How to set resolution with xrandr

Hi Jonathon

Hey! Thanks for the pics and rundown. You're doing great getting that older HP Pavilion Elite e9270f set up with Pop!_OS, especially with the hardware mix you've got. Based on what I see:


✅ Summary of your setup:
- **Monitor recommends**: 2560x1080 @ 60Hz (ultrawide)
- **Current resolution**: 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
- **Display options in GNOME**: Only go up to 1920x1080
- **GPU**: AMD RV730 (aka Radeon HD 4650/4670 series)
- **OS**: Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS (X11 session)

🚨 The issue:
Pop!_OS isn’t detecting your ultrawide resolution — despite `xrandr` indicating it should be possible — probably due to:
- The **RV730 GPU being old** and limited in supported modes on modern drivers
- **Missing EDID info over HDMI**
- Or needing a **manual `xrandr` modeline** to force the correct resolution

🛠️ Fix: Add custom resolution with `xrandr`
Let’s manually add the correct resolution.

1. **Generate a modeline** for 2560x1080 @ 60Hz:

   cvt 2560 1080 60

   Example output:

   Modeline "2560x1080_60.00" 230.00 2560 2608 2640 2720 1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync

2. **Add the mode to your display**:
   First, find your display name:

   xrandr

   You’ll see something like `HDMI-1` or `HDMI-A-0`.

   Then add the mode:

   xrandr --newmode "2560x1080_60.00" 230.00 2560 2608 2640 2720 1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync
   xrandr --addmode HDMI-1 "2560x1080_60.00"
   xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode "2560x1080_60.00"

   (Replace `HDMI-1` with your actual output name.)

📌 Make it permanent:
To make this apply at boot:

1. Create a `.xprofile` in your home directory:

   nano ~/.xprofile

2. Add:

   xrandr --newmode "2560x1080_60.00" 230.00 2560 2608 2640 2720 1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync +vsync
   xrandr --addmode HDMI-1 "2560x1080_60.00"
   xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode "2560x1080_60.00"

3. Save and reboot.

🔎 Extra tips:
- If the mode doesn't display correctly, try other modelines from [Modeline Generator](https://arachnoid.com/modelines/).
- If you dual-boot Windows and the display works fine there, the EDID is likely good — just not interpreted properly in Linux.

Let me know what you get from `xrandr` and I can help tailor the commands exactly. Also happy to help set this up as a script if needed.

Paul