2nd Display Assistance Needed for 5k 27" iMac

[pinot717]

I have a 5K 27” iMac in my office. I am a pretty basic office user: internet browsers, Outlook, Word and Excel. I don’t game, do CAD, edit videos or digitally create. I am merely looking for the best 2nd monitor to pair with my iMac. The problem is that the iMac is so sharp, most other stuff looks inferior (to some extent, I would rather have a Mac Mini driving two identical monitors). I am moving offices and setting up a new workstation with a sit/stand desk. I currently pair my iMac with a 24” Dell 4K (P2415Q) but would like to replace that with a 27”. I know (don’t know) just enough to get myself in trouble. The more I read, the more confused I get. FreeSync? LED-Lit Edge? 4K/2K? Optimal resolution? Retina? Every time I pick out something on Amazon, I read the reviews and am further confused by many of them that seem to make sense but cause me to question what direction I should go…this one especially. I would prefer to stay in the sub $500 range but while I would pay more, I don’t want to wait nor pay for the new 5K LG being sold through Apple. I was strongly looking at the LG 27UD58-B which seemed like a great price and then considered what I assumed was a slightly newer, more sleeker looking model the LG 27UD68-W. One has FreeSync, the other does not. Do I care? What will work the best for my simple tasks? Looking for recommendation, suggestions and simple, easy-to understand advice. Other 4K monitors that I have looked at: Dell P2715Q, BenQ BL2711U, etc. Do I even need or want 4K? Thank you.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-...B01CDYB0QS#wasThisHelpful?tag=macforums0e4-20

 

[Ember1205]

Let's start with the basics.

WHICH 5K iMac do you have. Different models have different capabilities as it pertains to driving external monitors.

The Late 2015 models can support a single 5K external monitor or dual 4K (UHD) monitors. The 2014 models can support a single Thunderbolt 2 4K external monitor or dual Thunderbolt 2 displays at 2560x1140 each.

I can't seem to find it, but I thought I remembered the 2014 models being able to drive EITHER the internal monitor or an external one (and not both simultaneously), but the specs I just looked up seem to not support that.

 

[pinot717]

Purchased in December 2014.



27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display and Built-in VESA Mount Adapter. Note: This iMac does not include a stand.


With the following configuration:

• 3.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
• 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x8GB
• 512GB Flash Storage
• AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB GDDR5

 

[Ember1205]

According to this link (http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-inch-aluminum-retina-5k-late-2014-specs.html), you have a maximum external monitor resolution capability of 3840x2160 (4K / UHD). The resolution capability of the Retina display is 5120x2880, or slightly better than UHD resolution.

The default display settings of the iMac itself do not take advantage of the full resolution, so a 4K monitor for external use should do an excellent job, even if the display itself is a little larger than the 27" size of the Retina monitor. And, if you do go larger with an external monitor, you may need to step the resolution setting up slightly so as to not lose any of the sharpness.