Hooking my macbook pro to an external monitor

Hi,

So I have a just got a new dell 23 inch screen and i hooked it up to my macbook pro 13. I want the screen to mirror whats on my laptop so I can use it as a "docking station".

This might be a stupid question, but i apologize, i am totally new to mac.

So its working well, however, the resolution on my dell screen is terrible! Ive tried all the settings. It says usable display is 1280x 800, i try to set it to that, and it still looks really bad! How can i get it to look sharp?

Thanks!!!

Are you sure the native resolution of that Dell monitor is 1280 x 800? That sounds more like the resolution of your MBP 13". If you gave us the Dell model number we could perhaps suggest a better resolution.

Also, how are you hooking the Dell to your MBP? VGA? DVI? (You should be using DVI)

If you are mirroring the display, that is the maximum resolution you can get. If you use it in clamshell mode (with external keyboard and mouse), the resolution is much better. Up to 2560 by 1600. The key is it has to be in clamshell mode. I am using a VGA connector to a cheap 21" Lenovo and am getting 1360 by 800 (or something similar). It makes a huge difference.