Ventura 13.2.1 breaks 5120x1440 default resolution for 2018/2020 Intel MacMini HDMI-to-HDMI connection to Dell U4919DW

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Ventura 13.2.1 breaks 5120x1440 default resolution for 2018/2020 Intel MacMini HDMI-to-HDMI connection to Dell U4919DW

I have a fully maxed out 2018/2020 Intel MacMini connected to a Dell U4919DW ultra wide (49" 5120x1440) via HDMI -to- HDMI, which was working fine until the MacMini was upgraded to Ventura 13.2.1 this morning.

The display suddenly defaulted to 6720x1890 and the resolution was terrible and tiny.

All other resolutions contained "(low resolution)" indicators, including 5120x1440 - it was listed as "5120 x 1440 (low resolution)".

A reboot made things worse, the display turned into kaleidoscope of colorful patterns after booting. Remote shell login to the MacMini and executing "sudo kill -9 $(pgrep WindowServer)" reverted the display back to the 6720x1890 resolution, and then using System Settings to change the display to "5120 x 1440 (low resolution)"; but the crisp and beautiful default 5120 x 1440 is no more.

Switching the MacMini to USB-C -to- USB-C (input on the Dell U4919DW) brought back the crisp and beautiful "5120 x 1440 (Default)" resolution setting.

I also noticed when the MacMini was connected HDMI -to- HDMI to the U4919DW the performance of the computer was noticeably slower, it seemed to be struggling significantly. That lag is not there with the USB-C -to- USB-C connection. This is definitely a Ventura 13.2.1 created problem.

I have my work Windows laptop connected to the Dell U4919DW via USB-C -to- USB-C for both display and power purposes - so it would be preferable to keep it that way, and have the MacMini connect to the display via HDMI.

I am hoping someone out there has found a fix for this problem, or a work-around that is stable?

I also wonder if Apple is aware of this problem introduced with Ventura 13.2.1 release?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Feb 15, 2023 3:18 AM

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Answer 1

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ldjpy Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 3, 2023 10:26 PM in response to ldjpy

Interim update.

At some point the MacMini USB-C -to- USB-C U4919DW proper 5120x1440 resolution stopped working consistently, thus used the USC-C port on the U4919DW for the Windows laptop, and switched MacMini to HDMI -to- HDMI connection with 5120x1440 low resolution (for interim until Apple fixes MacOS Ventura). BTW, many forums describe display problems encountered due to MacOS Ventura 13.2.1 upgrade to be very similar to issues encountered with 13.0 & 13.1 versions of Ventura, so are these degradations introduced in the rush to get the security patch deployed?

Based on suggestions I updated the U4919DW firmware to M2B108, but this did not fix the HDMI resolution problem.

I connected the MacMini to the U4919DW via USB-C -to- DisplayPort cable (U4919DW has one DP port), this works with the work-around "sudo kill -9 $(pgrep WindowServer)" to see the crisp and beautiful "5120 x 1440 (Default)" resolution setting.

The U4919DW specs indicate the DP port is 10-bit color @ 60Hz but the USB-C port is 8-bit color @ 60Hz (both are DP 1.4); does this have any impact to the MacMini?

Meanwhile I am still waiting for Apple to fix these issues with a Ventura update, whenever that will be.

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Answer 2

Lissy_12

Community Specialist

Feb 16, 2023 8:32 AM in response to ldjpy

Hi ldjpy,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! We would recommend the guidance in the following article that may help with the external display:

If your external display is dark or low resolution

Hope this helps!

Have a great day.

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Answer 3

ldjpy Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 17, 2023 12:44 AM in response to Lissy_12

Hi Lissy_12,

Thank you for the link, however the problem is not with the Dell U4919DW display, not with the HDMI cable, and not with the MacMini hardware; because it was working fine with macOS Ventura 13.2 and connected directly HDMI-to-HDMI (ironically before the upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.2.1).

Immediately following the upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.2.1 the resolution support configurations for the Dell U4919DW via HDMI connection changed to 6720x1890 as default, and all other resolutions became "(low resolution)" including the real proper default 5120x1440.

And, currently I am seeing the proper 5120x1440 resolution using MacMini directly connected via USB-C -to- USB-C to the U4919DW display. Ventura 13.2.1 seems to have a corrupted HDMI resolution support configuration for the Dell U4919DW display (maybe also other 49" ultra-wide via HDMI).

I would like to revert back to the way I had the MacMini connected to the U4919DW display (HDMI-to-HDMI), to free up the MacMini's USB-C Thunderbolt port for other purposes.

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Ventura 13.2.1 breaks 5120x1440 default resolution for 2018/2020 Intel MacMini HDMI-to-HDMI connection to Dell U4919DW

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