2008-09-10 : Dell's final answer: "Maybe, but you're pushing it."
I've been thinking about getting a new laptop and noticed that the Dell
Latitude E6500 sports an external DisplayPort connector.
Poking around a bit more I discovered the
DELL ULTRASHARP 3008WFP WQXGA (2560x1600) Monitor which has a
DisplayPort input. Excellent! Looks like a great combination. But can
the laptop drive the monitor at the full native resolution?
After looking all over the Dell web site and Google-ing for every set of
terms that I could imagine, I sent a quick note to Dell:
Hi there,
I'm interested in purchasing a Latitude E6500 laptop and a "DELL
ULTRASHARP 3008WFP" 30-in flat panel monitor and am wondering if
they will work together using the monitor's full native resolution.
Just to be specific, I'd like to know more about the following
combination of laptop and monitor:
+ Latitude E6500 with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
(the integrated Intel graphics, *not* the nVidia discrete
graphics)
+ DELL ULTRASHARP 3008WFP
And my questions are:
1) Does the laptop (Latitude E6500 w/ Intel 4500MHD) have a
working DisplayPort connection?
2) If so, can the laptop (Latitude E6500 w/ Intel 4500MHD)
drive the 3008WFP monitor at its full native (2560 x 1600)
resolution using the DisplayPort connection?
Thank you,
Ed
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And here is the response:
Dear Ed Hill:
Thank you for choosing Dell. You have reached the Small to Medium Business
Online Order Resolution team.
the maximum resolution available for the notebook is 1920x1200, they would work
but you won't get the full advantage of the monitors, if you have any questions,
please contact our Sales Department at 1-800-456-3355 or 1-800-757-8434 for
further assistance in this regard. Sales Representatives are available from
7am-7pm CST Monday through Friday and they will be glad to assist you.
Warm Regards,
Dell Inc.
E-Business Sales Division
Mail to: SMB_OnlineOrder_Resolution@dell.com
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Sigh.
I was surprised and disappointed to hear that the combination of the new
Intel 4500MHD chip and the DisplayPort connector would not be able to
support a WQXGA external display. So, I called one of the 800 numbers and
spoke with a Dell representative. I explained my question to the rep and,
after a bit of a discussion, was put on hold twice while "technical
experts" were consulted. After about ten minues, the rep returned to give
me their final answer:
Our technical expert says it may work but you're pushing it.
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Huh?
I explained to the rep that a final answer should be either an
unambiguous "yes, it does support the full native resolution" or a "no,
we're sorry, it doesn't". The Dell rep apologized and recommended that I
contact Intel. I tried to explain that I wanted to buy the hardware from
them (Dell) and not a third-party (Intel) but it didn't seem to make any
difference.
So, do you know the answer to the above question? If so, please send me an email. Thanks!
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