4 ms·

> this fix only works when the MacBook lid is closed Not really solved then. Everyone I know that has a 16” has the same issue. Since the top of the line mode

by jiofih 5y ago

> this fix only works when the MacBook lid is closed Not really solved then. Everyone I know that has a 16” has the same issue. Since the top of the line model is the one most chosen by professionals, very few will not connect to an external monitor. Apple should be issuing refunds left and right after this fiasco.

seam_carver 5y ago
Thank you for your feedback. You aren't the only one who commented something like this, so I added a TLDR at the top of the article.
SloopJon 5y ago
I got a 16" MBP last year in order to WFH. I could not get it to work with an old 1920x1200 Dell monitor using DVI adapters. Months later I bought a 1440 monitor that works over HDMI and DisplayPort, but the display is fuzzy. I found some tweaks to improve it, but it's still noticeably worse than a hackintosh running High Sierra. I have felt like the performance isn't great, but I chalked it up to Docker and the Linux VM it uses. However, I also noticed that the computer was warm to the touch with fans running even when I hadn't used it for hours. I've taken to manually forcing it to sleep at the end of the day. I'm excited to try this HiDPI hack, because it may solve the power usage problem and the fuzzy display. It would be a real shame to lose the built-in display if this only works in clamshell mode, but it just might be worth it. Edit: I just realized that I can't use Touch ID in clamshell mode. That makes this a harder call.
- cyberge99 5y ago
  Make sure you use a good hdmi cable. Upgrading my cable fixed both fuzziness and delayed refresh rate.
- murermader 5y ago
  If you try it out, I would be interested in knowing if it helped with the fuzzyness. I experienced the same on a 38“ 3840x1600 display, which only looks bad in macOS. I no longer own a macbook so I can‘t do any testing on my own.
singhrac 5y ago
Yeah, I can reproduce. Installed iStats Menu, connected, and it's 18W on the Radeon GPU as expected. I was kind of resigned to this always being true, but maybe not! I am somewhat optimistic that Apple or AMD will fix this now.

by jiofih 5y ago

seam_carver 5y ago

Thank you for your feedback. You aren't the only one who commented something like this, so I added a TLDR at the top of the article.

SloopJon 5y ago

I got a 16" MBP last year in order to WFH. I could not get it to work with an old 1920x1200 Dell monitor using DVI adapters. Months later I bought a 1440 monitor that works over HDMI and DisplayPort, but the display is fuzzy. I found some tweaks to improve it, but it's still noticeably worse than a hackintosh running High Sierra. I have felt like the performance isn't great, but I chalked it up to Docker and the Linux VM it uses. However, I also noticed that the computer was warm to the touch with fans running even when I hadn't used it for hours. I've taken to manually forcing it to sleep at the end of the day. I'm excited to try this HiDPI hack, because it may solve the power usage problem and the fuzzy display. It would be a real shame to lose the built-in display if this only works in clamshell mode, but it just might be worth it. Edit: I just realized that I can't use Touch ID in clamshell mode. That makes this a harder call.

cyberge99 5y ago
Make sure you use a good hdmi cable. Upgrading my cable fixed both fuzziness and delayed refresh rate.
murermader 5y ago
If you try it out, I would be interested in knowing if it helped with the fuzzyness. I experienced the same on a 38“ 3840x1600 display, which only looks bad in macOS. I no longer own a macbook so I can‘t do any testing on my own.

singhrac 5y ago

Yeah, I can reproduce. Installed iStats Menu, connected, and it's 18W on the Radeon GPU as expected. I was kind of resigned to this always being true, but maybe not! I am somewhat optimistic that Apple or AMD will fix this now.