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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

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682 replies

Dec 28, 2019 3:07 AM in response to JamoOz

Thanks for this. Seems like it's working fine. Since it's a Dell display, it should show the resolution and refresh rate when you click the menu button? e.g. My Dell P2415Q shows the display model name top left of the menu, then bottom left shows HDMI connector Resolution: 3840x2160, 24Hz. Maximum: 3840x2160, 60Hz. I looked at the Dell U4919DW manual and didn't see any menu that showed the current timing; was that info removed from the pictures?


There is a Color menu in the Dell's onscreen menu which shows Input Color Format. The options are RGB and YPbPr. If it's YPbPr then it might indicate chroma subsampling is being used.


Does Intel Graphics Control panel allow you to create any timing between 4096 and 5120 wide? Or timings that are 5120x1440 with lower refresh rates?


On my Mac mini, GPU-Z doesn't show anything in the Advanced tab. Is yours the same?


Can you provide AGDCDiagnose output for each port of the display? This is probably not necessary but might be interesting. It will give more info than SwitchResX does. You can zip them and message it to me on MacRumors.com.

Dec 28, 2019 4:07 AM in response to Mister_Highping

Thanks. The EDID has the same info as the one I received from jizmodo. Which port of the Dell is the MacBook Air connected to? Can you get AGDiagnose from the other ports?


I read this document:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/ca/en/cadhs1/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system-requirements-and-supported-configuration?lang=en


It mentions DisplayID version 1.3 supporting Tile Display but I don't see any Tile information yet. No MST info either.



Dec 28, 2019 8:12 AM in response to Mister_Highping

GPU-Z doesn't show as much information for Intel graphics as it does for Nvidia or AMD graphics.


I see Dell Info shows only 3840x1080@60Hz in macOS but shows 5120x1440@60Hz in Windows. They both show USB-C DisplayPort 1.4 using HBR2 speed. What does the Color (Farbe) menu say?


In the Intel Graphics Control Panel, I see there are many refresh rate options for the 5120x1440@60Hz option. Did you try making a custom resolution yourself? Click "Custom Resolutions", then set Width to 5120, Height to 1440, Refresh Rate to 45, Timing Standard to CVT-RB, then click "Add". Click "Yes" to Continue. Does it work or give an error message?


The second AGDCDiagnose output is not significantly different from your first because you only changed the connection on the MacBook Air side. I was asking for information from the other ports of the display but maybe you don't have USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI adapters? or an eGPU with DisplayPort or HDMI cables?

Jan 16, 2020 2:28 AM in response to kanonendk

According to apple support, the super ultrawide resolution is currently not working because of some operating system issue. While the "more sqare" resolution of 5120x2880px is supported by the newer Mac Air, Mac Pro etc., a subset of that cannot be chosen.


This is contrary to what is proclaimed by apple in the tech specifications!!!


The option to use SwitchResX does not lead to true 5120x1440: It just scales the next smaller resolution (3840x1080), resulting in a pixelated picture.


This holds true for all super ultrawide monitors such as Phillips 499P9H, Samsung C49RG94SSU, DELL UltraSharp U4919DW, LG 49WL95C-W, and similar.

Jan 16, 2020 4:09 AM in response to frederickrehl

@frederickrehl That's what I read in this topic as well. But my personal experience is different. And I didn't use SwitchResX or other extra software at all. As I wrote, it worked ootb for my Macbook Pro 15'' 2017 (OS X 10.15.2).


@c7aea Couldn't confirm the OS X issue. For me it looks like it is fixed with 10.15.2.


Again, if anyone needs information for fixing the EDID issue (if it persists), feel free to ask!

Jan 16, 2020 4:13 AM in response to moejetz

@moejetz:

Your personal experience is not different. It is not working. You are just using a workaround! I don't want to use two cables to use my monitor, one has to be enough!

And that is the problem that Apple and no other, needs to fix! Adapt the OS to support 5120x1440.

You are using 2560x1440 twice.

If you try Bootcamp with Windows or Linux nativley on your macbook you will be able to use your display with one cable and nothing else!

Jan 16, 2020 4:22 AM in response to moejetz

@moejetz and that is the part of this topic! The problem is the Intel HD Card. Your 15" MacBook is using the Radeon graphics card. The people here are complaining that their Intel graphics card is not working.

I read your post but we all can ignore your 15" notebook because it's not part of the problem because of the different GPU. Other people already used external GPUs and could solve the problem with them too but we all here want a out of the box solution.

Jan 16, 2020 4:50 AM in response to frederickrehl

Apple support are generally unknowledgeable. You need to talk to an Apple developer.


The problem is with Intel graphics (or Apple's Intel graphics driver). If you have a Mac that uses AMD graphics then it shouldn't be a problem. If you have a problem with a Mac that has AMD graphics then post details here.


5120x2880 works on Intel graphics only if the display uses dual cable or dual link SST DisplayPort 1.2 (e.g. LG UltraFine 5K) where it actually uses two signals (each 2560x2880) for two side-by-side tiles.

The LG 34" UltraWide 5K2K is tiled 5120x2160 and is supported by macOS. It also has an untiled mode using DisplayPort 1.4.

As far as I know, there are no 5120x1440 displays that are tiled.


The custom resolutions that you can create in SwitchResX are validated by different pieces/levels of the operating system. At the highest levels are the CoreDisplay framework. At the lowest levels are the drivers for the GPU (Intel, AMD, Nvidia). Any of those levels may reject a resolution. The "log stream" command (posted earlier) can be used to see what resolutions/timings/pixel formats are attempted and which are accepted or rejected (and a reason why it was rejected).


I don't know why the macOS Intel graphics driver rejects resolutions greater than 4096 wide, while Boot Camp / Windows allows it.

Jan 21, 2020 4:09 AM in response to darenjacobs

The work-around is to create an override that sets DisplayPixelDimensions manually or using SwitchResX, similar to the file in /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides/DisplayVendorID-1e6d/DisplayProductID-9e7b for Catalina.


The following script lists all overrides that use that property:


for thefile in $(grep --include 'Display*' -l -r DisplayPixelDimensions /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides/ ); do
	printf "%s  " "$thefile"
	eval $(plutil -p $thefile | grep DisplayPixelDimensions | sed -E 's/.*0x(.{8})(.{8})}/echo $((0x\1))x$((0x\2))/')
done


The work-around doesn't work for Intel graphics because macOS Intel graphics drivers do not support resolutions wider than 4096. Macs in the future that use Ice Lake (10th gen Core CPU with gen 11 graphics) will probably not have that limit.

Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

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