Macbook Air 2015 supports 4k 60hz monitors

[MadSprite]

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/03/yes-the-2015-macbook-air-supports-4k-displays-at-60hz/#p3

 

With the Macbook Air 2015 having the cable port support through their Thunderbolt 2 which supports Displayport 1.2.

It enables the Macbook Air to support full external 4k 60hz monitors.

Of course this comes with performance issues with the integrated graphics causing frame rate drops happening on intensive gpu usage.

 

... new versions of the laptops have the correct combination of hardware that makes 60Hz 4K output possible. Intel’s documentation tells us that the new Broadwell-U processors and their integrated GPUs support output of up to 3840×2160 at 60Hz when connected using DisplayPort 1.2, where the Haswell versions were capped at 30Hz (4K over HDMI remains capped at 24Hz, a limitation of the HDMI 1.4 spec). Both Airs and the Pro had also made the jump to Thunderbolt 2, which explicitly supports DisplayPort 1.2.

Despite what Apple’s spec page currently says, connecting the 2015 Air to the P2415Q worked perfectly. The Mac detected the display, noticed that it was 4K, and without any extra cajoling began displaying in HiDPI mode. You get the same usable screen space as a standard 1080p display, just with sharper images and text. The BlurBusters refresh rate test verified that we were looking at 60Hz output.

Given that the Air is using one of Intel’s integrated GPUs, general OS X user interface performance isn’t too bad while driving the Air’s internal display alongside the 4K display. Dropped frames are clearly visible when entering into Full Screen mode or using Mission Control, and of course you’ll never want to try playing games or doing heavy 3D work at native resolution. But things are more than smooth enough for desktop use.

[EarthboundHero]

It's more for media than for gaming.

[Dabombinable]

My predication: RIP Macbook, trying to be an Air was a bad idea. Its nice to see that someone at Apple still knows how to build a laptop instead of a glorified paperweight.

[Victorious Secret]

My predication: RIP Macbook, trying to be an Air was a bad idea. Its nice to see that someone at Apple still knows how to build a laptop instead of a glorified paperweight.

 

Which is exactly what people said about the original Macbook Air when it launched. Look how far we have come. 

 

And honestly, this isn't for gaming. Its media related. Work. Powerpoint's. Anything that so much as looks at the iGPU in a funny way will cause the whole thing to seize. 

[soaringchicken]

Cool? Oh wait, who's going to want the new macbook? hahahahah

[Tonylu1595]

Inb4 someone tries to run a game in 4k on a Macbook Air...

[kuddlesworth9419]

Lots of things can support 4k 60Hz but most of them shouldn't run that. The Mac Book Air 2015 is probably one of them.

[atomicmonkey101]

I really want to see an updated air. Retina display, better CPUs, battery life, and touch screen. Then I probs would have considered buying one. but the new macbook is just no for now. 

[creativename]

I really want to see an updated air. Retina display, better CPUs, battery life, and touch screen. Then I probs would have considered buying one. but the new macbook is just no for now. 

The battery life is amazing on the macbook air. 12 hours of usage? 30 days of standby? That just shows how efficient mac os x is.

 

And apple already stated that touch screens are stupid on notebooks and will never happen. But I guess they also said 7 inch tablets were stupid and the ipad mini came out.

[Dabombinable]

The battery life is amazing on the macbook air. 12 hours of usage? 30 days of standby? That just shows how efficient mac os x is.

 

And apple already stated that touch screens are stupid on notebooks and will never happen. But I guess they also said 7 inch tablets were stupid and the ipad mini came out.

And don't forget that the Macbook Air does that with i5's and i7's as the CPU, all for the same or better battery life as the new Macbook with a Core M and slightly thinner design. (And also with a lot more I/O and at a lower price). The Macbook is just bad compared to it.

[spartaman64]

? doesnt mini displayport which the thunderbolt port is compatible with already support 4k 60hz

[creativename]

And don't forget that the Macbook Air does that with i5's and i7's as the CPU, all for the same or better battery life as the new Macbook with a Core M and slightly thinner design. (And also with a lot more I/O and at a lower price). The Macbook is just bad compared to it.

Well the new macbook is more for pushing USB 3 type-c. Though I wish they just implemented it into the macbook air instead of creating a new line of macbook. I would have been fine with the magsafe port thing replaced with a usb type c and the rest of the I/O staying as it is.

[Warcony]

The battery life is amazing on the macbook air. 12 hours of usage? 30 days of standby? That just shows how efficient mac os x is.

 

And apple already stated that touch screens are stupid on notebooks and will never happen. But I guess they also said 7 inch tablets were stupid and the ipad mini came out.

 

That's also because it only has a 900p screen... that isn't even IPS. 

[Dabombinable]

Well the new macbook is more for pushing USB 3 type-c. Though I wish they just implemented it into the macbook air instead of creating a new line of macbook. I would have been fine with the magsafe port thing replaced with a usb type c and the rest of the I/O staying as it is.

Fair enough they are pushing for USB type C, but the single port-which charges the Macbook as well, makes trying to push it pointless.

[creativename]

That's also because it only has a 900p screen... that isn't even IPS. 

Even if it changed to IPS 99% of people won't be able to tell. Pointless feature, the viewing angles are still decent on the air. And that better color argument shouldn't even be there, 99% of people can't tell.

[joppetie]

Any laptop - or desktop, for that matter - that has DP 1.2 supports UHD 60Hz monitors. Windows laptops have had this feature for a while now.

[joppetie]

Even if it changed to IPS 99% of people won't be able to tell. Pointless feature, the viewing angles are still decent on the air. And that better color argument shouldn't even be there, 99% of people can't tell.

Yes.. Quite.

A nice IPS (or va, pls) panel will always look better than a TN panel.

And 900p is just pathetic for such an expensive laptop in 2015.

[RexinOridle]

With what? Potato GPU?

[creativename]

Yes.. Quite.

A nice IPS (or va, pls) panel will always look better than a TN panel.

And 900p is just pathetic for such an expensive laptop in 2015.

Unless they've specifically looked into it, many people are convinced that the macbook air has an IPS display, or something similar to the macbook pro, when it doesn't

[DiamondGuy2357]

Personally I wouldn't buy a Mac because Apple dosent let you customize anything but the ram. I usually would like to upgrade things on macs if I had the money.

[PaulKolby]

still has a terrible resolution for a native display

[ReadyToGame]

Still not worth it, it may support it, but it's something you'll have to buy, but don't forget your dongles.

[atomicmonkey101]

The battery life is amazing on the macbook air. 12 hours of usage? 30 days of standby? That just shows how efficient mac os x is.

 

And apple already stated that touch screens are stupid on notebooks and will never happen. But I guess they also said 7 inch tablets were stupid and the ipad mini came out.

 

personal opinion. I think a touch screen would complement a small notebook like the air nicely. And yeah the battery is great, but there is always room for improvement.