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Running an external monitor at a higher res

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sleyeu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
325
0
Ok let's say I have a mbp 15" and it runs at 1200 x 800 (for example)

let's say I have an external monitor which is 24"

Can I run that external monitor at 1900 x 1200 (I don't know the real resolutions)

would it work? If not, why?

Is there a way I could make the MBP run at a higher resolution so it looks like iMac resolution?
 
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RaceTripper

macrumors 68030
May 29, 2007
2,867
178
I have a MBP (1440x900) running an external monitor at 2560x1600. You just need the appropriate adapter for your MBP.
 
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psingh01

macrumors 68000
Apr 19, 2004
1,571
598
yep, you can run as high as your card can handle which is usually much higher than what the lcd that came with the MBP uses is.
 
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sleyeu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
325
0
Great!

Now I can have an iMac the shape of a laptop!

Are these adapters expensive?
 
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RaceTripper

macrumors 68030
May 29, 2007
2,867
178
sleyeu said:
Great!

Now I can have an iMac the shape of a laptop!

Are these adapters expensive?
Click to expand...
If you have a unibody MBP, Monoprice sells the adapters for $10-15 (much less than Apple charges) for monitors up to 1920x1200. If you get a monitor with higher resolution it gets more complicated. If it uses Dual-link DVI then you need Apple's $99 adapter, which has had a lot of complaints about not working correctly.
 
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snaky69

macrumors 603
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
sleyeu said:
Great!

Now I can have an iMac the shape of a laptop!

Are these adapters expensive?
Click to expand...

Depending on your generation MBP, you may or may not need one. The older, non-unibody MBP's come with a dual link DVI out, a simple DVI cable will connect to any monitor you may want to have.

I have an HP 2159 22'' 1920x1080 screen plugged in to my MBP at this very instant, works flawlessly.
 
S

sleyeu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
325
0
Alright, so it looks like Ill get what I can.

However could you show me a picture of a MacBook pro running a higher resolution, so I can confirm what I'm thinking.

Will the space between the dock and the size of the screen change?
Like 10cms on a mbp and 25cm on the external monitor (just imaginary examples)
 
S

snaky69

macrumors 603
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
sleyeu said:
Alright, so it looks like Ill get what I can.

However could you show me a picture of a MacBook pro running a higher resolution, so I can confirm what I'm thinking.

Will the space between the dock and the size of the screen change?
Like 10cms on a mbp and 25cm on the external monitor (just imaginary examples)
Click to expand...

You choose which display is the primary if you plan on running both at once like I do.

I keep the dock on the MBP's display and work on the external. Otherwise the appearance does not change, everything is the same size as on the native screen and etc, just plug it in and it works, period.
 
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RaceTripper

macrumors 68030
May 29, 2007
2,867
178
I run in clamshell mode with my external monitor. I don't need the 1440x900 screen of my laptop when using my external (which is 2560x1600 at home and 1920x1200 at work).
 
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