Many Ultrawide monitors with 5120×1440 resolutions (aka Dual-QHD or 32:9) just don’t seem to sync on Intel HD 610, HD 620, UHD 630 and dual NVIDA+Intel GPU systems like the Surface Book 3. Instead, they sync to lower resolutions such as 2560×1440 or 1920×1080. These Intel GPUs support 3840×2160 @ 60Hz (4K) just fine – a resolution that consumes 11% more bandwidth than 5120×1440. So what gives?
It seems the issue is an arbitrary horizontal pixel clock limit in some versions of the Intel GPU driver software. Just set the following regkey and reboot. For best performance, it may help to update your Intel GPU driver as well.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
;Enable 5K mode for Intel UWD/DCH drivers - dancharblog
;
; -----Instructions: -----
;- copy this text into notepad
;- save as enable5k.reg
;- double-click the file and follow the prompts to import changes
;- reboot
;- if the changes don't do anything, in the line below that starts with "[HKEY_" change "\0001]" to "\0000]" or "\0002]" and retry the above steps
; ------------------------
;
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0001]
"Enable5kModeSupport"=dword:00000001
If the registry change does not help, the issue may be the monitor cable. Older adapters and cables may not be able to carry high bandwidth signals reliably. If that’s the case, look into getting cables/adapters from the latest generation.
And if you haven’t had the pleasure of using a Dual-QHD 5120×1440 monitor, here are a few 49″ models:
- AOC AGON AG493UCX
- Dell U4919DW
- LG 49WL95C-W
- Philips Brilliance 499P9H
- Samsung Odyssey G9 LC49G95TSSNXZA
- Sceptre C505B-QSN168
- Viotek SUW49DA
5Kx2K (5120×2160) WUHD Ultrawide monitors are also available (note that these use 33% more bandwidth than 4K and may not run at full resolution or refresh rates on many systems):
References:
Thanks to /u/DIEtRabbit for inspiring this article
This was a lifesaver thank you!
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Really great technical breakdowns here. I have a question. I want to connect a Surface Pro X (SQ2) up to a Samsung Odyssey G9 (5120×1440) and another 3840×2160 (4K) display. I know that the SPX supports dual 4K@60 so I should be able to run the above system through the Surface Dock 2 correct? Since technically it would be pushing less pixels than two 4K displays. I am curious if the Surface Pro X has any issues with these super-ultrawide displays. Thank you so much!
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Hi I’m not sure about the Pro X with a “5K” plus “4K” monitor. From a bandwidth perspective it is OK, but there may be other limitations in the Qualcomm driver regarding the total number of horizontal pixels. Unfortunately, the Qualcomm GPU driver is a black box and they have released zero info – unlike AMD/Intel/NVIIDA for which there are settings apps and 3rd-party tweaks.
FWIW, some folks have had issues simply getting 2x 4K60 to work properly so it seems the DP 1.4 implementations on these laptops is not quite mature enough to “just work”.
If you really like those two monitors, go for it, but do check if there is a return window just in case. Either way do report back your findings!
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