The Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter for the new aluminum Macbooks and Macbook Pros is getting some bad press due to sporadic flickering problems. There are seemingly very few people who aren’t having problems, myself included. This is a strange move by Apple. It seems unlikely that this could go unnoticed in testing given the amount of people who are experiencing problems.
Most people experiencing the problem have been unplugging and then re-plugging the usb part of the cable. This works but is kind of annoying to do and doesn’t seem to work for a long time — you do have to reboot eventually. Keeping the USB part hooked up to an external (powered) usb hub seems to lessen the symptoms but not alleviate them entirely.
Another option that I’ve found works is to go in to System Preferences and then Display Preferences. Change your resolution to 1280×800 and then back to 2560×1600. That’s been consistently working for me for a few hours at a time.
Other than that I’ve had a good experience with the adapter. The regular MacBook drives the 30″ display just fine — exposé and spaces are both as zippy as when not hooked up to any external display at all. In case anyone is curious, I’m hooked up to a Dell 3007WFP-HC and having the extra screen real-estate is fantastic.
Update: Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Eject seems to work as well. This puts the displays to sleep. After sleeping you just move the mouse and everything wakes up and works. Your mileage may vary, but please let me know in the comments if it works for you.
Update 2: Some people are reporting that Apple is retroactively saying that the adapter is only compatible with the Apple 30″ cinema display. I find this pretty unlikely for the following reasons:
- It’s a standard.
- Apple hasn’t updated the MacBook page to reflect this.
Again I’m pretty sure that this can be fixed via a software update since the above two “fixes” seem to work. I’ll post again when Apple updates.
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I returned my adapter to Apple, the replacement doesn't have the same problem…
My works okay, but I can't get my 30″ Cinema Display to display in it's native resolution.
Any suggestions?
Are you sure you have the dual link dvi adapter? What kind of message does it give you?
Every thing works great. I get the native resolution on my 30″ Cinema HD.
Thanks.
Are you sure you have the dual link dvi adapter? What kind of message does it give you?
Every thing works great. I get the native resolution on my 30″ Cinema HD.
Thanks.
Are you sure you have the dual link dvi adapter? What kind of message does it give you?
Every thing works great. I get the native resolution on my 30″ Cinema HD.
Thanks.
just bought the darn thing and
have the exact same problem :-(
is returning it and getting a new one the only soulution ???
peace
lasse, denmark
Unfortunately there is still no real solution. Even getting a new will not alleviate the issue. I spoke with Apple the other week and they are aware of the problem but have no ETA on the solution.
thx alot for the answer….
was on the phone with a noob for 35 mins today, and as u said.
he never heard of that problem….damn.
i was looking forward to dual screens :-(
merry christmas
I'm having the same problem. Thank you very much for this post as the “Ctrl + Shift + Eject” key combo to turn the screen off and then turning it back on again does fix my problem (For a little while)
My issue with the display is white speckles appearing on anything that is black or very dark coloured. Using the key combo does work and I'm going to try plugging the USB cable in to a powered hub and see what that does. I hope Apple fix this problem because for the cost of the adapter this is ridiculous.
Just wanted to reply and say that my Adapter is now working fine. I spoke to some friends and explained my issue (They work in electronic engineering fields) and they said what I'm experiencing sounds a lot like RF interference and that I should move any AC power cords and other cables away from the adapter and see what happens.
So I have 5 Power cords on my desk, one for my Laptop, 3 for external Monitors and one for a Belkin KVM switch. I moved all these away and guess what? Specks completely gone. Move them close specks come back instantly. Move them away gone again. So I guess my problem is interference. Perhaps others may try this fix and see if it helps them?
I'm using my Adapter with a Dell 3007WFP-HC (From early 2008 when I bought it) and a February 09 MacBook Pro 17″. I bought my Adapter a couple days ago.
I also moved the adapter away from other electronic devices and it has not failed since.
I connect my Macbook to my 55inch LED Samsung TV. Works GREAT!!!!
bought mine from http://www.laptop2tv.co.uk/