I want to connect a Dell external monitor to the 15" Macbook Pro Retna laptop to use as a second monitor. The dell 2410 monitor has ports for DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA & Composite. What Adapter or adapter(s) do I need to order from Apple? Thank you for your help.
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)
Re: Using a Dell U2410 as an external monitor with Apple Retina MBP.
Taking Clinton's suggestion, I used email to get part numbers from Monoprice and my order will arrive July 5, 2012. That will allow me to connect to one of the Thunderbolt ports on the MBP to a DVI port on the Dell Monitor. I will let everyone know the results.
HDMI
Meantime, I am still waiting for a replacement rMBP because he Genus Bar thinks I have a bad graphics card. That conclusion was based on the fact that the Dell 2410 worked fine when connected to one of the basic rMBP demo machines in the Retail store: but when the same monitor was connected to my customized rMBP, all that appeared on the sceen is the mouse cursor/arrow.
But I just found that the problem may not be the graphics card. I don't fully understand why, but if I close the claim shell, the Dell 2410 begins to display the full screen. And I am able to set the resolution of the expernal monitor to its native 1920x1200. Compared to the display on the Retina 15" screen, it is awful. I just read another post that says I should set the Retnia to its MAX resolution and that will improve the resolution on the Dell. I have to try this.
Clinton was absolutely on target re using a Dell U2410 as an external monitor with the NEW Apple Retina MBP (released June 2012). Get the cables and adapter from a third party.
www.monoprice.com recommends:
#6904 Mini Display Port (Thunderbolt) + USB to Dual-Lin White) $69.00
#2404 6ft 28AWG CL2 Dual Link DVI-D Cable - B $5.71
1. Set Input Source on Dell U2410 to DVI-D 1.
2. Connected one end of Dual Link DVI-D cable to the DVI-D 1 port on Dell Monitor and the other end to the Dual-Link DVI Adapter.
3. Conneted the Mini-Port (Thunderbird) connector from the Adapter to Thunderbird port on rMBP.
4. Connected the USB connector from the Adater to a USB port on rMBP.
On the computer, under System Preferences, the Display option lets you select either "Best for external monitor" or "Best for Retina". Both look good. AND IT WORKS! Thank you Clinton.
I would have prefered to connect the monitor using HDMI (one connection) as opposed to the Dual Link DVI solution which uses both a Thunderbird port and one USB port. But, on my computer, The HDMI would only work with the external display when the lid of the laptop was closed, thereby requiring the purchase of a wireless keyboard. Or I could have purchased the NEW 27" Thunderbolt Monitor from Apple. New ones are $999 and refurbs are $849.
Clinton's solution was the best for me. Thank you Clinton.
Wait, so there's no way to use HDMI outside of clamshell mode on MBPR? That seems a bit strange -
This video shows a user connecting via HDMI>DVI, similar to what you're trying to accomplish (albeit with some HDCP handshake flickering issues).
Do you see options to switch between Mirroring and Extend Display available using HDMI, at least?
Curious to see if any other users are experiencing similar issues with HDMI out.
I can only say that my Dell U2410 Ultra Sharp Monitor does not work when connected via HDMI to my Macbook Pro Retina. Only the mouse arror/cursor appears unless I close the lid on the laptop. I believe HDMI should work. But it doesn't. Clinton's solution does work.
Ah, all I did was point you in a direction - you made the journey!
Glad everything's up and running,
Clinton
I have a new 15" rMBP hooked up to 2 external monitors:
1) 1280x1024 NEC MultiSync 90GX (oldie but greatie) via a Thunderbolt/MiniDisplayPort-to-DVI adapter cable -- PERFECT
2) 1920x1080 LG Flatron M2380D via a Thunderbolt/MiniDisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter cable -- TERRIBLE
The M2380 shows the screen, not just the cursor as you mentioned. But the resolution is definitely off.
I have tried the "best for display" setting, as well as each of the 4 manual "scaled" settings (1080p, 1080i, 720p and 1600x900). The 1080p and 1080i settings are both terrible, but have text at the right size. The other two settings are easier on the eyes, but at the expense of a lot of screen real estate. So I am trying to fix the 1080p setting.
I have to set the underscan to just about the third tick-mark on the way to "more" -- which is stupid. The Mac and monitor should communicate to allow auto-detecting the resolution, and display accordingly. And with or without underscan (at various settings), the images on screen are bad enough to actually cause immediate eyestrain.
I give credence to the idea that larger monitors need dual-DVI. But this is HDMI, so there should be no issue with that bandwidth limitation.
But, I believe it is a problem with HDMI, as I had a similar issue hooking up the LG monitor to my Dell Windows 7 PC. I ended up using an VGA cable, and it worked perfectly. Gads, if I have to get a Thunderbolt/MiniDisplayPort-to-VGA cable adapter, I'll cry. HDMI should just WORK!
I would really appreciate other people's experiences to see if there are any configuration tweaks I can make to set this right. Thanks!
