Mac Mini -- ASUS Monitor (PB278) not working at 2560x1440

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Level 1

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Mac Mini -- ASUS Monitor (PB278) not working at 2560x1440

Hey all,

I just got this 27-inch ASUS monitor today, the PB278Q. Hooked it up to my Mac Mini (late 2012, i7 version) and tried to run it at it's highest (native) resolution of 2560x1440 and the whole screen scrunches up into a three-inch bar on the left side of the screen. I can barely see to move the resolution window to switch it back to 1080p, where I am at now.

Max resolution I have been able to get (with SwtchResX) is 2048x1152, which is of course entirely unacceptable as it leaves an inch of unused monitor all the way around.

I am hooked up via a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable, the kind I see listed on other threads concerning problems with the Mac Mini:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XVYZ82/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF 8&psc=1

I unhooked all other video outputs (did have an HDMI output to my TV hooked up) and reset my NVRAM.

When the machine boots, the monitor is fully filled with the little apple in the middle. Ran Apple hardware test (AHT), and it also displays on the whole screen. Monitor looks beautiful when fully utilized, but as soon as it boots further into OSX (Yosemite), it goes back to the scrunched bar of haziness on the left side. And at that point I cannot see the login buttons or password area, so I have to unplug the DisplayPort and plug it back in, and the display reverts to 1080p so I can log in.

Can anyone help me? I have read every other thread, and they say this is the right cable to have, and I have no other HDMI stuff getting in the way, no other adapters. Why won't full resolution display? Is it worth trying a mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter (the dual kind to make sure it can handle the signal)? I don't want to have to buy more cables, but I am at a loss here. This was supposed to be plug and play because I opted for the monitor with more inputs on it just to avoid this sort of fiasco. Any help would be greatly, deeply appreciated.

Thanks,

sutekh138

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Dec 24, 2014 11:07 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Dec 24, 2014 11:43 AM in response to sutekh138

Please carefully read:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-2.5-late-2 012-specs.html

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Answer 2

sutekh138 Author

Level 1

1 points

Dec 24, 2014 12:02 PM in response to rkaufmann87

rkaufmann87,

Is there anything in particular on that page you want me to notice? I have read that page, actually, as I wanted to make sure the DisplayPort output on the Mac Mini could do 2560x1440 resolution -- and it can, it explicitly states it should be able to pump out that resolution. I meet all the requirements:

-- I am using Displayport (Thunderbolt) output from the Mac Mini.

-- The monitor supports 2560x1440.

-- My Displayport cable is one listed on a couple different threads about being the one other people used to get this to work (Startech).

So why does the 2560x1440 option, when chosen, make the monitor just display a hazy bar a few inches wide on the left of the monitor?

Incidentally, I am running via HDMI now, and it works, but of course I am limited to 1080p resolution, meaning that resolution-wise I am not better off than I was with my previous ASUS monitor (24-inches).

I appreciate your response, I really do, but I am not sure what I am supposed to gain by reading that link. I am doing everything correctly in order to get 2560x1440 resolution working via DisplayPort, but it is still not working.

Thanks,

sutekh138

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Answer 3

sutekh138 Author

Level 1

1 points

Dec 24, 2014 1:31 PM in response to sutekh138

Hey all,

One other thing I tried... I booted into recovery just to see what the screen would look like, and it appears recovery works fine and is in 2560x1440 (don't know how to check the Display resolution while in recovery or from the command line, but it filled out the whole screen and text was smaller, etc.)

So it looks like 2560x1440 resolution works fine, infrastructure-wise. But when the system boots in to the login screen or when I try to set the resolution to 2560x1440 in System Preferences --> Displays, that's when it goes back to the three-inch vertical bar on the left of the monitor with hazy lines through it making it barely readable.

I ordered a new Displayport cable, just to make sure (it was only 6 bucks for the Monoprice one), but I am having a hard time seeing how 2560x1440 could work while booting up and in recovery, but suddenly go wonky when the resolution tries to establish itself on normal bootup.

Oh, and I reset the SMC or whatever that is called (unplug and press power for 15 seconds). So that and resetting NVRAM has been done. No effect. I don't know what else the Thunderbolt/Displayport output could have stuck in its craw such that it won't allow me to attain the highest resolution. But at this point I have to think it something on the Mac Mini side because the monitor seems fine in all other configurations.

Thanks,

sutekh138

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Answer 4

sutekh138 Author

Level 1

1 points

Dec 24, 2014 5:34 PM in response to sutekh138

It's a festivus miracle!

Basically, I booted up in "safe" mode (hold "Shift" at the "ding"). That was it.

Longer version: I had gotten myself really in a bind with SwitchResX such that I couldn't make the DP signal render in any usable way on the screen, and I couldn't get it set back. So, I started looking for more generic ways to simply reset the video driver back to square one. I read a thread that talked about booting into "safe" mode, which, four Macs in, I have never heard about or used before. Not sure how that slipped past.

So I did the safe boot, and the resolution used the whole screen automatically. Rebooted, and it stayed. I have since sent the HDMI output to my TV (well, converter box, my TV is still CRT *smile*) and everything is still working great.

So, another thing for the arsenal -- when in doubt, start in safe mode and see if that helps!

Thanks,

sutekh138

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