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I have a MacBook Pro retina 15 inch. It's a retina model with a i7 4980HQ 2.8Ghz quad core processor, a 2GB Nvidia GTX 750M graphics with 2GB VRAM and 16GB ram.

I was wondering if I would be able to connect 3 monitors to it to use mostly for coding, but perhaps also some occasional gaming.

would the best way to do it be through the two Thunderbolt ports using a 2 Thunderbolt-> DVI adapter and one monitor through the HDMI?

Will they all work properly, will there be any difference in quality if I'm using 3 monitors of the exact same model.

guest4444
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  • You probably will be able to run all three displays, despite Apple only saying two are supported. Reference from EveryMac http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-retina-display-faq/macbook-pro-retina-display-how-to-manually-switch-graphics.html#extdisplays . – Krasimir Nov 05 '16 at 07:38
  • While not an exact dupe, the answer provides a method to hook up 3 monitors to a MacBook Pro – Allan Nov 05 '16 at 10:28
  • @Allan Hey peeps! I'm not sure you can consider this a duplicate since each different version of the MBP has different characteristics. The 15" models often have completely different graphics cards and accompanying capabilities compared to 13" counterparts, especially when dealing with number of monitors, resolutions etc. The model year makes a massive difference as well. The 13" 2012 model will have very different hardware from the 15" 2014 model. – Rob Evans Mar 11 '19 at 17:07
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    This question is NOT a duplicate! 3 monitors here, 2 monitors in the linked question. Totally different setup. – Sliq Apr 18 '19 at 13:22

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If you Google Mid 2014 MacBook Pro and go to this link Apple says "Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors."

I added the emphasis.

Steve Chambers
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    I'm running a retina mid-2014 MBP with 3 external 32" displays. Two are display port and the other is via HDMI. In total, I have 4 screens if you include the built-in one. Each screen has it's own display and is not mirroring another one. The built-in is running at 2880 x 1800 and the other three screens are running at 1920 x 1080. – Rob Evans Jul 16 '18 at 15:15
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    Good to know, Apple specs are sometimes (often?) on the conservative side of what they support. Always helps to get real-world experience – Steve Chambers Jul 16 '18 at 20:57
  • Yup agreed :) it was nice to see when the screens all worked without issue but I do think I'm pushing this laptop to its limit now. It sits at about 70 degrees c on the CPU as a "normal" now! – Rob Evans Jul 24 '18 at 12:35
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    @RobEvans out of curiosity, does your mbp have the dedicated graphics card? I'm trying to get this going on my mid-2014 MBP but the HDMI port just never seems to work. – waffl Mar 04 '19 at 10:30
  • @waffl Yes it does. I suspect that is why I am able to get 3 external displays connected and working. After Apple announced the new 2018 MBPs with Coffee Lake processors I went and bought a new i9 with all the trimmings. The 2014 pro was starting to lag in some areas like loads of dev tools + a video conference going on all at the same time. Hate the touchbar - such a gimmick but 32 GB of RAM is a very nice addition!!! – Rob Evans Mar 04 '19 at 16:48
  • SOLUTION here: Seems like it depends on the graphic card of your MacBook, at least for the 2012-2015 (non-USB-C) models! No dedicated graphic card: 2 monitors, regardless which ports you use. Dedicated graphic card: 3 monitors. I can reproduce this with a bunch of MacBooks. – Sliq Nov 18 '19 at 17:23