3 Posts
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February 4th, 2021 13:00
3440x1440 on Vostro 5301
I recently purchase a Sceptre 35" (C355W-3440UN) 3440x1440 curved monitor to connect to my work laptop, a Vostro 5301 with an Intel i5-1135G7 processor. When I connect the monitor, I'm only able to obtain a max resolution of 2560x1440. I tried to troubleshoot with tech support for the monitor manufacturer, but they simply said I needed to update my pc, and then ended the chat.
Before I purchased the monitor, I had looked up the processor on Intel's website and it said the max resolution was 4096x2304@60Hz via HDMI, so I thought I'd be able to get 3440x1440. Are there any experts here that could help me?
Some additional info that may be relevant:
- When I first received the monitor, I used an older HDMI cord that I had at home. I connected this to HDMI port 1 on the monitor, the only port supporting 100Hz. The other HDMI inputs support 60Hz. After I could only get 2560x1440, I then connected via an HDMI cord that had been provided by my work. This is a new cord and on the package, it said it supports up to 4k.
- There is also a DisplayPort on the monitor and it came with a DP cable, but I don't have a DP output on the laptop. And although I could be wrong, I didn't think it was necessary to use a DP cable to obtain the higher resolution.
- In the display settings, I have it setup to extend the displays, so I'm able to control separate resolutions on the monitor and the laptop
- The monitor tech support rep suggested I change the Hz to 100. When I checked the settings, the Hz was at 59 and the only other option was 60Hz. When I selected 60Hz, I was still unable to obtain 3440x1440
Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone may be able to provide. Please let me know if any additional information is needed. FYI, I believe that Windows and the drivers are up to date, but I'm not 100% certain. Thanks again!
jphughan
9 Legend
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14K Posts
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February 4th, 2021 13:00
@SeaRanch The product page for the Vostro 5401 here says the HDMI port is 1.4b, which maxes out at either 2560x1440 60 Hz or 4K 30 Hz (not 60 Hz). The fact that the Intel GPU might support a higher resolution over HDMI doesn't mean that the system vendor implemented it that way. But the 5401 has a USB-C port that supports video output, so if you get a USB-C to DisplayPort cable you should be good to go.
jphughan
9 Legend
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14K Posts
1
February 4th, 2021 13:00
@SeaRanch Happy to help. For what it's worth, I was surprised to see that the HDMI output only supported 1.4b given that this is a new system. Dell has had HDMI 2.0, which supports up to 4K 60 Hz, on at least some systems since mid-2018 or so. But the good news is that the USB-C port is practically guaranteed to work, because the oldest DisplayPort standard that was ever used over USB-C was 1.2, and that supports 4K 60 Hz already. But based on the CPU, the system should actually support DisplayPort 1.4, and it's less likely that Dell may have introduced a limitation there compared to HDMI because the GPU itself natively outputs DisplayPort, whereas at least in some cases, the HDMI outputs work by having a converter chip accept a DisplayPort signal from the GPU and switch it to HDMI. And maybe the converter chips that support HDMI 2.0 are more expensive or something. Anyway, you'll be good to go either way. Good luck!
SeaRanch
3 Posts
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February 4th, 2021 13:00
Thank you so much. I had a feeling I was missing something, but just didn't know what. I will try the USB-C to DP cable. I really, really appreciate your help and quick response
SeaRanch
3 Posts
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February 4th, 2021 14:00
Thanks again @jphughan . And thanks for the additional background info as well. I really haven't paid attention to any of this stuff in the last 10-15 years. I had been happy with everything at 1080p....tv's, my own laptop, etc. But I recently started a new job that entails some extensive spreadsheet work and wanted to give 3440x1440 a try for the extra real estate. Its already better in the lower resolution...hopefully it'll be even better in higher res. Anyways, thanks again for your help and the info. In the short time from my initial post until now, you were able to help and educate me more than I was able to in several hours of my own research and online chats with the monitor manufacturer. So cheers to you kind stranger! I owe you a drink!