4 ms·

macOS on a low dpi screen is mostly full of those kind of issues. I wouldn't recommend using a low dpi screen.

by galad87 2y ago

tsimionescu 2y ago
The problem appeared in the screenshots that the article shows, I don't think it has anything to do with the screen.
- galad87 2y ago
  It's a screenshot of macOS running in low-dpi mode.
wruza 2y ago
I’ve used fullhd imac/osx for many years until around 2018 and never noticed anything like that. Easier to call it “low dpi issues” now that they destroyed it, I guess ;)
- kalleboo 2y ago
  2018 was about when they stopped selling the last Mac with a non-Retina display, so that would make sense for when they stopped testing for it.
  - necovek 2y ago
    It's not only about stopping testing: they dropped subpixel rendering altogether. Though this seems more like a hinting issue.
  - chrisjj 2y ago
    You don't stop testing when you stop selling X. You stop testing when you stop supporting X.
- galad87 2y ago
  6 years is a long time ;)
- aulin 2y ago
  They removed subpixel hinting after Mojave IIRC. Now it's unusable on anything less than a 27inch 4K display, and it's been like that since years...
baq 2y ago
It’s crazy that I had to buy BetterDisplay (great tool btw) just to get fonts from incomprehensible to merely ugly on a 25x16 monitor via a fake 2x scaled one. Windows renders razor sharp even without gfx drivers.
- skydhash 2y ago
  There’s a great article with explanations on the net. But the gist is that macOS renders like a giant image with no care for pixels and small details. It works fine when using native resolution (low dpi) or have enough pixels for their “retina” approved resolution. Anything else and it looks blurry. Linux and Windows use actual pixels for their rendering, and even with anti-aliasing, it looks sharp. If you’re stuck with macOS, aim for 4k at least.
  - jwells89 2y ago
    Ideally, you want a screen that natively runs at a resolution that’s a perfect 2x multiplier of a mainstream 1x resolution that has the right amount of screen real estate for the screen size. So for example, a 20”-24” screen should be 4K so it can run at 1920x1080 @ 2x. Similarly for 27”, you want 5K which is 2560x1440 @ 2x. This is a really good post describing how it all works: https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays2/ https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays2/
    - skydhash 2y ago
      That’s the article. I got hit with this issue after purchasing a 27” QHD monitor. Native resolution made everything too small, and everything else was blurry. I gave up after trying pretty much everything and bought a 24” 4K monitor for the mac.
wojtczyk 2y ago
The issue persisted when I disconnected the external screen, but I probably should have taken additional screenshots from the built-in laptop screen.

macOS on a low dpi screen is mostly full of those kind of issues. I wouldn't recommend using a low dpi screen.

tsimionescu 2y ago

The problem appeared in the screenshots that the article shows, I don't think it has anything to do with the screen.

galad87 2y ago
It's a screenshot of macOS running in low-dpi mode.

wruza 2y ago

I’ve used fullhd imac/osx for many years until around 2018 and never noticed anything like that. Easier to call it “low dpi issues” now that they destroyed it, I guess ;)

kalleboo 2y ago
2018 was about when they stopped selling the last Mac with a non-Retina display, so that would make sense for when they stopped testing for it.
- necovek 2y ago
  It's not only about stopping testing: they dropped subpixel rendering altogether. Though this seems more like a hinting issue.
- chrisjj 2y ago
  You don't stop testing when you stop selling X. You stop testing when you stop supporting X.
galad87 2y ago
6 years is a long time ;)
aulin 2y ago
They removed subpixel hinting after Mojave IIRC. Now it's unusable on anything less than a 27inch 4K display, and it's been like that since years...

baq 2y ago

It’s crazy that I had to buy BetterDisplay (great tool btw) just to get fonts from incomprehensible to merely ugly on a 25x16 monitor via a fake 2x scaled one. Windows renders razor sharp even without gfx drivers.

skydhash 2y ago
There’s a great article with explanations on the net. But the gist is that macOS renders like a giant image with no care for pixels and small details. It works fine when using native resolution (low dpi) or have enough pixels for their “retina” approved resolution. Anything else and it looks blurry. Linux and Windows use actual pixels for their rendering, and even with anti-aliasing, it looks sharp. If you’re stuck with macOS, aim for 4k at least.
- jwells89 2y ago
  Ideally, you want a screen that natively runs at a resolution that’s a perfect 2x multiplier of a mainstream 1x resolution that has the right amount of screen real estate for the screen size. So for example, a 20”-24” screen should be 4K so it can run at 1920x1080 @ 2x. Similarly for 27”, you want 5K which is 2560x1440 @ 2x. This is a really good post describing how it all works: https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays2/ https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays2/
  - skydhash 2y ago
    That’s the article. I got hit with this issue after purchasing a 27” QHD monitor. Native resolution made everything too small, and everything else was blurry. I gave up after trying pretty much everything and bought a 24” 4K monitor for the mac.

wojtczyk 2y ago

The issue persisted when I disconnected the external screen, but I probably should have taken additional screenshots from the built-in laptop screen.