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I have a Lenovo Thinkpad W530 with a mini displayport (mini DP) port and a monitor with HDMI as well as dual-link DVI-D (digital). I know that I can get an active adapter and go from the laptop's mini displayport to the monitor's dual-link DVI-D port, but can I use a mini-DP to HDMI adapter and get the monitor's supported resolution of 2560 x 1440? (This resolution is supported by the laptop's video card.)
Emilio
Posted 2014-08-13T16:05:32.513
Reputation: 245
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No, probably not. The video specifications are here (which include everything but HDMI).
Unless a laptop supports Dual-mode DisplayPort (aka DP++), an HDMI adapter is typically limited to 1920x1200.
Jason
Posted 2014-08-13T16:05:32.513
Reputation: 5 925
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In theory, you can. Most DisplayPort-HDMI adapters however are not active, meaning they rely on the graphics card to output HDMI instead of DisplayPort—Dual Mode DisplayPort AKA DisplayPort++.
With HDMI, there are typically two limits: You graphics card most likely does not support anything greater than 1920x1200 over HDMI. The same goes for your display (which model?): It probably won’t accept anything above this resolution via HDMI.
The only possible solution is an active adapter. It takes DisplayPort input and outputs Dual-link DVI. These adapters are very expensive (about $ 90) and always need additional power—typically drawn from a USB port.
Examples:
Daniel B
Posted 2014-08-13T16:05:32.513
Reputation: 40 502
The link to the W530 specs that @Jason provided unfortunately doesn't show HDMI. My monitor is a qx2710 led evolution ii multi true10 se http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4JH1NB1871.
– Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:28:32.773@Emilio Hm, so basically a no-name device. Unfortunately, I found no information on the maximum resolution it accepts via HDMI, though it claims to support HDMI 1.4a. Your notebook doesn’t require a HDMI port to support DP++. It’s an internal “connection”. Still, it won’t be enough, as hinted at by the Single-Link DVI resolution. – Daniel B – 2014-08-13T18:40:15.170
Buy by definition dual link DVI (DVI-D) supports that higher resolution, no? Also what do you mean by internal connection? – Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:41:55.923
DP++ ports detect when a passive adapter is connected. It then switches to HDMI internally (on the GPU). This means there is no DisplayPort signal at all. A Dual Link DVI adapter is the safest way to go. – Daniel B – 2014-08-13T18:46:07.207
Gotcha. There goes $90! I should have spent the add'l $50 and gotten the model with the native dp!! haha – Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:49:19.837
The $90 device worked. :( – Emilio – 2014-09-22T22:35:01.197
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Yes, this should work. Display port supports HDMI through a dongle. http://www.vesa.org/displayport-developer/faq/
Abhiram
Posted 2014-08-13T16:05:32.513
Reputation: 191
I discovered this doesn't work because I think in this configuration the max resolution is 1920x1080. – Emilio – 2014-09-22T22:34:34.987
That's the spec doc I've been looking for, thank you! This is a really dumb question, but the max resolutions they are stating for each display type are for the monitor side, not the PC side, right? I guess this is an obvious 'yes' since the W530 has display port only... But I figured I'd ask to make sure. – Emilio – 2014-08-13T17:56:17.900
I see what you mean - most google results show hdmi adapters going up to 1920 only with a few exceptions. Think this http://www.amazon.com/Accell-B086B-008B-2-UltraAV-DisplayPort-Adapter/dp/B00DOZHL82 would work?
– Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:07:13.260W530 has a VGA port. Any Mini DisplayPort adapter will work the same in your situation, since the W530 doesn't support DP++. – Jason – 2014-08-13T18:23:08.793
the W530 has a mini DP also. Please clarify what you are saying about vga? – Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:29:21.000
@Emilio You said, "W530 has display port only". I was merely pointing out that it has VGA as well. – Jason – 2014-08-13T18:30:44.920
Gotcha, whoops my bad. I wish it let me edit the comment. Anyway, what do you think about the Accell adapter I linked to? – Emilio – 2014-08-13T18:35:55.163
@Emilio We don't do product recommendations here. But I did say, "any will work the same". – Jason – 2014-08-13T18:49:50.090