Monitor USB-C Cable

[Jimmysb]

I have just bought a BenQ 2485TC, which came with its own USB-C cable, labelled Full USB 3.1 Gen 2 5A, however the cable is too short and putting those exact details brought up a plethora of cables, a lot obviously unsuitable. Remembering a thread not long ago, I have gone for "USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen2 Cable 10Gbps Data Transfer, 100W 20V/5A 6.6ft USB Type C PD Fast Charging Cable 4K Video Output Compatible with Thunderbolt 3, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Galaxy S21 2M", my assumption is this is a suitable cable.
As an aside, the monitor would not awaken after auto turn off, and after a troll around the internet, I found enabling the power in the USB sorted the issue, does anybody have any thoughts on this.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

...labelled Full USB 3.1 Gen 2 ...I have gone for "USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen2 Cable 10Gbps Data Transfer...

USB 3.1 Gen 2 = USB 3.1 = SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps = 10Gbps

So you have made the correct choice as far as specifications. However, I'm not sure that your Mac supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 specifically. I've heard of instances where users' Macs apparently don't support that specification.

Your BenQ GW2485TC also has DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. Going with a Thunderbolt 3/4 to either DisplayPort or HDMI adapter might have been a better bet for getting the highest resolution that your monitor is capable of. This adapter has been a really reliable one for Mac users (paired with an HDMI 2.1 cable):

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-uni-...V68NVR/ref=psdc_306629011_t1_B07THJGZ9Z?th=1

 

[Jimmysb]

USB 3.1 Gen 2 = USB 3.1 = SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps = 10Gbps

So you have made the correct choice as far as specifications. However, I'm not sure that your Mac supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 specifically. I've heard of instances where users' Macs apparently don't support that specification.

Your BenQ GW2485TC also has DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. Going with a Thunderbolt 3/4 to either DisplayPort or HDMI adapter might have been a better bet for getting the highest resolution that your monitor is capable of. This adapter has been a really reliable one for Mac users (paired with an HDMI 2.1 cable):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075V68NVR/?tag=macforums0e4-20

Randy, many thanks for the comments, the cable has arrived, and the display is fine, but there does seem to be other issues, Apple do not support MST, though, I did not intend to use this, and it would seem if you use USB-C then currently the monitor nags to power on standby, but then the monitor does not power down. Currently in contact with Benq for solutions.

 

[Groovetube]

usb c gives me all the same hi res/refresh options I get from DisplayPort/hdmi on my LG IPS monitor. I run it right up no issues.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

usb c gives me all the same hi res/refresh options I get from DisplayPort/hdmi on my LG IPS monitor. I run it right up no issues.

"USB-C" is a physical connector standard (that is, a hardware plug), not a protocol standard (that is, a data transfer standard). What you would need to tell us for your experience to be instructive is what protocol your Mac model supports, what protocol(s) the cable you are using supports, and what protocols your monitor supports.

Your Mac likely has Thunderbolt 3 ports. I can't guess what your cable and monitor support without more information. Are you achieving 4K resolution at a full 60Hz?

 

[Groovetube]

I have tb4 ports. The monitor only specifies usb-c, does not give any further details. It’s a few months old. It has what I would presume a supplied usb 3.2 cable, the monitor have hdmi and displayport 1.4. The image is better with usb c, and is indeed full 4k at 60hz. Supports HDR10 as well. The usb cable will also provide charging to the MacBook Pro 16” when I plug that one in (I generally use a Mac Studio M2max 64gig on the monitor lately)

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I have tb4 ports. The monitor only specifies usb-c, does not give any further details. It’s a few months old. It has what I would presume a supplied usb 3.2 cable, the monitor have hdmi and displayport 1.4. The image is better with usb c, and is indeed full 4k at 60hz. UHD as well. The usb cable will also provide charging to the MacBook Pro 16” when I plug that one in (I generally use a Mac Studio M2max 64gig on the monitor lately)

Yes, a good monitor company will usually include a high quality cable with their monitor that supports the fastest data protocol that their monitor can support, and is thus capable of giving you the full resolution that their monitor is capable of. Assuming that your personal computer is capable of driving your new monitor at its full resolution, this eliminates a big source of confusion and the possibility that your monitor will perform disappointingly.

Your LG monitor supports very recent USB protocols. This is different than the situation that was presented in this thread by the original poster. His monitor only supported up to USB 3.1 Gen 2, and it came with a matching USB 3.1 Gen 2 cable. It's likely that he isn't seeing full resolution using the included cable because his Mac doesn't fully support that data protocol. It would have been safer to go with HDMI or DisplayPort to get the full resolution that his monitor is capable of.

Saying that "USB-C" cables work fine isn't precisely helpful. Different "USB-C" cables support different USB data protocols. (Unless you happen to use a universal USB-C cable, such as the one offered by Other World Computing. It's too bad that all USB-C cables aren't universal.)

 

[Groovetube]

Sorry I was under the impression that usb c ports start at usb 3.1, would should give you 4k at 60hz (it does here anyway) I didn’t see what computer it was just it had tb3 which should do the job I thought. Sorry. But I didn’t think the resolution was the issue here?

for the actual issue, monitor not waking up. Mine did that as well at first. Drove me batty. Did it on hdmi as well as displayport. I did go through a bunch of settings for other unrelated things and for some reason the problem stopped happening. If I ever discover if a setting helped I’ll report back.