Windows PC to Apple Studio Display - Will it work?

How you hook up the Apple Studio Display to a Windows PC, even if your PC doesn't have Thunderbolt support, why this isn't the ideal monitor to work with a Windows machine, the issues we had getting this setup to work, the correct cord to get in order to do this, how to add Thunderbolt to your PC if it doesn't support it, and we'll go through some of the really stupid decisions Apple made when designing this display.

This video will walk you through how we setup our HP OMEN with an AMD Radeon RX 6700XT to output its display to the Apple Studio Display using an 8K DisplayPort to USB-C cable, and after all the hassle and different chords we went through, we don't think this is the best setup for a Windows PC user who also has a Mac.

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0:00 - Why this setup is a bad idea
1:37 - DisplayPort to USB-C cables
2:24 - Why some cables don't work
3:13 - Finally, a solution!
3:44 - If you want to use the speakers & webcam
4:30 - It shouldn't be this hard
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#WindowsPC
#Apple
#StudioDisplay
#Thunderbolt
#DisplayPort
#Issues

[danielsaadi]

I got two Studio displays for a dual monitor setup, one connected to my MacBook Pro 14 and the other to a work Dell Latitude 3420 that has a USB-C connection. The speakers work, camera and mic all work fine and I get a 5K resolution. All I did to set up the brightness is adjust it on my MacBook then move the cable back to the Dell. When I see that there is a fFirmware update I just swap the cable back to the MacBook so the monitor can get the firmware update. There are no other monitors that compare and the MacBook can push two 5K displays and I have had fun running both on the Mac too. I highly recommend these monitors to anyone. B&H has these monitors in stock if you want to scoop one up and my 2nd one arrived in only three days.

[davidcarrico]

I don't think it was the bandwidth of your original adapters, I think it was that your cable wasn't bi-directional. Most of those cable adapters (like the Uni) are unidirectional and meant to flow the other way. A bidirectional cable should work.

[marc-andrevoyer]

I got it plug and play on my Asus Strix laptop which has thunderbolt. Everything works right from the start without any drivers: screen, speakers, microphone, webcam, usb-c ports. 60Hz is low for gaming (but 5k is so heavy on GPU it's fine) but the color accuracy and speakers are fantastic.

[B.D.F.]

If anything this video shows how woefully inadequate the port situation is on most PCs. Thunderbolt 3 has been available since late 2015, it’s time for PCs to catch up.

[JulienPons]

EDIT !! Dispay Buddy will allow you to adjust brightness on Windows, with a nice UI and support for keyboard shortcuts. Pro XDR is also supported (any monitor with DDC/CI support will be in fact). HOWEVER. You have to use a USB C to Display Port cable, as show in the video. If you have USB C on your PC with the GPU linked to it, Display Buddy will recognize it but won't adjust anything. IN ANY CASE : you can install the bootcamp drivers with brigadier, and adjust the brightness using the slider in the bootcamp display settings.

[awgphoto]

I have been fighting the same problem after upgrading my Apple Mac Pro to Mac Studio and Studio Display. I have been trying multiple cables and adaptors from Amazon (and returning them). I have the recommended Cable Matters 8K DisplayPort to Thunderbolt cable. It works well from Mac Studio to an older DisplayPort monitor. However, when I can from my PC to the Studio Display it does not not produce a picture. The display is identified by the PC but remains black with the occasional flicker. The Amazon UK website also shows this cable as not bidirectional.

[jane]

I bought the Cable Matters cable linked in description. Connected to my PC display port 1.4 and the Studio Display is not turning on :( Did this cable work for everyone else? However it works plugged into the thunderbolt port on the LG Ultrafine 4K monitor

[romboutroemer]

Connected it with my Surface laptop studio, works flawlessly. 5k resolution, volume is adjustable. The battery is also charging. I will need my Ipad pro to control the brightness though..

[cadenchurchill]

While I love the design of the display, I too find it frustrating that it can’t really be used with anything other than a Mac. Got an Asus ROG display for about $1000CAD and loving it. Far better for my uses, and 27” at 4K on a Mac looks amazing.

[cookie.dou_scapes]

The cable suggested works, but you have to make sure to configure your graphics card. I have an older MSI Trident Arctic 8th Gen w/ NVIDIA GTX GeForce 1070 (~purchased in 2018) and it would just flicker black (and nothing else) at first. Killed me for a week or so, but I figured that it doesn't make sense that a signal is being sent but it was just flickering. So I attached two monitors to my PC, configured the StudioDisplay to output via NVIDIA Control Panel to 3820 x 2160 (and set it as my default monitor) - and boom, it worked. Looks like some older video cards just can't support/output the signal nicely for 5k resolution.

