Pro Display XDR works on iMac Pro at 5K, not 6K
Apple's Pro Display XDR offers a high 6K resolution for the Mac Pro and select Mac and MacBook models, but users of the iMac Pro are only able to use the professional-level monitor at a lower 5K resolution.
Pre-orders of the Pro Display XDR commenced on Tuesday, with the 32-inch display marketed as an ideal monitor for professionals in creative industries, with specifications to match. Boasting a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio and 1,000 nits of brightness using a 576 full array dimming zone backlight, the screen offers plentiful features for those working in visual fields.
On supported systems, the Pro Display XDR has 6K resolution, at 6,016 by 3,384 pixels, but not everyone will be able to achieve that resolution. In a posting to Twitter, Thomas Grove Carter advises the Pro Display XDR connected to an iMac Pro is only capable of running at a 5K resolution, not 6K.
According to the product specifications page, Apple advises the Pro Display XDR is compatible with a variety of Mac models, including the new Mac Pro with an MPX Module GPU, the 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2019 21.5-inch iMac, and the 27-inch iMac from the same year. Any Mac model is also supported if it has Thunderbolt 3 ports and is paired with either the Blackmagic eGPU or Blackmagic eGPU Pro.
The support page discussing the setup process for the display further says that the named Macs and the Blackmagic eGPU setups are able to support the 6K resolution with 10-bit color.
While the iMac Pro from 2017 without an eGPU cannot drive the full 6K experience on the Pro Display XDR, the discovery that it does so at 5K shows the monitor is still usable with other Mac configurations, albeit not at the highest resolution available.
The Pro Display XDR costs $4,999, with a nano-texture version priced at $5,999. Prices exclude the $999 stand and the $199 VESA mount.
Pre-orders of the Pro Display XDR commenced on Tuesday, with the 32-inch display marketed as an ideal monitor for professionals in creative industries, with specifications to match. Boasting a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio and 1,000 nits of brightness using a 576 full array dimming zone backlight, the screen offers plentiful features for those working in visual fields.
On supported systems, the Pro Display XDR has 6K resolution, at 6,016 by 3,384 pixels, but not everyone will be able to achieve that resolution. In a posting to Twitter, Thomas Grove Carter advises the Pro Display XDR connected to an iMac Pro is only capable of running at a 5K resolution, not 6K.
Confirmation that the #iMacPro does drive the #ProDisplayXDR
At 5k. Not 6k. pic.twitter.com/3k91J00IzY-- Thomas Grove Carter (@thomasgcarter)
According to the product specifications page, Apple advises the Pro Display XDR is compatible with a variety of Mac models, including the new Mac Pro with an MPX Module GPU, the 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2019 21.5-inch iMac, and the 27-inch iMac from the same year. Any Mac model is also supported if it has Thunderbolt 3 ports and is paired with either the Blackmagic eGPU or Blackmagic eGPU Pro.
The support page discussing the setup process for the display further says that the named Macs and the Blackmagic eGPU setups are able to support the 6K resolution with 10-bit color.
While the iMac Pro from 2017 without an eGPU cannot drive the full 6K experience on the Pro Display XDR, the discovery that it does so at 5K shows the monitor is still usable with other Mac configurations, albeit not at the highest resolution available.
The Pro Display XDR costs $4,999, with a nano-texture version priced at $5,999. Prices exclude the $999 stand and the $199 VESA mount.
Comments
How and why does this happen...?
What I don't like, is Apple not updating it every year.
The Alpine Ridge chips shipped in 2016 and allowed multi-streams so 5K monitors can be supported off one controller, but even today, the number of 5K monitor options is scarce. It’s really the LG UF 5K, the Dell one, or bust. I don’t know if the Dell one still requires two TB ports though.
However two things: "pro" infers professionals - while this generally means faster hardware there are clearly compromises made for the usability/design and thermal profile, as such the iMac Pro is as pro as you're going to get in an all-in-one mac. Apple were pretty clear to make a point that a new Mac Pro and display was also on the way.
The second problem at hand is that the iMac Pro was announced in July 2017, it's parts were likely finalised and ordered well before then, the earliest the device became available was December 2017, two years ago. The choice of componentry was appropriate for a pro level device of the day, for the volume of devices needing to be manufactured and the price point required to be met.
This isn't Apple skimping on consumers, this is hardware cycles and the reality of designing a computer. When you don't make compromises you get the new XDR display and Mac Pro: A single XDR display costs more than the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro entry price is spec'd with a uselessly small SSD.
To drive the point further home: wait a month and check the benchmarks of the 8 Core iMac Pro (2017) and the 8 Core Mac Pro (2019).
and it’s approach can result in too many constraints. The lack of threadripper processors is probably because Apple is all in with thunderbolt.
Also, that update came alongside those 2019 iMacs which are compatible with Pro Display XDR.
They definitely had a chance to upgrade the Thunderbolt component this year.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/9to5mac.com/2019/03/19/256-gb-ram-imac-pro/amp/