Katarzyna Petru
Apple recently presented the new Apple Studio Display and Apple Studio Display XDR monitors. Although the devices offer a high resolution of 5K and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, not all Mac users will be able to fully utilize their capabilities. It turns out that the full functionality of the new screens has been primarily designed with Apple Silicon-equipped computers in mind.
Older Macs have serious limitations
Apple's new monitors are not fully compatible with Macs based on Intel processors. Apple began transitioning away from these chips in 2020, introducing its own Apple Silicon chips.
In practice, this means that the monitors work best with devices such as:
MacBook Air with M1 chip and newer
MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon
iMac from 2021
Mac mini from 2020
Mac Studio from 2022
Mac Pro from 2023
Older computers with Intel processors can indeed display images via Thunderbolt or DisplayPort, but users lose many features in the process.
Without Apple Silicon, you lose most features
The new Studio Displays have their own built-in chips; the standard model features the A19 chip, while the Studio Display XDR uses the A19 Pro. This enables functionalities such as: the Center Stage camera, built-in microphones, speaker system, and integration with macOS. When connected to an older computer or PC, the monitor functions only as a regular screen without additional features.
The most demanding feature of the new monitors is support for 5K resolution at 120 Hz refresh rate. Apple emphasizes that this requires very high bandwidth and an efficient graphics chip. Therefore, full 5K 120 Hz is available only for selected computers with newer Apple Silicon chips, including: M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra, M3 Pro, M3 Max, and M3 Ultra, M4 and M5 and their Pro and Max variants. Older chips like M1 or the basic versions of M2 and M3 are limited to 60 Hz.
New Apple monitors offer very high image quality and advanced features, but they have been designed primarily for computers with Apple Silicon. Users of older Macs with Intel processors can use the displays only to a limited extent, without many integration features with the system.
source: flatpanelshd