Message was edited by: mevans567
BTW, I also tried a direct connection of the HDMI cable into the rMBP -- same results. :-[
latest update from melburstein1
My replacement MacBook Pro arrived yesterday, earlier than expected (Way to go, Apple!). This time around, I connected the Dell U2410 external to the new Retina MBR before I powered it on for the first time. And I used the HDMI connection. I had to close and reopen the lid on the computer to get both displays working, but that is all it took. So quite possibly there was some kind of hardware problem with the computer I am returned to Apple, but I doubt it.
Unfortunately, the quality of the display on the Dell Monitor is worse with the HDMI connection than when using the third party Mini DisplayPort + USB to Dual-Lik Adapter from Monoprice (Part # 6904). So I decided to use it instead of a HDMI connection, even though I must sacrifice both a Thunderbird and USB port on the MBP. Oh well, maybe someday I will purchase the pricy Apple 27" Thunderbolt display instead.
I don't understand why I get clearer and sharper display on my Dell U2410 with the Dual DVI Adapter, and not the HDMI cable and connection. I think Apple should do some testing.
Mel
I've been intrigued by this post.
I have a MBP 15" Retina and have been using it on the Dell 2410 via DVI. Decent results but can't be compared to the Retina Display... I can use both the Retina and External monitor's fine.
Today I added a third monitor (Dell 2007 WFP).
So my configuration now looks like this:
1) Retina
2) Dell 2410 via HDMI
3) Dell 2007 via DVI.(doesn't support HDMI)
I was surprised to see the fuzziness on the HDMI port to the Dell 2410. Its really just barely usable and I would expect it to be hard on eyes after a day of use. Can anybody explain this? The DVI port on both Dell's is great.
At home plugging into a 42" tv via hdmi - the fuzziness is less apparent. So I put this down to a hardware limitation on the Dell monitor... does that make sense?
So it looks like I'll be going back to the Retina, and the Dell 2410 via DVI and dropping the 3rd monitor. Too bad.
An idea just occurred... I could use a DVI to HDMI converter... I have one at home. This may solve my problem. 🙂
Will update when I know more.
I have the same issue. Dell 2410 on Retina is just a pain in the eyes/***. Have you made any progress in fixing the issue?
Hi Everyone,
I've resolved my issue... well at least I don't have a fuzzy main monitor.
Three Monitor Configuration:
1) Retina MBP
2) Dell 2410 via "DVI Thunderbol"t connection. If you recall I reported unuseable fuzziness via HDMI port, but is fine with this connection.
3) Dell 2007 via "HDMI to DVI" connector. This monitor doesn't support HDMI (supports DVI) so the 10$ or 15$ connector makes it acceptable to use - still a little fuzzy but for a 3rd monitor to stick windows I'm not utilizing all the time (i.e. Chatter, Calendar, iMessage) its fine for my use.
I also have a 15" MBP retina display and a Dell U2410 monitor. Speaking from personal experience, connecting them with a HDMI cable produces less that satisfactory results. I've been searching for the answer since then, and found this post:
Re: what do i need to connect my 2012 macbook pro to a dell ultrasharp 30 inch display?
Feb 4, 2013 5:55 AM (in response to David Brian 64)
A male Mini DisplayPort to male (full size) DisplayPort cable, period. Been using it to connect my former 2011 Air 13" and present 15" rMBP to my Dell U2711 monitor. Vivid color at full native resolution.
I took his word for it and ordered the cable from B&H.
followup - I reported fuzzy for the hdmi to the Dell 2007(#3 in my post above) but this was with the monitor rotated vertically. I've recently rotated back to being hortizontal (normal configuration) and its not fuzzy at all.
I have the Dell UltraSharp Monitor U2410 and bought a new macbook pro retina in December. I googled connecting the macbook to the monitor and was about to order the recommended parts from monoprice. But first, I decided to see what they recommended at the apple store. Came home with hdmi to hdmi cable and tried that first. It seems to be working for me. I have set the display to best for external monitor when these are connected. Am I missing something? I use the external monitor for editing photos in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements and this seems to be as sharp as with my old macbook pro. I figure I need to use the mbpr as a standalone to get the retina display unless I get a Thunderbolt display at some point. Is that right?
gretchen
Everyone - SAVE YOUR MONEY.
What you need to do is force RGB mode and the Dell U2410 will work fine with the MBP Retina. I just did it and it works well. Very happy.
Go here for the explanation:
Some "trickier" parts of the post I will explain here...I'm running 10.8.3, and still somewhat a mac newbie....
Step1. After getting the script, when it says go to your Home directory, then go to Finder and Go -> Home
Step4. The folder name it created for me for my U2410 was called "DisplayVendorID-10ac". Then when it says go "/System/Library/Displays/Overrides", then right click finder icon and select "Go to folder..." and copy in that string.
I'm getting a MBP Retna and want to use Dell UltraSharp 24" external monitor.
