Resolution of Samsung T220 monitor with Mac Mini (or any Mac)

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Level 1

8 points

Resolution of Samsung T220 monitor with Mac Mini (or any Mac)

I'm looking at a Samsung T220 or T220HD paired with a Mac Mini, or more probably new Mac Mini to be announced in Jan, 2009. The maximum resolution for the T220 is 1680 x 1050. The Samsung manual states that the T220 usually supports all Macs, but to check the "Preset Timing Modes" to ensure Mac is supporte for this model.

When checking the T220 user manual, the "Preset Timing Modes" section indicates only the following resolutions when connecting to a Mac:

MAC, 640 x 480
MAC, 832 x 624
MAC, 1152 x 870

Does this mean Mac owners can never get the maximum 1680 x 1050 resolution out of this and similar Samsung monitors, only 1152 x 870? If so, what's the point of investing in a good quality monitor that gives Macs only mediocre resolutions?

Any Mac owners getting 1680 x 1050 out of their Samsung T220 or T220HD?

Mac Mini, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Dec 21, 2008 8:24 PM

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Answer 1

Richard8655 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 22, 2008 1:49 PM in response to Richard8655

Update from original poster. Looks like this is something Mac Mini owners with Samsung monitors don't worry about too much, as long as the monitor works at any resolution. I checked other Samsung monitor manuals, and their "Preset Timing Modes" are also the same for Macs - 1152x870.

After some research for this model (T220), it seems the maximum resolution occurs only with a VGA connection at 1680x1050, while DVI-D only goes up to 1152x870. But isn't a digital signal preferable?

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Answer 2

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Dec 22, 2008 9:38 PM in response to Richard8655

It seems like that information has been in every Samsung monitor user manual for the last 10 years. It's really dated information relating to some old Apple CRT displays. Samsung should get rid of that information because I don't think very many people are plugging these new monitors into Performas. I am highly confident the Samsung will plug and play at the proper resolution, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

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Answer 3

Dec 23, 2008 7:40 AM in response to Richard8655

I just bought my wife a Mac Mini to use with her T220HD, and it has no problems at max resolution.

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Answer 4

Richard8655 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 23, 2008 2:31 PM in response to Richard8655

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

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Answer 5

Richard8655 Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 25, 2008 9:20 AM in response to Richard8655

From a recent review of this monitor at newegg.com:

Pros: Very big, versatile and top notch quality wise.
Cons: DVI would not work at 1680 on my mac mini, but it does on VGA
Other Thoughts: This is a very good looking, useful monitor and I highly recommend it.

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Answer 6

Dec 29, 2008 8:51 PM in response to Richard8655

Hi there

I just got a new Mac Mini and a 32 inch Samsung LCD 450 series. I am not sure of max resolution but I know it's a 720p set. I have been impressed with the plug and play set up via a VGA cable. But, I can not seem to figure out how to get the max resolution set up either.

The Mac display preferences only give me choices for standard monitor sizes that are not proportional to the Samsung screen, I have tired both 800 x 600 and the 1024 x 768 I have mixed and matched this with changing the picture proportions on the TV (16:9 vs 4:3). Things either seem stretched or overly square.

Am I missing something here, Is there somewhere else I should be looking for settings to tweak?

Any help or steering toward other resources would be most welcome.

Thanks, Josh

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Answer 7

Jan 2, 2009 12:15 PM in response to Joshua Nusbaum

I have a 32 inch Samsung 450 LCD TV with a Mac Mini attached via HDMI/DVI as described in the Samsung user manual (page English-45). My resolution is 1360 x 768 pixels as suggested in the manual. The manual also suggests this same resolution if connecting via VGA. I have not tried the VGA connection but the HDMI/DVI connection works great. I have Verizon dsl (3.0 Mbs down) and have been enjoying watching movies from Hulu.com on the Samsung. I'm a great believer in reading the manuals. In fact I always try to download the manual and read it before I purchase something.

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Answer 8

Jan 3, 2009 4:13 PM in response to Donald Mckelvey

Page 45 of the 32 inch Samsung 450 LCD ->

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200802/20080219183340968_BN68-01395 A-00L02-0202.pdf

1360 x 768 is supported using HDMI or VGA (D-sub). Doesn't seem like using HDMI offers any resolutions you can't get using the VGA input.

I haven't tested this yet but have a 32 inch Samsung 450 and a single core 1.5 Mac Mini coming very soon.

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Answer 9

andgal10

Level 1

0 points

Mar 19, 2009 8:34 AM in response to Richard8655

Hey there, I have a Mac mini (new series) running perfectly on my T220 at max resolution. Greetings

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