Can I get 1440x900 resolution on external monitor?

Question

Can I get 1440x900 resolution on external monitor?

Hi all. I am trying to adjust the resolution of my external monitor to 1440x900, but can't figure out how.

I have a 13" Macbook Pro w/retina display from March 2015, running Capitan 10.11.2.

The monitor is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SyncMaster-953BW-19-inch-Monitor/dp/B0013PVRMG.

1440x900 is the optimal resolution, and it was possible to have this when I had it hooked up to a pc, but the only two options that show up when it's hooked to my macbook are 1280 x 1024 and 800 x 600.

Apple Support kept telling me to talk to Samsung because they have no control over third party resolution choices, but it doesn't make sense to me that 1440 x 900 was an option when hooked up to my Dell laptop, but not when it's connected to the mac.

Posted on Dec 22, 2015 1:14 PM

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Answer 1

steve359

Level 6

17,187 points

Dec 22, 2015 1:18 PM in response to ProgramManager

Uncheck "mirror displays" in display configuration. You should then be able to independently select resolution on each of internal and external.

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Answer 2

Dec 22, 2015 1:20 PM in response to ProgramManager

Oh, and I tried pressing ALT + Scaled, and a lot more resolution options appeared, but it goes from 1400 x 1050 to 1920 x 1080, and 1440 x 900 is still not an option.

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Answer 3

Dec 22, 2015 2:04 PM in response to steve359

Hi Steve. Yup, I realize that I can adjust the resolution individually. However, the issue is that the native / optimal resolution of 1440 x 900 is not even an option in the menu. The highest resolution choices are:

1280 x 1024

1344 x 1008

1400 x 1050

1920 x 1080

When this same monitor was hooked up to a pc, 1440 x 900 was an option.

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Answer 4

steve359

Level 6

17,187 points

Dec 22, 2015 2:23 PM in response to ProgramManager

Turning mirror off should allow each display to auto-select "best". I never had an issue with that before. Mirror can force external/internal to make a "best compromise" which is not optimal.

I am out of ideas.

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Answer 5

Dec 22, 2015 2:27 PM in response to steve359

Thanks for the suggestions. The "best" resolution that it goes to is 800 x 600, which is pretty awful.

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