MP 1,1-5,1 New Viewsonic VP2768

[1970mgbgt]

Could somebody please help me?

Hi all,
I just bought a new Viewsonic VP2768 to use on my MacPro 5,1 2010 Dual Proc 2.4 quad core, running OS 10.6.8. This machine has its original Radeon HD5770 graphics card. A mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable was provided to connect it to the miniDP port on the computer.

When I hook it up I get nothing, just a tiny "No Signal Detected" window pops up for about 5 seconds, and then it goes dark. I can sort of get it to mirror or take over as monitor for my Mac Book Pro running Mavericks, but what's displayed is not really useable. There are no relevant Mac drivers on the AMD website for this card or this monitor. Everymac says this machine should be able to run multiple monitors at this resolution - 2550x1440 or better.

I can't help thinking I'm missing something fundamental here. Can you help me out?

Thanks.

 

[1970mgbgt]

Nobody?

 

[Amethyst1]

The monitor has:

- a DisplayPort INPUT. That's what you want to use. Make sure you're connected to this one.

- a DisplayPort OUTPUT. That's the wrong one (it's just for daisy-chaining multiple monitors).

How are you connecting it to the MacBook Pro, and how is it "not really usable"?

 

[1970mgbgt]

Yes. I was advised of this difference in ports when I talked to the Viewsonic Tech Support guy. He happened to be working from home off a Mac Pro just like mine, the only difference being that he had upgraded the OS to a later version. He was using the default Radeon HD 5770 graphics card, just like mine.

It is "not really usable" because the screen is black and the only thing that shows is a short-lived message that says "No Signal Detected" in a tiny gray box in the center of it.

I want to stick with Snow Leopard because I understand Photoshop CS2 and CS5 and can use them effectively. Other software falls in this category as well.

There must be later better monitors that will work with this configuration of card (ATI Radeon HD 5770) and OS (10.6.8). I just can't find a list of them, or, failing that, a way to make a modern monitor like the Viewsonic recognize the Mac Pro in its current state work.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,

MGB

 

[Amethyst1]

So...

1. You're absolutely sure to be using the monitor's DisplayPort input. Correct?

2. When you connect the monitor to your MacBook Pro using the same cable and input, it doesn't display anything either. Correct?

What model (year and screen size) is your MBP?

 

[1970mgbgt]

So...

1. You're absolutely sure to be using the monitor's DisplayPort input. Correct?

2. When you connect the monitor to your MacBook Pro using the same cable and input, it doesn't display anything either. Correct?

What model (year and screen size) is your MBP?

1) Yes
2) It's a Mac Pro late 2010 model 5,1, not a MacBook Pro. And I used the cable provided with the new monitor (Display Port-to-Mini Display Port cable). The old monitor (a CRT made by Lacie) connected via DVI, but there os no DVI port on the new monitor.

 

[Amethyst1]

2) It's a Mac Pro late 2010 model 5,1, not a MacBook Pro.

I was referring to this:

I can sort of get it to mirror or take over as monitor for my Mac Book Pro running Mavericks, but what's displayed is not really useable.

Which is why I asked about your MBP. It strikes me as slightly odd that the monitor doesn't work on two different machines.

Can you access the monitors on-screen menu and check that it's set to the correct input?

If you boot the Mac Pro with both the CRT and the new monitor connected, does OS X recognise the new monitor at all (in System Profiler -> Graphics/Displays)?

 

[1970mgbgt]

Sorry. Yes I plugged the monitor in to my MBP, via the DisplayPort-to-miniDisplayPort cable that came with the monitor (that I had previously tried to hook up to the MacPro with) and it mirrored part of what was on the screen of the MBP, minus about half the windows open on the MBP, and the cursor not functioning and the inability to open any menu items from the Finder menu nor any applications. No on-screen menu from the monitor beyond the hardware buttons on the back which allow you to switch cable sources and had no effect when trying to switch from Display Port to Mini Display Port. Still got that "No Signal Detected" message, then screen went black again. I did not think to look it up in System Profiler, so I can't say anything about that. That would have been a logical move, which I muffed.

Because of Best Buy's return policy, I had to either send the Viewsonic back right away, or eat it. Since I couldn't get it to work and Viewsonic's own tech support couldn't figure it out, I decided to bail on it while I could and sent it back.

Now, I'm looking to buy something I know will work with the Mac Pro running the ATI HD 5770 card and Snow Leopard.

I know this is an old system, but, as a photographer used to working in the CS2 environment, I'd like to continue using it if at all possible.

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Amethyst1]

Now, I'm looking to buy something I know will work with the Mac Pro running the ATI HD 5770 card and Snow Leopard.

I've had good experiences with Dell monitors. They have 27" 2560×1440 ones too, such as the U2719, U2721 or P2720.

 

[1970mgbgt]

I wonder if I need some kind of special adapter or something. That Viewsonic has every port ever invented and should have worked.

 

[Amethyst1]

I wonder if I need some kind of special adapter or something. That Viewsonic has every port ever invented and should have worked.

There is an active converter to go from DVI to Mini-Displayport, yes, but it's somewhat hard to find these days.

However, since your Mac and monitor both have Displayport it's supposed to work just fine, no converter necessary. Perhaps the monitor or cable was faulty.

