It's so frustrating that apple is hampering 8k adoption. Releasing new hardware with hobbled HDMI 2.0 hardware where they actually had to WORK MORE to go backwards from already shipping HDMI 2.1 devices. I dont get why the hang-up on 8k.
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MP All Models SOLVED: 8k Displays Running on Mac Pro? Any? What Video cards would work that support 8k HDMI 2.1/Displayport 1.4/2.0 displays on Mac Pro? YES you can
- Thread starter ZombiePhysicist
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Just bumping this thread. Curious if anyone has had any success with this.
With all the Black Friday deals, I'm getting an itch to get an a 65" 8k display to replace my ancient 30" cinema displays.
While I know the new MBPs have an HDMI 2.0 port, the Thunderbolt 4 ports "should" be able to drive an 8k screen, at least in theory. As should many AMD cards on the 2019 MP.
With all the Black Friday deals, I'm getting an itch to get an a 65" 8k display to replace my ancient 30" cinema displays.
While I know the new MBPs have an HDMI 2.0 port, the Thunderbolt 4 ports "should" be able to drive an 8k screen, at least in theory. As should many AMD cards on the 2019 MP.
I thought DisplayPort 2.0 couldn't handle 8k? Wouldn't it be better to try over the thunderbolt 4 cables? Although I guess we would need some kind of thunderbolt 4 to display port adapter cable capable of 8k?
I got the new laptop. I went to Best Buy hoping they'd let me plug in to some of their 8k displays but they wouldn't let me. I can try again. Wish I had local access to an 8k display. I would buy one but it is a chicken and egg problem. I do not want to buy one until I know 8k will work...
Nothing has DisplayPort 2.0. DisplayPort 1.4 is the latest which M1 Macs have. Maybe next year we'll see some DisplayPort 2.0 stuff.
Thunderbolt 4 uses DisplayPort 1.4. A regular USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 adapter is good enough for a single DisplayPort connection.
Thunderbolt can transmit two DisplayPort connections. A Thunderbolt dock can output those to two displays. A Thunderbolt display is just like a Thunderbolt dock with a display connected.
The two DisplayPort connections can add up to 34.56 Gbps (two HBR2 17.28 Gbps connections or one HBR3 25.92 Gbps and one HBR 8.64 Gbps)
The LG UltraFine 5K uses two HBR2 connections (using 14.5 Gbps of Thunderbolt each), one for each 2560x2880 half of the display to do 5K60 10bpc RGB.
The Apple Pro Display XDR has a mode for GPUs that don't support DSC where each 3008x3384 half uses a HBR3 connection to do 6K60 10bpc RGB (19.47 Gbps per connection). This 38.9 Gbps connection total exceeds what you can normally can connect with Thunderbolt.
To calculate those numbers, multiply pixel clock by bits per pixel (bpp). bpp is usually three times the bits per component (bpc) but you can reduce bpp by using DSC (supports bpp from 8) or using chroma sub sampling (4:4:4 is no chroma sub sampling, 4:2:2 is two thirds of 4:4:4, and 4:2:0 is one half of 4:4:4). It's also possible to combine DSC and chroma sub sampling.
2560x2880@60Hz of LG UltraFine 5K is 483.37MHz
3008x3384@60Hz of Apple Pro Display XDR is 648.91MHz
6016x3384@60Hz of Apple Pro Display XDR is 1286.01MHz
8K30 has pixel clock 1020MHz (CVT-RB2) or 1188MHz (HDMI); 8bpc RGB = 24.5 - 28.3 Gbps; 8bpc 4:2:0 or DSC @ 12 bpp = 12.24 - 14.26 Gbps; DSC @ 8 bpp = 8.16 - 9.5 Gbps
8K60 has pixel clock 2069MHz (CVT-RB2) or 2376MHz (HDMI); 8bpc RGB = 49.7 - 57.0 Gbps; 8bpc 4:2:0 or DSC @ 12 bpp = 24.83 - 28.51 Gbps; DSC @ 8 bpp = 16.6 - 19 Gbps
Using the calculations, you can see what modes are possible.
But just because a mode is possible, it doesn't mean that the GPU and graphics drivers and dock and adapter will allow it.
