secondary computer screen for MBP

hduncan · 28th January 2008

I have a nice big dell 30" monitor but when I mirror the macs screen to it, it is sort of blurry and not its' max res.. Is there a way to have the secondary screen be the main one so I can have the top bar ( edit/ window/ etc) on the dell screen and have the res be 1900 and not 1440?
I only know how to mirror I'd have the 30" be an extension.

Tibbon · 28th January 2008

Don't mirror the displays, but just set it as a secondary display. You can set which one is the primary under Display Settings. I use a 37" screen and it's just about perfect.

hduncan · 28th January 2008

How do you get rid of the blurriness when the External isn't running at native res?

mortlar · 28th January 2008

I think he is saying that the display is running at native res...

1. add external monitor as secondary display
2. adjust resolution so it´s all good
3 switch which one is primary (just like he said)

LLSIII · 28th January 2008

As mentioned, you can set up the secondary monitor as the primary monitor, then it has the "top bar" etc. on it.
Go to the Display menu and select what you want. I have my Mac set up this way and it works great. On the same screen, I can choose the native resolution of the secondary screen and so it is sharp. And if I disconnect the secondary screen, then the original screen becomes primary by default.

But...how old is your Mac? Older G4's don't have a card that is capable of secondary display, only mirroring...

hduncan · 28th January 2008

I have a new MBP. Igot it to run on native RES but now its so small haha

Tibbon · 28th January 2008

My MBP's built in monitor is running at 1440x900 and my 37" is running (out via the DVI connector) at 1920x1080. No blurries, no problems.

The only downside to running two screen is that it roughly splits the video memory in half per screen. Only matters on graphics heavy programs like Aperture or FCP.

hduncan · 29th January 2008

I finally figured out that you have to drag the top bar over from the mac screen to the external.

thanks everyone! works great now! (though it might be "too" small now)

is it best to have the screen far back away from the speakers as possible? or can it be right up, flush with the plane of the speaker cones?

28th January 2008	#1
hduncan Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 2,013 Thread Starter	secondary computer screen for MBP I have a nice big dell 30" monitor but when I mirror the macs screen to it, it is sort of blurry and not its' max res.. Is there a way to have the secondary screen be the main one so I can have the top bar ( edit/ window/ etc) on the dell screen and have the res be 1900 and not 1440? I only know how to mirror I'd have the 30" be an extension. __________________ //Hawk Duncan [2.66Ghz i7 MacBook Pro, 8GB, Logic 9, ProFire2626]

28th January 2008	#2
Tibbon Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Boston/MA Posts: 4,780 2 Reviews written	Don't mirror the displays, but just set it as a secondary display. You can set which one is the primary under Display Settings. I use a 37" screen and it's just about perfect. __________________ David Fisher (aka tibbon) What is Noise, Blog (DIY, gear, tech, etc) Follow me on Twitter imVOX- Voice for Gamers WTB: Moog Theremin Signature Edition

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28th January 2008	#4
mortlar Gear Head Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 69	I think he is saying that the display is running at native res... 1. add external monitor as secondary display 2. adjust resolution so it´s all good 3 switch which one is primary (just like he said)

28th January 2008	#5
LLSIII Gear Head Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 36	As mentioned, you can set up the secondary monitor as the primary monitor, then it has the "top bar" etc. on it. Go to the Display menu and select what you want. I have my Mac set up this way and it works great. On the same screen, I can choose the native resolution of the secondary screen and so it is sharp. And if I disconnect the secondary screen, then the original screen becomes primary by default. But...how old is your Mac? Older G4's don't have a card that is capable of secondary display, only mirroring...

29th January 2008	#8
hduncan Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 2,013 Thread Starter	I finally figured out that you have to drag the top bar over from the mac screen to the external. thanks everyone! works great now! (though it might be "too" small now) is it best to have the screen far back away from the speakers as possible? or can it be right up, flush with the plane of the speaker cones?