Going nuts: Two DVI-Monitors on Dell M6600 Firepro M8900

I have two Samsung 2343BW with the nice, but exotic resolution of 2048x1152 and only DVI and VGA ports.
Ok, so I learned I need to have an active DisplayPort->DVI adapter to use one monitor attached to the dvi port and the second one to displayport via the adapter. I bought a Delock adapter.

Unfortunately Windows does not detect the specific monitor behind the adapter, so I am only offered resolutions up to 1600x1200 by default.
I can enable FullHD resolution in the Catalyst Pro Control Center, but 1900x1080 still looks ugly on a native 2048x1152 display :-(

How the heck can I enable the correct, native resolution?

I googled to and fro, tried PowerStrip, tried adding DALNonStandardModesBCD1/2/3 = "20 48 11 52 00 00 00 00" to the registry (those values weren't there like I read in some articles they should be, but adding them made no difference).

Any ideas?

 

Are you sure the adapter supports that resolution? Most I have seen only go up to 1920x1200.

Edit: I believe anything higher requires dual link DVI output, which would cost more than the 'standard' adapters.

 

No, 2048x1152@60Hz is driving single link bandwidth to the max, but it works fine: I can use that resolution on my monitor with a single link dvi cable both when connected to the dvi port of the notebook or with a passive adapter at the displayport (as long as I connect only one monitor).

However I cannot even configure 1920x1200 when using the active adapter - the stupid Catalyst Control Center only allows me to choose FullHD as override (1920x1080).
Any idea how to force anything higher?

 

I hate to bring it back up, but did you check the actual specifications for the DVI/DP adapter? Most specify 1920x1200 as their max resolution. The only 'Delock' brand adapter I found during a cursory search has this same limitation on max resolution.

As for the drivers, if it isn't limiting the resolution due to the adapter the only way I know is to force a different monitor driver that has a larger range of allowed resolutions.

 

Well, maybe that really is the only problem.
Though it is strange that I cannot even select 1920x1080 (or anything else higher than 1600x1200) and that the monitor is only recognized as "Generic Non-PnP".
My hope was that the 1920x1200 spec was only because that is the highest available single-link DVI resolution on any currently available monitor.

For now I make do with the same solution as on my old M6300: A Kensington USB->DVI adapter. I don't really care about graphics performance, so that's ok for me, but it feels stupid to have such a fast card as the Firepro M8900 and not being able to use it.

I have also ordered a saphhire DisplayPort->DVI adapter - maybe that one will work (and yeah, it also only specifies 1920x1200).

 

Please let us know, I would like to know for future reference.

 

I looked at the Delock adapters for a moment -- every single one of the product pages I opened up had a maximum resolution of 1920x1200 listed in the specifications.

To drive higher resolution displays you need a dual link DVI adapter that typically eat more power. Look for an adapter that has an additional USB plug for power as that is usually a good sign it can handle the resolutions you need.

 

If youre trying to use eyefinity it will only work at the max resolution of the lowest monitor. So if your built in LCD runs at 1920x1080 then no matter what the native is of the external that is as high as it will allow. Honestly if you want them to run at full resolution then run 2 external with the internal off or just run one of the external LCDs.

 

Hooray, turns out it really was the Delock adapter's fault.
With the sapphire adapter it just works out-of-the-box.

I am now running the laptop's display (1920x1080) plus one monitor at the docking station's dvi port (2048x1152) plus the other external monitor at the docking station's displayport connected via the sapphire dvi adapter.

To clarify the Single-Link/Dual-Link discussion: I never had any problems running the monitor with its native resolution of 2048x1152 on a single link cable.
Single-link-DVI at 60Hz supports resolutions of up to 2098x1311 - see wikipedia.

 

Glad to hear it! They must build in an artificial limit to the passive adapters. That is an odd resolution, delock may not have taken it into account when they made their adapter and inadvertently locked it out.