Does the Geforce GT 120 card support 32" LED monitor?

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Level 1

8 points

Does the Geforce GT 120 card support 32" LED monitor?

I have a Mac Pro with Geforce GT120 card inside. Just bought a 32" 120Hz LED TV and try to reach a 1029 x 1020 resolution but the highest I can get is

1680x1050. Is it because the monitor is too big?

However when I use a DVI to VGA input to the monitor, it does give me a 1920 x 1080, only when I use HDMI input that I can only have 1680 x 1050 and it is

a distorted image.

Any solutions? Or this is the HDMI limitation?

Mac Pro Early 2008, Mac OS X (10.6)

Posted on Sep 24, 2011 9:25 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 24, 2011 1:22 PM in response to KLNG

These specs indicate the capabilities of the 2009 Mac Pro equipped with one or more GT120:

Multiple graphics card configurations available with two, three, or four NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 cards
Support for up to eight 30-inch displays ¹
Support for digital resolutions up to 2560 by 1600 pixels
Support for analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels
Video adapters available for:
- Additional DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (optional)
- Additional dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (optional)
- VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter or DVI to VGA Display Adapter (optional)

The problem is not in the card, it is in whatever you are using to convert to HDMI -- adapters and possibly including cables.

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Answer 2

KLNG Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 25, 2011 1:53 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thx for your info. I just bought a Moshi adaptor, connecting the mini display port to hdmi cable but still getting only 1680x1050

So is the cable crucial?

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Answer 3

DPArt

Level 3

604 points

Sep 27, 2011 12:55 PM in response to KLNG

try switchresx

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Answer 4

Sep 27, 2011 1:57 PM in response to KLNG

What make&model is the TV ??

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Answer 5

KLNG Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 27, 2011 4:13 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The LED is a Taiwanese monitor called Topcon Pro. It was intended for a TV but I do not like the video like look of the image at 120 Hz and therefore want to use it as a computer monitor instead.

At 32" it works fine with VGA connection from the computer to achieve 1920 x 1080 resolution but once I use the HDMI adaptor, I cannot get the full HD but only at 1680 x 1050.

I am sure the graphic card Geforce GT120 support full HD res but don't understand the HDMI limitation here.

WIth the Moshi Mini Displayport to HDMI adaptor I can get a 1080i or 1080p but it is still not the 1920x1080 output.

Thx DPArt suggestion I will give switchresx a try.

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Answer 6

Sep 27, 2011 6:12 PM in response to KLNG

When you look at Apple Sytem profiler or in System Preferences > Displays

does the Mac know the identity of the device it is connected to? Does it know its e.g., a

TOPCON 32'' NETDTV [Code: MONNETDTV32S6]

or does it think its name is "HDMI device" ??

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Answer 7

X423424X

Level 6

14,271 points

Sep 27, 2011 6:32 PM in response to KLNG

Are you saying you don't see in the Displays preference's Resolutions selections like 720p, 1080i, 1080p for the displays preferences for that monitor when using its HDMI connection? If you do then try using one of them.

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Answer 8

KLNG Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 27, 2011 7:36 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The preference show a name. And the selection of resolution is 1080i and 1080p and 1680x1050..

However, selecting 1080i or 1080p do not show a full frame. The image resolution is very coarse and different from the VGA 1920x1080 image. Clicking the Overscan simply zoom in on the frame.

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Answer 9

X423424X

Level 6

14,271 points

Sep 27, 2011 8:09 PM in response to KLNG

Frankly I think the problem is with the monitor and not a software problem. Perhaps you are missing some OSD menu or some switch or knob on the monitor.

Incidently, while SwitchResX is a useful program for switching video configurations (and I've lost count of the number of times I've recommended it in replies in these forums) it is not helpful here. It's good for switching among working video configurations. It doesn't fix configurations that aren't already working directly. If you can't get it to work directly connected via the Displays preferences and the controls on the receiving monitor/TV SwitchResX isn't going to cure those problems.

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Answer 10

Sep 28, 2011 5:33 AM in response to KLNG

When you see a Generic name like "LEDTV" instead of full Make and Model information, that tells you the device is not supplying enough "capabilities" information to the Mac.

A high-end Monitor would tell the Mac ALL its resolutions and refresh rates, covering its entire range of operation. Since this device is intended as a TV set, it appears to send little or nothing.

You will probably not get more choices, due to shortcuts taken by the TV manufacturer, unless you use a cheater program like switchresX.

SwitchresX allows you to choose any resolution the graphics card can produce. Many of them will produce no picture on your TV, so be very careful what you ask for.

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Answer 11

DPArt

Level 3

604 points

Sep 28, 2011 1:24 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I'm with Grant here. The Display is supposed to send an EDID (Electronic Device ID) profile through the DDC (Display Data CHannel) on the HDMI/DVI cable.

It tells the video card "Hi, I am a xxx monitor and here are the resolutions I can display"

I have not used SwitchresX in some time, but I seem to recall that you can either create an EDID or at the least force a specific resolution and refresh rate.If you go with 2nd option, you will need to be quite certain of what the refresh rate is.

You should Google your display. My guess is tha you will either find other people having similar issue, or that the Manufacturer has had a firmware update to fix this.

On the surface, sounds like an offbrand that decided to not comply with all the specs.

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Answer 12

KLNG Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 28, 2011 7:42 PM in response to DPArt

Thx, I am going to try the EDID with SwitchresX, I am still figuring out how to use it. There is a custom resolution window that I have tried setting 1920x1080 at 60Hz but seems nothing happened.

I will call up the supplier and see if this is a firmware issue.

I also tried hooking the HDMI port with a Playstation 3 and it has chosen to use the 1080i resolution with no problem and the image quality is excellent.

It is likely that the HDMI ports of the monitor does not support the 1920x1080 60Hz output.

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