I wonder if using this app might somehow be able to trick an 8k output. We do know of one 8k monitor that works on the Mac, I think. The 8k Dell monitor with 2 DisplayPort ports that I guess drive 2 halves of the screen. Perhaps using BetterDummy monitor in someway, perhaps in combination with the SwitchResX software?
github.com
The Black Friday sales on the Samsung 8k TVs has me very close to pulling the trigger to get this done. I guess if I do pull the trigger, I'm trying to figure out what is the best video card for me to get to try to drive an 8k screen. :/
GitHub - waydabber/BetterDisplay: Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more!
Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more! - waydabber/BetterDisplay
github.com
The Black Friday sales on the Samsung 8k TVs has me very close to pulling the trigger to get this done. I guess if I do pull the trigger, I'm trying to figure out what is the best video card for me to get to try to drive an 8k screen. :/
I wonder, would the apple 5700 card be good to drive 8k? It’s $1000 so not marked up stupidly like many other cards. It has 3 thunderbolt 3 ports but only an hdmi 2.0 port. Or would you guys think what I really should get is some PC Card with hdmi 2.1 since the Samsung tvs come with hdmi 2.1 native. That way less conversions?
I don’t think I need a 6800 card just to drive 8k. I wonder what the cheapest, coolest/quietest card that has hdmi2.1 and is most likely to have a **** at being compatible is?
I don’t think I need a 6800 card just to drive 8k. I wonder what the cheapest, coolest/quietest card that has hdmi2.1 and is most likely to have a **** at being compatible is?
It's the minimum if you need DSC support. Anything before that doesn't support it from AMD.
Honestly I would just go to AMD.com and hope you can grab a RX 6800 XT at MSRP every Thursday but NAVI2 doesn't work with the Mac Pro 5,1.
Otherwise Apple do have the Radeon Pro W5700X MPX Module in stock (if you have the Mac Pro 7,1).
I have both a Samsung 8K TV and AMD 6800 XT, I do not get 8K monitor signal, not even 30hz without DSC. No 8k using either HDMI 2.1 nor using the DisplayPort output with an active DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1. SwitchResX helps creating a 8K desktop / image buffer, and MacOS system report shows 8K, but the signal to the TV gets downsampled to 4K.
I read that some others have managed to get 8K@30hz using Displayport 1.4 with the Samsung 8K 32 inch monitor. So that should mean that the MacOS itself doesn’t limit 8K (at least not over a DisplayPort 1.4 connection when avoiding DSC).
Either there could be a limitation with the AMD driver, or it could be that the MacOS/AMD6800 recognizes that there is HDMI connected via the DisplayPort adapter, so MacOS doesn’t accept DisplayPort 1.4 timings (Even though the TV is connected to one of the DisplayPort outputs on the graphics card).
So I wouldn’t advise to buy at Samsung 8K TV to get 8K on Mac OS at this time.
Thanks so much Arvine! That seems about as compatible a setup as possible.I would be trying to use the 85" QN900A, but I think your Q800A 75" is also a 2021, so in theory, the port guts should be the same.
Have you by chance tried via the USB-C connection. I don't see why that should work any differently, but just curious.
Also, have you tried using several different cables? I would think any DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 cable should work (and I saw you used an HDMI to DisplayPort converter cable--I guess one question is if youre sure the HDMI part was 2.1 and that the down grade to DP1.4 was done well enough), but just curious. Sometimes using different cables or adapter cables can 'fix' the timings and other issues by interjecting a kind of 'forced' compatiblity (if that makes any sense).
For example, I wonder if one of these might work?
Although Im not sure why either of those should work when an HDMI 2.1 to HDMI 2.1 cable wouldn't... :/
BTW, I'm assuming you have this going on a MP 2019?
Have you by chance tried via the USB-C connection. I don't see why that should work any differently, but just curious.
Also, have you tried using several different cables? I would think any DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 cable should work (and I saw you used an HDMI to DisplayPort converter cable--I guess one question is if youre sure the HDMI part was 2.1 and that the down grade to DP1.4 was done well enough), but just curious. Sometimes using different cables or adapter cables can 'fix' the timings and other issues by interjecting a kind of 'forced' compatiblity (if that makes any sense).
For example, I wonder if one of these might work?
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
www.amazon.com
Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft, Support 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz HDR - Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB4 Compatible with iPhone 15 - Max Resolution on Any MacBook is 4K 60Hz
Cable Matters 48Gbps USB C to HDMI Adapter Cable Supporting 4K 120Hz and 8K HDR - Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 Port Compatible - 6ft
www.amazon.com
Although Im not sure why either of those should work when an HDMI 2.1 to HDMI 2.1 cable wouldn't... :/
BTW, I'm assuming you have this going on a MP 2019?
