monitor resolution

[R&J]

what do I need to check before buying a new monitor
I've been looking for a larger screen incl using a LCD tv of about 32 inch
how to I check that I get a clear picture, not just a larger grainier one.
max resolution on my PC is showing 1280x1024 will it be suitable with a monitor resolution of say 1600x1200

need your help before splashing the cash

Rich

[aldi]

In XP the max res it shows will depend on the monitor that's plugged in at the time, so you might find that your PC will go higher than 1280x1024. It normally depends on how much ram is on your graphics card, but nearly anything less than say 3 years old will do 1600x1280 no problem.

[flossythepig]

To do a quick check in Windows.
1. Right click on the desktop.
2. Click on the Settings tab on the Display Properties popup.
3. You should get another popup (possible with the name of monitor and graphics card.
4. Click on the Monitor tab and uncheck the "hide mode" checkbox and then the Apply button.
5. Click on the Adapter tab and click on the List All Modes button.
6. You will get a list of all the resolution with refresh rate that you card will support.

Please don't change the current settings as you may damage you monitor.

Remember that most LCD panels use 60Hz refresh rates (my Philips display can use 70 and 75 as well but I find 60 fine)

Edited by flossythepig on Sunday 12th November 17:26

[pjskel]

If you're buying an all-in-one LCD TV, then the resolution will be 1366x768.
So, what you'll need to do is make sure your graphics card has the latest drivers which should allow this resolution to be selected.
Some games don't let you choose the wide aspect in their options - often it's just a matter of modifying their .ini file and not touching the resolution options again.
FEAR being a prime example - only one lower than native wide res displayed (1152x648).