Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

I think you should be using the DisplayPort input, based on this item under specs:

Scanning Frequency

DP1.4 : 5120x1440@60Hz (FRC)

HDMI2.0/USB-C : 3840x1080@60Hz (FRC) 2560x1440@60Hz (FRC)

To me, that says you only get the highest resolution over ONE input using DisplayPort 1.4 input.

Apple sells such a cable, rated for 5K

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HLR62ZM/A/moshi-usb-c-to-displayport-cable

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HI,

I just got my 49" DELL today and faced the same problem. In SwitchResX, there was a 5120x1440 mode, but it was upscaled by using 3840x1080 and looks terrible, even if you put the monotor sharpening to 100%. After an hour of trials, 5120x1440 still does not work, but I managed to get 2x 2560x1440 screens by using the PBP mode. What I did in details:

1) re-addressing the USB1 and USB2 outputs on the monitor - one was addressed to USB-C, which may reduce its bandwith

2) attaching two cables USB-C to DP and USB-C to USB-C

3) switching on PBP mode. At the start, this results in two screens both with 3840x1080

4) Start SwitchResX and define a 2560x1440 mode with 60Hz

5) Restart the Mac

6) Start SwitchResX and have a look at the table. The 5120x1440 upscaled mode should be gone, but there should be a new mode 2560x1440. And instead of the one in the default table, this one is in bold, which means it is supported in native mode. If it does not appear in the first place, change the current resolution and try another reboot.

Now you get a full screen 2x2560x1440 resolution, which consists of two virtual displays. This leads to some display issues, which I solved in the following way:

1) You may have now two menu bars on the top. I switched of the "monitors use different spaces" function in "Mission Control". After a log-out and log-in, there is just one menu bar left - which starts at the middle of the screen - and thankfully reduces mouse moves a bit. Acceptable for me. More important: windows can then share more than one desktop and allow to be moved seamlessly between the virtual displays. Otherwise you end with a window cut at the middle of the screen.

2) I also had to create a mirrored background image for the right screen to hide the position where the two deskltop images come together. As I use some kind of color gradient picture, this was done easily.

This is a work-around, of course. But it is much better than using a way-too-big resolution with only 3840x1080 (which would be also a waste of money, as monitors with that native resolution are way cheaper).

The monitor works fine with Windows, which lets me hope that Apple will address this issue in the future. Besides, the same issue was reported with other 49" monitors by LG...

After Scouring the forums and fighting this issue for the last 2 moths I have now "solved" it. I put that in quotes since a real solution should not require you do get another device but here we are...

The issue is that devices without dedicated graphics. (so the devices with intel graphics - like the MacMini and MacBooks.) Cannot run this screen at full resolution.

There is not really a logical reason for that I can think of since running two 1440p screens through a thunderbolt3 dock is no issue. but there we are. I just got an External GPU and PRESTO! everything works now. There is still no native support for 5120x1440 but with a third party app called SwitchResX ( http://www.madrau.com ) – to create new resolution with that you need to disable SIP but it can be reenabled after – everything is working now.

The Cable and the amount of displays connected seems to be irrelevant. The only thing that fixed it for me is the external processor. I got an eGPU with a Radeon 580 pro - works like a charm now... still this issue might be fixed with software in the future. for now an external graphics processor is the best solution I have found.

I hope this helps those of you still stuck trying to get this display to work. I have to say it is quite a beautiful screen once it works though so depending on your individual situation I think it is worth it. (you can get my setup for around 400 dollar with third party parts, but its a copy of the lowEnd Blackmagic eGPU sold on the apple store. the one for 650 bucks, that one is super quiet but not upgradable. both options work fine.)

For higher resolution of 5120 x 1440 with the Dell U4919DW use a Mac with a non-Intel discrete graphics card (NVIDIA or AMD), if not you will get a display resolution 3840 x 1080 on the display monitor. Check under system configuration on the Dell Support page "note for Mac Users": https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-ng/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system-requirements-and-supported-configuration?lang=en

You can compare the Apple non Intel MacBook Pros here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201805 with the Dell recommendations: https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-ng/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system-requirements-and-supported-configuration?lang=en

Even though the tech specs for a MacBook Pro say 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP754?locale=en_IE this is quite specific as well at the resolution of 5120 x 1440 for the Dell Monitor.

olikars wrote:

...

connect the MacBook with two cables to the Dell and use the PIP setting to use it as 2 separate screens.

...

In macOS Big Sur the issue seems fixed and once that rolls out I will be able to use the Dell normally with its native resolution without any additional program or "hacking" something.

When you use Picture BY Picture in conjunction with Arrangement on the Mac, the two screens are connected at the virtual "seam" between them and work completely as one. The mouse moves freely across the "seam" and you can park a window half on each display -- filling as much or as little of each display as you like. when you scroll that window, it will scroll "the right way".

