Can't set monitor resolution to 1900x1200

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Can't set monitor resolution to 1900x1200

I have an HG281D monitor (hanns-g) with native resolution 1900x1200. Mac OS won't let me set the resolution higher than 1900x1080. How can I fix this? The display is clearly stretched vertically in its current configuration.

Thanks,
Adam

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on May 4, 2009 4:18 PM

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Answer 1

May 5, 2009 4:10 AM in response to keflavich

It doesn't matter what the native resolution of your monitor is. You can't exceed the maximum resolution supported by the video card in your machine.

It's unclear what you have. Your signature line says Mac Pro and you are posting in the MacBook Pro late 2008 area of the forum.

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Answer 2

keflavich Author

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May 5, 2009 8:44 AM in response to Retired Engineer

I have a Mac Pro Early 2009, and according to the forum title both early 2009 and late 2008 are included.

I have two NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 video cards (i.e. the default card). I have a Sun 24" monitor running 1920x1200 on one card and my HG281 running 1920x1080 on the other. I think it's pretty obvious that the video card supports higher resolution. Hanns-G claims that their monitor supports 1920x1200 resolution. The posts I've found through google say that people have had no trouble getting 1920x1200 on windows machines.

Are there any new drivers available for the GT 120 cards? NVIDIA's site doesn't have any available for mac... but presumably mac drivers must exist?

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Answer 3

May 5, 2009 9:08 AM in response to keflavich

keflavich wrote:
I have a Mac Pro Early 2009, and according to the forum title both early 2009 and late 2008 are included.

Note that Mac Pro ≠ Mac Book Pro. This the MacBook Pro forum. The Mac Pro is a desktop machine. The MacBook Pro is a notebook computer, and you certainly can't have two NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 video cards installed in a MacBook Pro.

The proper forum for your question is here:

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1325

I will ask the Hosts to relocate this thread to the proper forum.

EDIT: Thanks, Hosts! Adam - hopefully you'll get the help you need here.

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Answer 4

keflavich Author

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May 5, 2009 9:13 AM in response to keflavich

Solved:
I missed the obvious - I was using the HDMI-DVI cable provided with the display rather than the VGA output. With VGA I get 1920x1200, with HDMI only 1920x1080. The NTSC/PAL frequencies should have been a dead giveaway....

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Answer 5

keflavich Author

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May 5, 2009 9:15 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Unrelated to the topic at hand.... but the top of my screen has read " Apple.com > Support > Discussions > Mac Pro (early 2009) > Displays and the Mac Pro (early 2009) " and as far as I could tell I had posted in the mac pro section. Perhaps I'm mistaken, though. I certainly intended to post in mac pro.

Adam

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Answer 6

May 5, 2009 9:31 AM in response to keflavich

Glad you sorted your problem. Your post was definitely in the MacBook Pro forum, not the Mac Pro forum, before I requested relocation - else I would never have seen it.

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Answer 7

May 5, 2009 7:29 PM in response to keflavich

This is true but you should get other resolutions choices. Before 10.5.6 my Mac let me output to my HDMI (via DVI to HDMI) L246WP monitor with no problem at its native 1920x1200 but after the update it only showed NTSC/PAL resoutions. It broke the DDC/CI between the monitor and the computer.

Rumor has it this Friday for 10.5.7 and I hope it fixes the issue so I can save money on buying a new screen. =)

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Answer 8

May 12, 2009 2:31 PM in response to keflavich

I just installed the 10.5.7 update and now I'm having the same problem. I've got an original Mac Pro, from Nov of 2006 or so with the GeForce 8800GT graphics update. I've got the same monitor as the poster above, the LG L246WP. It should support 1900x1200, in fact it has on my Mac Pro since I bought it almost two years ago. Now it doesn't display correctly. Any ideas?

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Answer 9

May 12, 2009 2:36 PM in response to speedys123

Sorry to hear that, it was very frustrating but then my l246WP died on me. (go figure).

Did you try a different cable, DVI->VGA and try both DVI connectors? If not the only thing I could do was buy a program switchresX and force it to show 1920x1200. It seems the new NVIDIA drivers for all of their cards negates the connection via dvi->hdmi which is what happened with my GT120 card.(It worked just fine with my older iMac with an ATI 2600)

My guess is now that you have a newer driver for the 8800GT it is now sharing the same issue. I hope one of the suggestions helps, let us know.

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Answer 10

May 12, 2009 2:54 PM in response to DaveDub79

Well, I get 1900x1200 via an Apple DVI -> VGA from the graphics card update box. But it doesn't seem to look as crisp and clear, it really looks dull and fuzzy. I tried both of the DVI ports on the video card, but have the same problem on both. I don't think I'd want to use it over analog. That'll drive me nuts, it looks terrible.

I guess I'll just use Bootcamp for 1900x1200 or go looking for a 4870. Maybe they have one at the Apple Store nearby. I'll toss in the old 1900xt it came with and see what happens. Too bad I can't undo the 10.5.7 update and go back to 10.5.6 This is the first time I've had a problem like this.

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Answer 11

May 12, 2009 3:06 PM in response to keflavich

I have the same problem.

10.5.7 means I can no longer output 1920 x 1200 DVI through a Gefen HD Mate Scaler to my third screen (HD Scaler means I can run the 360 to the same screen). I am now restricted to 1920 x 1080 with pointless letter-boxing on my lovely 24" screen.

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Answer 12

May 12, 2009 3:07 PM in response to speedys123

Yup, it's some sort of Nvidia driver issue. I tossed the older ATI 1900xt card in and it displays 1900x1200 with a DVI -> HDMI cable just fine. How annoying. Maybe they'll release a fix? Or maybe I should just buy a 30" ACD. That would solve the problem 🙂

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Answer 13

May 12, 2009 3:11 PM in response to Robert Tolton

Yes - I also just got the very same problem with 10.5.7. I always wondered, why Mac OS showed me TV options for my LG 245WP / 246 WH, but never really cared, because 1920x1200 worked fine over HDMI-DVI. Now it's broken and would only work via VGA which is not a sensible option.

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Answer 14

May 12, 2009 3:12 PM in response to speedys123

Both my video cards are ATI.

The only thing is I'm running the signal to the third screen through a Gefen Hi Def Scaler ( http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5282).

Mac OS X 10.5.7 THINKS it's a TV, but it's not.

Anyone know of a way to force an unsupported screen resolution?

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Answer 15

neutre

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May 12, 2009 5:55 PM in response to keflavich

If you have that option under your monitor, turn off DDC. I just did and 1920x1200 was magically back under the control panel and the displays drop down.

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