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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

Nov 29, 2020 12:12 AM in response to joevt

Yup! This worked!


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!


OS X Big Sur's Display Preferences show 5120 x 1440 as a native resolution for this monitor.

Jan 5, 2021 7:46 AM in response to marino389

I am using mine on Samsung CRG9 and Odyssey LC49G95T- both are 49" monitors. They were (individually, not separately) plugged in using a Display-Port (DP) from my Belkin dock and DP-DP cables supplied by Samsung. Immediately the M1 MBP recognised the 32:9 factor with 120 Hz & 200Hz refresh rates respectively.

When I accidentally used a HDMI port, the resolution dropped.

I use Switch Res X to confirm and set the monitor settings. It works comfortably on M1 MBP. 'Magnet' which is available from the Mac app store helps in positioning windows on the huge screen. Believe me, you will need some such or equivalent.

I don't have experience with the Dell4919DW, but I would expect the M1 MBP to handle it with ease.

Please keep in mind that the M1 MBP can handle only 1 external display. With a 49" display, only a rare user will want another external display.

Jan 5, 2021 7:48 AM in response to marino389

I am using mine on Samsung CRG9 and Odyssey LC49G95T- both are 49" monitors. They were (individually, not separately) plugged in using a Display-Port (DP) from my Belkin dock and DP-DP cables supplied by Samsung. Immediately the M1 MBP recognised the 32:9 factor with 120 Hz & 200Hz refresh rates respectively.

When I accidentally used a HDMI port, the resolution dropped.

I use Switch Res X to confirm and set the monitor settings. It works comfortably on M1 MBP. 'Magnet' which is available from the Mac app store helps in positioning windows on the huge screen. Believe me, you will need some such or equivalent.

I don't have experience with the Dell4919DW, but I would expect the M1 MBP to handle it with ease.

Please keep in mind that the M1 MBP can handle only 1 external display. With a 49" display, only a rare user will want another external display.

Jan 18, 2021 1:16 AM in response to icallitschnitzel

I am using a Belkin hub (about 3-4 years old, that has a DP out. Using Samsung's supplied DP-DP cable, it worked like a charm. Please see my post of 05Jan21. It is reproduced below:


I am using mine on Samsung CRG9 and Odyssey LC49G95T- both are 49" monitors. They were (individually, not separately) plugged in using a Display-Port (DP) from my Belkin dock and DP-DP cables supplied by Samsung. Immediately the M1 MBP recognised the 32:9 factor with 120 Hz & 200Hz refresh rates respectively.

When I accidentally used a HDMI port, the resolution dropped.

I use Switch Res X to confirm and set the monitor settings. It works comfortably on M1 MBP. 'Magnet' which is available from the Mac app store helps in positioning windows on the huge screen. Believe me, you will need some such or equivalent.

I don't have experience with the Dell4919DW, but I would expect the M1 MBP to handle it with ease.

Please keep in mind that the M1 MBP can handle only 1 external display. With a 49" display, only a rare user will want another external display.


Hope this works for you.

Jan 18, 2021 4:18 AM in response to icallitschnitzel

https://www.displayport.org/faq/#tab-displayport-over-usb-c


What is the best way to connect a DisplayPort over USB-C video Source device to a display that uses a standard DisplayPort receptacle?

It is preferable to use a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter cable, and it is best to use a DP certified adapter cable. This cable has a USB-C plug on one end, and a DisplayPort plug on the other end (either a mini-DP or standard DP plug). The DisplayPort over USB-C Standard was designed to accommodate such adapter cable. While there are USB-C to DisplayPort receptacle adapters on the market which enable the use of a standard DisplayPort cable (one with a DisplayPort plug on both ends), use of such adapter is not recommended because it may result in poor picture quality, intermittent operation, or no video display.

Jan 27, 2021 7:49 AM in response to kanonendk

I just got the Monoprice Dark Matter 49" UW monitor and I am having difficulties getting my Macbook Pro 13" (2018), macOS 10.15.7 (19H114), to display the full 5120x1440 resolution. I am using a Cable Matters USB-C to DP on the left side Thunderbolt 3 ports connected to the monitor. At first, it was still only giving me 3840x1080, but after fiddling with SwitchResX and creating a custom resolution, SwitchResX started displaying resolutions up to 5120x1440. However, the Display preferences in Sys prefs did not show the same.


When I select 5120x1440 in SwitchResx, it tries to produce the resolution but the whole picture is scaled down and does not fill the entire screen. The aspect ratio looks correct, but for some reason the picture is shrunken in the middle of the screen with huge black bars on all sides. Not sure why it won't fill up the entire screen. SIP is disabled on my machine according to the commands. I currently have it setup to display as two separate screens at 2560x1440 so the output below reflects that.:


kextstat | grep Intel | egrep "Graphics|Framebuffer"
  132    0 0xffffff7f84126000 0x235000   0x235000   com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCFLGraphicsFramebuffer (14.0.7) 0A3CFAE4-5282-3569-B60A-169FFB86B569 <131 130 124 17 13 12 8 7 6 5 3 1>
  166    0 0xffffff7f844c6000 0xf7000    0xf7000    com.apple.driver.AppleIntelKBLGraphics (14.0.7) 1C0D406A-F030-308D-9506-39E3743F8944 <130 124 82 13 8 7 6 5 3 1>

ioreg -lw0 | grep "AAPL,ig-platform-id"
    | |   | |   "AAPL,ig-platform-id" = <0400a53e>

ioreg -lw0 | grep '<"Mac'
    |   "compatible" = <"MacBookPro15,2">
    |   "board-id" = <"Mac-827FB448E656EC26">
    |   "target-type" = <"Mac">
    |   "product-name" = <"MacBookPro15,2">
    |   "model" = <"MacBookPro15,2">

system_profiler SPHardwareDataType SPDisplaysDataType | sed '/.*Serial.*/d;/.*UUID.*/d'
Hardware:


