My Dell screen and rMBP are confusing me

Are you sure its HDMI and not a Display Port plug? Display port looks like a fat HDMI...but they are not the same.



HDMI on the left, displayport on the right.

 

DVI son

 

DVI-D (Dual link)

 

dvi-d get a mini display to dvi-d

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=6904&seq=1&format=2

 

dvi-d

 

make sure if you get a DVI cable that you get the right one. At that resolution the $30 apple DVI cable will only give you half res. Better to get a display to mini display port.

 

I think that dell takes displayport in. In which case you should get this kind of cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

 

since the link you posted says that the monitor should have an hdmi input, disregard the cable coming out of the monitor (the one you pictured) and look for an input that corresponds to the hdmi from your rmbp.

You will be looking for a smaller input at the back of your monitor. Once you find it, just plug hdmi from your rmbp to the monitor and switch inputs on the monitor menu (if the monitor doesnt automatically switch to available inputs).

 

Gotcha! In any case, from images I found on the internets, the HDMI input on the back of your monitor should be labeled.

 

I'm not sure if it Dell provides you with one, but manufacturer's usually just include a DVI cable (like the one you pictured) and a VGA cable. My monitor (ASUS) only came with the two I mentioned. I dont think the rmbp also comes with one.

They're pretty cheap if you get them from amazon or monoprice.com.

 

I can confirm that the only cable the new MBP comes with is the power cord.

 

The HDMI port of the rMBP will only support resolutions up to 1920x1200. You will need to get a minidisplay==>HDMI adaptor to get your monitor's 2560x1440.


Something like this:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H...Adapter?fnode=51&fs=m.productKind=video_cable

 

This isn't entirely true. I've used my rMBP's HDMI port to drive a monitor at 2560x1440@60Hz. But it only worked in Windows. Apple's drivers seem to limit the HDMI port to 165MHz. It is an HDMI 1.4 port so it *should* allow the port to run at 340MHz. But we won't see any changes there until 2560 HDMI monitors become more common.

However, I am not sure if that particular dell is capable of receiving a 2560 signal over HDMI. So mdp -> DP is a safer bet.

OP: Buy the cable I linked you to in my earlier post.

 

DVI, same one that's currently hooked up to my work MBP to my 24" external. It probably looks bulky because it's not a HDMI cable.

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Really doubtful that either came with an HDMI cable. you can pick up up for less than $10 online, or, if you feel like it, can pay Monster $200 for the same thing.

 

Ah. I did not know that the OPs's Dell monitor had a DP option. Should have read the thread closer. My bad and I stand corrected.

 

The specs for that monitor say that it has a Displayport input.

The Displayport connector should look sort of like HDMI but is a bit different:


If your Dell monitor has Displayport, I think that this connection option will provide the best resolution compatibility.

The Retina Macbook Pro supports Mini-Displayport connections on each of it's two Thunderbolt ports.

You would need a cable like this to convert from the Mini-Displayport connector to the full size Displayport connector that your Dell should have:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10246&cs_id=1024606&p_id=6007&seq=1&format=2

 

My god, it's not that hard.

Your dell is a 2560x1440 display. It can accept that resolution over two interfaces only: Dual-link DVI and displayport. Your rMBP can natively only output mini displayport (electrically identical to displayport) and HDMI (which for our purposes is equivalent to a single-link DVI port).

So your only option is displayport. What you want is a cable that is mini-displayport on one end, and displayport on the other end. That is what the guy posted, and it is not the same as the adapter you linked to.

Plug the small end into one of your thunerbolt ports (which also double as minidisplayports), and the other end into the monitor.

I personally own this cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

It can also transmit audio in my experience, if that matters to you.