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Does the new MacBook Pro Retina output 2560x1600 to the HDMI port?

The reason I ask is that I would like to drive 2x30 inch 2560x1600 monitors while still using the Gigabit Ethernet adapter. (My backup plan is to get the USB 2 to 100 Mbit adapter and use that and then just use the Thunderbolt for graphics). So I would appreciate any additional caveats to this plan as well.

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If the HDMI port can't do that, you could consider daisy-chaining multiple 27" ThunderBolt displays. Also, if you use even one 27" ThunderBolt display, that has the FireWire and GigE ports built-in to its internal hub. Or you could use one of the upcoming third-party ThunderBolt "port dock" devices that have been announced (such as from Belkin). – fluffy Jun 25 '12 at 18:10

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

If it's HDMI 1.4 as noted above, it should support "4k" resolution (4096×2160p24)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4

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Although it would be Nice to know If it does support these resolutions… – Paul Wagland Jun 28 '12 at 19:29
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I believe HDMI is limited to full HD resolution, i.e., 1080p (1920x1080), so nothing can drive a larger screen through that.

Even if HDMI isn't restricted to 1080p, 2560x1600 requires dual-link DVI and I'm quite certain that HDMI doesn't have those pins, restricting it to the resolutions single-link DVI is capable of (2,098 × 1,311).

Your best bet is to use the 10/100 Fast Ethernet adapter over USB.

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"HDMI 1.3 increased that to 340 MHz, which allows for higher resolution (such as WQXGA, 2560×1600) across a single digital link." (From Wikipedia). I read on a forum that the HDMI port on this model is 1.4 – Kyle Brandt Jun 25 '12 at 17:46
I've never heard of HDMI supporting larger resolutions like that, but Wikipedia tends to be right about this sort of thing. I've never seen an HDMI to dual-link DVI adapter, not have I seen a screen advertised to accept higher resolutions from HDMI. – CajunLuke Jun 25 '12 at 18:19
up vote 2 down vote

While the HDMI spec supports that resolution, but the 15" MacBook Retina Pro HDMI port does not. (Unfortunately I don't have a reference for this information, but it's based on first-hand experience).

I have just switched from a 24" Dell 2407WFP (4:3) to a 27" Dell U2713HM (16:9), and the 24" monitor works over HDMI at it's native mode of 1600x1200. (Interestingly, this is better vertical resolution than the 1080p mentioned by others.

The 27" Monitor has a native resolution of 2560x1440, but via HDMI, I can only get 1920x1080 resolution displayed. Using a DisplayPort cable should give native resolution, but I've yet to test that.

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Have you tried booting Windows on it, and using HDMI that way? I read somewhere online that someone claimed Windows can output 2560x1440 even if OS X can't. – jtbandes Oct 24 '12 at 8:43
Yes, I've tried. No difference AFIACT, but maybe there's an updated driver hanging around... Can you post a link to "somewhere online" if you find it again? – Roddy Oct 26 '12 at 9:25
Yes, here it is. I actually posted this same question on the support forums here a couple weeks ago. – jtbandes Oct 26 '12 at 19:40
up vote 0 down vote

DisplayPort can display without problem at 2560x1440. Under Windows 7, you can set a personalized resolution for HDMI to use 2560x1440. Under Windows 8, this personalized resolution didn't work :( Perhaps W8 is too young and we must wait a bit. Under Mac, I don't know. -> HDMI is in standard limited to FullHD, but with some tweak, you can go higher.

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