SOLVED! THE REAL PROBLEM WAS MY HARDWARE: I tried running Kubuntu in a live environment through my USB and I had the same problem (and in the windows setup then as well, but I didn't notice). After that I started looking for possible hardware problems and found my PC on this list: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000126548/resolution-on-external-monitor-limited-to-1920-x-1080-using-hdmi My PC's motherboard doesn't support 4K over HDMI (only DP), so I'll have to get a display port cable.
TLDR AT THE END I recently cloned my SSD with Clonezilla from a laptop with Linux Kubuntu to a new desktop PC. Both SSDs were 500gb, the laptop has a 12th gen i5 processor, and the PC has a 13th gen i7 processor, and there are no separate GPUs . The laptop’s default display is its 1080p built-in display. I've connected the new PC to a new 4K monitor, but it can only display 1080p on the monitor. I suspect it’s an issue with cloning from the laptop because I can connect the monitor to my laptop and have it display 4K without any issues (with the exact same hard drive information as the PC which can’t do this). I don’t know what exactly is going on, but based on this I suspect that the PC thinks that the primary display it’s dealing with is still my laptop’s 1080p built-in display and that there is no (easy) way to change that. The first time I booted into Linux on my new PC, the screen was shrinked to 1080p and centered on the monitor, and when I restarted it was across the entire monitor screen but it was scaled down to 1080p and it's remained that way since. Additionally, the Dell BIOS and the Windows installation the PC came with could both display 4K on any 4K monitor. Here's what I've tried so far: 1. Checked cable connections and the monitor. 4K works on other laptops and PCs without issues. The same problem is present with my PC if I connect it to any other 4K monitor as well. 2. Made sure the system (and the kernel) are up-to-date. 3. Tried to add the resolution with xrandr and failed (both with 30Hz and 60Hz):
user:~$ xrandr --output HDMI-2 --mode 3840x2160
xrandr: cannot find mode 3840x2160
user:~$ WLR_DRM_NO_MODIFIERS=1
user:~$ xrandr --output HDMI-2 --mode 3840x2160
xrandr: cannot find mode 3840x2160
user:~$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-2 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 597mm x 336mm
1920x1080 60.00* 50.00 59.94
1680x1050 59.88
1280x1024 75.02 60.02
1440x900 59.90
1280x960 60.00
1280x720 60.00 50.00 59.94
1024x768 75.03 70.07 60.00
832x624 74.55
800x600 72.19 75.00 60.32 56.25
720x576 50.00
720x480 60.00 59.94
640x480 75.00 72.81 66.67 60.00 59.94
720x400 70.08
user:~$ xrandr --newmode "3840x2160_30.00" 297.0 3840 4016 4104 4400 2160 2168 2178 2250 +hsync -vsync
xrandr --addmode HDMI-2 "3840x2160_30.00"
xrandr --output HDMI-2 --mode "3840x2160_30.00"
xrandr: Configure crtc 0 failed
- Added the new resolution with the ���cvt“ command, after which I could see it in xrandr and in system settings. However, when I selected the 4K resolution nothing would happen (the display would just remain at 1080p, confirmed by checking the built-in monitor information).
Here is also my output from xrandr –verbose (my monitor is connected with HDMI 2):
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 3840 x 2160, maximum 16384 x 16384
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
Identifier: 0x42
Timestamp: 382787
Subpixel: unknown
Clones: HDMI-1
CRTCs: 0 1 2 3
Transform: 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
filter:
HDCP Content Type: HDCP Type0
supported: HDCP Type0, HDCP Type1
Content Protection: Undesired
supported: Undesired, Desired, Enabled
vrr_capable: 0
range: (0, 1)
Colorspace: Default
supported: Default, BT709_YCC, XVYCC_601, XVYCC_709, SYCC_601, opYCC_601, opRGB, BT2020_CYCC, BT2020_RGB, BT2020_YCC, DCI-P3_RGB_D65, RGB_WIDE_FIXED, RGB_WIDE_FLOAT, BT601_YCC
max bpc: 12
range: (6, 12)
Broadcast RGB: Automatic
supported: Automatic, Full, Limited 16:235
audio: auto
supported: force-dvi, off, auto, on
subconnector: Unknown
supported: Unknown, VGA, DVI-D, HDMI, DP, Wireless, Native
link-status: Good
supported: Good, Bad
CONNECTOR_ID: 236
supported: 236
non-desktop: 0
range: (0, 1)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
Identifier: 0x43
Timestamp: 382787
Subpixel: unknown
Clones: DP-1
CRTCs: 0 1 2 3
Transform: 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
filter:
HDCP Content Type: HDCP Type0
supported: HDCP Type0, HDCP Type1
Content Protection: Undesired
supported: Undesired, Desired, Enabled
max bpc: 12
