Why I RETURNED my 4k Monitor // MacOS Scaling Explained!

The Nugget

Scaling a 4k monitor on a Mac can hinder performance due to the need for scaling with the GPU, leading to potential performance drops during tasks like video editing or 3D rendering. Opting for a 1440p monitor can provide a better user experience without sacrificing color accuracy and overall visual quality.

Key quotes

"For a long time, I was running on a 1080p 24-inch monitor, very not accurate on colors and such, and I got kind of sick of editing all my photos on my MacBook screen because I didn't trust the colors on my external monitor."
"4K at 27 inches is about 163 PPI on this chart in the bad zone that is not good for Mac to get it in a comfortable like where it is really supposed to be in terms of sizing. Which on a 27-inch monitor, 1440P is about perfect."
"That being said, when you don't have that, Mac has to, to get it into a comfortable viewing, you have to scale it with the GPU. So, that's why it was running either 4K or 1080 because those weren't having to scale in a non-integer scaling, which is what is explained in this article."

Upgrading to a 4K monitor can lead to an issue where the Mac OS scales everything too large, making the interface uncomfortable to use.
Opting for a 1440p monitor at 27 inches provides a more comfortable viewing experience, as it aligns better with the Mac OS scaling preferences and can improve overall performance during intensive tasks like video editing and 3D rendering.

Mac OS is designed to work optimally at either 110 or 220 PPI, with the 110 PPI being good for non-retina and 220 PPI being ideal for retina displays.
The scaling of resolutions on Mac devices is crucial for ensuring a comfortable viewing experience and optimal performance, especially when using external monitors.

Apple selects monitor resolutions like 5K or 6K to align with their preferred scaling options, ensuring that the UI and visual quality remain consistent and optimized for their devices.
The choice of resolutions by Apple aims to deliver the best user experience in terms of pixel density and scaling for optimal performance and visual clarity.

💡 Using a 1440p monitor on a Mac can provide a comfortable viewing experience and better performance compared to a 4K monitor.
🖥️ Mac OS is designed to work best at specific pixel densities (PPI), with 110 or 220 PPI being the optimal ranges.
🍎 Apple selects monitor resolutions like 5K and 6K to ensure perfect scaling for their devices, maintaining high visual quality and performance standards.
⚙️ Opting for a monitor resolution that aligns with Mac OS preferences can enhance user experience and productivity, especially during resource-intensive tasks like video editing and rendering.

This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.