Which adapter/port do I need to Connect this Monitor?

[silvarios]

The Grim Ninja wrote:
Yeah.. and I was asking about another computer. That way you could rule out some sort of problem with the cable and monitor and place the blame squarely on some sort of unstated requirement of the Mini.

Just to clarify, it isn't unstated, Apple actually lists the requirement on their spec page for that model.

[The Grim Ninja]

silvarios wrote: Just to clarify, it isn't unstated, Apple actually lists the requirement on their spec page for that model.

The Mini Displayport spec runs Displayport 1.1a. Displayport 1.1a supports 2560x1600 resolution natively. It *should* be safe to assume that a Mini Displayport to Displayport connected monitor should work without issues.

I don't think it's a stretch for most people to assume the Dual Link DVI adapter would only be required for monitors that are only connectable via a Dual Link DVI. If a Dual Link DVI adapter is the only way to reach a resolution higher than 1920x1200 it is a technicality which is misleading to omit given that the port its adapted from should be natively capable of a higher resolution.

[Jack D.]

The Grim Ninja wrote:
[quote=silvarios]Just to clarify, it isn't unstated, Apple actually lists the requirement on their spec page for that model.

The Mini Displayport spec runs Displayport 1.1a. Displayport 1.1a supports 2560x1600 resolution natively. It *should* be safe to assume that a Mini Displayport to Displayport connected monitor should work without issues.

I don't think it's a stretch for most people to assume the Dual Link DVI adapter would only be required for monitors that are only connectable via a Dual Link DVI. If a Dual Link DVI adapter is the only way to reach a resolution higher than 1920x1200 it is a technicality which is misleading to omit given that the port its adapted from should be natively capable of a higher resolution.
And that's why I ordered a 6' mDP->DP cable in the first place.

[silvarios]

The Grim Ninja wrote:
The Mini Displayport spec runs Displayport 1.1a. Displayport 1.1a supports 2560x1600 resolution natively. It *should* be safe to assume that a Mini Displayport to Displayport connected monitor should work without issues.

I don't think it's a stretch for most people to assume the Dual Link DVI adapter would only be required for monitors that are only connectable via a Dual Link DVI. If a Dual Link DVI adapter is the only way to reach a resolution higher than 1920x1200 it is a technicality which is misleading to omit given that the port its adapted from should be natively capable of a higher resolution.

I understand, but as a counterpoint, my 720p TV has an HDMI port rated for 1080p, I still can't actually display 1920x1080 pixels on this panel. My old pre OS X PowerPC Macs can output video over VGA and VGA can support 1080p and even higher resolutions, but those old 4MB VRAM Macs aren't capable of it.

That's why I wonder if there's something in the implementation of the 9400M chipset and drivers on OS X that is preventing the output over mDP. Apple's own technical specs for that system detail the lack of support for whatever reason. Seems odd that a spec ratified in 2007 on a system sold in 2009 would be out of spec otherwise. No?

[silvarios]

Jack D. wrote: And that's why I ordered a 6' mDP->DP cable in the first place.

What resolution does you Mac report in Display preferences? What does the display itself report?

[silvarios]

To expound, notice the details on the 2010 Mac mini models with the NVIDIA 320M. http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ma...specs.html

"*This model simultaneously supports 1920x1200 on an HDMI display or a DVI display using the included HDMI-to-DVI adapter and 2560x1600 on a Mini DisplayPort display or a VGA display (with an optional Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter)."

The text is completely different now, even though the late 2009 model (which is using the same chipset as the OP's early 2009 model) and the 2010 model both shipped with Snow Leopard. So it can't be a discrepancy based on initially shipped operating system, right?

This is weird, but I would guess if the OP says it isn't working with mDP to DP, which is what Apple and EveryMac both report as well, then it must be a chipset/driver issue/limitation with the 9400M versus the 320M (and newer GPU options found on newer Macs). Otherwise, I'm at a loss to explain the problem. Bad display?

[sekker]

Ok, I think the issue is there are seem to be two different classes of minidisplay port connectors.

I'm pretty sure we solved this problem here using one of these kind of minidisplay port to display port adapters:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5714

Plus a high res displayport to displayport cable (like one that comes with the monitor).

This cable works for me to connect from a minidisplayport Mac to a similar monoprice monitor:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=6007

[silvarios]

sekker wrote:
Ok, I think the issue is there are seem to be two different classes of minidisplay port connectors.

I'm pretty sure we solved this problem here using one of these kind of minidisplay port to display port adapters:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5714

Plus a high res displayport to displayport cable (like one that comes with the monitor).

This cable works for me to connect from a minidisplayport Mac to a similar monoprice monitor:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=6007

Are you using an NVIDIA 9400M Mac?

[sekker]

silvarios wrote:
[quote=sekker]
Ok, I think the issue is there are seem to be two different classes of minidisplay port connectors.

I'm pretty sure we solved this problem here using one of these kind of minidisplay port to display port adapters:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5714

Plus a high res displayport to displayport cable (like one that comes with the monitor).

This cable works for me to connect from a minidisplayport Mac to a similar monoprice monitor:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=6007

Are you using an NVIDIA 9400M Mac?
This cable setup works with a stock first edition MBPR and a 2013 MBA.

[silvarios]

sekker wrote:
This cable setup works with a stock first edition MBPR and a 2013 MBA.

I think the limitation might exist with the 9400M GPU on older Macs.