Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I bought this Macbook Pro thinking I could use the monitor on my old 27 in imac mid2011. I can use it but the image size is exactly the same as that on the laptop. I can fill the screen by reducing the pixels but that degrades the image. The laptop has a display of 13.5 inch (2560x1600) My question is if I buy another monitor that is 27-inch (2560 x 1440) which the desktop is, am I going to have the same problem? The apple tech seems to think that I won't, but that doesn't make sense to me. Can anyone give me some recommendations. I mostly use my computers for photoshop.
Thank you.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

Apple Icon in extreme upper left of screen >System Preferences > Displays.
Choose the resolution you prefer.
Monitor must be plugged in, of course, so that the computer recognizes it.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Thank you for responding. I can get the image to fill the screen on the imac by doing that but the quality is very poor. I know I am going to have to buy another monitor and connecting the laptop to the desktop I have isn't going to work. But I really don't understand why if they both share the same resolution it doesn't fill the screen on the desktop when viewed at the same resolution. Is it because the smaller screen has less pixels? So if I buy a new monitor won't I have the same problem? The tech guy is saying no. I don't want to spend $400-$500 on a monitor to be in the same place I am now.

wmontgomery Loc: Louisiana

I just connected a BenQ EX3501R 35" monitor, 21 x 9, 3440 x 1440. I actually run it at 2560. No problem.

Schoee Loc: Europe

For most laptops the external monitor can display whatever its native resolution is independently of the resolution of the laptop screen. So you should have no problem with a new monitor.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Thank you.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Are you using the monitor mirrored? if so change to extended if you can and the display should be native to the monitor and not scaled which seems to be whats happening I have a qhd 27" benq and that looks great to my eyes, i avoided 4k since it would tend to make things a bit small on screen. from benq "a 27” QHD monitor has a pixels per inch rating of 108, an ideal figure. The same screen with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 has a PPI/DPI of over 160, which is just too much detail for the eyes to comfortably resolve."

For your imac it has a QHD resolution natively 2560x1440 so if that looks fine normally then that should be ok for you.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Thank you. Maybe I am using it mirrored. I will google how to do it extended. I will have to get a different monitor though because my wifi doesn't work all the time and keeps cutting in and out and even with spending a whole morning with tech support and buying $80 worth of cables they would not play nice together connected via the cables.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I would contact Apple on this one.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Using the M1?

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I have been on the phone with Apple for hours over several days. They all have different ideas and don't seem to know much more than I do..... Like when I bought this they said I could link these two computers. I can but it doesn't work well. I was on the phone for 4 hours with another tech trying to get it to work, then another hour with another sales person who had some personal knowledge who is the one that said to buy another monitor but that is where my eyes started to glaze over when he was explaining why I need a more expensive monitor and not to buy a cheap one. To make sure it is fast enough and to make sure that it has a high enough resolution. Yes I am using the one with an M1 chip.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

The MacBook (any version) can only show one resolution at a time. You have to decide which one. You can change it at any time, of course. You can use both screens at once but then you have the issue of deciding which one's resolution to use.

This is from the Apple website..
https://support.apple.com/kb/sp623?locale=en_US
iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) - Technical Specifications
Display

27-inch (viewable) LED-backlit glossy widescreen TFT display with support for millions of colors
Resolution: 2560 by 1440 pixels

And..
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution (also from Apple)

Your laptop has greater resolution vertically, same horizontally but the iMac has a good resolution for most purposes. The perceived quality will depend at least in part on what is being displayed. Filling the screen is more complicated than it sounds. The screens are not exactly the same shape (different aspect ratio).


You can also operate any MacBook in "clamshell mode" which means the laptop is closed, plugged in (not battery) and using an external keyboard and pointing device (such as mouse or touchpad). That is how I use mine with a 4K monitor. It's just like a desktop then. I don't think the iMac as a monitor will make any difference in that case.

If this does not clear it up for you, you can PM me for some free advice, privately. Sometimes you will get good advice but not in an understandable way. We can exchange screenshots or more. Free for nothing.

xtoothdr

You are probably using a Thunderbolt 3 to TB 1 or 2 adapter which Apple makes. Even tho they look exactly the same, what you need is TB3 to mini display port connector and that works for my new iMac to the same older Apple Display. If can't find, I have an extra since I bought 2 and now have an extra.

pocotoo

xtoothdr

27" Apple LED Cinema Display