range: (8, 12)
content type: No Data
supported: No Data, Graphics, Photo, Cinema, Game
Colorspace: Default
supported: Default, SMPTE_170M_YCC, BT709_YCC, XVYCC_601, XVYCC_709, SYCC_601, opYCC_601, opRGB, BT2020_CYCC, BT2020_RGB, BT2020_YCC, DCI-P3_RGB_D65, DCI-P3_RGB_Theater
aspect ratio: Automatic
supported: Automatic, 4:3, 16:9
Broadcast RGB: Automatic
supported: Automatic, Full, Limited 16:235
audio: auto
supported: force-dvi, off, auto, on
link-status: Good
supported: Good, Bad
CONNECTOR_ID: 249
supported: 249
non-desktop: 0
range: (0, 1)
HDMI-2 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (0x46) normal (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 632mm x 360mm
Identifier: 0x44
Timestamp: 382787
Subpixel: unknown
Gamma: 1.0:1.1:1.1
Brightness: 1.0
Clones:
CRTC: 0
CRTCs: 0 1 2 3
Transform: 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
filter:
_KDE_SCREEN_INDEX: 1
EDID:
00ffffffffffff004c2d1710454d4e30
23210103803f24782ac8b5ad50449e25
0f5054bfef80714f810081c081809500
a9c0b300010108e80030f2705a80b058
8a0078682100001e000000fd00324b1e
873c000a202020202020000000fc004c
5532385235350a2020202020000000ff
00484e4d573830303835340a20200195
020335f04961120313041f10605f2309
070783010000e305c0006b030c001000
b8442000200167d85dc40178800be306
0501e20f81023a801871382d40582c45
0078682100001e023a80d072382d4010
2c458078682100001e04740030f2705a
80b0588a0078682100001e565e00a0a0
a029503020350078682100001a000049
HDCP Content Type: HDCP Type0
supported: HDCP Type0, HDCP Type1
Content Protection: Undesired
supported: Undesired, Desired, Enabled
max bpc: 12
range: (8, 12)
content type: No Data
supported: No Data, Graphics, Photo, Cinema, Game
Colorspace: Default
supported: Default, SMPTE_170M_YCC, BT709_YCC, XVYCC_601, XVYCC_709, SYCC_601, opYCC_601, opRGB, BT2020_CYCC, BT2020_RGB, BT2020_YCC, DCI-P3_RGB_D65, DCI-P3_RGB_Theater
aspect ratio: Automatic
supported: Automatic, 4:3, 16:9
Broadcast RGB: Automatic
supported: Automatic, Full, Limited 16:235
audio: auto
supported: force-dvi, off, auto, on
link-status: Good
supported: Good, Bad
CONNECTOR_ID: 255
supported: 255
non-desktop: 0
range: (0, 1)
1920x1080 (0x46) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync *current
h: width 1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew 0 clock 67.50KHz
v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125 clock 60.00Hz
1920x1080 (0x47) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew 0 clock 56.25KHz
v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125 clock 50.00Hz
1920x1080 (0x48) 148.352MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew 0 clock 67.43KHz
v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125 clock 59.94Hz
1680x1050 (0x49) 119.000MHz +HSync -VSync
h: width 1680 start 1728 end 1760 total 1840 skew 0 clock 64.67KHz
v: height 1050 start 1053 end 1059 total 1080 clock 59.88Hz
1600x900 (0x4a) 108.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1600 start 1624 end 1704 total 1800 skew 0 clock 60.00KHz
v: height 900 start 901 end 904 total 1000 clock 60.00Hz
1280x1024 (0x4b) 135.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1280 start 1296 end 1440 total 1688 skew 0 clock 79.98KHz
v: height 1024 start 1025 end 1028 total 1066 clock 75.02Hz
1280x1024 (0x4c) 108.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1280 start 1328 end 1440 total 1688 skew 0 clock 63.98KHz
v: height 1024 start 1025 end 1028 total 1066 clock 60.02Hz
1440x900 (0x4d) 88.750MHz +HSync -VSync
h: width 1440 start 1488 end 1520 total 1600 skew 0 clock 55.47KHz
v: height 900 start 903 end 909 total 926 clock 59.90Hz
1280x800 (0x4e) 71.000MHz +HSync -VSync
h: width 1280 start 1328 end 1360 total 1440 skew 0 clock 49.31KHz
v: height 800 start 803 end 809 total 823 clock 59.91Hz
1152x864 (0x4f) 108.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1152 start 1216 end 1344 total 1600 skew 0 clock 67.50KHz
v: height 864 start 865 end 868 total 900 clock 75.00Hz
1280x720 (0x50) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew 0 clock 45.00KHz
v: height 720 start 725 end 730 total 750 clock 60.00Hz
1280x720 (0x51) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1280 start 1720 end 1760 total 1980 skew 0 clock 37.50KHz
v: height 720 start 725 end 730 total 750 clock 50.00Hz
1280x720 (0x52) 74.176MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew 0 clock 44.96KHz
v: height 720 start 725 end 730 total 750 clock 59.94Hz
1024x768 (0x53) 78.750MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 1024 start 1040 end 1136 total 1312 skew 0 clock 60.02KHz
