External display resolution

[patseguin]

I finally connected my MBP to my Dell U2711 and it looks really great especially at 2560 X 1440. This is with extended display. If I turn on mirroring, it lists the 2560 X 1440 resolution as available and selected but the display is clearly not at that resolution. With mirroring are you limited to what the MBP can do on it's display? That doesn't make much sense because Apply makes its own external display for this exact use. Unless they are all meant to be used as extended monitors. Heck, it's even nice having it extended but my intention was to use it with my MBP in "clamshell" mode and hook up my 10 point multitouch screen to my PC. Is the display really limited to the MBP's resolution in mirroring?

 

[Sylonien]

Just did a quick test.
My MacBook is 15" Retina, late 2013.

When I hit mirror, currently only connected to a 24" HDMI screen.
It would force the laptops screen to be scaled to look like 1080p
(with top and bottom black bars) matching the external screen ratio.

Previously when I had a 34UM95 and mirrored,
it again would be scaled to a tiny looking screen on the laptop.

 

[patseguin]

Just did a quick test.
My MacBook is 15" Retina, late 2013.

When I hit mirror, currently only connected to a 24" HDMI screen.
It would force the laptops screen to be scaled to look like 1080p
(with top and bottom black bars) matching the external screen ratio.

Previously when I had a 34UM95 and mirrored,
it again would be scaled to a tiny looking screen on the laptop.

Yeah that makes sense since HDMI only does 1080p. The Display-port should support my 2560 X 1440 display, which it just does just not in mirroring.

 

[Sylonien]

I just did a test on my new ASUS ProArt PA279Q 2560x1440 IPS screen via HDMI and I managed to run at it at the monitors native resolution, exactly the same as using the DisplayPort! Didn't know the HDMI supports more than 1080p. New standard perhaps on the MacBook Pro.