I have a recently purchased a Dell pro plus monitor P2425D. I have a Macbook Air, M2 chip 16GB Ram, 1000 GB SSD, OS Tahoe 26.1. There is a great deal of conflicting information online on whether or not this monitor is compatible with my Macbook Air. I also discovered that there isn't a USB C port on the monitor.
Two questions - are my Macbook and the monitor compatible? Is so, what is the best way to connect them.
Thank you,
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.1
Yes, it is comparable with the correct adapter cable. Your MacBook Air’s thunderbolt ports also support DisplayPort monitors. Your monitor supports DisplayPort 1.4 which is great. However, you will need a cable that has thunderbolt (USB-C connector) to a DisplayPort connector. Something like this: https://www.startech.com/en-us/display-video-adapters/cdp2dp146b
"Macbook and Dell monitor compatible?: I have a recently purchased a Dell pro plus monitor P2425D. [...]Two questions - are my Macbook and the monitor compatible? Is so, what is the best way to connect them."
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Dell Pro Plus Monitor P2425D on a Mac:
Yes. It is compatible, according to Dell.
As for connectivity:
It is plug and play. You'd need an adapter for USB-C. For HDMI, using this adapter, you'll have a female USB-C, so that you don't lost the port: USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter - Apple
Either will work in your situation. Dell states the following for your monitor:
The monitor’s max resolution and refresh rate are the same for either port.
Comparisons of the two technologies is complicated and depends on the versions supported in source and destination. In general, I personally have had great experiences with DisplayPort reliably supporting detection of full resolutions, refresh rates, and other capabilities. I generally think of HDMI as the second best modern connection that is available when I don’t have DisplayPort. But, others may have different opinions.
Dell – Dell Pro 24 Plus QHD Monitor - P2425D
24" monitor, 2560x1440 pixel resolution, maximum refresh rate of 100 Hz.
Video inputs: One DisplayPort (v1.4) and one HDMI port (v1.4).
This monitor has four downstream USB ports (one USB-C port and three USB-A ports). If you want to use them, you will need to run a cable from the monitor's USB-B upstream port to your computer (or to a hub/dock which is attached to your computer). (The monitor comes with a USB-A to USB-B cable but you can get USB-C to USB-B ones.)
Note that the USB-C port on the monitor is only for attaching downstream accessories (e.g., printers, keyboards, mice, drives). You can't use it to carry video to the monitor, or to charge the MacBook Air.
Your M2 MacBook Air should be able to drive this monitor using
Thunderbolt would only be involved in the latter case (for the connection between the Mac and the hub or dock).
If you're using an adapter (rather than a hub or dock), I'd suggest getting a USB-C to DisplayPort one – because your Mac will be generating video in USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) form. There's no reason to believe that HDMI conversion won't work, but also no particular reason to prefer it.
In any case, your Mac has a limit of one external monitor, whether the lid is open or closed. Also, while it seems possible that you might get a refresh rate higher than 60 Hz, I do not believe that the Technical Specifications for your Mac promise anything higher than that.
Thank you for your reply - the monitor also has an HDMI connection. Which method is preferred, Display Port 1.4 or HDMI?
Macbook and Dell monitor compatible?
