Connect 4k display to the 2013 Mac Pro?

Question

I have an Apple Cinema Display circa 2007. It's attached to my 2013 Mac Pro via a HDMI/USB breakout cable connected to one of the Thunderbolt 2 ports and into one of the D300s.

The display has recently begun showing a sort of "ghost image" of closed windows and such, so I have started to look at the ASUS PA329Q as a potential replacement.

My question is:

Since it has a miniDisplayPort 1.2 port, can I plug a cable directly from my thunderbolt port to this port? If so:

• Will it drive the full 3840 x 2160 without problem?

• Will that single cable make the USB ports on the monitor work?

Answer 1

It will drive the full 3840 x 2160 without problem. However, it will only be carrying video signal, not data or power. As such, it will not make the USB ports on the monitor work.

Answer 2

All Thunderbolt ports are also DisplayPort ports, but not all DisplayPort-capable ports carry Thunderbolt. The six shaved-squared-corners Thunderbolt 2 ports on your Mac Pro actually start out as Mini DisplayPort, and appeared under that name as video outputs a full year before we saw our first Thunderbolt logo on anything.

If your new display just has regular DisplayPort inputs, a simple cable with MiniDP on one end and DP on t'other will be more than adequate.