How to run 2560x1600 off my laptop?

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Panel

Gawd
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
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Hey guys. I'll try to keep this brief. I have a 30" Dell (2560x1600) that I want to use with an aging Toshiba laptop. The monitor has a single dual link DVI port on it. The laptop (powered by a measly Intel HD Graphics 3000) has a female HDMI and a female VGA. I am unsure of the specification of the HDMI, but the laptop is the Toshiba Portégé R835 for any of you who figure out how to find out (I looked and looked, but that spec doesn't seem to be anywhere).

Here's what I've tried: HDMI to DVI (NOT dual link). It didn't work AT ALL and limited me to the computer's native resolution on the 30".

I'd appreciate if anyone has any ideas. I think my best bet is HDMI to dual link DVI, but I'd like to get some confirmation on this before I go ahead and buy a cable.

Thanks

EDIT: I did some actual research after posting this. It seems that high resolution NEEDS dual link DVI. So I was likely correct in my guess that HDMI to dual link DVI is what I need. But there's a small problem... there seem to be no true HDMI to dual link cables out there. Does anyone know a workaround?
 
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I think Single-link DVI can do 1920x1080 at 60Hz, so your picture should be at least that large. If that's the limit you're running up against, then you need dual-link like you're thinking. If you're being limited to anything smaller than 1920x1080 (like 1366x768), then your cable isn't the problem.

Let's try to get some obvious things out of the way first. Are you sure Windows isn't trying to use your laptop's display in clone mode? I think clone mode limits your resolution to the smaller of whatever you have attached. You would either need to extend the desktop or turn off the laptop's built-in display in Control Panel while the monitor is attached.

However, the bad news is that you won't be able to use your display's full resolution over HDMI very easily. While HD 3000 can technically do 2560x1600 over DisplayPort, it's limited to 1920x1200 over HDMI.... well, normally, anyway. VGA might be able to go higher, perhaps up to 2048x1536, but that still won't hit your monitor's resolution. I've heard of some people using Intel's Custom Resolution Tool or PowerStrip to bypass this limitation over HDMI, but they had to go below 60Hz in order to get it to work. None of these options are ideal... if you had DisplayPort, you'd be fine. That generation of Intel HD Graphics didn't play nice with HDMI at higher resolutions.
 
athenian200 said:
I think Single-link DVI can do 1920x1080 at 60Hz, so your picture should be at least that large. If that's the limit you're running up against, then you need dual-link like you're thinking. If you're being limited to anything smaller than 1920x1080 (like 1366x768), then your cable isn't the problem.

Let's try to get some obvious things out of the way first. Are you sure Windows isn't trying to use your laptop's display in clone mode? I think clone mode limits your resolution to the smaller of whatever you have attached. You would either need to extend the desktop or turn off the laptop's built-in display in Control Panel while the monitor is attached.

However, the bad news is that you won't be able to use your display's full resolution over HDMI very easily. While HD 3000 can technically do 2560x1600 over DisplayPort, it's limited to 1920x1200 over HDMI.... well, normally, anyway. VGA might be able to go higher, perhaps up to 2048x1536, but that still won't hit your monitor's resolution. I've heard of some people using Intel's Custom Resolution Tool or PowerStrip to bypass this limitation over HDMI, but they had to go below 60Hz in order to get it to work. None of these options are ideal... if you had DisplayPort, you'd be fine. That generation of Intel HD Graphics didn't play nice with HDMI at higher resolutions.
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I wasn't worried reading your post until I got to the part about people needing to go below 60Hz in a custom resolution. That got me a little worried, since I've heard getting 60Hz isn't much on an issue.

Regardless, I do think dual link DVI is needed based on you post. The question is how. All the HDMI to dual DVI cables that I've looked up have turned out to be fakes. It seems that HDMI to dual link DVI cables don't exist, leaving me rather stumped about how I'd connect the computer using HDMI at all.
 
Some of the DVI-only 30" monitors are quite strange with regards to supported resolutions. You get the full 2560x1600 or 1280x800. That's it, only those two resolutions are supported as the Altera scaler chip used in those models can't do fractional scaling. Only basic 2x2. If your Dell is one of those then without a DL-DVI port or at least DisplayPort for a converter you're not going get anything higher than 1280x800. A custom res running a low refresh rate won't work either as the scaler just rejects anything other than 60Hz.
 
DrRamtop said:
Some of the DVI-only 30" monitors are quite strange with regards to supported resolutions. You get the full 2560x1600 or 1280x800. That's it, only those two resolutions are supported as the Altera scaler chip used in those models can't do fractional scaling. Only basic 2x2. If your Dell is one of those then without a DL-DVI port or at least DisplayPort for a converter you're not going get anything higher than 1280x800. A custom res running a low refresh rate won't work either as the scaler just rejects anything other than 60Hz.
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I understand this. Which is why athenian's post didn't bother me. I know that's why I was stuck at a super low res. I now just need to figure out how to run dual link DVI from HDMI. I'm still researching, and think I've got a solution (an expensive one...) that'll work.

