Connecting Dell P2214 1080p monitor to my SP4

[Jesse Segovia]

I know there are many other external monitor issue threads but I searched and couldn't find anything on this particular issue so ...

I am trying to connect a Dell P2214 1080p monitor to my SP4 through the newer Microsoft Surface Dock. The Dell only has VGA. DVI-D and regular or larger DisplayPort connections, no HDMI. I've tried connecting with a VGA cable into the monitor and a Cable Matters DP 1.2 converter going VGA to mini DisplayPort into the dock, but when I do this I get 640X480 resolution on the Dell monitor and no way to change it, not in the monitor menu or in any of the display settings in the Surface. Needless to say it looks awful.

The same monitor looks fine with a Dell Latitude laptop using the same VGA cable into a Manhattan VGA to HDMI convertor - I get full 1080p resolution and it looks pretty good. I thought I would get cute and plug the VGA cable into the Manhattan and then through the Cable Matters box using HDMI to Mini DisplayPort, but when I do this the monitor screen is black and the SP4 cannot detect an external monitor.

I'd buy a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable if I thought that would give me 1080p resolution on the monitor but unfortunately there are no local stores that carry this type of cable - I'd have to order it online which I would if someone here can assure me thjs would work and I'd have 1080p resolution.

Are there any other ideas to get full 1080p resolution on this monitor with the SP4? Thanks very much in advance!

 

[jrioux]

Are there any other ideas to get full 1080p resolution on this monitor with the SP4? Thanks very much in advance!

I have a Dell E2414HM monitor and an SP3. I bought a mini DP to VGA and HDMI adapter so I could use my SP3 with various projectors and monitors. Since I use VGA for my desktop computer, I bought a HDMI to DVI cable to connect the SP3. My monitor works great at 1920x1080.

 

[Jesse Segovia]

I finally got this working at the full 1920X1080 resolution by buying a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable. Anything else, any other combination of cables and adapters resulted in either poor resolution or in the monitor not being recognized by the Surface Pro.

And by the way, the reason I'm playing with this 1080p monitor at all is because the Dell UHD monitor I purchased had the nasty habit of dimming out on me all by itself. I kept having to reset the Preset Mode to Game to make sure I got a bright enough screen. Eventually it would stick but sometimes it reset itself six or seven times before it retained the brightness setting.

Jesse