 

[sfalatko]

Have you thought about a used Apple 27" Cinema display? (Not a 27" Thunderbolt display but the 27" cinema display). I have seen them used on Craigslist and even Amazon. It definitely will work with your MacPro.

 

[Amethyst1]

That's an option if you don't mind it being ridiculously glossy.

 

[sfalatko]

That's an option if you don't mind it being ridiculously glossy.

Indeed. I don't usually mind it but it does occasionally become a real problem.

 

[1970mgbgt]

Have you thought about a used Apple 27" Cinema display? (Not a 27" Thunderbolt display but the 27" cinema display). I have seen them used on Craigslist and even Amazon. It definitely will work with your MacPro.

I almost bought one of those from Ebay, but it would start its working life with me already ten years old. I don't know how long that monitor lasts, but I was hoping to go with something new that had some long-term potential. Maybe I should reconsider.

 

[1970mgbgt]

There is an active converter to go from DVI to Mini-Displayport, yes, but it's somewhat hard to find these days.

However, since your Mac and monitor both have Displayport it's supposed to work just fine, no converter necessary. Perhaps the monitor or cable was faulty.

The Viewsonic tech support person came to that conclusion - that the monitor might be faulty. It should have worked. It had every port you could possibly think of, but I didn't have time to order them all and try them, as I had a short window for returning it. So I just returned it.

 

[Amethyst1]

It had every port you could possibly think of,

Nope - it lacks a dual-link DVI input despite that being more than enough for 2560×1440. But I'm not blaming the manufacturer(s) for omitting a port that isn't even included on today's graphics cards anymore. As a counter-example, my first 2560×1440 monitor I bought in 2010 had VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, Component and Composite Video inputs.

 

[1970mgbgt]

You're right. If it had had one of those ports, I could have used an existing cable.

I just don't understand why the provided DP-to-miniDP cable didn't work. Was it something I did or didn't do, or was there something wrong with the monitor? I didn't have any of the other cables for the ports included.

I'm really tempted to buy another copy of the Viewsonic just to see if it works with another one.

 

[Amethyst1]

just don't understand why the provided DP-to-miniDP cable didn't work. Was it something I did or didn't do, or was there something wrong with the monitor?

I'd say it's more likely to have been a faulty monitor or cable given that it failed to work with two different computers.

One thing you can do is get a new monitor that also has a dual-link DVI input so you use the 5770's dual-link DVI rather than bothering with DP. You need to ensure you also get a dual-link DVI cable then (if the monitor doesn't include one).

But again, DP should just work fine.

 

[1970mgbgt]

Good advice. Thanks.

 

[1970mgbgt]

I'd say it's more likely to have been a faulty monitor or cable given that it failed to work with two different computers.

One thing you can do is get a new monitor that also has a dual-link DVI input so you use the 5770's dual-link DVI rather than bothering with DP. You need to ensure you also get a dual-link DVI cable then (if the monitor doesn't include one).

But again, DP should just work fine.

Does it matter what kind of DVI port? It seems like there are several single-link DVI, but almost no dual-link DVI monitors.

But you think regular Display Port-to-mini Display Port cable should be able to work, with a monitor that is in otherwise good working order? Am I reading you right?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[fastlanephil]

I was using a Dell 30” 2560x1600 and a Asus 27” 2560x1440 on my Mac Pro 5,1 with the 5770 GPU. I had to use two of these. One for each display. You can find a used one for less on eBay.

Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter - Business - Apple (SG)

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

 

[1970mgbgt]

I was using a Dell 30” 2500x1600 and a Asus 27” 2500x1400 on my Mac Pro 5,1 with the 5770 GPU. I had to use two of these. One for each display. You can find a used one for less on eBay.

Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter - Business - Apple (SG)

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

Was your Asus anything like this model?

ProArt Display PA278QV｜Monitors｜ASUS USA

The goal of the ASUS ProArt display series is to offer the most advanced technologies to power the imaginations of creators everywhere. With features such as mini-LED backlights, OLED displays, and ASUS Smart HDR technology, ProArt monitors are the solution for creating masterpieces.

www.asus.com

 

[fastlanephil]

Was your Asus anything like this model?

ProArt Display PA278QV｜Monitors｜ASUS USA

The goal of the ASUS ProArt display series is to offer the most advanced technologies to power the imaginations of creators everywhere. With features such as mini-LED backlights, OLED displays, and ASUS Smart HDR technology, ProArt monitors are the solution for creating masterpieces.

www.asus.com

It’s this one which along with the the Dell 30” that I’m still using. I upgraded to a different graphics card for Mojave that doesn’t require the Apple dual link adapter.

PB278Q | Monitors | ASUS USA

Envision bigger with 2560 x 1440 WQHD, packing four times the pixel density of 720p! New premium 16:9 wide-format PB278Q LED displays afford 178° wide viewing angles and support native WQHD via HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, and dual-link DVI.

www.asus.com

 

[1970mgbgt]

I wonder if the Apple version of that adapter is absolutely required for the monitor to work? Their dongles always cost more, but also always work.

Apparently, the model numbers have changed slightly. Yours is no longer available, but they have the one I cited above instead. It is backordered, however. Something is going on here. I think they call it "Christmas" or something like that.