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4k on a 5,1 Mac Pro

Socket

Socket

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 9, 2015
144
16
Hi
I have a 4,1=>5,1 Mac Pro, with GTX960 PC edition and a Dell P2715Q connected via DP1.2

I don't understand if it's possibile form me to see the "retina settings" in control panel, I can see only the "classical" windows.

I want this
Schermo4kRetina.png

But I have this
Schermo4k.png

First question: Why I can't see these settings?

Second:Is there an app or a terminal command to have the "retina settings" on my mac pro?

Third: Or maybe is there a solution to see the menu bar and windows larger when I use 3200x1800 (or higher) settings?

Thanks in advance
 
Socket said:
Hi
I have a 4,1=>5,1 Mac Pro, with GTX960 PC edition and a Dell P2715Q connected via DP1.2

I don't understand if it's possibile form me to see the "retina settings" in control panel, I can see only the "classical" windows.

I want this
View attachment 578266

But I have this
View attachment 578267

First question: Why I can't see these settings?

Second:Is there an app or a terminal command to have the "retina settings" on my mac pro?

Third: Or maybe is there a solution to see the menu bar and windows larger when I use 3200x1800 (or higher) settings?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

+1
I have the same issue :(
 
I believe the reason you aren't seeing the retina style monitor screen could be linked to the specific monitor and/or the fact that Apple doesn't believe your machine should support 4k. They specify that the nMP officially supports 4k, but older Mac Pros do not.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856


If you hold option and click Scaled (Ridimensionsata), does the 3840x2160 resolution come up? It looks like you already know that trick and have done so, but just offering the option I know about. The software solution SwitchResX may also help you with setting up a HiDPI mode such as 1920x1080 on a 4k screen. There is a 10 day trial, so you can give that a shot before spending money on something that may not work for you.
 
Hi
I also think that it's a "old mac pro" limit, because In scaled resolution i can see all resolutions, until 6400x3600 (wich is impossibile to use because text is microscopic!)

I also activated the HiDPI mode and all works fine (in fact, if I made a screenshot of a 2560x1440 screen, the file is 5120x2880, so I am in a retina configuration yet), i'm very happy but I would to have the high menu bar and the finder windows bigger...I think it could be easy, I can't believe that it's impossible to do, also for an "old" mac pro!!! There are no app in the world that could give me a menu bar bigger than the default? Or a finder windows? Or applications menus?

I was able to upgrade the firmware from 4,1 to 5,1, i was able to use a "unofficial" GTC960, i was able to upgrade also the two cpu's....and I can't have the "retina settings", or I can't have menubar bigger? It's crazy ahahahah!!!

(I tried also with ElCapitan beta, and it's the same)
 
Sounds like it is time to plan the migration to a new machine. Wait to see what the Skylake based machines will look like this spring. Apple may also update nMP with newer CPUs, USB-C running TB3 and USB 3.1. That would be a good time for Dell and the other monitor makers to be ready for 5K monitors using SST instead of MST.
 
No, you cannot. For the cMP, only Mavericks give you the option for HiDPI (hold "Option" before you click on scale). However, that still not the UI you are looking for, but just an extra scale option like "1920x1080 HiDPI".

On the other hand, 960 required Yosemite or above. So there is no way for you to go back to Mavericks, that means there is no way to select any HiDPI (retina) option by the OSX itself.

So, you will need something like SwitchResX (3rd party software) to get what you need.
 
No, it is fairly simple.

HiDPI is nothing more than pixel doubling, so 1 pixel becomes 4 pixels in information.

The "Scaled" options you have, do that in the background. So if you set 3200 x 1800 for example, the image will de rendered at 6400 x 3600 to have that crisp pixel doubling information and then scaled down to 3840 x 2160. So, you have HiDPI on anyway when you choose any of the "Scaled" options.

You can try it out by the way, take a screenshot of the full screen and see the resolution of this screenshot. It will be 6400 x 3600 when you're running at Scaled 3200 x 1800 ;)
 
yes I know, in fact i wrote this:
Socket said:
(in fact, if I made a screenshot of a 2560x1440 screen, the file is 5120x2880, so I am in a retina configuration yet), i'm very happy but I would to have the high menu bar and the finder windows bigger...I think it could be easy, I can't believe that it's impossible to do, also for an "old" mac pro!!! There are no app in the world that could give me a menu bar bigger than the default? Or a finder windows? Or applications menus?
Click to expand...

so, my problem is NOT the resolution (hiDPI), because i have YET it! My problem is that the menus, the menu bar, the finder's windows, the applications buttons and menus, are TOO LITTLE when i work in 3200x1800 and I cannot work because I see nothing!

I gone on an apple store, I tried to set the monitor on imac 5k at bigger resolution (i set up on "more space" setting, looks like 5120 X 2880) and menu bars and fcpx buttons and windows are READABLE, not so little like at my home! And I don't understand why?!?!?
 
Socket said:
yes I know, in fact i wrote this:


so, my problem is NOT the resolution (hiDPI), because i have YET it! My problem is that the menus, the menu bar, the finder's windows, the applications buttons and menus, are TOO LITTLE when i work in 3200x1800 and I cannot work because I see nothing!

