Macbook Connected to External Monitor is Blurry

I have connected my Santa Rosa MB to my 22 inch Dell monitor and chose mirror mode. The macbook detected the monitor and set the res to the monitors native resolution but the image is blurry, not all sharp like when I connect my PC to it. I'm connected via DVI, btw. Is it blurry because of limitations of the video card? Or am I missing a setting somewhere? Thanks.

Yes it is a limitation of the video card. In mirror mode you are stuck with the maximum resolution the MacBook monitor uses so that limits what the external can do. If you check your displays settings you should see both of them are at 1280 X 800 and if you try to change the external it gets funky. Or should I say mine does in Mirror mode. I always use extended mode for this reason. Much better quality picture.

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Hi AO1 James,
If I understand correctly, the external monitor was blurry from the moment you plugged it into your MacBook Pro with Retina display. I would first check the resolution settings for the monitor with the "How do I select additional resolutions on my display?" section of the following article:
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Hi AO1 James,
If I understand correctly, the external monitor was blurry from the moment you plugged it into your MacBook Pro with Retina display. I would first check the resolution settings for the monitor with the "How do I select additional resolutions on my display?" section of the following article:
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This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
All Dell monitors come with CD's for drivers. Your laptop may not know the monitor w/o its driver, it won't install automatically. Please check:
Ringht click a blank space on desktop,
Click Personalize
Click Display
Click Change display settings
Can you see BOTH laptop screen and external monitor in there as shown on the following image:
For testing, I put my Dell monitor is my main display. If I can't see 2 monitor, you need its driver first and then check the cable.
Regards.
BH
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Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

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Hello lindalou63,
Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I understand you are having issues when trying to connect an external monitor to your computer running Windows Vista. I am providing you with an HP Support document: Connecting Monitors and TVs to Your PC (Windows Vista and XP), which will walk you through the steps required to correctly connect a monitor to a computer running both Windows Vista and XP. I would suggest you review the document and ensure you have followed all the steps provided. This should resolve your issue and let you get back to enjoying your computer again.
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Macbook Connected to External Monitor is Blurry

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