[wunderkind]

I have a 12" PB. Screen is 1024x768.
At home I connect it to a 17" LCD that has 1280x1024 resolution.

If I do display mirroring, then I am limited to the highest resolution of the PB's screen (1024x768) and do not get more screen real estate on an external display (the same picture is just larger).

If I do monitor spanning, then the available video RAM is split between two displays, even though I use exclusively external display and decrease the brightness of PB's display to zero.

The question is: can I "turn off" somehow PBs built-in display, so that all VRAM is available for the external display?

Second: is it correct that mirroring is limited by the native resolution of PBs display, no matter what is the maximum resolution of the external display?

Thanks.

[senseigmg]

i believe that when you use clamshell mode that all the vram goes to the external. with the PB sleep and monitor plugged in, click your external mouse or keyboard to wake it. Everything should show up on your external lcd.

[ideasculptor]

By definition, mirroring must use the lowest common denominator of both monitors, since both monitors must be able to display the desktop. Since your built in screen can't display higher than 1024x768, then when mirroring, it makes perfect sense that your external must run the same res. To run any higher would force the built-in LCD to NOT mirror the display. You aren't limited purely to the internal display resolution. If the external has even lower limitations (a projector that can only run 800x600, for instance), then you will be limited to the external resolution. It is always the lowest common resolution.

--sam

[wunderkind]

I see. So the only answer to my question is to use it in a clamshell mode. I did not try it first, since the only keyboard I have is for a different language layout.

However, what worked is to use this non-English external keyboard to wake PB up in clamshell mode, then open it and use its built-in keyboard.

Works well and at the max resolution of external display.

Thanks.

[ideasculptor]

You can do monitor SPANNING (instead of mirroring) and get high resolutions on the external display, but you will definitely be limited by video ram. Clamshell mode is the only fix I know of for that problem.