Lenovo Ideapad Y500 - Output to 2560x1440 (1440p) over HDMI --> DVI

Just a quick note to fellow Lenovo Ideapad Y500 / Y510 / Y400 / Y410 owners.

I recently purchased a Dell Ultrasharp U2713HM monitor (27" 2560 x 1440) display. This particular Dell U2713HM monitor only accepts 1440p resolution over its DVI (dual-link) and DisplayPort inputs. The monitor supports HDMI input, but it is limited to 1920x1200 resolutions.



I did a bunch of searching online, and dug deep into the bowels of internet forums to find out that this is a common problem, and that someone had success using a particular brand & type of HDMI to Dual-Link DVI cable:
Amazon.com : Kumo High Speed HDMI to DVI 24+1 Cable (RED) - 15 FT : Electronics



I had to go into nVidia Control Panel and set a custom resolution of 2560x1440 @ 55Hz (could not get 60Hz to be stable). But at the very minimum, I am now running a Lenovo Ideapad Y500p that outputs native resolution to a 1440p display through its HDMI port.




Expected Questions & Answers:

• Ok, 1440p output on a Lenovo Y500p. So what?
  The "so what" is this... you know all of those cheap Korean 27" 1440p panels (Catleap, Yamazaki, etc brands) that you've heard about for the past 12 months? The ones that sell for about $350 on eBay, and about $400 from Monoprice? Well, those do not have built-in scalers on them. That means that those monitors can ONLY accept a 2560x1440 (1440p) input signal over their typically one input connector (dual-link DVI). Using this cable and a custom resolution means you can use one of those 1440p panels as an output device to a Lenovo Ideapad Y500, which only has HDMI as a digital output.
  
  
  
• Are you gaming at 1440p?
  Nope. My intended purpose of 1440p output is entirely for use as a work-related computer running desktop applications. Any gaming to be done on my Lenovo Ideapad Y500 will be done on its integrated 1080p panel while I am on the road and away from my home-office desktop setup.
  
  
  
• Ok, I get it, no gaming. Can you run gaming benchmarks anyway, so we know how 2x GeForce 650M's in SLI would fare at 1440p?
  If requested (reply to this thread), I'll run this thing through a few game-related benchmarks that can scale to different resolutions like Bioshock Infinite and Metro 2033. Unfortunately, I don't have the paid / professional versions of any of the 3DMark suites, so I can't apply custom resolutions to that.
  
  I *CAN* say that 1440p absolutely devours GPUs. My desktop rig had 2x GeForce GTX 560Ti's SLI, and could not run 1440p at max detail settings for every game. (If you're a parent of young kids, just think of the story "On Tuesday, the 1440p monitor ate through two GeForce GTX560Ti's. But it was still hungry). I'm about to put 2x GeForce GTX 770's in SLI into my desktop rig, and see if those are powerful enough to feed this GPU-hungry monitor.
  
  To be honest, I'm kind of hoping that people request benchmarking, just so I have an excuse to make the time and see what happens.

 

Interesting read. Profiled.

 

Hi,

I would be interesting if you could share some benchmarks.

I own a y510p with dual 750m SLI and I'm considering getting a 1440p monitor for gaming.

 

I put up some numbers over on this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/accessories/734218-solved-outputting-2560x1440-1440p-signal-via-hdmi-output.html#post9407900

Short version: 1440p gaming is not viable for a Lenovo Ideapad Y500 / Y510. You need something along the lines of 2x GeForce GTX 770 in SLI or a single GTX 780Ti for viable 1440p gaming.

 

Or you can lower the settings.

 

You technically COULD.

But considering that the Lenovo Ideapad Y4xx / Y5xx cannot output native 1440p @ 60Hz; and the tremendous performance hit of going 1080p --> 1440p; I think it's safe to say that the Lenovo Y4xx / Y5xx is best suited for 1080p gaming. Buying a 1440p monitor for gaming purposes on this laptop would be a waste.

 

And this is why we need to wait another 5 years before we do some 4K gaming.

 

Would this work with a lenovo Y510P and the qnix QX2710?

New Matte 27" Slim Qnix QX2710 Evolution II LED PLS 2560x1440 QHD Monitor DVI D | eBay

I have the laptop and I am currently looking for a external screen to use for doing school projects not gaming. Could someone please confirm this.

 

It would technically work the way I described. But I do not recommend going cheap Korean 27" IPS monitor, unless you intend to connect it as a primary display to a desktop (not a laptop).

