Dell S3423DWC monitor and MacBookPro14,1 compatibility

Question

Isrudy Author

Level 1

9 points

Dell S3423DWC monitor and MacBookPro14,1 compatibility

Hello Apple Community,

I purchased a Dell S3423DWC monitor for my MacBookPro14,1 and I cannot get it to work.

I'm using the USB C cable that came with the monitor.

I can charge the macbook using the usb C, but my macbook cannot detect it.

I've tried;

changing usb cables: does not work
updating OS: does not work
holding down the option key to detect displays: does not work
testing on a newer macbook: works

My macbook specs

macOS 12.6.8 (21G725)

MacBookPro14,1

Video Support

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:

One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
Up to two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors
Up to two displays with 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors

Thunderbolt 3 digital video output

Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Specs for S3423DWC

Native Resolution: WQHD 3440 x 1440 at 100 Hz

Questions

Is the macbook compatible with this monitor of this resolution?
If so, will an alternative USB C cable work or will I need to go down the route of USB C to HDMI adaptor + HDMI cable or could I use a USB C HDMI cable?

Thank you in advance :)

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Nov 2, 2023 1:52 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Nov 2, 2023 2:27 PM in response to Isrudy

specs I found for that display suggest:

Interfaces

2 x HDMI (HDCP 2.2)
USB-C upstream/DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode with Power Delivery (power up to 65W)

"shipped in the box" cables are notorious for sometimes being 'lowest bidder' cables, and may not be able to provide Error-free transmission on a Mac.

The appropriate cables for use with a MAC are labeled USB SuperSpeed+ or better, are one meter or shorter, and have these logos on each end:

the required speed of about 17 G bits/sec is obtained by momentarily 'turning around' the inbound pathways into outbound pathways when needed.

There is very little additional bandwidth available, so don't try to connect a drive to the display.

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 4, 2023 7:39 AM in response to Isrudy

The Mac uses a system that reminds me of “Plug and play” to determine what display is connected, and what its capabilities are.

To get a Mac display to become active, you need the Mac to query the display, and the display to answer with its name and capabilities. Otherwise, the display will not be shown as present, and no data will be sent to the display. "No signal detected" is generated by the DISPLAY, not by the Mac.

This query is only sent at certain times:

• at startup

• at wake from sleep — so momentarily sleeping and waking your Mac may work

• at insertion of the Mac-end of the display-cable, provided everything on that cable is ready-to-go

• hold the Option key while you click on the (Detect Display) button that will appear in Displays preferences (from another display)

so try doing some of those things and see if the display comes alive.

Reply