And this one won't even need tinkering with custom res. ;)
 
I hope it works for you. Last time I ran up against this problem I sourced an active HDMI/DVI converter that apparently supported 2560x1600, but would never give an output on the monitor.
 
old HDMI 1.0-1.3 can not do 2560x1600, period.
with HDMI 1.4 or newer you can use a HDMI 1.4/2.0> DP 1.1 converter and then a Displayport> DL-DVI active adapter. total cost will be more than the market value of the 30". ;)
 
geok1ng said:
old HDMI 1.0-1.3 can not do 2560x1600, period.
with HDMI 1.4 or newer you can use a HDMI 1.4/2.0> DP 1.1 converter and then a Displayport> DL-DVI active adapter. total cost will be more than the market value of the 30". ;)
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This is the plan. The only difference is that I'm quite certain that HDMI 1.3 can match dual link DVI bandwidth for 2560x1600. Googling seems to confirm. :p

I'm coming in at little over a $100 on the total adaptor cost, which definitely bites. Especially seeing how this is a temporary laptop setup. Still, I'm finding it easier to justify than buying an inferior interim monitor.
 
my dell monitor 32@ 1560x1600 does not support it through HDMI. i had to get a display port to DVI converter ( my 2 other DVI was used by my side monitors)
for some reason dell just sucks at putting in the correct HDMI support or something

so you might risk ending up in the same situation that you HDMI out on you laptops is not good enough.


I have plenty of the some DP to HDMI converter that i used if you want one. just have to pay shipping of if by any chance you live in McKinney or Anna in texas you can drop by to pick it up
 
Panel said:
I'm coming in at little over a $100 on the total adaptor cost, which definitely bites. Especially seeing how this is a temporary laptop setup. Still, I'm finding it easier to justify than buying an inferior interim monitor.
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That really doesn't seem cost-effective. How long is "temporary"? If it's less than a month or two, don't you think you could just make do with the laptop's screen for that long? It's probably not a very powerful laptop and won't be able to do much other than web surfing on a monitor that big.

If you don't want to buy a new monitor, maybe you should buy a laptop that has HD 5000 graphics or something. That can definitely output a high resolution over HDMI (though make sure the ports are at least HDMI 1.3 on the new one). Once you're paying over $100 for the adapter, is an aging laptop like that one really worth paying so much to hook up to your monitor in the first place?

It sounds like they were seriously cutting some corners on that monitor, though... DVI only, probably to avoid HDMI and DisplayPort licensing fees. Scaling chip only supports a few resolutions. And I thought I was having a bad time trying to get my 42" Plasma to work at a resolution other than 1024x768. This sounds like much more of a pain. Good luck, friend.
 
geok1ng said:
old HDMI 1.0-1.3 can not do 2560x1600, period.
with HDMI 1.4 or newer you can use a HDMI 1.4/2.0> DP 1.1 converter and then a Displayport> DL-DVI active adapter. total cost will be more than the market value of the 30". ;)
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Quick question. If I try this out, do BOTH the hdmi -> DP and the DP -> DL-DVI need to be active, or just one? And if just one, which one? Logically, I'd think that I'd only need one active since the goal is to convert single link signal (digital) to dual link (still digital). That's one task, hence one active adapter. Just not sure if it's the same in practice as it is in theory.

Pusher of Buttons said:
How about a USB display adapter, fer instance:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=usb_video_adapter-_-9SIA6PF4988003-_-Product

Plus that way you're not stuck just buying stuff for your current older laptop, the USB adapters can be use on something new if you get it as well.
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I'm not sure how great these are, but it's a second option.
 
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This is why when buying a new laptop for my wife, I made certain that it had mini DP out on it. She wanted my old Dell 30" monitor, but I knew HDMI was limited to 1920x1200 in most cases. HDMI fucking sucks, wish Display Port was more popular..
 
athenian200 said:
That really doesn't seem cost-effective. How long is "temporary"? If it's less than a month or two, don't you think you could just make do with the laptop's screen for that long? It's probably not a very powerful laptop and won't be able to do much other than web surfing on a monitor that big.

If you don't want to buy a new monitor, maybe you should buy a laptop that has HD 5000 graphics or something. That can definitely output a high resolution over HDMI (though make sure the ports are at least HDMI 1.3 on the new one). Once you're paying over $100 for the adapter, is an aging laptop like that one really worth paying so much to hook up to your monitor in the first place?

It sounds like they were seriously cutting some corners on that monitor, though... DVI only, probably to avoid HDMI and DisplayPort licensing fees. Scaling chip only supports a few resolutions. And I thought I was having a bad time trying to get my 42" Plasma to work at a resolution other than 1024x768. This sounds like much more of a pain. Good luck, friend.
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I somehow missed your post.

"Temporary" is this entire spring semester, until the end of May. I intend to use the giant 30" as a main display and the 24" that I currently have hooked up to the laptop as a vertical display. The main purpose of the machine is to browse the web, write papers, do a butt load of reading, and write some code (nothing too demanding of the hardware).

You seem to misunderstand… the issue isn't power. These high res monitors have been around since I think 2004. Intel HD Graphics 3000 is a 2011 release, and is specified to be able to run this res (I am NOT confident, however, in it's ability to run both the 30" AND the 24"). Getting Intel HD 5000 wouldn't make a difference, since the problem isn't power. The problem is converting a single link signal into a dual link signal, which will apparently take a massive amount of cash.
 
The USB display adapters that a bunch of people have gotten in my office are working REALLY well. They're only running @ 1080p but you can't tell they're not directly attached to the GPU.

If that linked one can do up to 4K, i'd be willing to at least test it at that price.
 
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