What is the Intel Core i7 onboard graphics maximum supported resolution?

Question

I went from an external Nvidia card to the i7 graphics and was shocked that the driver maxed out at 1680x1050 pixels. I have a 27" monitor whose native resolution is 2560x1440.

Can the onboard support this? I found no way to go higher than 1680, but can it be that not even 1920x1080 is supported?

Solution

You may have the wrong cable, if you only have a "single link" DVI cable then your maximum resolution will be 1920*1080 (I have seen monitors that do not report this resolution tho). For 2560*1600 you need a dual link DVI cable.

From this page:

The dual link DVI pins effectively double the power of transmission and provide an increase of speed and signal quality; i.e. a DVI single link 60-Hz LCD can display a resolution of 1920 x 1200, while a DVI dual link can display a resolution of 2560 x 1600.

For reference:

Comments

[Paul]

A core i7 processor doesn't have integrated graphics. They are integrated onto your motherboard. What is the model of the motherboard?

[John]

It's a Gigabyte Z68 board. gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3854

[MSalters]

The i7-2600K definitely does (Intel HD Graphics 3000)

[Paul]

Yeah that is weird - certainly the graphics chip can't drive it to 2560, but it should get it to 1920. Could it be that the monitor itself doesn't support 1920? Doe the monitor come with drivers? What model is it?

[Thalys]

the second generation core family comes with a graphics card integrated.

[John]

It's the i7-2600K. Like I said, I can see things on the screen just not at the right resolution.