The main complaint about Apple’s 5K Studio Display is price — at about $1,600, it’s financially out of reach for many people. And 5K monitor competitors like LG only bring the cost down a few hundred bucks. So how about saving some dough by making your own DIY Studio Display? The owner of today’s M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup did just that, crafting dual 27-inch 5K monitors for several hundred dollars less than buying production models.
M3 Pro MacBook Pro user custom-built dual 5K displays in setup
Redditor Scared-Government-38 (“SG”) showcased the heavily customized setup in a post entitled, “My custom-built dual monitor setup.” Their daily driver, a 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro, connects through a Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 hub to a pair of custom 5K displays mounted together on a Humanscale M8 adjustable monitor arm. A BenQ screenbar light sits on one of the displays and a very cool custom-designed Nixie tube clock sits on the custom-made monitor riser (see the clock’s build log below in the gear links list, along with the other components in the setup).
So how do you go about building your own 5K display? Well, as it happens, both Apple and LG use the same panel (screen) in their 5K displays, and you can buy it on its own. Then you pair it with a logic board and mount it on a frame. So SG said he bought two LG LM270QQ2-SPA3 panels on eBay for $200 each (which appears to be a low price for these; many are $500 to $700). He found logic boards on AliExpress ($68 – $130) and he machined steel mounts for the panels. And he found the Humanscale arm for about $75 in a sale online.
DIY Studio Display: A lot of work … but significant savings
Photo: [email protected]
If you think you might want to try this yourself, here’s the documentation SG followed. He said his total cost per display came to $350, or $700 for the pair. For one custom monitor, that’s less than a third of the cost of one refurbished Studio Display. Or added up together, the two custom displays come to about $200 less than a new Studio Display’s price.
“How does this monitor work?” asked a commenter.
“Bare LCD panels (the screens themselves), same as used in iMacs and Studio Display, combined with a driver board (panel plugs into driver board, which drives the panels. Driver board has the inputs, power, controls, etc.),” SG replied. Power supplies are two 12v 5a AC/DC power bricks, they added.
Connectivity and mounting
SG noted both displays run at full resolution scaled to 1440p. “[I’m] using two USB-C to DP 2.1 cables, one for each monitor,” they said. “Cables plugged into downstream TB4 ports, which according to TB spec have to support DP alt mode.” SG tested the system using the Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 hub, but plans to replace it with a CalDigit TB4 hub with more ports.
And as for mounting the panels on the steel frames: “The panels come with a metal frame with M3 screw attachments,” SG said. “The bracket that I machined just creates a Vesa mount and a mount for the driver board.”
And if you like the desktop wallpaper showing on the dual DIY Studio Displays, you can find it in the macOS Sequoia beta version or when the software is released to the public. Or, if you don’t want to risk bugs and such from the beta software, others have downloaded wallpapers for you.
Shop these items now:
Photo: [email protected]
Custom 5K displays, mount and light bar:
- LG LM270QQ2-SPA3 panels (2) on custom-machined steel mounts
- Logic board
- Humanscale M8 Adjustable Monitor Arm
- BenQ Screenbar Monitor Light
- Custom built monitor riser
Computer and hub:
Input devices:
- Drop ENTR mechanical keyboard
- Custom coiled keyboard cable
- Logitech MX Master 3S for Mac wireless mouse
Accessories
- Custom-designed Nixie tube clock (build log)
- Nordik desk mat
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
