Can Mid 2015 Macbook Pro Run 3 External Monitors? [duplicate]

I have a mid 2015 MacBook Pro, and I want to run three external monitors - it only seems to power 2 of them. I can seem to run any combination but only two. I am powering them through 1 X thunderbolt to dvi, 1 X thunderbolt to VGA, and 1 XHDMI.

Can this be done?


Solution 1:

You can run only 2 external monitors plus a third via AppleTV! If you want you can also run the MacBook Pro LCD, achieving in this way the 4 monitors configuration.

This answer comes from personal experience and Apple technical details. I've the same model and I've tested all the possible combinations, also trying passive and active DVI connections.

Solution 2:

YES. It can be done if your MBP has the extra graphics chip AND you use Displayport as one of the monitor inputs. Click on "About this Mac" "System Report" "Graphics/Displays" and look to see if it has 2 graphics chips one of them being "AMD Radeon R9 M370X"

My experimentation has taught me this:

  1. 2012 MBPR with extra graphics chip can drive 2x TB-DVI + 1x HDMI
  2. 2015 MBPR with single integrated graphics can only drive 2x of any combination as poster indicates (it cannot drive the combination in #3 below)
  3. 2015 MBPR with extra graphics chip can NOT drive 2x TB-DVI + 1X HDMI but it CAN drive 1x TB-DVI + 1x TB-DisplayPort + 1x HDMI as one of the answers here indicates.

I don't know what changed between 2012+extra graphics and 2015+extra graphics to require that one of the displays be using displayport input (vs DVI/HDMI/VGA). Wish there was a way as I now need to get another monitor...

Solution 3:

I was able to do this with my 2012 15″ rMBP. I just upgraded to the 2015 15″ rMBP and I didn't expect a lesser experience; however, I have not been able to connect the 3rd external monitor successfully yet. I am using 3 1920x1080 monitors connected Thunderbolt → DVI x2 and HDMI → DVI x1.

I just achieved a 4 monitor setup (rMBP display included). Here is my setup:

  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
  • AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2048 MB
  • OS X 10.10.3
  • TB1 port - TB to DVI adapter
  • TB2 port - Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable
  • HDMI port - HDMI to DVI adapter

The average CPU temp has been between 50-70 degrees while doing normal processing with over 10 applications open. When I start compiling code, I have seen it hit 100 degrees, but once the fans RPM increase, it returns to the 50-70 range.