two monitors: Can a macbook do it?
I already have a dell 17" LCD monitor with DVI input. I'm going to buy a mac laptop, and I want to be able to use both screens. I'll use these screens for things like web editing, etc. Can a MacBook do this? Or would I need a MBP? I figure that since they have different types of GPUs, they'll do this somewhat differently and have different capabilities. Thank you!
~Benny
~Benny
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Yes, you can. You just have to buy a little adapter cable from mini-DVI to DVI. Connect the mini-DVI end to the MacBook and the DVI end to your external display. Start up the MacBook and go to System Preferences --> Displays --> Tab "Arrangement" and set accordingly. Done.
Is the MB powerful enough to do this? Does the GPU have to work twice has hard for two displays?
As a matter of fact I used this display through VGA at 1920x1200 with an iBook and it worked too. Expose was slightly sluggish and videos wouldn't run full screen before dropping resolution below 1680x1050, but hey.
My question: Is there a discernible improvement in graphics performance if the macbook is run with the lid closed, as opposed to having both laptop and external display active? I would hope so, as shutting off the internal display ought to leave more resources to the external one.
I'm asking this because I'm doing all my work on a 1920x1200 display, and on a macbook with the lid open and an external display at this resolution, expose is slightly sluggish at about 12-15fps. On a macbook pro, on the other hand, it runs at a very smooth 25 fps or above. I want my new computer to feel snappy and responsive, so this is a rather important factor in my purchase decision, especially considering the new fancy graphics stuff expected in Leopard.
And no, I won't be doing any 3D or video work. My questions is purely for the OS GUI.
Sorry for being late to the party, but I figured I'd recycle this thread rather than starting a new one.
My question: Is there a discernible improvement in graphics performance if the macbook is run with the lid closed, as opposed to having both laptop and external display active? I would hope so, as shutting off the internal display ought to leave more resources to the external one.
I'm asking this because I'm doing all my work on a 1920x1200 display, and on a macbook with the lid open and an external display at this resolution, expose is slightly sluggish at about 12-15fps. On a macbook pro, on the other hand, it runs at a very smooth 25 fps or above. I want my new computer to feel snappy and responsive, so this is a rather important factor in my purchase decision, especially considering the new fancy graphics stuff expected in Leopard.
And no, I won't be doing any 3D or video work. My questions is purely for the OS GUI.
I bet that it will work just as snappy with the clamshell shut. It makes sense that yoy would only power one screen and thus use less resources. But....I made my purchase last week, and got a MB. I connect it to a 17in. DVI monitor, and it isnt sluggish at all. What are you talking about? What are the specs on your current MB?
The reason the MB is (potentially) sluggish when you toss more displays at it, is because video RAM on the MB is taken from regular RAM. The more displays -> the less RAM you have for your OS and apps. Less RAM -> more VM swapping. More VM swapping -> sluggish. If you're just running some small non-RAM-intensive apps, you won't notice it, but when you start to push the machine a little, it can become obvious.
The graphics card in the MBP has its own dedicated RAM, so you don't run into this problem.
I bet that it will work just as snappy with the clamshell shut. It makes sense that yoy would only power one screen and thus use less resources. But....I made my purchase last week, and got a MB. I connect it to a 17in. DVI monitor, and it isnt sluggish at all. What are you talking about? What are the specs on your current MB?
Your seventeen inch, 1280x1024 screen has only 57% of the amount of pixels of my twentyfour inch, 1920x1200 display, which means that the GUI performance is a much bigger strain on my monitor than on yours. More pixels to move = slower performance. This is why I was asking for verification that closing the lid (given that this deactivates the built-in screen) helps improve performance on the external monitor.
The MacBook and MacBook Pro aren't designed to be run with the lid shut due to heat.
Seeing as very, very little heat exhaust is done through the keyboard on a macbook, I think you're actually wrong here. In fact, opening the lid past 90 degrees obstructs the rear exhaust somewhat, while having it closed will allow for maximum airflow.
Also, I think you're mistaken regarding RAM being the issue in terms of graphics performance - window scaling and animation would be a GPU issue rather than a VRAM issue.
So has noone actually compared closed and open lid performance on a 23/24" screen?
