Dell U4919DW / MacBook pro 5k issue

PersistentOptimist wrote:

Note for Mac users:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/zh-hk/sln314416/dell-u4919dw-system-requirements-and-supported-configuration?lang=en&ref=topsolutions

If you are using an Intel Graphics card on your Mac, you will be able to display upto 3840 x 1080 resolution with the USB-C connection to the Dell U4919DW monitor.

For a higher resolution of 5120 x 1440 with the USB-C connection, use a Mac with a non-Intel discrete graphics card (NVIDIA or AMD).

I would be fine with answer that if it didn't work perfectly [5120 x 1440 resolution] on the exact same hardware (Mac Mini or MBP 13") running Windows 10. Try it. Boot Camp windows 10 on a Mac Mini or MBP 13" with the Intel graphics card and you will see that you can get 5120 x 1440 resolution no problem. The hardware is not the problem. It is capable of the desired resolution. Common sense would dictate that the issue is Mac OS. Unfortunately, Apple refuses to acknowledge / address / fix it.

Is there any news here?

I also ordered the Dell and installed now windows 10 as a precaution. I hope apple won't let us down here and solve the problem.

I did not know before my order that my macbook pro would have problems with the resolution. 😢

No news, except that the new MacBook Air 2020 has new Intel graphics that is not limited to 4K width in macOS (like for earlier Intel graphics) so this problem shouldn't occur for that Mac.

It supports DisplayPort 1.4 and Display Stream Compression (DSC) so it can run the Apple Pro Display XDR at 6K 60Hz.

If you are using mac mini 2018 or older, Macbook air that without external graphic card, you CANNOT use native 5120x1440 until you die because the internal graphic card only support maximum up to 4096 x 2160. APPLE can never solve this.

**In this case, I bought my mac-mini 2018 over a year, and last month a bought a CRG90 that mac mini do not support, Apple finally have to make a full refund to me due to false advisement. **

If you are using Macbook pro or iMac, congrats your computer support 5120 x 1440, all you need is a 8k/60 Hz (same is 4k/144Hz) cable with Display port 1.4 output and Thunderbolt 3 Cable with usb-c input. I believe Apple consider horizontal pixels more than 3840 is not 4k anymore so you need a 8k cable to make it works. This cable is extremely rare, let me clarify below. ( I have a iMac 2017 and Macbook Pro 2019 in which both support native 5120 x 1440 )

USB-C only = USB 3.1 = up to 10 Gbps which support 4k/60Hz ONLY

USB-C with thunderbolt 3 = up to 40 Gbps which do support 8k/60Hz and 4k/144Hz

Display port 1.4 = up to 32.4 Gbps which support 8k/60Hz and 4k/144Hz

**So you need a cable with displayport 1.4 speed with another head as usb-c thunderbolt 3**

Some of you guys may find a cable selling cheap around 20-30 USD having usb-c and Displayport, this cable do not support 8k because it is just USB-C = USB 3.1 which support up to 4k/60Hz only, definitely not Display port 1.4 level.

[Edited by Moderator]

If you are using Macbook Air or Mac Mini, and you bought a 5120x1440 monitor, no matter when you bought it, ask Apple for full refund because of false advisement. I did it and they made a full refund for me.

"If you are using mac mini 2018 or older, Macbook air that without external graphic card, you CANNOT use native 5120x1440 until you die because the internal graphic card only support maximum up to 4096 x 2160. APPLE can never solve this."

Thanks Morgan but some earlier post suggested that a Mac Mini 2018 running Window 10 can indeed drive a 5120x1440 monitor, which suggest its an OS problem. What do you think? And what was your solution?

DisplayPort 1.4 cables are not extremely rare (club3d sells many that are also VESA certified).

DisplayPort 1.4 cable is not required for 5120 x 1440 (5120 x1440 requires less bandwidth than 3840 x 2160 Hz!)

A DisplayPort 1.4 cable is not going to make a DisplayPort 1.2 GPU work as DisplayPort 1.4.

A GPU cannot tell the difference between a DisplayPort 1.2 cable and a DisplayPort 1.4 cable. A bad cable may cause static to appear.