    Hardware Overview:


      Model Name: MacBook Pro
      Model Identifier: MacBookPro15,2
      Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Core i5
      Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz
      Number of Processors: 1
      Total Number of Cores: 4
      L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
      L3 Cache: 6 MB
      Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
      Memory: 16 GB
      Boot ROM Version: 1554.60.15.0.0 (iBridge: 18.16.13030.0.0,0)
      Activation Lock Status: Enabled


Graphics/Displays:


    Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655:


      Chipset Model: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
      Type: GPU
      Bus: Built-In
      VRAM (Dynamic, Max): 1536 MB
      Vendor: Intel
      Device ID: 0x3ea5
      Revision ID: 0x0001
      Metal: Supported, feature set macOS GPUFamily2 v1
      Displays:
        SwitchResX4 - H3C2R-HQ:
          Resolution: 2560 x 1440 (QHD/WQHD - Wide Quad High Definition)
          UI Looks like: 2560 x 1440 @ 120 Hz
          Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
          Main Display: Yes
          Mirror: Off
          Online: Yes
          Rotation: Supported
          Automatically Adjust Brightness: No
          Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort
          Television: Yes
        SwitchResX4 - H3C2R-HQ:
          Resolution: 2560 x 1440 (QHD/WQHD - Wide Quad High Definition)
          UI Looks like: 2560 x 1440 @ 60 Hz
          Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
          Mirror: Off
          Online: Yes
          Rotation: Supported
          Adapter Type: Apple USB-C Digital AV Adapter
          Automatically Adjust Brightness: No
          Connection Type: Thunderbolt/DisplayPort
          Adapter Firmware Version: 2.35
          Television: Yes

system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | grep System
    System Software Overview:
      System Version: macOS 10.15.7 (19H114)
      System Integrity Protection: Disabled

Feb 1, 2021 6:26 PM in response to kanonendk

Greetings,


just wanted to add that this is an issue with DELL U4021QW as well. While 60 Hertz is an option on my 2018 13" MBP, the display blanks when choosing it. The display works fine at 5120x2160 30 hertz.


The PItA is that the MacBook Pro defaults to 60 Hertz when closing the lid. As such, I need to leave the MacBook Pro open all the time.


I'm tried going through a Caldigit docking station, and also tried a DisplayPort cable - both to no avail.


Please let me know if you hear of a fix, or if you know of a way to limit the output to 30 hertz (eliminate 60 Hertz as an option).


Thank you,

John

Feb 1, 2021 8:06 PM in response to JohnAgger

I am not technical so I cannot answer detailed questions - this is my experience...


I have a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports), connected directly to the Dell U4919DW with the stock USB-C cable [I think - what came in the box] running at 5120x2160 60 hertz with no modifications or extra gear.


Prior to Big Sur, the resolution was not pleasant but after the OS upgrade, I get the above resolution without effort or adjusting settings. I doubt this is helpful but perhaps something in the above is useful.


The previous 2 years were very disappointing and I pretty much have up hope...now, it is SO MUCH BETTER.

Feb 12, 2021 12:58 PM in response to kanonendk

FINALLY figured out the best workaround after struggling with this for 6 months. Whenever you extend displays when connected via USB-C, the Dell would go dark and you cannot follow or see the mouse scroller on your laptop screen. I spoke to both Apple and Dell and they know it is a known issue, but neither knew for certain how to get the handshake to reset. Sometimes I would get luck and after messing with keys, the Touch Bar would show extend or mirror, when switching into mirror, handshake works. The way to force this would be using your key shortcut to change from extend to mirror (and vice versa) - Cmd + Dim button on the left side of your Touch Bar. This will allow you to now see your settings (albeit very small) on your laptop, change resolution to 3480 x 1080 and and mirrors fine. Another temp solution I figured out prior was clicking on your airplay to a device and for some reason that also works, however, after a while may kick airplay off and you have to re-sync.


I am hopeful this issue goes away and I am able to get full resolution with the new mac mini I just ordered, if not, I will return it and wait for a graphics card that can sync with no issue. PCs have NO ISSUES as it is truly plug and play with top resolution...so this is a mac 'handshake' issue.


Hope this helps others...drove me nuts trying to work around this (Apple rep asked me to please post if I was able to figure it out).


Good luck!

Feb 15, 2021 7:52 AM in response to virtualX

Thanks for the updated information on what Macs and what MacOS.


Based on other Users experience, we would not expect your 2016 model to be able to support wider than 4096 pixels on one cable.


But if you are NOT cluttering up the experiment by inserting a dock, and ARE using a direct DisplayPort cable (or its cousins ThunderBolt-display or ISB-C-display) that WOULD be expected to work.



Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

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