ultrasharp Dell monitor and MBP

[greggold]

I have a Dell(TM) UltraSharp U2913WM 29" monitor running on my 2011 Macbook Pro.
The highest resolution I can obtain is 1600 x 900. The quality compares poorly with that of my Macbook screen which has 1440 x 900 resolution. The Dell monitor is capable of (and is promoted for) 2560 x 1080 Full HD.

Macbook pro details:
15-inch, Late 2011
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB
Processor 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7
Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)
Memory 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Is there a way to get higher resolution?
with thanks.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-How are you connecting the display?
-Is display mirroring enabled?

C

 

[greggold]

Hi
the monitor is connected by an Iwires cable with an Apple mini-display port connector on one end and HDMI on the other.
When I enable display mirroring I find the resolution on both displays becomes 1600x900, and the monitors are overlapping (not side by side) in the displays onscreen tool. When I disable it, I get back 1600 x 900 on the dell and 1440 x 900 on the MBP screen.

I should not overstate the problem; when I said "The Dell quality compares poorly with that of my Macbook screen" its a noticeable but not a big difference and I find I am living with it OK.

I am wondering if there may be a driver; at the Dell website it says about this monitor U2913WM
"Operating System Not Supported
Dell does not support the operating system you are using with this device."

There are only drivers for Windows machines. I read many monitor reviews before selecting the Dell and no reviewer mentioned this lack of driver support. I guess I (wrongly) assumed modern monitors handled different OS.

Greg

 

[Cory Cooper]

-I only asked about mirroring in case you had it activated and it was trying to sync with a compatible resolution for the MBP.
-You shouldn't need to install a driver...OS X has them built-in.

I wonder if a $99 Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter would allow the full resolution.

C

 

[greggold]

very interesting lead ... I have a DVI cable that came with the monitor, and I have a minidisplay port adaptor that will accept the DVI. I can try it tomorrow. Is the "dual-link" a special kind of DVI cable, and is the one Dell supplied likely to be dual link? I looked at the adaptor you mentioned - Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter - on the Apple website and it seems the "dual link" may be you plug the adaptor BOTH into the minidisplay port AND into a USB port on the MBP... if that is not it, what is the USB plug there for, and what does dual mean? I looked around on the web and there is confusion about the USB plug on the adaptor eg "I've heard conflicting things about plugging in the USB cable as it requires it. I have done this but still don't know if it is necessary. There were no instructions in the box." (I would add and no instructions on the webite)


when you say OS X has drivers built in, does that include one for Dell U2913WM given that this monitor is around 4 years old? Might OS X have a driver that allows 2560 x 1080 resolution if the cable is right?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Apple's explanation from here: Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. How is the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter different from the Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter?
The Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter works best with displays that operate at dual-link resolutions, which are resolutions above 1920 x 1200. For displays that do not support dual-link DVI resolutions (displays that operate at resolutions of 1920 x 1200 or lower) you should use the Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter instead.

2. Which monitors work with the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter?
Use the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter to connect your computer to a 30-inch display that includes a dual-link DVI connector, such as the Apple Cinema HD Display. Note: For such displays, be sure to connect the USB connection on the adapter to the USB port on your Mac; also connect the USB connection from the display to the USB port on the adapter.

The Dual-Link cable that came with the monitor should work, but you'll probably still need the Apple adapter above to go from Mini DisplayPort to DVI. DVI supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1200. Dual-Link DVI supports up to 2560 x 1600. In essence, it has "two" DVI connections (8 wires vs 4) in one cable/connector.

Macs work differently than PCs with regards to drivers. Almost all peripheral drivers are part of the OS. Apple uses standardized calls for hardware/software, which makes OS X very pllug-and-play and loved by developers. That's why Macs don't require special drivers for USB 2 audio devices and such, where Windows machines do. Any product-specific drivers, such as printers/scanners are written by the third-party companies using Apple's guidelines for accessing Apple hardware or software and included/updated by Mac OS X.

Your MBP supports the following:

Resolutions:
1680 by 1050 (native) or 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched

External Resolution:
Up to 2560 by 1600 pixels

Hope that helps,

C

 

[greggold]

Success! I used the Dell DVI cable that came with the monitor (it has a yellow sticker on it claiming to be "dual link"), with a "standard" DisplayPort to DVI adaptor (I assume its a genuine Apple part but I am not 100% sure) and without any further adjustment/input I am getting 1920 x 1080 resolution on the Dell monitor. The difference in resolution and picture quality is obvious- the display looks great. I might think about buying a Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter to see if I can go up to the max resolution for this monitor (2560 x 1080) but the display is already so good I may not bother.

I've learnt alot, the concept that a HDMI cable might seriously limit the resolution of a monitor simply did not occur to me.

Thank you!
Greg

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries...glad you're happy.

If you ever do make the move to the Apple adapter, let us know.

Enjoy,

C