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3360x1417 or 3360x1418

croco_dile

croco_dile

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 3, 2016
206
191
I have a rather strange situation.

I have a Dell UltraSharp U4021QW, which has a resolution of 5k2k.

I have two macs at home. First is a 2018 Macbook Pro 15". And when it is hooked up with the Dell, I can set the Dell to use a resolution of 3360 x 1417.

The second is a 2921 MacBook Pro 14". And when it is hooked up with the Dell, the resolution is 3360 x 1418.

Which is the correct resolution?

When it is 3360 x 1417, I do notice at the centre of the screen there is a 'line' where the pixel appears to be compressed.
 
None of these HiDPI resolutions match the monitor's aspect ratio exactly (3360×1417.5 does). So, none are "correct" in this regard.

3360×1417 HiDPI downscales a 6720×2834 framebuffer to a 5120×2160 output; 3360×1418 HiDPI downscales a 6720×2826 framebuffer to a 5120×2160 output.

Your observation with the "compressed" pixel is interesting. Can you take a picture of that?
 
Amethyst1 said:
None of these HiDPI resolutions match the monitor's aspect ratio exactly (3360×1417.5 does). So, none are "correct" in this regard.

3360×1417 HiDPI downscales a 6720×2834 framebuffer to a 5120×2160 output; 3360×1418 HiDPI downscales a 6720×2826 framebuffer to a 5120×2160 output.

Your observation with the "compressed" pixel is interesting. Can you take a picture of that?
Click to expand...
Please check this photo. https://cln.sh/a92piW

I have highlighted the vertical line of 'compressed pixel' in the orange box. You can see the letter "i", "e" and "d" do not full the complete pixels.

I don't see this when my 2021 Macbook Pro 14 is connected to the monitor.

Does this suggest a software issue or hardware?
 
Have you tried displaying the native resolution?
If this doesn't happen when outputting a native resolution, then this is probably an artifact of the scaled resolution. The two machines have different GPU so they handle the scaling differently. You might be able to change the resolution using switchresx to match that of the Pro 14 and see if this fixes the issue.

As an aside, how do you like this monitor?

I was seriously considering getting this monitor but I decided it probably wouldn't be enough space for me to have just one monitor and that I would probably be better off with two 32 inch monitors.
 
fgengineer said:
Have you tried displaying the native resolution?
If this doesn't happen when outputting a native resolution, then this is probably an artifact of the scaled resolution. The two machines have different GPU so they handle the scaling differently. You might be able to change the resolution using switchresx to match that of the Pro 14 and see if this fixes the issue.

As an aside, how do you like this monitor?

I was seriously considering getting this monitor but I decided it probably wouldn't be enough space for me to have just one monitor and that I would probably be better off with two 32 inch monitors.
Click to expand...
This problem does not happen at the native resolution. The problem is the 2018 MBP is a work-issued machine and I can't install any third-party application such as switchresx to try. The problem is annoying for otherwise a great monitor. I have upgraded from a 4k 27" LG after 6 years, and I bought the Dell the day after Apple announced the Studio Display, having learnt how arrogant Apple has become in their product design again.

This monitor has a smaller footprint than two 32 inches, so should not be a problem?
 
joevt said:
If the 3360 x 1418 mode looks better, then on the 2018 Macbook Pro 15", create a 6720×2826 scaled mode using SwitchResX.
Click to expand...
I couldn't even try, as the work-issued mac is fully locked down from installing any 3rd party apps.
 
Just switched to a LG 40WP95C which is also a 5k2k 40" ultrawide. Interestly, I get different scaled resolution on this monitor. Instead of 3360x1418, I get 3840x1620 or 3200X1350.

Any idea why the resolution is different between the two monitors?
 
croco_dile said:
Any idea why the resolution is different between the two monitors?
Click to expand...
Some difference in the EDID retuned by the monitor, probably the overall screen size (39.7” vs 40”). If you can’t put SwitchResX on your Mac, you’re going to have very inconsistent results with these types of monitors. You may want to ask your IT help desk to install it for you.
 
edanuff said:
Some difference in the EDID retuned by the monitor, probably the overall screen size (39.7” vs 40”). If you can’t put SwitchResX on your Mac, you’re going to have very inconsistent results with these types of monitors. You may want to ask your IT help desk to install it for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply.

Both are actually 39.7", and I thought the Dell was also using an LG panel.

I installed SwitchResX on my home Mac and can see all the different resolutions available including 3360x1418. So it must be something that Mac's preference choose to 'not highlight'. I happen to prefer 3840x1620 anyway, so it's an added bonus to discover that after switching to the LG.
 
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