v: height 768 start 769 end 772 total 800 clock 75.03Hz
1024x768 (0x54) 75.000MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 1024 start 1048 end 1184 total 1328 skew 0 clock 56.48KHz
v: height 768 start 771 end 777 total 806 clock 70.07Hz
1024x768 (0x55) 65.000MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 1024 start 1048 end 1184 total 1344 skew 0 clock 48.36KHz
v: height 768 start 771 end 777 total 806 clock 60.00Hz
832x624 (0x56) 57.284MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 832 start 864 end 928 total 1152 skew 0 clock 49.73KHz
v: height 624 start 625 end 628 total 667 clock 74.55Hz
800x600 (0x57) 50.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 800 start 856 end 976 total 1040 skew 0 clock 48.08KHz
v: height 600 start 637 end 643 total 666 clock 72.19Hz
800x600 (0x58) 49.500MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 800 start 816 end 896 total 1056 skew 0 clock 46.88KHz
v: height 600 start 601 end 604 total 625 clock 75.00Hz
800x600 (0x59) 40.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 800 start 840 end 968 total 1056 skew 0 clock 37.88KHz
v: height 600 start 601 end 605 total 628 clock 60.32Hz
800x600 (0x5a) 36.000MHz +HSync +VSync
h: width 800 start 824 end 896 total 1024 skew 0 clock 35.16KHz
v: height 600 start 601 end 603 total 625 clock 56.25Hz
720x576 (0x5b) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 720 start 732 end 796 total 864 skew 0 clock 31.25KHz
v: height 576 start 581 end 586 total 625 clock 50.00Hz
720x480 (0x5c) 27.027MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 720 start 736 end 798 total 858 skew 0 clock 31.50KHz
v: height 480 start 489 end 495 total 525 clock 60.00Hz
720x480 (0x5d) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 720 start 736 end 798 total 858 skew 0 clock 31.47KHz
v: height 480 start 489 end 495 total 525 clock 59.94Hz
640x480 (0x5e) 31.500MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 640 start 656 end 720 total 840 skew 0 clock 37.50KHz
v: height 480 start 481 end 484 total 500 clock 75.00Hz
640x480 (0x5f) 31.500MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 640 start 664 end 704 total 832 skew 0 clock 37.86KHz
v: height 480 start 489 end 492 total 520 clock 72.81Hz
640x480 (0x60) 30.240MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 640 start 704 end 768 total 864 skew 0 clock 35.00KHz
v: height 480 start 483 end 486 total 525 clock 66.67Hz
640x480 (0x61) 25.200MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 640 start 656 end 752 total 800 skew 0 clock 31.50KHz
v: height 480 start 490 end 492 total 525 clock 60.00Hz
640x480 (0x62) 25.175MHz -HSync -VSync
h: width 640 start 656 end 752 total 800 skew 0 clock 31.47KHz
v: height 480 start 490 end 492 total 525 clock 59.94Hz
720x400 (0x63) 28.320MHz -HSync +VSync
h: width 720 start 738 end 846 total 900 skew 0 clock 31.47KHz
v: height 400 start 412 end 414 total 449 clock 70.08Hz
3840x2160_60.00 (0x7a4) 712.750MHz -HSync +VSync
h: width 3840 start 4160 end 4576 total 5312 skew 0 clock 134.18KHz
v: height 2160 start 2163 end 2168 total 2237 clock 59.98Hz
I've also tried some other things which I can't remember right now, but none of them worked. Do you think there's a way to fix this or should I just give up?
Also, is it possible to install a fresh Linux Kubuntu installation on my PC (which I assume would solve the problem), copy the monitor configuration files or something if that's possible, clone my laptop SSD again with Clonezilla and then paste the monitor configuration files/settings from the fresh installation into my laptop clone. Is this possible? I'm not that experienced with Linux, so I have no idea.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
TL;DR: Cloned Linux Kubuntu installation with Clonezilla from laptop to PC. PC can't display 4K on monitor (only 1080p), but the laptop can. The laptop's built in display is 1080p. The PC could display 4K in Dell BIOS and Windows, and the monitor (as well as its cables) work on all other PCs/laptops, leading me to believe the problem is software related and has to do with cloning from the laptop to a PC (I assume the PC „thinks“ the main display is still the laptop's built-in display). Most common workarounds found online, such as adding the resolution with „xrandr“ didn't work. Using the „cvt“ command added the resolution to xrandr and system settings, but changing the resolution does nothing. Is there a way to fix this? Would creating a new Linux Kubuntu installation and copying some monitor configuration files to the cloned installation fix things?