The latest MacBook Air 2020 does not have a problem with single cable 5K wide displays (it supports DisplayPort 1.4 and DSC).

Macs that have the problem in macOS with wider than 4K timings might not have the problem in Windows. If Windows can do it, then Apple could make macOS do it (but maybe some features that made them not allow greater than 4K might not work anymore? - anyway, you are right, we should not expect Apple to fix this - get a refund, get a new GPU, or get a new display).

USB-C cables that support 10 Gbps also support DisplayPort 1.4 (which is only 8.1 Gbps per lane).

"If you are using mac mini 2018 or older, Macbook air that without

external graphic card, you CANNOT use native 5120x1440 until you die

because the internal graphic card only support maximum up to 4096 x

2160. APPLE can never solve this."

We have already explained that this is nonsense. Apple itself advertises the Mini as compatible with 5k, which is 5120x2880. And again, technically display resolutions are a product from refresh rate x lines x pixels. In this way, even the cheap Intel graphics chips allow even unusual resolution ratios. (And they do using Windows 10 on a Mac with Intel Graphics - the 49" DELL works like a charme there)

Secondly, electronically there is no difference between a 4k and an 8k cable. it is just a question of shielding that allows higher data transfer rates.

"A bad cable may cause static to appear."

Ebverything else in your post is fine, but in our digital century there is no static (or blurring) by bad cables anymore like it was with VGA. Instead, the screen may be unstable and get black from time to time caused by timing issues.

As I mentioned before,

I think OS is different from Window, window is counting on pixels but OS does not.

Apple Support told me if horizontal is 5120 pixels, their OS regard it as 5k, so 4k cable do not support it.

*DONT Argue with me anything about the total pixels of 5120x1440 is less than 4k, argue with APPLE.*

*DONT Expect APPLE will solve this, i asked for a full refund in fact i can even get a better model with the price I paid for. APPLE will never solve it.*

I know it is non-sense, dont expect Apple will solve it. Just ask them for refund or make a charge back with your bank.

They are capable of supporting 6k. However, the 32:9 issue discussed here is not a question of maximum resolution, but of Apple's special way supporting pixel ratio (16:9, 16:10, 21:9 are ok, 32:9 is not). I would not bet on support for the Dell, even with the latest Intel graphics chipset. We will see.

On the other hand I must admit that I have become accustomed to the PbP function as much as possible. Even if Apple would support the 32:9 ratio in future macOS versions, I think I will not switch back from PbP. Main reason is the window handling. I use this Windos-like "Snap" feature, which allows maximizing windows to the left or the right side of the display (with a 16:9 2560x1440 half-monitor size resolution). With the 32x9 ratio, you would always maximize windows to the full width of the screen.

Only the new MacBook Air 2020 has the new 11th gen Intel graphics (Intel Iris Plus Graphics). Anything else not having that or AMD graphics will not support 5K wide single connection or 6K wide (single or dual connection).

The MacBook Pro 13" has older CPU with Intel graphics (Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 or Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655).

I think maybe with 10.15.4, the work-around (setting DisplayPixelDimensions) for getting 5120x1440 is not required anymore? I checked the Overrides folder in 10.15.4 and it looks like Apple removed some overrides that only had the DisplayPixelDimensions property.

I think maybe with 10.15.4, the work-around (setting DisplayPixelDimensions) for getting 5120x1440 is not required anymore? I checked the Overrides folder in 10.15.4 and it looks like Apple removed some overrides that only had the DisplayPixelDimensions property.

Joevt,

Can you explain further? Do you have a revised work-around now with the 10.15.4 update?

JoeVT can you link a cable that will work? You seem to know a lot about it. Also - and this may be obvious but worth stating - the cable's USB-C side must be plugged into the left-side MacBook Pro ports, correct?

The workaround was for GPUs (AMD) that support resolutions wider than 4K. DisplayPixelDimensions is a property that can be added to an override file (a plist file) in /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides/ for a display. This is the same property that is changed by the "Scaled resolution base" option in SwitchResX.

I'm saying that maybe in 10.15.4, that property does not need to be set anymore for the graphics drivers to choose the correct Scaled resolution base.