asgertler
Level 1 (4 points)

Q: Mid 2010: Resolution poor on 4K monitor?

So one of our guys at work is using a Mid 2010 tower running 10.9.5 hooked up to two Samsung U28D590D 28" 4K monitors via dual-link DVI to HDMI. In the display settings we have set both to 1920x1080 and well as best for display and in both cases we can't get a crisp screen picture. I thought maybe it was just because my eyes were going from my 5K iMac to his screens but it's not that; things just look bad. Text is very pixelated and the top bar looks enlarged, like it's not actually the resolution it says it is and is simply blowing up a lower res to the bigger screen. Is it possible to get a sharper picture? Would upgrading to Yosemite help?

 

Thanks, guys.

Posted on Feb 5, 2015 9:26 AM

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asgertler

Q: Mid 2010: Resolution poor on 4K monitor?

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  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Feb 5, 2015 9:39 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 10 (123,467 points)
    Feb 5, 2015 9:39 AM in response to asgertler

    What exact Graphic card does it have in it?

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Feb 5, 2015 10:42 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 10 (123,467 points)
    Feb 5, 2015 10:42 AM in response to asgertler

    4. Can I connect to my 4K Ultra HD TV or 4K display via Thunderbolt?

    4K Ultra HD TVs are supported over HDMI or with Thunderbolt to high-speed HDMI adapters. Thunderbolt 2 is required to use a 4K display. All Thunderbolt 2 models support 4K displays at 30Hz in Single Stream Transport mode. Some models support 4K displays at 60 Hz in Multi Stream Transport mode. See HT6008 for more information on using 4K displays. Specific 4K DisplayPort displays are supported on Thunderbolt with a mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable.

    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204154

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 5, 2015 10:51 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 9 (60,585 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 5, 2015 10:51 AM in response to asgertler

    • Every Mac Pro 2010 has more than one Mini Displayport.

     

    • your display has:

    Inputs

    HDMI

    1.4 x 2

    DISPLAY PORT

    1.2*1


    • The cable from Mini DisplayPort to (full size) DisplayPort costs about US$10. It has none of the wacky compromises surrounding HDMI.

     

    >> I recommend you get a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable, ditch the troublesome HDMI, and live happily ever after.


  • by asgertler,

    asgertler asgertler Feb 9, 2015 10:39 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 9, 2015 10:39 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Well we ordered two MDP-to-DP cables and now neither monitor will recognize the signal; they keep switching to DP input, waiting a few seconds, go black, then repeat.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Feb 9, 2015 10:49 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 10 (187,512 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 9, 2015 10:49 AM in response to asgertler

    Make sure both ends of the cable is fully inserted into it port.

  • by asgertler,

    asgertler asgertler Feb 9, 2015 10:50 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 9, 2015 10:50 AM in response to lllaass

    Triple-checked the connection, connected both cables to both monitors and both MDPs. No luck.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 9, 2015 10:55 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 9 (60,585 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 9, 2015 10:55 AM in response to asgertler

    Mini DisplayPort is difficult to seat properly. You must push until essentially ALL of the metal-end of the cable disappears inside the jack.

     

    Some displays have DisplayPort OUTPUTs as well as inputs. Be certain you have chose the correct connections, and that the display is set to take input from that connection.

  • by asgertler,

    asgertler asgertler Feb 9, 2015 10:57 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 9, 2015 10:57 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    I've been reading some stuff online about these particular Samsung monitors that they (may) need DP 1.2 in order to work properly. I've also read that the AMD 5770 is 1.1/1.1a. Would a proper 1.2 MDP/DP cable do the trick?

     

    I know the 5770 can pump out at @ 2560x1600 (I believe that's right). So far the best resolution we've gotten was over MDP-to-HDMI and it wasn't that.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 9, 2015 11:05 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 9 (60,585 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 9, 2015 11:05 AM in response to asgertler

    Some Displays require you to use on-screen display (on the display itself, not on the Mac) to enable advanced features like DisplayPort 1.2

     

    2560 by 1600 is the (DVI) resolution of the old Apple Cinema 30" display. I have used that, and it works fine at its full resolution, no issues.

  • by asgertler,

    asgertler asgertler Feb 9, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 9, 2015 11:08 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    We're going to try using an MDP-to-DP cable rated at 1.2; apparently there were a lot of complaints about 1.1/1.1a cables not working with our specific Samsung monitor. Will update if it works.

  • by limarenato,

    limarenato limarenato Apr 17, 2015 5:53 PM in response to asgertler
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2015 5:53 PM in response to asgertler

    Worked?

  • by KalliasX,

    KalliasX KalliasX Sep 4, 2016 7:47 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Sep 4, 2016 7:47 AM in response to asgertler

    I don't know how it's possible but I get full 4K resolution (albeit at 30hz) on my imac mid-2010 connected to my 40" Philips 4k Monitor (PHL BDM4065)

     

    I'm amazed such an old video card can send that many pixels to a second montior. It also seems to blink less than it did when the my Retina iMac connected to it in dp 1.1. Sure at 30Hz it's not super fluid, but I'm impressed nonetheless.

     

    I run the beta of Sierra 10.12, not sure if they did something to make that work, but yeah, definitely a huge surprise to see a 5750 Radeon drive a 4k monitor full res.

  • by John Lockwood,

    John Lockwood John Lockwood Sep 5, 2016 2:38 AM in response to asgertler
    Level 6 (9,165 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Sep 5, 2016 2:38 AM in response to asgertler

    The resolution is poor because it sounds like you are running the 4K display in 1920x1080 mode.

     

    1. To get 4K resolution you firstly need a video card for the classic Mac Pro that supports 4K, original cards for the classic Mac Pro are unlikely to be able to achieve this, therefore consider a Nvidia GTX 680 or higher
    2. Secondly you need to upgrade your operating system to a minimum of Yosemite 10.10.5, older versions do not support 4K properly
    3. Thirdly you need to use a Displayport to HDMI 2.0 adapter, like this - http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/products/reader.en/product/displayport-12-to-hd mi-20-uhd-active-adapter.html the Dual Link DVI to HDMI approach would only support either 1920x1080 at 60fps, or maybe 4K but only at 30fps this is because HDMI 1.2 which is undoubtedly what you are using is not able to do 4K at 60fps
    4. Finally you might need to enable Hi-DPI mode as per - https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/hidpi-mode-os-x/ you should then hopefully be able to select a 'scaled' display resolution which should let you enlarge the text and menus but still benefit from the extra resolution

     

    Note: The Dual-Link DVI adapter can only do a maximum resolution of 2560x1600 pixels which is less than the 4K resolution.

     

    Note: The GTX 680 has a full-size Displayport connector and does not have a Mini Displayport connector. It is possible to get adapter cables to convert from one to the other but in this case it will be simpler to get the full-size Displayport version of the Club-3D adapter.