Macbook Pro 13" Late 2016 external video support

LincLinc OwnerDetroit Icrontian
edited November 2016 in Hardware

The video card is Intel Iris Graphics 550.

The "Video Support" section of the technical specs says:

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:

One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors

Up to two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors

Does that mean it can do both simultaneously or pick one? I know this isn't a port-based limitation, it's purely how much the hardware can push.

Comments

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited November 2016

    Pick one of the 2 listed.
    You can do 1 x 5K or 2 x 4K (along with the built in screen)

    Linc
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian

    Thanks!

    I have two 1920x1200 monitors. Could it push a 4K plus those two "half" resolution monitors?

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian

    I can't answer that question, unfortunately. Would be @Thrax probably.
    Number of external ports would be part of it, plus some type of active splitter or something?

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited November 2016

    The 4K display is a native Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), which is the only port available on the new Macbook Pro anyway. The lower-res monitors are HDMI or DVI, but I have DisplayPort adapters for both. Either way, I'll need a new adapter, and the one I found at a reasonable price was USB-C to HDMI. I don't need the low-res monitors to do anything more than show music and chat apps. If I'm feeling real frisky I might open a database schema on it (stand back, it's party time).

    Are you saying I definitely need a splitter for the two low-res monitors? Would that be on the HDMI side of the adapter?

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian

    In a perfect world, there would be a dongle/box that plugs into the Thunderbolt 3 port on the notebook and has multiple monitor ports on it that match what your monitors have (e.g. 1x thunderbolt, 2x HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort).

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited November 2016

    Did you get the 2 or 4 Thunderbolt port model? I think that if you got two, there doesn't appear to be a way at this time. If you got 4, you should be able to connect a USB C to HDMI adapter to two of those ports for the low-res monitors. EDIT: because the only way to provide multiple thunderbolt ports is to chain them, i.e. using multiple thunderbolt monitors (this is all from reading a few mac forums of people trying to solve the same problem with previous gen hardware)

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian

    I have the 4-port, and my 4K monitor also has a pass-thru.

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian

    ur a donglebox

    CB
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian

    @Linc said:
    I have the 4-port, and my 4K monitor also has a pass-thru.

    Re pass thru, that's relevant if the next monitor is also thunderbolt, I believe.

    I think you're on the right track with needing multiple adapters, unfortunately. I don't know, but don't think that the all DP compatibility mentioned by @Thrax will be particularly relevant here, but could be wrong.

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2016

    u just plug the steve jobs cable into the steve jobs dongle and activate the steve jobs protocol and it just works like magic

    //edit: In serious news, can you link me to your specific model of Macbook?

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian

    Okay. Do they not make Thunderbolt-to-whatever adapters?

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian

    @Thrax said:
    Okay. Do they not make Thunderbolt-to-whatever adapters?

    I was saying "USB-C to HDMI" as synonymous with Thunderbolt to HDMI, so yes.

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian

    That should work nicely, then, provided nothing bizarre is done on the system. If your monitor has an HDMI port, then just plug in TB3-to-HDMI into the laptop and monitor into the adapter, and off you go.

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited January 2017

    I was wrong, the older monitors only have DVI, VGA, and DisplayPort - not HDMI. It took me a while to track down a second DVI cable after I finally had the right adapters.

    Final result, attempting:

    • LG's 4K monitor over Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
    • Two 1920x1200 monitors over USB-C => DVI adapter

    Whichever 1920x1200 monitor I plug in second won't activate. If it's not a hardware limitation, it's a software one in macOS. Cest la vie.

  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian

    Do you have MacOS Sierra on the laptop?

  • RyanMMRyanMM Ferndale, MI Icrontian

    Not a software limitation. It's a problem with that shitty Apple dongle. Let me see if I've had a Mac client that I've sold one of these USB-C docking stations to.

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian

    @Straight_Man said:
    Do you have MacOS Sierra on the laptop?

    Yes.

  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian

    Ok, then I think the problem is more hardware than software.

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