A community to talk about macOS, the operating system powering Apple's Macintosh computers.
4K/120Hz possible through USB-C?
https://www.cablematters.com/pc-1368-122-48gbps-usb-c-adapter-supporting-8k-video.aspx
This site claims you can with their adapter. I recently picked up the LG C2 48" TV but was bummed to learn my max refresh rate was capped at 4K/60Hz over HDMI. Specs say the Mac Studio M1 Max 2022 is only HDMI 2.0 but their USB-C to HDMI adapter will solve this shortfall.
Their name 'Cable Matters' seems sus. I don't know if a cable can overcome this. Can it? As it is, 4k/60 on such a big landscape is pretty unusable. I think some period of adjustment is needed but it's making me queasy and I have to move the cursor/Finder around very slowly.
Because you are going from thunderbolt 4 to hdmi 2.1, its a higher bandwidth connection vs hdmi 2.0. Cable matters is a very legit company, bought plenty of their items before. Just make sure you buy an hdmi 2.1 cable if you are using that dongle (or just buy a thunderbolt to hdmi 2.1 cable without needing a dongle)
^ and make sure the display can support HDMI 2.1 connection speeds
Thanks. Just needed someone to reaffirm their claim. Amazon reviews are less than trustworthy.
yeah and what brand do you recommend?
For the 120 Hz support on Mac, you will probably need their custom firmware... which needs to be flashed using a Windows PC. See the last question in the FAQ on their page.
https://www.cablematters.com/Blog/HDMI/how-to-get-4k120hz-with-mac
It's not a lightweight process. But it works.
(This hack is necessary for virtually all USB-C to HDMI 2.1 cables, not just those from CableMatters.)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dp-usb-c-thunderbolt-3-4-to-hdmi-2-1-4k-120hz-rgb4-4-4-10b-hdr-with-apple-silicon-m1-m2-now-possible.2381664/
Thank you for the info. How confident are you that it will work on "virtually all USB-C to HDMI 2.1 cables"? I'm asking as in my region, many of the cables and docks discussed are not available. I'd like to try it on a locally available cable before importing something.
You can also flash the firmware through Parallels, even on an M-series Mac. You just need to use The Microsoft Store version of VmmHIDTool rather than the binary supplied by Cable Matters.
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The Studio Display is capable of 144Hz or is that a hack? What is your setup with the DP to USB-C like in terms of topology?
The firmware flash I read on their website pretty much renders it a Mac only compliant device and will cripple it in Windows. I would have to plug/unplug if I want to game on the PC at highest refresh rate as the TV only has one HDMI 2.1 it seems.
Yes it works! 4K 120 hz and HDR! You can use an appropriate Windows PC or a Mac to install firmware upgrade!
Buy this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MSWMXT4
Go download the firmware update here: https://kb.cablematters.com/index.php?View=entry&EntryID=147
Please make sure to download the firmware as well as the DOTNET x64 installer to make the firmware update tool work. DO NOT install the arm64 dotnet installer.
You need a windows computer with a USB-C port WITH DP ALT functionality**.**
If you do not have the required Windows PC you can use your Mac with UTM virtualization software. It is FREE. Install Windows 11 ARM64 version on it. Once you launch the Windows install on UTM, there is a USB icon on top menu to pass through your USB-C to HDMI adapter (VMM7100).
Proceed with the firmware update. VOILA! 4K 120 hz and HDR!