The reason is because cheap Korean 27" IPS monitors do not have a built-in scaler, which means that you will only ever be able to output 2560x1440 (1440p). And since 1440p is not a standard resolution supported by our Lenovo Ideapad Y500 / Y510 laptops, then you might run into some potential problems.

You can avoid that problem by spending a bit more, and buying a 1440p monitor with a built-in scaler. You will know if a 1440p monitor has a built-in scaler, because it will have other inputs (e.g. HDMI). If you're dead-set on buying 1440p, then that's what I'd do. But otherwise, I'd stick with 1080p / 1200p.

 

Okay so I bought this monitor from ebay:
Qnix QX2710 LED Evolution ll Dport Matte 27" 2560x1440 PLS Panel DP PC Monitor | eBay

What cables should I get for it? If I get a regular hdmi to hdmi will it be able to upscale the signal into 1440p? If you not shouldn't I get the same cable as the author of this thread, then I could run it at both 1080p and 1440p? Or should I get both a hdmi cable and a hdmi to dual dvi cable?

And also, couldn't I just have bought the monitor without the scaler and run it at 1080p? Or does it ONLY support 1440p? It wont run at lower resolutions with my lenovo y510p laptop?

 

Well, that's pretty simple.

If you want 1440p, you will new to either use dual-link DVI or DisplayPort.

If you laptop does not have dual-link DVI or display Port output, then you will need to use the HDMI-to-DVI cable I mentioned in my original post, and set a custom resolution (probably 2560 x 1440 @ 40Hz) through the nvidia control panel.

If you go standard HDMI to HDMI, you will be limited to 1080p. If you use a typical HDMI-to-DVI cable or adapter, you will also be limited to 1080p.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

Since I as living in Europe I was not able to get the kumo cable. The ebay seller doesn't ship to Denmark. So instead I bought this cable:
3M 10ft High Speed HDMI DVI Digital Video Cable DVI D Male to HDMI A Male Cable | eBay

I am hoping it will work just as well and support 1440p, if not it's not a big loss, and I will have to get a hold of the kumo cable somehow. Kent will the monitor I bought support 1080p over the Dual DVI port? Or do I have to use a hdmi cable to run this resolution?

 

That cable might do it. It has a dual-link DVI connector.

And yes, your monitor should support 1080p (or at least, it states that it can in its specs). If you are just looking to output 1080p resolution, then you can do it through just about any connector (DVI or HDMI) without requiring a special cable.

 

Hi folks, just registered as I'm interested in this topic. I have a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro on the way. Can I use a micro-HDMI to HDMI adapter then connect the Kumo cable that way?
regards

 

Hello NudieDenmar, just wanted to ask.., were you able to achieve 2560x1440 at 60Hz rate with this cable? I'm aslo in search for right cable, for Dell U2713HM display from HDMI, that can be shipped to Europe...

Did anyone else have some positive experience with working cable from HDMI to DVI 2560x1440@ 60Hz and can share a link for such a product? Thanks!

 

Well, 1440p at 60Hz isn't going to happen.

Your laptop does not have an external video connector capable of outputting 1440p at 60hz. The connectors people use today for that are DisplayPort or dual-link DVI. The HDMI port on your laptop can only output a max of 1200p at 60Hz.

If you want 60Hz guaranteed, you are limited to 60Hz.
If you want 1440p guaranteed, you can do it at 30Hz.
But you may be able to get 1440p at higher refresh rates (40hz, 45hz, 50hz) by buying the right cable and setting the right custom resolution. However, nothing is guaranteed by doing this. You will only know what refresh rate you get by buying cables and trying this yourself.

 

Yes, I know, I just want to know the HDMI>DVI cable type - product brand, that worked for someone, that I can test, as this seems to me more likelyhood of success. As cables that are sold here, are almost always single-links.

 

Interesting read. Is LG included in the list of cheap Korean monitor makers?

 

Haha, no. LG is a very well-known and established manufacturer. They are one of the biggest electronic manufacturers in the world.

The kind of manufacturer I am referring to is Yamakasi (never heard of them, right?).

This started off by people selling cheap $350 27" IPS monitors shipped from Korea over eBay, when the next monitor in this category cost $800-$1000. Yamakasi took the LCD panels intended for 27" Apple Cinema Displays ($1000) that were rejected for quality reasons, stuck them in a bare bones enclosure, and sold them. Eventually, other US-based resellers caught on to the demand and started selling similar monitors (e.g. Monoprice).

Ever since then, there has not been a shortage of 27" monitor options from $350 to $1200.