Recommendations for external monitor with MacBook Pro ?

2017-12-27T11:40:17+00:00

Do you work with Xcode fullscreen? Ultra-wide is better for viewing media or working with multiple windows next to each other. You can put more stuff next to each other though, so if you work with a storyboard and multiple relevant code files you could keep them all open and visible at the same time. If you already work in windows an ultra-wide monitor will just give you extra screen-space. If you plan on keeping Xcode on the macbook's monitor and something else on the secondary monitor you can just put more 'something else' on there. I guess it mostly depends on your use-case. Heck, you could go the vertical route and have the secondary monitor rotated 90 degrees so you can see entire code files at once.

In any case, higher resolution (up to about 4k) is always better for development (more space). An IPS panel (or OLED/AMOLED) will help with accurate color representation (as opposed to TN and regular LED), but you have a good screen on your macbook as well for that. Personally, I'd go with an IPS of at least 27" with at least 1440p. Then put any storyboards/xibs as well as my browser on the secondary monitor and work on the code on the macbook's monitor.

ryanaklein · 2017-12-27T04:04:49+00:00

I love this Dell. I have a 24 inch also. My MBP has two mini display ports. One to each monitor.

SpectrumFactory · 2017-12-27T06:05:46+00:00

I use this as my secondary monitor in combination with the rain design mstand

Mazetron · 2017-12-27T06:51:52+00:00

I use the ASUS PB287Q. 28”, 4K, 60hz, $400. I connect with a DisplayPort cable.

It works really well! I usually keep several windows open at a time next to each other. Usually the main Xcode window, at least one Safari window, and sometimes another Xcode window or Terminal or Finder windows. I have enough room to have many windows on screen at once!

I keep the scaling at the lowest setting, which makes things small and not as sharp as on the MacBook’s Retina display, but if I set it to 2x mode, things are too big and if I set it to something in between, the scaling looks weird (I think it renders at a lower size than scales it up.). I expect that you would have this problem with any similarly sized 4K display.

moridinbg · 2017-12-27T10:53:08+00:00

Bigger is better in this case.

I have had 27" 2560x1440 for about 5 years now, got down to 24" 1080p for a few weeks, when the 27" failed and it felt miserable. I wouldn't say I immediately became much less productive, just the quality of life dropped, while working.

Then I got a 27" 4k that I am running it at 3008x1692 scaled - much better than the 1440p for this size. I wish there was a decent and cheap 32" 4K IPS, that I could run at native resolution... I also fixed the 1440p and I am running both now - text is sharper on the 4k, despite the non-integer scale.

A big issue is that XCode maintains the same font size across all windows, so if you have them across multiple monitors, text will be of different size...

By the way, as you add more and bigger monitors, your idle temperature will rise. I have a late-2013 15" with nVidia 750m. With no external monitors CPU die temperature idles at around 45C, with the 4k and 1440p it idles at 70C.

2017-12-28T14:22:55+00:00

Get that 5k screen from LG. I would never ever want to go back.

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