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M3 Macbook Pro and Dell U3419W Display not working with USB-C/ Thunderbolt 4....sometimes...

Recently picked up an brand new M3 MacBook Pro and I'm trying to connect it to a tell U3419W monitor. A few times, seeming randomly it will work, most of the time the monitor says no signal from USB-C. I have tried a 3ft USB-C cable and the $70 Apple Thunderbolt-4 Pro cable. Same results. HDMI does work, with the downside of no charging and data. Ive tried the firmware update for the display but can't get it to work with out the usb-c. !!!!!!

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.1

Posted on Nov 28, 2023 7:45 PM

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Posted on Mar 13, 2024 12:57 AM

Hi there, anyone got this solved? just bought my new M3 and it is not working with my Dell U3419W.


Thank you

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11 replies

Jan 2, 2024 7:16 AM in response to bluetick82

I am having this trouble too with my M3 Max Macbook. I've used this monitor for several years with my last MBP (intel based) and throughout a day there are a couple times I have to plug and unplug the monitor. On my new M3 MBP the monitor doesn't come back, just "scanning for signal". I have to restart the M3 MBP to have it see the monitor again.


Also, I have a web cam connected to the USB of the monitor. So far I've not been able to get that USB camera to show up on the M3 MBP. It does just fine in the Intel MBP.

Jan 2, 2024 9:56 AM in response to Swieter

So I just came back from lunch. Computer and display were asleep. I woke the computer but the display didn't wake and screen wasn't extended. I turned off the display and back on, no extension. I unplugged and plugged back into the same port, screen didn't extend. I unplugged and plugged into a different USB C port on the MBP and the screen DID extend. Though I note it is different wallpapers than what I had set odd.


And still no luck getting USB devices plugged into the monitor to be recognized.

Apr 28, 2024 1:14 PM in response to Swieter

This has been an ongoing issue for me as well. I've tried the following:


  • Updating the firmware for the 3419W (M3B103)
  • Confirming the M3 is at the latest OS (14.4.1)
  • Swapping out the Thunderbolt 3 cable for one that works on other monitors with the M3 laptop.
  • Calling Apple Support (They implied an outright hardware incompatibility)


None of those things helped. What DID work, however, was a docking station. The problem there, though, is that the refresh rate is not great. That could be the quality of the docking station itself, however.



Jan 3, 2024 9:40 AM in response to Swieter

And today the USB web cam attached that is attached to the monitor's usb ports is now working. Not sure if it was because of reboots all around or not.


I'm still swapping the monitor from a port on the left side (my preferred) to the port on the right (or vice-versa) when I come back and the system is sleeping.

Mar 13, 2024 5:27 AM in response to chunkete

Thus far, no, I've not heard or had a resolution. Here is what I know.


When I come back from the computer/monitor going to sleep, I switch my USB C cord between the three USB C ports on my laptop and the monitor will eventually come alive.


I also found that if I leave music running, like Spotify, and then come back the computer and monitor will wake up just fine. Strange. Seems like surely this would be easy to figure out and resolve.

Apr 28, 2024 2:47 PM in response to bluetick82

To use a USB-C connection to high resolution display like this one, the USB-C cable needs to be ONE meter or shorter.


Longer cables could create transmit errors due to signal deterioration. RECENT versions of MacOS will reduce the resolution or blank the display. Older versions of MacOS may tolerate the errors and seem to just work, with imperfections so minor and random that may not be detectable to the naked eye.


The Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, makes them suitable for full-motion video for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines for any reason.

Apr 28, 2024 5:26 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I don't want to pull the "I've worked in IT for 20 years" card, but I've eliminated all possible factors I can think of. I am totally ok with using a docking station that can get around this issue. I just wish apple would be more transparent and just say "We made a hardware change and your monitor from 2016 no longer works with our hardware. Buy something newer, this isn't Windows."

Apr 28, 2024 5:52 PM in response to VNDMG

I agree. I've got a two foot cable, found this one to work best a couple years ago after buying a couple different ones on Amazon. My previous Macs have worked fine with this monitor. It was only since I changed to my M3 MBP that my monitor started doing this odd dance.


So odd.


If I have a video playing or Spotify playing and walk away and computer goes to sleep, it usually wakes up just fine with the monitor. If I don't, I have to go through a dance of changing the cable on a couple different ports and waiting and then monitor comes back. Sure does feel like something that is related to software/firmware and not just a hardware issue. This really leads me to think it is something in the latest generation and can be solved with someone looking into the bug. It is repeatable.

M3 Macbook Pro and Dell U3419W Display not working with USB-C/ Thunderbolt 4....sometimes...

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