But yes on older MacBook Pro this requires two cables. At this writing, it continues to be thought of as a deficit in the graphics chips used -- the 2020 models [four ThunderBolt ports] with more advanced graphics chips have no problems. No one knows whether Apple will release software that can work around the issue. It may not be possible.

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There is no way to know for certain whether Big Sur will make anything "better" in this regard. My advice: "Don't bank on it, until Big Sur is released."

Hi guys,

I'm was also experiencing the cap at 3840x1080, fixed now and story below:

I bought the Dell U4919DW (49" ultra wide) about 2 weeks ago and have been using it for work and gaming (both Windows boxes) and attempted to plug my MacBook Pro 2017 in for the first time last week. I have been working on this on and off for the better part of a week trying all sorts of different solutions.

• EDID modification for RGB fix (made a noticeable difference in color, at least)
• Fresh install of Catalina
• Upgraded to Big Sur Beta

Nothing seemed to work. I contacted Apple and the resources said that I should try contacting Dell, downgrade back to Catalina, blah blah blah.

HOWEVER, while I was on the phone with support I was digging around in System Report and found that all of my Thunderbolt 3 ports reported no devices connected to them... strange since I had the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 plugged into my top right port. I plugged it into the top left port, lo and behold it started working at native resolution. I'm not really sure what the issue is with my other port, but even now when I go back to that port it caps the resolution at 3840x1080.

I saw there was a lot of discussions around the cord being used with the monitor being the issue. I am using the provided USB-C Thunderbolt 3 cord that came with the Dell monitor for both power and display. I did decided to stay on Big Sur Beta, so I haven't tried this again on Catalina. Try a different port I guess? I think this whole thing is a stupid issue and the replies I have been reading hit the nail right on the head, Windows has had no issues with this display and I have had nothing BUT issues with my MacBook. Very backwards.

After about 2 years since my November 2018 troubleshooting at the beginning of this thread, I can proudly (and excitedly!) report that I just upgraded to Big Sur on my 13" 2018 MacBook Pro - and I am getting full 5120x1440 resolution via USB-C/Thunderbolt. Over the moon!

Thanks! The 3380 x 1080 and proper text sizes on the single, ultrawide curved display is simply gorgeous. Can open 3 to 4 windows without any hassle of overlap.

Unearthed a DP-DP cable. Connected through the Belkin adapter to the TV. Lo behold! About 30 odd choices of resolution of 32:9 aspect ratio showed up on SwitchRes X icon on the Mac's menubar, including 5120 x 1440 @60Hz. Apart from this, there are even higher resolutions showing up including 6720 x 1890 @60Hz. Totally different!

Highly recommended to use Display Port adapter and treat this thread closed! Of course, there are side aspects like certain Mac processors / GPUs may not be able to handle these resolutions, and certain OS versions may not support these older processors/GPUs, but I fell that the cable may have been behind it all.

Thanks Grant! Summing up, use Display Port cable, avoid HDMI, then do your R&D, if the need arises!

So I have an answer, granted, it's not going to be an answer that anyone likes, but at least it's an answer.

I spoke with my Senior Advisor today, and he informed me that the Mac will only support resolutions up to 4096 for an SST monitor. In order to get the full 5120 resolution, the monitor needs to be MST. Unfortunately I have no idea what the difference between these two configurations are, other than a quick Google search. I even tried to do a search on SST & U4919DW and didn't get any hits, which leads me to believe that monitor manufacturers don't post that information. If anyone has some good articles on the difference, I'd love for you to post them so we can learn more.

It still leaves me wondering why the monitor is only getting up to 3840 instead of 4096. My Advisor is scheduled to call me back next week with an answer.

I also reminded him that several individuals on this forum were able to get full resolution running Windows on their Mac, which means that the SST/MST limitation is a software limitation rather than a hardware limitation. And if running Windows on your Mac solves the problem, then certainly an OS update could solve the problem as well. However, since the SST/MST problem is a known limitation (intentional?), I doubt that Apple would remove this limitation. But that's just a guess.

It would seem that the next logical step would be to return the monitor to Dell, and then to investigate on whether the other three models that are being released (499P9H, 49WL95C, CRG9) are MST monitors. If they are not, then there would not be much hope of getting them to be compatible with the Mac.

He also mentioned that I could go to Apple.com/feedback and suggest that they make the Mac compatible with an SST monitor. Granted, I'm sure that with all the requests they get, this one won't be too high on their list, but I figure that it's worth a shot. Perhaps if enough people point out the same thing, they would be interested in moving on it.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum, it's been helpful to me, and hopefully we can all find a solution that works for us.

