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I have an Intel i7 2600k in my z77 Extreme 4 mobo.

I know it's "last generation" but I love it ;) it runs smooth and without problems but I have a new need now: I want to put a high res monitor on this, right now it has two 1080p monitors which I want to replace with one 2560x1440 monitor.

Looking on Intel's site it says the i7 has HD 3000 graphics that support upto 2600x1600, but since my mobo only supports DVI-D/HDMI I was wondering what I would have to change to get it to support the higher res monitor? I would like to save money and not buy a graphics card (heat, money, space) and keep using the inbuilt graphics if possible.

Suggestions?

Hennes
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Ryan
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  • Your CPU isn't "last generation" its 3 generations old. Your GPU only supports resolution slightly higher than HD. You would need to use a HDMI connection to achieve that. – Ramhound Feb 17 '15 at 17:36
  • Of course how you are using a `Sandybridge` product on a Z77 chipset which is normally used on `Ivybridge` and later hardware confuses the heck out of me. – Ramhound Feb 17 '15 at 17:42
  • Possible duplicate of http://superuser.com/questions/119755/hdmi-with-resolution-2560-x-1440-possible – Kristian Feb 17 '15 at 17:42
  • If your primary purpose isn't movie watching, then instead of 2560x1440, think about 2560x1600 monitor. Those 160 extra pixels make a difference when using display for productivity! – miroxlav Feb 17 '15 at 17:43
  • Ramhound: At the time it was the best that I could go in for and no problems with the i7 + Z77 Extreme 4 so far (touch wood!). @Miroxlav, thanks, will have a look but at a quick glance it seems those extra few pixels cost quite a bit more than the more popular 1440 :( – Ryan Feb 17 '15 at 19:03

1 Answers1

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Apparantly this is possible, using some trickery:

Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge)

Status: successful, 2560x1440 55 Hz tested

Tested with: Asus N56VM pre-sample and Fujitsu P27T-6 27-inch display with 2560x1440.

Instructions (Windows)

You need to manually add a new resolution to the Intel driver (Display -> Custom Resolutions) to use a resolution of 2560x1440 via HDMI. The driver complains that the bandwidth via HDMI is too low for a resolution of 2560x1440 at 60 Hz. With the "GTF" timing setting, only a maximum of 30 Hz was possible in our test. However, if you select "CVT-RB" (Reduced Blank) as Timing Standard, 2560x1440 at 55 Hz (55 p) is possible. But, it did not appear in the Windows dialog until we rebooted the computer. If it is still not listed after the first reboot, repeat the procedure.

If the image is distorted or flickers heavily, it might help to fiddle around with the monitor settings. E.g. the Fujitsu P27-T just stopped flickering in "Office" mode.

Linux (Ubuntu)

With the system tool of Linux only a maximum of 2560x1440 at 30 Hz (with noticeable delays) was possible. But, by means of a working windows configuration and PowerStrip you can also configure 2560x1440 at 55 Hz (with reduced blanking). Unfortunately, you can only specify modelines a multiple of 60 MHz at "reduced blanking" directly in the CVT tool.

2560x1440 30 Hz instructions:

The command

cvt 2560 1440 30

creates the appropriate modeline for xrandr, e.g. modeline "2560x1440_30.00" 146.25 2560 2680 2944 3328 1440 1443 1448 1468 -hsync +vsync

and you can add a new resolution with

xrandr --newmode "2560x1440_30.00" 146.25 2560 2680 2944 3328 1440 1443 1448 1468 -hsync +vsync

and one for HDMI2 with (for the name of the interface use xrandr without parameters)

xrandr --addmode HDMI2 "2560x1440_30.00"

2560x1440 55 Hz with reduced blanking

2560x1440 at 55 Hz: Thanks to X.Org FAQ we found a further solution. PowerStrip can display the currently used Linux modeline parameter. So, we could figure out the 55 MHz parameter that works with the P27T-6

xrandr --newmode "2560x1440" 220.812 2560 2608 2640 2720 1440 1443 1448 1478 -hsync -vsync

and activate it as usual with

xrandr --addmode HDMI2 "2560x1440"

Intel HD Graphics 3000 or Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)

Status: successful, 2560x1440 55Hz tested

Tested with: Acer Aspire TimelineU M3-581TG and Fujitsu P27T-6 27-inch display with 2560x1440. Tested with: Intel Whitebook with Pentium B950 (HD Graphics) and Fujitsu P27T-6 27 inch display with 2560x1440.

Instructions

Same steps as for Intel HD Graphics 4000 (see above).

Source and further info: http://www.notebookcheck.net/2560x1440-or-2560x1600-via-HDMI.92840.0.html

Kristian
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  • Thanks! Might have to bite the bullet and go in for a Graphics card after all :( The cheapest I see that supports 4k (non gaming) is the r7 270x... seems decent. – Ryan Feb 17 '15 at 19:04