Samsung SyncMaster 931BW 19" has a weird resolution?

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Level 1

8 points

Samsung SyncMaster 931BW 19" has a weird resolution?

Hello everyone!

I am using my MacBook for some years now. I never had ay problems with it, it has always worked properly. Recently, my mother gave me an old screen she did not need anymore, the Samsung SyncMaster 931BW 19''. I have some problems with it. The resolution is very very weird. When I connect the screen I get a popup that sais:

Not Optimum Mode

Recommended Mode :

1440x900 60Hz

I know this is a 16:9 configuration. The only configurations I can get are 1600x1200, 1400x1050, 1344x1008, 1280x960, 1024x768 and 800x600. As far as I know this are all 4:3 configurations. That is not what I want. The screen kind of scales it to the screens resolution but it looks so weird.

When I make a screenshot of it I get, again scaled, a 4:3 ugly pixelized PNG file. I do not like this.

Besides the resolution problem I also get a weird color. I cannot set it to the right white point and also not the right GAMMA mode. Which makes it almost impossible to see anything on the screen. I tried in the screens options menu to reset the color and the image but that did not change anything. I tried to calibrate it in System Preferences but that only made it worse.

Please help me with this. It really bugs me.

Specs:

MacBook Pro 13'' Early 2011

Samsung SyncMaster 931BW

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10), Early 2011

Posted on Nov 5, 2014 12:34 AM

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Answer 1

BSteurful Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 5, 2014 12:38 AM in response to BSteurful

Also, when I click on the Apple logo in the top-right of the screen, I go to "About this Mac", then go to the tab Displays, it shows me two displays:

Built-in Display

13,3-inch (1280 x 800)

Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB

Display

13,9-inch (800 x 600)

Inte; HD Graphics 3000 384 MB

The first is the display of the mac and the second is the Samsung monitor which actually is 19'' with a resolution of 1440x900! I think my MacBook doesn't quite understand me.

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Answer 2

BSteurful Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 5, 2014 7:12 AM in response to BSteurful

So, I looked something up. I was looking for VGA, DVI and HDMI, and as it turns out: DVI is better than VGA. I did not know that so I used VGA on the screen because thats the cable included with the screen. Also, another topic I found on this support page said that he had three times this screen connected to his iMac. So. What I am going to do now is:
- Buy a DVI cable.

- Buy a MINI-DisplayPort to DVI cable and then try if this will help anything.

I'll update this as soon as I know anything more.

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Answer 3

BSteurful Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 12, 2014 5:24 AM in response to BSteurful

I bought an ICIDU Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter and a DVI-D Single-Link cable and connected it to my mac and now it works perfectly fine! I have the full 1440x900 resolution at a 16:10 configuration and my mac recognises it as a Samsung SyncMaster Display.

It works great! 😀

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Answer 4

benner_g

Level 1

0 points

Dec 6, 2014 4:13 PM in response to BSteurful

This worked for me as well... Simply get a DVI cord and save yourself from the hours of unprofitable agony you'll most undoubtedly suffer if you try to get your VGA cord working.

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