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Thanks, this would be on a 2019 MP. And thanks for the heads up on the Thursday AMD card drop thing. I never heard about that. Is there a specific time/manner about which to try. Perhaps some article pointer. It's worth a shot, particularly at list price these days!
I believe they restock Thursday morning EST (between 9 to 10 AM).
Thanks so much Arvine! That seems about as compatible a setup as possible.I would be trying to use the 85" QN900A, but I think your Q800A 75" is also a 2021, so in theory, the port guts should be the same.
Have you by chance tried via the USB-C connection. I don't see why that should work any differently, but just curious.
Also, have you tried using several different cables? I would think any DisplayPort 1.4 or HDMI 2.1 cable should work (and I saw you used an HDMI to DisplayPort converter cable--I guess one question is if youre sure the HDMI part was 2.1 and that the down grade to DP1.4 was done well enough), but just curious. Sometimes using different cables or adapter cables can 'fix' the timings and other issues by interjecting a kind of 'forced' compatiblity (if that makes any sense).
For example, I wonder if one of these might work?
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surfacewww.amazon.com
Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft, Support 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz HDR - Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB4 Compatible with iPhone 15 - Max Resolution on Any MacBook is 4K 60Hz
Cable Matters 48Gbps USB C to HDMI Adapter Cable Supporting 4K 120Hz and 8K HDR - Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 Port Compatible - 6ftwww.amazon.com
Although Im not sure why either of those should work when an HDMI 2.1 to HDMI 2.1 cable wouldn't... :/
BTW, I'm assuming you have this going on a MP 2019?
I dont think there is a difference in Samsung 8K TV Q800 2020 og 2021, nor Q900. They all should support 8K@60hz over HDMI 2.1. But who knows for sure before trying. No 8K TVs yet have DP 1.4 it seams (?) that could also resolve it as it seams MacOS has so limitations with HDMI and/or DSC.
I have tested with a couple of different 8K sables, but for Displaytport 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 I used the active adapter from Club 3D "Club 3D DisplayPort1.4 to HDMI 4K 120Hz HDR Active Adapter M/F CAC-1085"
Club 3D DisplayPort1.4 to HDMI 4K 120Hz HDR Active Adapter M/F CAC-1085
DISPLAYPORT 1.4 TO HDMI 4K120HZ HDR ACTIVE ADAPTER M/F
www.amazon.com
My AMD 6800 XT dosen't have USB-C output, just four DP 1.4 and one HDMI 2.1. But an option could be to try some of the other cables are adapters from "Cable Matters - DisplayPort 1.4 - to HDMI" that supports 8K.
Throwing in my 2¢ here: I know everyone's needs are different but I'm just curious as to what the perceived advantage of having a single 8k display is.
I currently run dual Dell P2415Q UHD (4K) 24" screens because I want super crisp Retina resolution to match my MacBook Pro's screen. (I do web design and graphics, and constantly switch between at least 2-3 apps while working.)
When I started using them, I ran them at true resolution to get more desktop space, and that naturally made text and UI elements super tiny. At very close distances it's sort of OK but at a regular reading distance (1ft or more) it causes eyestrain. Also, I noted that there started to be incompatibilities with some web apps I used (Lucidchart and Balsamiq) - possibly due to the browser having to address a much larger pixel canvas - they'd glitch out.
So I returned to a recommended 'scaled' resolution instead. Easier on my eyes while still offering crisp text.
The only reason I'd want an 8K display would be to get rid of the need for my dual monitors - i.e. a theoretical 8k ultrawide, 2k tall display to replace what I already have. No extra real estate, but just the convenience of a single panoramic screen with no seams down the middle. But panels for something like that (and cards, and drivers) likely won't become mainstream / affordable for another 5 years or so. (I'd also wish it were OLED, so that might mean 7 years.)
if I changed monitors to go to a single screen today, I'd likely go the 5k2k route with something like Dell's U4021QW WUHD screen or LG's Ultrawide 5K. That's enough real estate to be useful for practical tasks, and with judicious use of Spaces I can manage multiple fullscreen apps easily.
