I don't believe this is a flaw with Apple Silicon, nor do I believe that it is some sort of bug, as I've seen Windows-based laptops do the same thing when connected to an external display.
 

julianbremann

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2019
9
0
Thanks for the input, very helpful. does anyone else have some info as well and/or what would be the best scenario to reduce battery load? thunderbolt enabled display make a difference for instance?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.