Thinkpads Forum

Using the mini dock with a T60 and ATI Fire GL video.
Is there any limit on the resolution of the signal that can be run through the DVI on the Mini Dock?

The docks for the T40s and the earlier one for the T20s had a limit on the DVI resolution of 1280 X 1024. The display adapter can go higer.

The max resolution is 1920x1200

The 1280x1024 max resolution was using the default drivers only. If you upgraded the driver on the T40 series, even if was a newer version of the IBM driver, it opened up the max resolution well past 1280x1024.

Is that with the DVI connection on the dock or through the VGA cable?

I bought the DVI-D cable and it works with the T43P up to the 2048 X 1536 which is the highest that shows in Display Properties. It does this both through the DVI and VGA connections. The DVI of course is a better picture and does not have the slight bluring of the VGA.

jgrobertson wrote:... The DVI of course is a better picture and does not have the slight bluring of the VGA.

I was able to improve the quality of my VGA image by dropping the refresh rate to 60 hertz (initially it was set to 75 hertz). It almost eliminated the blurry text.

jgrobertson wrote:I bought the DVI-D cable and it works with the T43P up to the 2048 X 1536 which is the highest that shows in Display Properties. It does this both through the DVI and VGA connections. The DVI of course is a better picture and does not have the slight bluring of the VGA.

DVI-D is digital-only DVI, as opposed to DVI-I (both analog and digital). A DVI-D cable, by definition, can't run with both DVI and VGA signals.

The only way to get 2048x1536 is with Dual-link DVI (which is VERY different from DVI-D), and which is not supported by the T4x series. I also know of no DVI monitor that run at 2048x1536 over a digital interface. If you were indeed running 2048x1536 on a T43p, you were probably doing it over the VGA interface. Since 2048x1536 describes a 4:3 aspect-ratio monitor, this also hints that you were looking at an analog interface, and perhaps even a tube monitor, since current 30" monitors don't have built-in scalers.

Perhaps you actually bought a DVI-I cable (commonly referred to as simply DVI) and then connected it to a nice big analog monitor which uses the analog lines in the DVI cable.

The monitor is a new Gateway FPD2275W which has native resolution of 1680 X 1050. You are correct that the DVI-D does not have analog in it and the connector both on the dock and the FPD does not have the analog pins either. I have the VGA cable completely removed. This monitor is also HD compatible so there may be a scan converter in it. When I select the 2048 X1536 it does spill off the left and top sides so the image is not mapping correctly but it does display. I did not try to adjust the size on the monitor controls.

I am quite content with the 1680 X 1050.

What you're seeing is called "Virtual Resolution." 2048x1536 is available on the Display Property window, but that resolution is achieved *virtually* by making a scrolling 2048x1536 frame inside your 1680x1050 physical display.

I have a T40, and i cannot seem to output 1680x1050 over DVI even with the newest drivers. Im assuming these would come from the thinkpad updates?

My T43P with the AIT Radeon X300 does. Maybe it is the chip or possible something with the "P" on there which I think means an enhanced video.