I currently run dual Dell P2415Q UHD (4K) 24" screens because I want super crisp Retina resolution to match my MacBook Pro's screen. (I do web design and graphics, and constantly switch between at least 2-3 apps while working.)
When I started using them, I ran them at true resolution to get more desktop space, and that naturally made text and UI elements super tiny. At very close distances it's sort of OK but at a regular reading distance (1ft or more) it causes eyestrain. Also, I noted that there started to be incompatibilities with some web apps I used (Lucidchart and Balsamiq) - possibly due to the browser having to address a much larger pixel canvas - they'd glitch out.
So I returned to a recommended 'scaled' resolution instead. Easier on my eyes while still offering crisp text.
The only reason I'd want an 8K display would be to get rid of the need for my dual monitors - i.e. a theoretical 8k ultrawide, 2k tall display to replace what I already have. No extra real estate, but just the convenience of a single panoramic screen with no seams down the middle. But panels for something like that (and cards, and drivers) likely won't become mainstream / affordable for another 5 years or so. (I'd also wish it were OLED, so that might mean 7 years.)
if I changed monitors to go to a single screen today, I'd likely go the 5k2k route with something like Dell's U4021QW WUHD screen or LG's Ultrawide 5K. That's enough real estate to be useful for practical tasks, and with judicious use of Spaces I can manage multiple fullscreen apps easily.
If I’m not mistaken, an 8k monitor has the resolution 4x 4K monitors.
Correct. For me I really need the desktop real estate. 6 30” cinema displays have about 24megapixels worth of desktop space. About 6 by 2.75 full pages can be seen at one time.
The hassle of dealing with 6 displays over time gets to me. Whereas one 8k display has 33megapixels and has the potential of greatly simplifying my setup. A single 65” or even 85” setup will be between 140 to 110 dpi so scale wise, it would work to greatly extend my desktop but would still be blown up enough to be a good size at 24” distance.
All via one cable connection and one power plug.
I’m interested in 8K on large screens from 75 inch or higher because of some technical simulation of a high number of “particles”. The need is to go close to the TV to observe changes to the simulation, e.g. as close as foot / 30 cm away from the screen. Then the display appears as a normal “non-Retina” display.
Just for daily work I use three “normal” displays with 32” 4K as the centre screen. Optimal would be 6K @ 32 inch like the Apple. And I adjust scaling so fonts become “normal”. No need for 8K on a 32” monitor.
8K is doubling the resolution per dimension, i.e. when talking about dpi/ppi . But 4x increase in area relatively to 4K. But I would argue that the perception is a doubling.
E.g. a 1080p screen at 32” has about 70 dpi, a 4K has 140dpi, and an 8K has 280 dpi (higher than retina on an iPhone).
I wonder, do you think if the tv had a DisplayPort 1.4 port, would the 8k image come through? And if so, doesn’t that mean the real issue is finding some cable/adapter that can push the right timings through. Although I’m confused why a straight hdmi 2.1 cable with 2.1 ports on both sides wouldn’t work. ?
So I just ordered an 85" 8k display, so now I'm really motivated to make this work!
In searching around I came on to this post:
So this makes me wonder if going out a USBc port might not make get us to where we want. This post was made a while ago, and the USBc to displayport 1.4 and USBc to HDMI 2.1 adapters have come a long way.
I'm wondering if some combination of these cables might get us there:
All of these seem to promise at least 32gbps throughput, which is way better than what was tried by the Reddit poster.
In searching around I came on to this post:
Unfortunately you can't just plug that 8K TV in either as it requires HDMI 2.1 (42Gbit/s) and even TB3 isn't quick enough without some sort of compression or lower framerate. Luckily there is DSC (Display Stream Compression). The only adapter I was able to find is made by Club3D and it converts USB-C (10gbit/s) to DisplayPort 1.4, combined with their active adapter to convert DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1, it works, kind of. The compression is immense due to the USB-C bandwidth limitation, even though it is connected to a TB3 port. Thanks to DSC it actually is able to output at an 8K resolution though, everything is soooo tiny but also unsharp
Good thing is though that the DisplayPort 1.4 -> HDMI 2.1 adapter works like a charm and it's likely the USB-C -> DisplayPort 1.4 adapter is the culprit. To get that out of the way, my hope is on the eGPU which I just ordered, a Razer Core X with AMD Pro WX 4100.
