Adding/Using HiDPI custom resolutions

Curiously from just the first command of adding high dpi, I now have a 720 hidpi option available without any more effort. It's a pretty good size but what does 720p hidpi mean? Am I getting better quality and sharpness than regular 720? I don't understand the translation can you explain really quick?

EDIT: Nevermind, dumb question. It's just 720p with sizing taking into account you have a small screen.

Zach27 said:

Curiously from just the first command of adding high dpi, I now have a 720 hidpi option available without any more effort. It's a pretty good size but what does 720p hidpi mean? Am I getting better quality and sharpness than regular 720? I don't understand the translation can you explain really quick?

EDIT: Nevermind, dumb question. It's just 720p with sizing taking into account you have a small screen.

Click to expand...

720p HiDPI causes the system to render 2x at 1440p then scale to your native resolution (which is also 1440p, according to your profile)

RehabMan said:

720p HiDPI causes the system to render 2x at 1440p then scale to your native resolution (which is also 1440p, according to your profile)

Click to expand...

Wait so you're saying that at 720p hiDPI I'll get the full "crispness" of my screens max resolution of 1440 just it will be size appropriate? That would be pretty great...

Zach27 said:

Wait so you're saying that at 720p hiDPI I'll get the full "crispness" of my screens max resolution of 1440 just it will be size appropriate? That would be pretty great...

Click to expand...

Yes.

Hi RehabMan,

I just wanted to thank you for this guide (and your many other guides that I have used to get my hardware running). I had bought a 4k monitor (LG 27UD68P) to use with my new hackintosh only to find that there was no native scaling option in Sierra 10.12.5 for 2560 x 1440. The only options available are 3840 x 2160 and 1920 x 1080 (and many below).

Why on earth there is none for 2560 x 1440 I have no idea but it was very frustrating seeing that I bought this monitor to use at this resolution. 1920 x 1080 looks beautiful and is useable just too big for me on a 27 inch screen.

Using your guide I managed to get 2560 x 1440 to work at 60Hz (just using switchresX alone gave me the option of 2560 x 1440 but only at 59Hz which made the text blurry and impossible to use).

So I have got this to work but the scaling option does not show up natively still in System Preferences/Display. Even when holding the alt key. I have to use RDM to select my preferred resolution.

Some things I have noted. I have to add 00000001 to the end of all my scale-resolutions. Adding 00200000 to any of them or all of them does not work. It switches my 2560 x 1440 back to 59Hz. Using 00000001 added to all of them seems to just work.

Best regards,
Reilly

rgw29 said:

Hi RehabMan,

I just wanted to thank you for this guide (and your many other guides that I have used to get my hardware running). I had bought a 4k monitor (LG 27UD68P) to use with my new hackintosh only to find that there was no native scaling option in Sierra 10.12.5 for 2560 x 1440. The only options available are 3840 x 2160 and 1920 x 1080 (and many below).

Why on earth there is none for 2560 x 1440 I have no idea but it was very frustrating seeing that I bought this monitor to use at this resolution. 1920 x 1080 looks beautiful and is useable just too big for me on a 27 inch screen.

Using your guide I managed to get 2560 x 1440 to work at 60Hz (just using switchresX alone gave me the option of 2560 x 1440 but only at 59Hz which made the text blurry and impossible to use).

So I have got this to work but the scaling option does not show up natively still in System Preferences/Display. Even when holding the alt key.

Click to expand...

Must hold Option key (I have no way to know if Option is Alt, as it depends on your settings in SysPrefs->Keyboard).

I have to use RDM to select my preferred resolution.

Click to expand...

RDM seems to be able to show more. SysPrefs->Displays does strange unexplained filtering. It is a black box (closed source), so we can't look at it to help understand.

Some things I have noted. I have to add 00000001 to the end of all my scale-resolutions. Adding 00200000 to any of them or all of them does not work. It switches my 2560 x 1440 back to 59Hz. Using 00000001 added to all of them seems to just work.

Click to expand...

Yeah... all those flags we see in Apple's display overrides are not well understood and AFAIK, not documented anywhere.
Experimentation is the only way.

RehabMan said:

Must hold Option key (I have no way to know if Option is Alt, as it depends on your settings in SysPrefs->Keyboard).

Click to expand...

Yes the Alt key is the same as the Option key.

RehabMan said:

RDM seems to be able to show more. SysPrefs->Displays does strange unexplained filtering. It is a black box (closed source), so we can't look at it to help understand.

Click to expand...

Okay that is good to know. If it is not possible to make that work properly I will stop trying and be happy with what I have got.

Do you have any theory on why Apple stopped supporting 2560 x 1440 resolution with 4k screens? Is it just to avoid competition with their own 5K monitors. Or is it just a lazy bug that they don't want to fix?

rgw29 said:

Do you have any theory on why Apple stopped supporting 2560 x 1440 resolution with 4k screens? Is it just to avoid competition with their own 5K monitors. Or is it just a lazy bug that they don't want to fix?

Click to expand...

No idea. And no idea if it is really true. I don't have any 4k hardware.
Graphics drivers, framebuffer setup, DVMT-prealloc, etc also probably play a role here.

RehabMan said:

No idea. And no idea if it is really true. I don't have any 4k hardware.
Graphics drivers, framebuffer setup, DVMT-prealloc, etc also probably play a role here.

Click to expand...

I had the chance to try the 4K screen with a 2016 MacBook Pro 13" which uses iris 550 graphics. This worked perfectly with all scaled resolution settings. The image is crystal clear and obviously hidpi.

Is it possible in some way to use the drivers, or trick the computer into thinking that the HD 530 graphics are 550 graphics?

I don't know how this works and if its possible but I just wanted to ask.

Best regards,
Reilly

rgw29 said:

I had the chance to try the 4K screen with a 2016 MacBook Pro 13" which uses iris 550 graphics. This worked perfectly with all scaled resolution settings. The image is crystal clear and obviously hidpi.

Is it possible in some way to use the drivers, or trick the computer into thinking that the HD 530 graphics are 550 graphics?

I don't know how this works and if its possible but I just wanted to ask.

Best regards,
Reilly

Click to expand...

You should look at the display override file being used on that particular MacBookPro.
And keep in mind ig-platform-id and DVMT-prealloc will likely play a role...
Then experiment.