1

I have an old Thinkpad X60 laptop which does not have an DVI/HDMI port, and has a display resolution of 1024 X 768.

If I get a DisplayPort to DVI converter cable, can I improve the display resolution on an external monitor?

When I connect an external monitor via the DisplayPort cable, the monitor resolution displayed is 1024 X 768 (even though the monitor itself can handle higher resolutions). If I get a converter cable, can I improve the display resolution on the external monitor? Thanks for your help.

3
  • 1
    The X60 seems to support more resolutions on external monitors as shown here: support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-62735 But whether it will work or not, will depends on the driver you are using.
    – Darius
    Mar 7, 2014 at 15:45
  • The driver I have is the one that comes with Windows XP
    – rocinante
    Mar 7, 2014 at 15:48
  • A converter cable will not improve the display resolution the current cables and configuration already supports higher resolutions then your using.
    – Ramhound
    Mar 7, 2014 at 15:56

2 Answers 2

3

I think that is because the display is on "clone" and not "expand". Select this checkbox or (on newer versions of windows) press Win+P to change between the modes.

If you clone your display, the overall resulution will be the smaller of the two screens. Thus, cloning your low-res thinkpad LCD onto a full HD screen will result in a bad image.

DisplayPort is already the latest connector (among with HDMI and DVI), so an adapter is only needed for physical compatibility.

And I read in the comments that you are using WinXP, is that correct? You should upgrade soon/asap.

1
  • Thank you for your help. I think I was just cloning the laptop display on the monitor display. And it probably didn't help that the drivers weren't updated, either. I know I need to upgrade from XP, but I doubt this laptop can handle it well. Once I graduate and get a real job, I will be able to afford to upgrade to the newer Thinkpads.
    – rocinante
    Mar 7, 2014 at 16:17
1

Because DisplayPort can handle resolutions of 1920 x 1080 and higher, adding an adapter shouldn't get you any higher resolutions.

You should check to make sure you have the most recent drivers installed. Using old or generic drivers usually doesn't allow you the high resolutions your computer is capable of.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .