External monitor T500

[maalneexa]

Hi all!

I have a T500 [ 2082 model ] with Ati Radeon HD3650 as a graphics card. I want to buy a 22-23" monitor to use it with this laptop. I'm considering buying one which has DisplayPort connectivity, based onthe better performance of this technology ---  for example http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=320-8103... If you have better suggestions, please let me know.

How can I find out what native resolution should the monitor I'm looking for have? Is it silly to look for a 1680x1050 based on my current resolution (on the laptop's display)?

Also, do I need a docking station? What advantages does a docking station offer?

I have been reading forums and other web pages and I'm quite confused, so any help is welcome.

Thank you for your time,

Alex

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor · Accepted solution]

your displayport can support anything up to 30 inch LCD with WQXGA resolution. You don't need a dock to do that. 

Docking station will enable you to be mobile without having to reconnect all the cables everytime you move between the different locations. 

[maalneexa]

Thanks for your answer

I really thought that the graphics card will limit the monitor's resolution (way beyond 2560x1600), but I guess I was wrong.

It seems there are no docking stations for T500 on lenovo's website, but I wouldn't really pay the money for it.

Anyway, I must start looking for a nice monitor then, although there is a limited range with displayport connectivity.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

lot of the dell ultrasharp LCD have displayport connectivity. If you use a simple passive displayport to dvi adapter, you can still get WUXGA resolution (usually 24 inch LCD all have that), if you need the WQXGA resolution for DVI equipped monitors, get a Dell Active Displayport to Dual Link DVI adapter. 

[rmhthinkpad500]

I am having similar problem in determining compatibility.  I purchased a Dell SB2010 20" external monitor for a ThinkPad T500.  The prior 17" monitor had no display issues; however, the Dell becomes intermittently fuzzy and "squiggly" (for lack of a better term), and then clears.  This pattern is fairly consistent. 

The ThinkPad is less than a year old and the drivers are up to date.  I adjusted the refresh rate from 60 to 75, and that appeared to initially help but then it went back to the fuzzy/clear pattern.  I also adjusted the resolution (note, the Dell recommendation is 1600x900, however, that option is not available on the Lenovo).

I have checked the connections and the cables, and can identify nothing that seems to be the culprit.  I plugged the monitor into an older desktop and it seems to be fine, which would point to the Lenovo settings.

Thanks to anyone who can provide some direction with this problem.

[rmhthinkpad500]

Thank you for your response; however, I don't know what a passive displayport to dvi adapter is - is it a small piece of hardware that connects the monitor cable to the laptop or docking station?  Also, it's not a 24-inch LCD, it's 20-inch - does that make a difference?  What's the difference between WUXGA and WQXGA and which one is the best?  Finally, do I need to worry about "dual link"?

Apologize, we are a small law firm and don't typically work with graphics terms, so if you can "dumb it down" for me, I would appreciate your help!  Thanks again!

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

Okay i will try to best explain what i said before.

Passive DP to DVI adapter is this:

Active Displayport to DVI adapter has dual link DVI out and requires a usb port (basically a dual link dvi out is used in anything larger than a 24 inch WUXGA (resolution of 1920 x 1200) screen, it supports WQXGA (resolution = 2560 x 1600@60hz refresh rate) which are found in many top end 30 inch desktop LCDs. 

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also are you using the vga cable (blue cable usually) or dvi cable (usually white) on the monitor? To get the 1600 x 900 you must update the bios of your T500. So what is your full model number (found under the laptop on a stickers) it is in the form of xxxx-xxx?

[maalneexa]

Are you sure I can use any monitor up to WQXGA resolution (2560x1600) on my Lenovo T500?

In SiSoft Sandra I get 1680x1050 maximum resolution (or at least I think this is what it means). I've pasted a screen cut.

SiSoft Sandra Lite -> Displays and Display Adapters -> select ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 (120 SM4.1, 256MB DDR3, PCIe 2.00 x16) in device field.

Supported Video Modes

Mode 2          640x480 256 colours (8-bit) 60Hz 60Hz 60Hz

...................................................................................

...................................................................................

...................................................................................

Mode 113      1680x1050 16M+ TrueColor (32 bit) 50Hz 60Hz

Note: There aren't 113 modes listed, there are lots of numbers missing (if it has any relevance).

So, does this mean that the video card cannot support a higher resolution than 1680x1050? And what does  "50Hz 60Hz" mean? No higher refresh rate than 60Hz I assume.

I'm actually interested in buying a monitor with 1920x1080 native resolution (for 1080p movies).

Thank you,

Alex

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

yes i have personally tested this with the U2711 (while not full WQXGA resolution, it is close).