So this makes me wonder if going out a USBc port might not make get us to where we want. This post was made a while ago, and the USBc to displayport 1.4 and USBc to HDMI 2.1 adapters have come a long way.
I'm wondering if some combination of these cables might get us there:
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 4K@240hz, 8K@60hz, and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPad Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 4K@240hz, 8K@60hz, and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPad Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
www.amazon.com
CableDeconn DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 8K Cable 2 m Converter 8K @ 30Hz 4K @ 120Hz Directional Compatible with DisplayPort PC and HDMI Displays
source and display: Source:DisplayPort 1.4 Male Support Max Resolution Ultra HDMI 7680*4320 8K Display:HDMI 2.1 Male Max Support Resolution Ultra HDMI 7680*4320 8K It can max support 8K@30Hz 4K@120Hz Resolution in your external displays(HDTVs,Projectors,Monitors) Support copy and expansion mode, ...
www.amazon.com
Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft, Support 4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz HDR - Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB4 Compatible with iPhone 15 - Max Resolution on Any MacBook is 4K 60Hz
Cable Matters 48Gbps USB C to HDMI Adapter Cable Supporting 4K 120Hz and 8K HDR - Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 Port Compatible - 6ft
www.amazon.com
All of these seem to promise at least 32gbps throughput, which is way better than what was tried by the Reddit poster.
Well I ordered an AMD 6900 XT as well. So at this point I'm just waiting to get the gear and test a lot of permutations. Fingers crossed that one of them hits. At this point I would be thrilled even with 8k at 30hz. I just need a desktop. It's clear to me apple will eventually get full 8k support working, so just having even a modestly working setup until then would be great.
But assuming the connection pushes through about 32.4gbps, I would think we should have plenty to support 8k at least at 30hz and maybe even 60.
But assuming the connection pushes through about 32.4gbps, I would think we should have plenty to support 8k at least at 30hz and maybe even 60.
Has anyone tried the Sabrent USB-C to HDMI 2.1 (which internally does DP 1.4 HBR3 with DSC in the middle)?
I wanting to go for an 8K TV as a monitor so need HDMI as they all lack DP or TB inputs like monitors have.
I have a 2019 16in MBP with 5500m GPU - everything I’ve read says it should support it (albeit likely with the aid of XSwitchRes and maybe a script to enable HiDPI x2) at 8k60, but can’t see anyone that’s tried it?
I wanting to go for an 8K TV as a monitor so need HDMI as they all lack DP or TB inputs like monitors have.
I have a 2019 16in MBP with 5500m GPU - everything I’ve read says it should support it (albeit likely with the aid of XSwitchRes and maybe a script to enable HiDPI x2) at 8k60, but can’t see anyone that’s tried it?
What Sabrent USBc to HDMI 2.1 device do you mean? Is it some adapter, or a cable? I found this one:
I didn't order a Sabrent, but did order this one:
and then figured Id try this cable in it:
If you have one device that can kind of do it all, I'd be interested to know what it is.
SABRENT USB Type C to HDMI 2.1 Adapter | 8K/60Hz & 4K/120Hz with DSC Function | 8K/30Hz & 4K Resolution Without DSC | Thunderbolt 3 Compatible (DA-UCH8)
SABRENT USB Type C to HDMI 2.1 Adapter | 8K/60Hz & 4K/120Hz with DSC Function | 8K/30Hz & 4K Resolution Without DSC | Thunderbolt 3 Compatible (DA-UCH8)
www.amazon.com
I didn't order a Sabrent, but did order this one:
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
Cable Matters 32.4Gbps USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Adapter, 8K@60hz, 4K@144hz and HDR Support -Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Compatible with Oculus Rift S, iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Pro, XPS, Surface
www.amazon.com
and then figured Id try this cable in it:
CableDeconn DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 8K Cable 2 m Converter 8K @ 30Hz 4K @ 120Hz Directional Compatible with DisplayPort PC and HDMI Displays
source and display: Source:DisplayPort 1.4 Male Support Max Resolution Ultra HDMI 7680*4320 8K Display:HDMI 2.1 Male Max Support Resolution Ultra HDMI 7680*4320 8K It can max support 8K@30Hz 4K@120Hz Resolution in your external displays(HDTVs,Projectors,Monitors) Support copy and expansion mode, ...
www.amazon.com
If you have one device that can kind of do it all, I'd be interested to know what it is.