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Setting higher screen resolution for external monitor on Linux

The xrandr command gives you informations about your actual displays, and the names of the displays (e.g. DP2):

bougui@mantrisse ~> xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 3200 x 1200, maximum 8192 x 8192
eDP1 connected primary 1600x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 309mm x 174mm
   1600x900      59.99*+  40.00  
   1440x900      59.89  
   1360x768      59.80    59.96  
   1152x864      60.00  
   1024x768      60.00  
   800x600       60.32    56.25  
   640x480       59.94  
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP2 connected 1600x1200+1600+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
   1024x768      60.00  
   800x600       60.32    56.25  
   848x480       60.00  
   640x480       59.94  
   1600x1200_60.00  59.87* 
HDMI2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Typically, the command cvt format the parameters you want for the chosen resolution (usually given by the constructor of the monitor you use).

After that, you add a new mode to xrandr and you add this new mode to the chosen display (e.g. DP2).

Then, you choose this new mode for this DP2 display.

The script below set the resolution of the second display DP2 to 1600x1200:

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