[Classical]

I use both PC (for work) and Mac (for personal use). Can I easily switch between PC and Mac with the Studio Display? Or I must plug and unplug the USB-C cable each time I want to switch computers?

[bhweb]

I bought an Asus laptop last year and it has Thunderbolt 4 ports. I connected it to the Studio Display with Windows 11 and it worked flawlessly with no special drivers loaded. It recognized the monitor, speakers, webcam, and microphone. At first it simply mirrors the main screen, but you can use the display settings to use it as an extended desktop. From what I understand, Linux has support for the studio display built into the latest kernels and there's a driver in testing to adjust the brightness. I have another PC that runs Linux Mint 21 and has USB-C, but it doesn't output the video over USB, no thunderbolt. When I connect that to the studio display, the speakers, webcam, and microphone are recognized and I can select them for use. I'm going to be upgrading that PC to a MB that has Thunderbolt 3, so it should work fully after that.

[DirkMensonides]

There should be an amendment at the 4 minute mark. In order to add a TB3 or TB4 card to a pc, you will need to ensure that your motherboard has a Thunderbolt header on the board, and then you can use it in conjunction with the PCIE x4 slot to add thunderbolt.

The presence of a TB header on your MOBO can be found by going through the online manual for the motherboard. For AMD, it is primarily on High-End motherboards, but not guaranteed to be there. For intel Boards, it might be a little less rare.

[greggooch]

I used a apple Thunderbolt cable with a surface dock 2. And have experienced no issues, speakers and camera work to

[JasonLefevers]

Bought this cable, but doesn’t work with the Studio Display on my PC.

[melmeiro]

In my understanding, Apple Studio Display is more like the “infamous” LG UltraFine 4K (24-inch) and 5K (second version) monitors that were lined up next to Apple computers. Just like LG’s UltraFine lineup, Mac Studio Display will behave nicely if you manage to send video and data signals from the same cable. Both Huawei and Belkin’s charge and sync cable for Huawei’s VR Glass do a great job when it comes to catering for those in this scenario. It is simple, plug & play. Unlike a Thunderbolt 3 & 4 add-on card, you are free from all the hiccups that come with software issues. Brightness, audio and additional USB ports also work very well. The only downside is you are limited to USB 2.0 on those USB ports. The second alternative is Club 3D’s “CAC 1332” HDMI cable. From my readings through the Internet, this cable might have a second iteration that does not have a USB additional data cable anymore. So, be cautious. But the first iteration works like charm without any hiccups. If you happen to have a Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X or S, or Playstation 5, you are good to go with this cable. For those PC users also, this cable will work very well. There is one downside though. You can no longer access to USB ports (so you are limited to audio). There are additional fourth and fifth alternative solutions that can actually help (if you are a desktop PC user). If you have a compatible motherboard, you can attach a Thunderbolt card. Unfortunately, not all computers are Thunderbolt 3 (or 4) compatible, so you might be out of luck. In the fourth and the last alternative, you use Delock 89582 PCI Express Card. This card is a re-branded version of Sunix UPD2018 in the EU market. Unfortunately, I do not have enough information about this product.

In summary, Apple Studio Display will only come into your use if you go through these alternative solutions. If you are already a Mac user, and you really want to make this kind of monitors work, here is your endeavor waiting for you. But if you are a PC user, I do not recommend USB-C only monitors at all. They do not support KVM switch, and more importantly because they need macOS for software updates, you are going to have trouble.

Addendum
You can actually control brightness and additional settings thanks to ClickMonitor DDC. Unfortunately, the software development has apparently stopped, but it works great with MS Windows 11. If you are a Linux user, gDDCControl is quite useful.

[MichaelSasser]

When I use this cable with my Cyberpower PC connecting it to my Pro XDR Display, it starts up in 1080 and when I change the resolution to higher, the screen goes black. Any ideas?

[miguelcoka]

Can't you use a Dock that supports Thunderbolt?

[khanscombe]

I can't even get my Thunderbolt Display to adjust brightness or sound say on in Windows on Mac as it is. But if you're creative, U can copy those Windows for Mac bits into your PC if it works. As a trick for me, I just hot plug the Mac Display into a Mac to adjust to where I need for the day & swap it back. It seams to hold its setting. U still need to unplug to turn off anyway . Same for old LED Cinema w/ Mini DisplayPort.

[wearestudiotonic]

Hey Guys, I have purchased this cable (2 versions - the only difference being that one is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and one with Thunderbolt 4). Neither of these cables is working for me? Am I missing something? The product description seems to suggest that these cables are for using the display port end in the monitor, rather than the other way around. Can someone please help?