I've had the U4919DW for a few days now.

Giving it two monitor feeds is, as discussed, the only solution for many (I have a Macbook pro 13" (2107) with touch bar).

It works but can be frustrating: You can see a colour difference down the middle, no matter how hard you try to calibrate.

I use BetterTouchTool and with custom snap areas I can divide the screen into three and snap windows which is neat but all the apps (including BTT) get confused. Many of them are designed to open the File dialog in the middle of the screen, many of the windows shift when you open another dialog etc...

It's workable and in my opinion worth it as it's a great screen. But I have had to compromise. I was running it off a USB-C signal and a USB-c to DP adaptor as two cables running from my Macbook which was just about acceptable but although I could plug a USB Gigabit network adaptor into the screen (hub), I couldn't get the same throughput compared to if it was plugged into the Macbook directly - which was a killer for me. So I still have to use my LandingZone docking station and I don't use any of the hub features of the screen.

I'm looking forward to not having to use the docking station (when Apple allow the Macbook to work with the resolution) but I think I will still need two cables from the MacBook (one for the screen and one for a network adapter)

I've just got this screen and its working at full res even though sys prefs say (low res) next to the resolution. I'm using a Anker USB-C Thunderbolt 3 cable (40gb) if that helps anyone (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076D76DRQ)

I can't state yes or no for the 2018 MacBook Pro - but I have a 15 inch 2017 MacBook pro with an Radeon Pro 560 GPU and MacOs 10.14.4 and I am indeed able to achieve full 5k resolution - with one monitor.

However, it sure looks like there's a software bug though that Apple needs to fix with regard to the resolution Apple is displaying via Apple->About this Mac->Displays. For me, that's not showing the actual resolution I'm getting - it's showing (falsely) 3840x1080 whereas it certainly looks as if I'm getting the full 5k. And that's confirmed by Apple->About this Mac->System Report->Graphics/Displays, which does indeed show that I'm getting 5120x1440 @60Hz. And I'm not using any 3rd party apps to get there (like SwitchResX, etc).

Clearly, both of those things cannot be true at the same time - so this sure seems like a software bug on Apple's side. I nearly returned the monitor before realizing that the display resolution being described wasn't actually correct (as I mention above). I've called Apple support on this - and that whole experience has been very disappointing. The apathy is breathtaking.

Did you try the Picture-by-Picture mode? This mode splits up the display to 2 virtual 2560x1440 screens, and these are recognized at least with SwitchResX. Use one USB-C-only cable and another USB-C-to-Displayport cable to connect both virtual screns to the Mac.

I'd like to share my experiences here.

I thought about buying this display for a long time, and after reading this topic over and over, I finally decided to do it, even if the full resolution would only be possible with the PbP-"hack".

And I don't regret it at all!

First, my setup:

• A Dell U4919DW
• A Macbook Pro 15'' 2017 with Intel HD Graphics 630 1536mb (integrated) + Radeon Pro 555 2GB (dedicated), OS X 10.15.2
• A Macbook Pro 13'' Mid 2014 with Intel Iris 1536mb (integrated), OS X 10.15.2

First I plugged in the 15'' via the USB-C cable that shipped with the monitor. And it worked OOTB! Full 5120x1440x60 resolution, no upscaling. Just the full native resolution. The macbook got charged automatically and the integrated usb hub worked flawlessly as well. One single cable to the Macbook, that's all. Perfect!

Then I plugged in the 13'' via the HDMI cable that shipped with the display, and a (very cheap, and a few years old) 3rd-party mini-dp to hdmi cable. Turned on the PbP-mode on the monitor, and second success! The monitor renders 2 displays at native 2560x1440x60 each. So in total, there is the full native resolution here too.

Both setups run fine, no problems at all with sleep mode etc. The monitor gets recognized every time without any hassle.

Also, there is absolutely no change on closing the lid oder powering the macbooks. Both macbooks work with lid open/closed and power source connected/disconnected. (The 15'' with usb-c connected does actually charge the macbook as I wrote earlier, so I can't guarantee that it works without it, but I'm fairly sure it should be fine).

However, I see 2 minor downsides on this monitor:

• Imho the radius is too large for this display. The edges are a bit far away from the eyes. But that's personal preference. Maybe you should go see the monitor somewhere in a store before you decide if you wanna buy it or not.
• The on-display menu is only accessible if a display source is present. Therefore you have to toggle the PbP mode before you change the input. That is a bit weird, but no problem if you do so.

Apart from this, the monitor is just WOW! Very massive, nice and clean design, no dead pixels at all. Very high quality as usual and expected by Dell.

So the EDID issue was not reproducable, at least for me. But I'm happy to help if you need further specific information regarding my setup!