HiDPI resolutions on M1 Mac - dual screen setup

[Tibi]

Base idea is that with betterdummy it's a workaround.

What I observed, if you use 2 dummy screens and use a lot of MS Teams for online meetings, the fan of the MBP si starting ... I have a MBP M1 and it's the first time when I notice the fan starting so probably this solution puts more pressure on the CPU ...

Waiting for DisplayLink to fix their software so we would not need workarounds ...

[JanB]

Originally Posted by Tibi

I have a MBP M1 and it's the first time when I notice the fan starting so probably this solution puts more pressure on the CPU ...

I'm using a MacBook Air M1 with 16GB of RAM, and I haven't found DisplayLink or BetterDummy to require a noticeable amount of CPU power, at least in my typical workload.

Since the Macbook Air doesn't have a fan, I can't hear it, of course, but I took some measurements:

Idle without DisplayLink Screen connected
System: 7%, User 2-3%

Idle with DisplayLink Screen connected
System: 7%, User 3-4%

4K Video fullscreen on USB-C connected Screen
System: 12%, User 10%

4K Video fullscreen on DisplayLink @4k
System: 12%, User 17%

4K Video fullscreen on DisplayLink @4k + BetterDummy Screen
System: 12%, User 17%

*Idle means Word, Excel, Browser, Mail etc. open, but not used


It seems, that DisplayLink (and BetterDummy) are consuming of course some CPU resources, but I see no difference using the Dummy screens or not. From my point of view (unsing one 4k screen via DisplayLink) the amount of CPU used for DisplayLink is ok.

MS Teams of course is not a very friendly application at MacOS, it always consumes lot of resources.

But I agree, that HiDPI should be integrated in the DisplayLink software.

[Taubi]

Hi,

I also have a 4K monitor (Dell U2720Q) and beside resolution issues you are mentioning, I noticed that USB ports on the monitor itself are not working if using D6000 dock.

Did USB´s work for you?

The only workaround I could find was - connecting additional cable to the dock --> USB-C to USB3.0 cable. So basically I used 2 cables, one for video (Display Port) and one for USB´s which is horrible but ok.

[JanB]

Originally Posted by Taubi

Hi,

I also have a 4K monitor (Dell U2720Q) and beside resolution issues you are mentioning, I noticed that USB ports on the monitor itself are not working if using D6000 dock.

Did USB´s work for you?

The only workaround I could find was - connecting additional cable to the dock --> USB-C to USB3.0 cable. So basically I used 2 cables, one for video (Display Port) and one for USB´s which is horrible but ok.

My LG display is connected by DisplayPort, and does not support USB. Therefore, I have no experience with USB on the monitor.

[Taubi]

You are right, I was thinking that DisplayPort on my monitor does support data transfer, but after research I see, that this is not the case.

I was also struggling to fix the resolution issue using BetterDummy on the 4K monitor, but no luck with that. Also if I create 2 dummies for both external monitors the outcome is the same as without BetterDummy. QHD monitor is working fine at 2560x1440, but the 4K is a bit blurry. Can´t work like that

[JanB]

Originally Posted by Taubi

I was also struggling to fix the resolution issue using BetterDummy on the 4K monitor, but no luck with that. Also if I create 2 dummies for both external monitors the outcome is the same as without BetterDummy. QHD monitor is working fine at 2560x1440, but the 4K is a bit blurry. Can´t work like that

Have you checked, that the monitor is running @ 4K (with the onscreen display of the monitor)?

The HiDPI result is indeed not 1:1 to a native display, but it is much better than 2560 x 1440.