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I'd like to buy an external monitor for my Retina MacBook Pro mid 2015 (2880x1800 native resolution). I have 2 Thunderbolts 2 ports.

I have the following questions that need answers to help me choose the best product :

  • What monitor size/resolution I should consider?
  • how will I Connect my mac to my monitor ? HDMI? Thunderbolt ?

Thanks,

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What monitor size/resolution I should consider?

This is entirely up to you. What makes sense for you? Determine what features/specifications are important, then your budget, and then start shopping. This will always be a subjective decision

how will I Connect my mac to my monitor ? HDMI? Thunderbolt ?

This is less subjective; the question is, what does the monitor support?

Your MacBook will have both mini DisplayPort and HDMI meaning you can use either cable. Which one you use is entirely up to you, but my recommendation is

  1. Go with DisplayPort as HDMI can be very flaky (just search this site for examples)

  2. Use the port that matches your monitor - don't convert the signal. I am a bit proponent of not converting display signals; converting introduces unreliability. If you must convert a signal, use an active adapter.

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    Allan provides excellent advice. The only thing I'd like to add is that you're not limited to the 2880x1800 native resolution when connected to an external display. Your model MBP did come with various graphics card options and the external resolution it supports is up to 3840x2160 pixels at 30Hz or 4096x2160 pixels at 24Hz (using HDMI), and up to 5120x2880 at 60Hz (using Thunderbolt and assuming you have the Radeon R9 M370X graphics card installed). Of course, the other factor in terms of the resolution you can achieve is your external monitor. All the best with your choice!
    – Monomeeth ♦
    Commented Aug 15, 2017 at 14:51
  • To add to @Monomeeth 's advice advice about the external monitor...remember it can always "scale back" so it's beneficial to get one with more resolution even if your Mac can't drive it. In other words, a 4K monitor can display at 2K resolution, but not the other way around.
    – Allan
    Commented Aug 15, 2017 at 15:00

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