Anyone running the Studio Display XDR on a Windows PC? Specifically curious about 4K 120Hz over DP 1.4a
I've been shopping for a new monitor for a while now and I keep coming back to the Studio Display XDR. The problem with pretty much every gaming monitor on the market is that they're ugly. For example the Samsung Odyssey G7 has a fucking hideous RGB halo on the back and it is genuinely one of the ugliest things I've seen on a piece of PC hardware. I don't care how good the panel is, I'm not using that thing as my monitor. My Acer Nitro monitor I use for my secondary PC has some sort of Transformers Bumblebee looking emblem/logo on the stand and I hate looking at it.
The Studio Display XDR is basically the only monitor that doesn't have a crappy, plastic build quality, and isn't deformed with gamer aesthetic. it definitely isn't OLED (I don't care honestly) but it looks nice on the outside, has a great screen, and to my knowledge is actually the only 5K 120hz screen that exists (LG UltraFine Evo: 60hz). I hate that Apple makes nice things too.
The catch for me: I'm using a Windows PC (Ryzen 9 5900X + RTX 4060 WindForce OC), which has 2x HDMI 2.1a and 2x DP 1.4a). I know this display is very much designed for Mac but I've seen enough forum posts to know people are getting it working on PC to varying degrees. Whether that be at 5k60 (convert cable) or 5k120 (USB-C port, but iGPU).
I heard that DP 1.4a is only enough for 4k120 at highest, and eitherway if I do get an insane display like it a GPU upgrade will definitely be in cards but if I can drive it at 120hz in any case with a Windows PC (preferrable with my current GPU right now but absolute must either way). If I have to use a lower resolution like 4k120, I am honestly fine with that as long as it doesn't look like trash.
Anyway, the questions I am trying to ask:
Were you able to use a DP to thunderbolt cable and use the monitor? Was it plug and play?
What GPU do you have, were you able to use the high refresh at any resolution? Did Windows see it or did you need tools like CRU/NVIDIA Control Panel?
The native res is 5K, but I might be running it at 4K. How does it look? Obviously not the same as native, but is it noticeably bad or does the panel density make it forgiving?
For context: my current display for my main PC is a 1080p Blaupunkt that I'm running at 1440p via a custom NVIDIA resolution (yes, really), so the bar is not high for quality. Almost anything will be an upgrade. But if I'm spending this much on a panel (and honestly mainly because it looks nice and is glass) I want to actually get a high refresh out of it, not 60.
Would love to hear from anyone who's been through this, especially if you got 4K 120Hz working without a DP 2.1 GPU. Cheers.