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Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

Hi,


I have just purchased the Dell U4919DW monitor to use with my early 2018 MacBook Pro 13", but unfortunately I cannot choose full resolution 5120x1440 in the settings, max is 3840x1080. I have tried the app SwitchResX to manually set the 5k resolution without luck, only scaled.


From this link I read about my MacBook before purchasing the screen that:

"this model supports a maximum resolution up to 4096x2304 at 60 Hz at millions of colors on two external displays or a single external display at a maximum resolution up to 5120x2880 at 60 Hz at over a billion colors via Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)."

MacBook Pro "Core i5" 3.1 13" Touch/Mid-2017 Specs (Mid-2017 13" (Touch Bar), MPXV2LL/A*, MacBookPro14,2, A1706, 3163): …


My MacBook Pro has 4 USB-C ports, I'm using the left ones which operate at full speed (right ones are reduced).


Why can't I get full 5k resolution? Is it an issue with the MacBook, the connection, the screen or perhaps an iOS issue?


Additional links with information on the screen:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/dk/da/dkdhs1/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system- requirements-and-supported-configuration…

https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/sln314339/dell-u4919dw-monitor-usa ge-and-troubleshooting-guide?lang=en#Usi…

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ultrasharp-49-curved-monitor-u4919dw/apd/21 0-arnw/monitors-monitor-accessories

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, iOS 12.1

Posted on Nov 21, 2018 11:09 PM

Reply
682 replies

Jun 9, 2020 7:04 AM in response to lorscan

I spoke with Apple today, they refused to replace my Macbook Pro with the same issue! I was told that I should have checked compatibility with Dell and referenced a knowledge base article (https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-uk/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system-requirements-and-supported-configuration?lang=en)!!


I was also told that the support mentioned on the Macbooks Pros tech spec is OK:



The Macbook Pro can support the above resolution but it can't support certain lower resolutions such as 5120-by-1440. I find that incredibly misleading!!


So all I can do is either return the monitor or purchase a new Macbook Pro with newer CPU that supports the resolution and work out what to do with the slightly older Macbook Pro.


Gutted.

Jul 10, 2020 8:03 AM in response to olikars

<<Oh so I could also "split" the screen in 3 windows - left, middle, right? If so, what's the difference between this workaround and the "real deal" using it as one screen with the full resolution?>>


There is nothing wrong with that CONCEPT, but your description uses terminology already used for something that is NOT the same as what you are describing. Apple uses "split screen" to do literally that: spit an existing screen into multiple panes.


You would be Using "Extended Desktop" and the Arrange pane to create a large extended desktop from two virtual screens side-by side on the existing Display, run by two cables. Then you can open as many windows and place them wherever you want on that "Extended Desktop"



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Jul 16, 2020 5:26 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:
You can open three WINDOWS and place them in any positions across the ENTIRE Extended Desktop, INCLUDING as many as you like split across the virtual "seam" between the displays. You can create three short windows the full width of the Extended Desktop, and stack all of them across the "seam". Or you can create one to the left, one across the center, and one toward the right. But NOT "split screen" -- that term means something else.

I bought the Dell and I have it connected now with a USB-C and a HDMI cable. I use the extended desktop and deactivated "desktops use different spaces" option and now have two separate virtual screens. The only thing not working properly is expanding windows across the "seam". I can't expand further than the seam. If I drag a window across the seam, it is "pushed down" on the right side of the screen. Possibly because of the menu bar there? Here is a picture:


What can I do to have the window in the middle not be influenced by the seam and have the Dell work like one full monitor?

Jul 26, 2020 6:58 PM in response to privettoli

<<just not as convenient as having a single ultra wide screen>>


If you line them up properly, Extended Desktop will put the two halves directly adjacent and the two will act as one Extended Desktop, except the Menubar will only be on the one you choose. The mouse moves freely across the virtual seam, and can drag a window half way across, split on the two virtual screens, and that window will scroll as one.



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Nov 26, 2018 11:08 PM in response to kanonendk

So, the Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable didn't work .... in fact nothing displayed on the monitor at all!


I suspect that as the monitor only supports USB-C and not Thunderbolt 3 - it didn't detect the signal from the Mac.


I'm waiting on a Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort cable to arrive this evening too, I suspect this will finally solve the issue so I will update again once that arrives!

Nov 27, 2018 9:17 AM in response to marino389

according to Dell's information, the USB-C input is the "poor cousin" of the other inputs:

Input Connectors

2 x HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2) (10-bit color @ 60Hz)
1 x DP 1.4 (HDCP 2.2) (10-bit color @ 60Hz)
5 x USB 3.0 Downstream port
2 x USB 3.0 Upstream port
1 x USB Type-C (Alternate mode with DP1.4, Power Delivery, and USB2.0) (8-bit color @ 60Hz)

note, for example it supports 8-bit color while the other inputs support 10 bit color.


Dell UltraSharp 49 Curved Monitor: U4919DW | Dell United States

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Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

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