Your seventeen inch, 1280x1024 screen has only 57% of the amount of pixels of my twentyfour inch, 1920x1200 display, which means that the GUI performance is a much bigger strain on my monitor than on yours. More pixels to move = slower performance. This is why I was asking for verification that closing the lid (given that this deactivates the built-in screen) helps improve performance on the external monitor.
Seeing as very, very little heat exhaust is done through the keyboard on a macbook, I think you're actually wrong here. In fact, opening the lid past 90 degrees obstructs the rear exhaust somewhat, while having it closed will allow for maximum airflow.
Also, I think you're mistaken regarding RAM being the issue in terms of graphics performance - window scaling and animation would be a GPU issue rather than a VRAM issue.
So has noone actually compared closed and open lid performance on a 23/24" screen?
If you have money for 43% more monitor, you should have gotten 43% more computer to go along with it?
Seeing as very, very little heat exhaust is done through the keyboard on a macbook, I think you're actually wrong here. In fact, opening the lid past 90 degrees obstructs the rear exhaust somewhat, while having it closed will allow for maximum airflow.
Placing the LCD close next to the source of heat degrades the LCD panel over time. While you can fiddle with the computer (external USB keyboard, etc, etc) to get it to work in this mode, it's not really recommended. This page http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...70504003442646 has some nice tricks for working on an external display with the lid open.
Also, I think you're mistaken regarding RAM being the issue in terms of graphics performance - window scaling and animation would be a GPU issue rather than a VRAM issue.
The GPU is having to share the RAM *and* the memory bus with the CPU. If you're performing intensive CPU tasks, the GPU can be left waiting for access to its buffers. If the GPU is using a lot of RAM, the CPU can be left waiting for VM to get it what it needs from disk. Combine the two, and you get sluggishness.
If you have money for 43% more monitor, you should have gotten 43% more computer to go along with it?
I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but are you trolling or just not getting the point? Here's the deal: I already have this 24" display. How, why and when I got it is utterly irrelevant. The only important thing is that I want to buy a mac and I want to use said mac with my 24" display. Now if I can have nice 24" performance on a $1,299.00 macbook, there is no point in buying the CPU-wise nearly identical low-end MBP for $700 more, is there? So I'm asking if the macbook will perform better with the lid closed, a question you appear to have no aspiration or capacity to answer.
I'm asking this because I'm doing all my work on a 1920x1200 display, and on a macbook with the lid open and an external display at this resolution, expose is slightly sluggish at about 12-15fps.
This gave me the impression you had already purchased a macbook.
Placing the LCD close next to the source of heat degrades the LCD panel over time. While you can fiddle with the computer (external USB keyboard, etc, etc) to get it to work in this mode, it's not really recommended. This page http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...70504003442646 has some nice tricks for working on an external display with the lid open.
The GPU is having to share the RAM *and* the memory bus with the CPU. If you're performing intensive CPU tasks, the GPU can be left waiting for access to its buffers. If the GPU is using a lot of RAM, the CPU can be left waiting for VM to get it what it needs from disk. Combine the two, and you get sluggishness.
Thanks for the link, and you make a very valid point regarding the bus. However, I rarely have a constant CPU strain (rather I have sharp, short peaks) so it shouldn't bother me that much. For someone with a lot of heavy background processes it's another issue though. The graphics performance when the CPU is idle is very close to "fine" on a 1920x1200 screen, so just a tiny bit more would be perfect. If tricking it to deactivate the laptop screen can give such a boost, it should also be visible / measurable on smaller screens, so I don't necessarily need someone with a 24" to test it for me...
This gave me the impression you had already purchased a macbook.
That quote was my impression from checking one out at an apple store, connected to the 23" cinema display.
That quote was my impression from checking one out at an apple store, connected to the 23" cinema display.
You didnt mention the apple store once in your post. What the heck, you sound ridiculious. Be clear next time, will you?
You didnt mention the apple store once in your post. What the heck, you sound ridiculious. Be clear next time, will you?
Allow me to quote myself from my original post:
I want my new computer to feel snappy and responsive, so this is a rather important factor in my purchase decision
Now how is it NOT obvious that I have yet to buy a macbook? I was perfectly clear all along, but you kept dragging completely irrelevant things into the discussion, while not making the slightest attempt to answer my question.