I gone on an apple store, I tried to set the monitor on imac 5k at bigger resolution (i set up on "more space" setting, looks like 5120 X 2880) and menu bars and fcpx buttons and windows are READABLE, not so little like at my home! And I don't understand why?!?!?
Click to expand...

Did you ever find a solution to this ? I'm in a similar boat with MacPro 3.1 (now on El Capitan) with a Titan X - can get all the different resolutions in the world, but miss those UI scaling options :-(
 
PitBullCH said:
Did you ever find a solution to this ? I'm in a similar boat with MacPro 3.1 (now on El Capitan) with a Titan X - can get all the different resolutions in the world, but miss those UI scaling options :-(
Click to expand...
no. unfortunately no solutions. neither in elcapitan...i'm working in 2560x1440, waiting for some solutions...bye
 
Socket said:
yes I know, in fact i wrote this:


so, my problem is NOT the resolution (hiDPI), because i have YET it! My problem is that the menus, the menu bar, the finder's windows, the applications buttons and menus, are TOO LITTLE when i work in 3200x1800 and I cannot work because I see nothing!

I gone on an apple store, I tried to set the monitor on imac 5k at bigger resolution (i set up on "more space" setting, looks like 5120 X 2880) and menu bars and fcpx buttons and windows are READABLE, not so little like at my home! And I don't understand why?!?!?
Click to expand...

I have never known any version of Mac OS or OS X that had a variable sized menu bar.

On an iMac 5K, the "more space" setting is in fact 3200x1800 resolution.
Screen Shot 2015-10-05 at 5.52.20 AM.png


Holding the Option key when clicking on the Scaled button gives you access to all these resolutions and more. Having the following is nothing more than a pretty visual presentation. Every one of those options are still available to you.
Screen Shot 2015-10-05 at 5.55.25 AM.png
 
pastrychef said:
I have never known any version of Mac OS or OS X that had a variable sized menu bar.

On an iMac 5K, the "more space" setting is in fact 3200x1800 resolution.
View attachment 589773

Holding the Option key when clicking on the Scaled button gives you access to all these resolutions and more. Having the following is nothing more than a pretty visual presentation. Every one of those options are still available to you. View attachment 589774
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing, but I went to an apple store and I set the "more space" on a imac 5k...and I saw that windows, finder, spotlight, dock, menu bar, fcpx settings and icons and buttons, all seams "at the good scale". Instead with my monitor, when I set up in 3200x1800, I see all too little!
It's true? Or it's only my impression?
 
AFAIK, the normal 3200x1800 is not HiDPI, of course will looks different than the "more space" option which is 3200x1800 HiDPI. As I said in the last post, there is no more HiDPI option since Yosemite. So, there may be no way for you to achieve the same looking as the 5k iMac (at least not natively and easily).
 
h9826790 said:
AFAIK, the normal 3200x1800 is not HiDPI, of course will looks different than the "more space" option which is 3200x1800 HiDPI. As I said in the last post, there is no more HiDPI option since Yosemite. So, there may be no way for you to achieve the same looking as the 5k iMac (at least not natively and easily).
Click to expand...

But, if I make a screenshot of a 3200x1800 screen, i have a picture 6400x3600 pixels...why? I think because it's Hidpi mode, or not?
 
pastrychef said:
If one option says "(low resolution)", is it safe to assume that the other is HiDPI?

View attachment 589882
Click to expand...

yes it's this
I have same monitor as you, so I ask you, if you set this resolution, you are able to read the text of your software menu's? And the text in finder? And you can work? I don't, it's all so tiny!
 
Oh~ It's good to know that. So it seems only my 4K TV was affected, but a real computer monitor can still use HiDPI after Mavericks.
 
Socket said:
yes it's this
I have same monitor as you, so I ask you, if you set this resolution, you are able to read the text of your software menu's? And the text in finder? And you can work? I don't, it's all so tiny!
Click to expand...

Yes, this is the resolution I use everyday. I can read everything fine.
 
Socket said:
Thanks
I tried yet with Switch Res and obtain same HiDpi resolutions, but all resolutions were too small (like 960x600) and for me it's not good
Click to expand...

Ah okay. Sorry to hear that. If you ever figure something out, would you mind sharing?
 
Thanks to all the contributors here. I have the same monitor (P2715Q) on my GTX 970 and have been using Display Menu to run at 3200x1800, which I have been pretty happy with. I tried holding option key when selecting "Scaled" and saw for the first time that I have been running at "3200 x 1800 low resolution", which I confirmed with a screen shot. I chose the other "3200 x 1800" and a screen shot is now 6400 x 3600!

I will have to use this mode for a bit to see if anything is better. No elements of the OSX changed (menu bar size, finder, etc.), so it's purely internal and for sharpness only?
 
dmylrea said:
I will have to use this mode for a bit to see if anything is better. No elements of the OSX changed (menu bar size, finder, etc.), so it's purely internal and for sharpness only?
Click to expand...

Yes, I believe that the HiDPI modes primary intention is to improve sharpness. I have never used any of the "low resolution" settings so I have no idea how effective it actually is in real world usage.

One thing that I have thought about is how this all affects VRAM usage. My guess is that on systems that have graphics cards that are low on VRAM, I think the "low resolution" settings may help performance in certain instances.
 
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