I just got a new monitor: an Acer B276HUL. Its native resolution is 2560x1440. I didn't do my research before ordering it; that resolution is too high for single-link DVI! So I have yet to see it operate in its native resolution. But I'd like to try it.
I have a Mac Pro laptop, and a Monoprice adaptor for mini-DisplayPort to DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort. And the monitor came with a DisplayPort cable. So I tried to connect the monitor to the Mac using DisplayPort. The Mac did not recognize the monitor.
When I use the DVI adapter and plug in the cable, the Mac recognizes the monitor: if I have the System Settings open to Displays, then when I plug in the cable, settings for multiple monitors appear. When I unplug the cable, those settings disappear. But when I unplug the DVI cable from the adapter, and plug in the DisplayPort cable, the Mac does not react to the adapter plugging and unplugging.
I have gone into the menu on the monitor and set it to "Input: DisplayPort" before trying the above experiment. No success.
I found a discussion page that suggested restarting the Mac in "Safe" mode, and I tried that. It didn't help; the monitor was not recognized.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/22842241#22842241
Isn't a mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter just an electrical pass-through? So, shouldn't this trivially work?
Is there a chance that it would work if I got a simple adapter that only does mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort?
If I were to buy an Apple branded mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter, is that likely to make any difference?