I’m currently using a MacBook Air M3, and the 60Hz refresh rate on the laptop itself feels a bit choppy when I’m working with a lot of text. I asked an AI about it, and it told me the issue is the screen’s refresh rate and that an external monitor would solve it.
So I’m looking to buy an external monitor, 24 to 27 inches, 4K resolution, and at least 120Hz. ChatGPT recommended a Dell, but it’s over my budget. I’d like to know if there are any cheaper options that meet these specs. I’m open to used models, but my maximum budget for a brand new one is $120. I know that’s not much, but it’s the most I can afford.
Does anyone know what actual options exist in this price range? I don’t need professional grade color accuracy. I just want a clear picture and smooth display for everyday use.
Don’t think you’re finding a 4K 120hz screen for 120 bucks.
The part about a M3 not coping with lots of text also sounds quite improbable. Would suggest finding a friend with a screen to test it - something there sounds not quite right. Also note that you’ll likely need a screen you can connect via thunderbolt
I’d suggest looking for the following criteria (this is just me, and what i looked for for my macbooks).
Type C input available
1 or more additional USB A or C ports on the monitor (i.e., built in hub)
35+ watt (ideally, 80+) charging over type C
Unfortunately this rules out a lot of cheap monitors, but it does mean you get something that will work with ipads macbook airs, macbook pros, etc. and enable you to have the single cable docking experience without needing to also plug in a charger, which is nice.
At 120 bucks though you’re not going to get close to that, my suggestion would be either save more money and/or make do with a cheap 1080p high refresh panel for now until either prices come down or you save more.
With your budget you are not going to find anything, especially at 4K. If you are willing to do a 2K monitor things start to look a little better, but they are still over your budget. I have 2 of the previous version of these, Dell Plus 27 Inch QHD Monitor - S2725DSM | Dell USA. I have seen listings for ~$175. The current model is 144hz, mine is only 100hz, but I have found that to be enough to smooth things out. It is not the perfect monitor, but it works, has good color, lots of inputs, and speakers (They work, not the worst, definitely not the best). You would likely need a USB-C to HDMI or Display Port to connect it.
If your budget is firm I did find this, https://www.microcenter.com/product/703681/acer-kb270u-e2biipx-27-2k-qhd-(2560-x-1440)-100hz-led-monitor. If you adjust the resolution down to 1080P there are a lot of options for 24" and 27" monitors with higher refresh rates. I find 24" fine for 1080P, at 27" things just look big to me. The prices have come down over the years. I remember paying $350 for a 24" 144hz G-Sync display in 2016 or 2017.
I would recommend ensuring it is actually the low-ish refresh rate and not a performance/ program issue or a setting change that is causing the perception of being choppy. If it is, then an external monitor won’t make anything better.
M-series Macs use unified memory for CPU & GPU, plus Swap and Cache on the SSD for frequently used things not in memory or just recently used software. It typically does a good job of memory management but if you push the system into yellow or red “memory pressure” it will have excessive memory swap usage and things slow down pretty hard, way more so if the built in SSD is nearly full. Check memory pressure and memory usage under Activity Monitor.
Also, what program(s) are you using? What kind of text & what size text file? What actions causes it to feel choppy?
Not sure if you were interested but MacBooks and ultrawide monitors are weird, you actually need to try it to see how the HiDPI stuff is handled.
For example my 100Hz 3440x1440 monitor is nice and sharp on both Windows and Linux, but on MacOS there’s like a weird pixel shift issue where some edges of text are just cut off.
You can improve it a bit with BetterDisplay software but that creates a virtual screen of 2880 width IIRC but that breaks DRM so video playback is often just blacked out.
Nothing wrong with a good 1080p display, maybe a 4K display would be fine too - but stay away from ultrawide with MacOS.