How to display 2560x1440 using MacBook Air 2009

[pritygirl]

Hi there,

I just bought an Asus 2560x1440 monitor and I am trying to connect my MacBook Air 2009 to it. The fonts on the monitor are not super crisp. I have the Hdmi cable plugged into the back of the monitor. The other end of the HDMI cable is plugged into the Hdmi to Mini Display Port adapter. That adapter is plugged into my computer. What am I doing wrong in order to get grainy looking fonts and not crisp hi-res looking fonts?

 

[phairphan]

Hi there,

I just bought an Asus 2560x1440 monitor and I am trying to connect my MacBook Air 2009 to it. The fonts on the monitor are not super crisp. I have the Hdmi cable plugged into the back of the monitor. The other end of the HDMI cable is plugged into the Hdmi to Mini Display Port adapter. That adapter is plugged into my computer. What am I doing wrong in order to get grainy looking fonts and not crisp hi-res looking fonts?

I don't believe that HDMI adapter will output 2560x1440, at least not at 60 Hz and not without some jiggery pokery. It sounds like you're outputting a lower resolution which is then being scaled on the monitor. To achieve native resolution on that monitor, you'll need to use DisplayPort. Something like a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable (depends on the connections on the monitor) should work fine. If there isn't a DP input on the monitor, which would be surprising since it's new, your next "best" option is the DP to dual link DVI adapter (these are fraught with problems).

 

[pritygirl]

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I just spoke to someone at Best Buy and he was saying that my old machine may only be outputting what is can to accomadate the larger monitor. My Macbook Air might not be able to put our that much power to make the large monitor really sharp.

 

[chrisherbert]

I'll bet the 2009 MBA can output 2560x1440 but certainly not over HDMI. Does the monitor not have a displayport port?

 

[phairphan]

Your machine can output 2560x1440. In fact, it can handle 2560x1600 at 60Hz. https://support.apple.com/kb/SP548?locale=en_US It's just the HDMI adapter can't output that high of resolution. Switch to a DP-only connection (mini DP to DP or mini DP to mini DP, depending on which connection is on your monitor).

 

[SmOgER]

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I just spoke to someone at Best Buy and he was saying that my old machine may only be outputting what is can to accomadate the larger monitor. My Macbook Air might not be able to put our that much power to make the large monitor really sharp.

The exact opposite is true.