Ntellya

Q: Compatible monitor for 15" PowerbookG4

I recently picked up a used 15" Powerbook G4 for my brother, and am rejoining the Mac world - albeit with rather old equipment.  He prefers the desktop experience, so I picked up a Dell monitor which had a DVI output.  I connected it to the Powerbook, and the monitor seemed to know it was connected (the screen changed), but I didn't get any real output on the screen.  I followed instructions posted elsewhere on this site to enable the monitor...to no avail.

 

My husband was a software engineer - and therefore handled all of these things.  Unfortunately, he passed away - so I'm trying to figure out how to do all of this "stuff".  My guess is that the monitor wasn't compatible.  How do I find out if a monitor is compatible (before I buy another one!). 

 

Thanks for the help.

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Aug 13, 2011 9:25 AM

Close

Q: Compatible monitor for 15" PowerbookG4

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by BGreg,

    BGreg BGreg Aug 14, 2011 7:23 PM in response to Ntellya
    Level 6 (17,522 points)
    Aug 14, 2011 7:23 PM in response to Ntellya

    Here's a few thoughts .... One brand that says their monitors work with macs is Viewsonic. I'm thinking about a new monitor myself, so that's one brand that gets good ratings on Amazon, and is attractive because they support macs across their product line. Some Samsung monitors say they work with macs but some Samsung's don't ... seems to be hit or miss with them. We have a Samsung 940BW that works well with our G4 mini as well as Intel mini, via DVI. Somebody else posted about an HP monitor not working well with their mac, and HP support said they don't support macs.

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Aug 15, 2011 6:50 PM in response to Ntellya
    Level 8 (35,187 points)
    iPad
    Aug 15, 2011 6:50 PM in response to Ntellya

    Dells should work with Mac. One of the most knowledgeable Mac people I know recommends Dell.

     

    I hope youare doing things in the right order:

     

    • Start with both PowerBook and the external monitor off
    • Connect the External to the PowerBook
    • Turn on the External Monitor
    • Now turn on the PowerBook.

     

    The computer has to poll the monitor to see its specs, and the above sequence insures it's fully done. Once you get an image on the external, you can use System Preferences > Displays to set up separate resolutions/settings for each.