# Will a MacBook drive a 24" external monitor?



## Silver Back (May 30, 2005)

A relative wants to purchase a MacBook and asked if it would drive a 24" external monitor?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

Yes 
Specs at Apple 
"Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colours"


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yes it will - might get a tad slow at times. 6 bit screen a better choice in this case.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> Yes it will - might get a tad slow at times. 6 bit screen a better choice in this case.


Why do you think it could be slow? Because of the video card?

I'm looking at a config similar to this, as I'm investigating the mini as a replacement for my aging PowerBook, instead of a new iMac with glossy screen...


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## applebook (Aug 4, 2004)

A 6-bit screen isn't going to run any faster, but a lower-resolution display will. When the MacBook slows down is during lots of flash animation while web-surfing. Expose runs really smoothly.


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## Demosthenes X (Sep 23, 2004)

Just to clarify, how will video playback be on a big, high-res monitor? What about games like Call of Duty 2?


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

Demosthenes X said:


> Just to clarify, how will video playback be on a big, high-res monitor? What about games like Call of Duty 2?


Games is another story. From the beginning of the mini Intel and MacBook, the on-board video card has never been suggested for gamers. That has nothing to do with the size of the display, but more with the capability of the video card.

So if you plan to play games, neither the mini nor the Macbook is a good choice, no matter which display you put on it.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

applebook said:


> A 6-bit screen isn't going to run any faster, but a lower-resolution display will. When the MacBook slows down is during lots of flash animation while web-surfing. Expose runs really smoothly.


Can someone explain to me what is this 6 bits display thing?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Of course a 6 bit screen is faster -  - its one reason they are gaming LCDs. Far less work to do than an 8 bit and when you have non dedicated video system ala MacBook and MacMini it needs all the help it can get.
You will NOT however get quality colour.



> I. Primer
> ----------------
> 
> When you're looking to buy an LCD, you must take into account their many parameters. Some LCDs are better than others for certain purposes. For instance, ones with a fast response time and low input lag are ideal for games. LCDs with high contrast are great for gaming too, but are even more suitable for movies. You will have to find one (or even two) that can accommodate all of your needs.
> ...


AnandTech - The LCD Thread


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## applebook (Aug 4, 2004)

No, a 6-bit panel will not be "faster." Input lag and response time have nothing to do with whether or not a panel is 6, 8, or 10-bit. 

For movies, you should be fine up to low bit-rate 1080p. The problem is not with the GMA950 but with Quicktime and a VLC, both of which are not optimized for duo core performance. If you want to watch 1080p films encoded at over 10mbps average, then you'll have to install Windows and use Windows Media Player 11 or Windows Media Classic. The MacBook is more than capable of playing any video file as long as the program is designed properly.


Remember that the GMA950 will have very few problems displaying anything in 2D.


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## CdnPhoto (Jan 8, 2006)

I use my MacBook C2D to drive my 24" Dell monitor. Works just fine. I don't know about the games, but video works just fine. I've set up the monitor as spanning, allowing me to use the 24" as the primary and the laptop as a secondary.

Interesting enough, before I bought the MB, I went to the Apple store. They weren't sure it was going to work. I was able to get one of the guys to hook up a MacBook to the Apple 23" monitor.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

CdnPhoto said:


> I use my MacBook C2D to drive my 24" Dell monitor. Works just fine. I don't know about the games, but video works just fine. I've set up the monitor as spanning, allowing me to use the 24" as the primary and the laptop as a secondary.


I use with my PowerBook 12" the spanning mode with a 17" display. Works fine. But with a 24" I'm not sure I would get the 2 working together, the 24" resolution should be enough for my needs!



> Interesting enough, before I bought the MB, I went to the Apple store. They weren't sure it was going to work. I was able to get one of the guys to hook up a MacBook to the Apple 23" monitor.


They do not even know what they are selling!

I've been in an Apple reseller in Quebec city few months ago to see the Apple TV. The guy told me: "you can buy movie from the iTunes store". I told him that this feature was not available in Canada yet, and he was just puzzled as if I said something wrong here. They are good selling boxes...


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## Demosthenes X (Sep 23, 2004)

meall said:


> Games is another story. From the beginning of the mini Intel and MacBook, the on-board video card has never been suggested for gamers. That has nothing to do with the size of the display, but more with the capability of the video card.
> 
> So if you plan to play games, neither the mini nor the Macbook is a good choice, no matter which display you put on it.


I'm already running Call of Duty and a couple other games on my Macbook, and I'm happy with the performance. For a casual gamer, the Macbook does well enough. I'm just wondering if the Macbook will be able to drive games at a higher resolution, as on a larger external monitor.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

Demosthenes X said:


> I'm already running Call of Duty and a couple other games on my Macbook, and I'm happy with the performance. For a casual gamer, the Macbook does well enough. I'm just wondering if the Macbook will be able to drive games at a higher resolution, as on a larger external monitor.


Sure that the larger screen you use, the more you ask out of the GPU. So I don't think it will be as smooth as on the internal, smaller resolution, display.


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