Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacBook with 16:9 external display

M

MisterEd

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 2, 2006
306
8
Hi guys,

I'm looking at getting a 23" dell display for my MacBook 2.0 (white). Now I know that the Macbook will only run up to 1920x1200 max, and this display is actually 2048x1152 - I'm not worried about this, as it should be fine upscaling a slightly lower resolution.
What I need to know is whether the MacBook will be OK with the 16:9 aspect ratio. Does it support any of these resolutions? Or will my image get squashed :(

Thanks for the advice
Ed
 
Of course it will be fine. The macbooks screen is 16:9. Im using my macbook on a 22' 16:9 monitor and it looks perfect!
 
It won't be squashed. You're thinking of the desktop UI as an image. It fact it's not. Your wallpaper will look squashed when using certain settings, but the toolbar, dock, etc will automatically adjust itself. Hard to describe, but let go of the idea that the desktop is a flat image. With that being said, I'd recommend using a regular 6:9 display.
 
greenday123 said:
Of course it will be fine. The macbooks screen is 16:9. Im using my macbook on a 22' 16:9 monitor and it looks perfect!
Click to expand...

The macbook screen is 16:10, actually.

As for the OP, to run that resolution, you can't. If you can run 1920x1080, that will maintain the 16:9 ratio you're looking for. Otherwise, look into more "conventional" 16:10 computer monitors, perhaps the last version of the Dell 24" model?
 
Warning: Those cheap Dell displays use bargain-bin "TN" type LCD displays. I've seen lots of complaints about poor text legibility on cheap Dell panels, let alone poor viewing angles and bad colour accuracy.

The Macbook AFAIK supports a maximum of 1920 horizontal pixels, regardless of vertical resolution. Using a display with a slightly higher resolution will result in very blurry scaling of the image.

Don't buy the monitor. You will only end up wanting your money back. It's going to look like absolute crap when you combine a poor quality TN panel with a blurry, upscaled image.
 
Moriarty said:
Warning: Those cheap Dell displays use bargain-bin "TN" type LCD displays. I've seen lots of complaints about poor text legibility on cheap Dell panels, let alone poor viewing angles and bad colour accuracy.

The Macbook AFAIK supports a maximum of 1920 horizontal pixels, regardless of vertical resolution. Using a display with a slightly higher resolution will result in very blurry scaling of the image.

Don't buy the monitor. You will only end up wanting your money back. It's going to look like absolute crap when you combine a poor quality TN panel with a blurry, upscaled image.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for the warning. Maybe I'll look at a 24" that I can run the native resolution of.

Thanks for the advice people! ;)
 
mac book / viewsonic display is squashed

ok so i have a 13 in mac book, its a few years old...
ive been using a Viewsonic display for a 2nd bigger moniter...
the image was quashed no mater what ratio i choose in syst prefs and
when i called apple care their only suggestion was to buy an apple display
so a friend of mine suggested a software called DisplayConfigX to help translate the inompatibility issue and it worked!
untill i upgraded to the new OSX (10.5.7) now i cant get my 2nd display to work, it squashes the image... any tips? suggestions?
 
undergrounded said:
ok so i have a 13 in mac book, its a few years old...
ive been using a Viewsonic display for a 2nd bigger moniter...
the image was quashed no mater what ratio i choose in syst prefs and
when i called apple care their only suggestion was to buy an apple display
so a friend of mine suggested a software called DisplayConfigX to help translate the inompatibility issue and it worked!
untill i upgraded to the new OSX (10.5.7) now i cant get my 2nd display to work, it squashes the image... any tips? suggestions?
Click to expand...

Did you try to check "Show all resolutions" in the Display preferences and then choose the monitor's native resolution?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back