Monitors Downscaling LCD resolution query.

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techie_007

Galvanizer
Hi,

Me thinking about getting a Viewsonic/Dell 19"/22" and moving up from my existing 15" CRT. :ashamed: Thing is, i will probably be getting an 8600GT. Now this is obviously not good enuf to run most of todays newer games at higher settings at native LCD resolutions. :no:

So my query was that is it possible to run these at lower resulutions like 12** or even lower and hike up the quality settings instead????? Can these LCDs show lower resolutions decently and will the games look better then?
 
If you are asking on if the LCD will do 1:1 and aspect ratio then the answer is no.Only the higher end models like Ultrasharp 2007 and 2407-HC ....etc can do 1:1.All other LCD scale to their native resolution.
Ideally you can scale using the Video card but the "Do not scale" and "Maintain aspect ratio" features are buggy in the Nvidia drivers and will not work in the current driver set.
 
so u mean i wont be able to run games on the LCD at a resolution lower than the native res???? :( so i ll b stuck with lower quality settings only :( a 19" CRT is looking like a better option to me then :P
 
techie_007 said:
so u mean i wont be able to run games on the LCD at a resolution lower than the native res???? :( so i ll b stuck with lower quality settings only :( a 19" CRT is looking like a better option to me then :P
Click to expand...
You will be able to run at lower resolutions.Just that all the pixels will be extrapolated to its native resolution.When you feed a Non-Ws resoution 1280*1024..etc there will also be minor stretch to fit the widescreen size.The High end monitors insert black bars in the screen and display only the area where the pixles are located.
Video drivers also do the same, ie take a 1280*1024 and fill the remaining portions with black pixels and feed to the screen.It is just that this feature is buggy in the Nvidia driver.
Yes even I miss the CRT days, currently typing this reply from a Dell 21 inch Trinitron display :) .
 
FWIW, I run a lot of games at non-native resolutions because the games themselves don't have support for 1680x1050 without complex workarounds. Specially older games like GP4, GTA series, etc.

Apart from the fact that everything stretches to fit the screen, I don't have a problem as anyway most 3D gaming looks very blurry, specially when in action. I see very little difference once cars move fast or you're shooting a hundred enemies.

NFS Carbon looks nice at 1680x1050, though. I don't like the game very much but eye candy is good. And GTR2 plays lovely, I don't care what the resolution is or the fact it looks average in every resolution.

In a CRT this problem does not exist at the CRT will be equally sharp at all resolutions. This is the single biggest qualm I have with LCDs.

Also for gaming LCDs suck big time because of black level. The black is never really black, just a dark gray. Games look really bad, specially darker games. They do result in much less eyestrain though, I can game for hours on an LCD without straining but the phosphors of a CRT forces me to take breaks every hour or so.
 
So what to go for then :( I am even more confused. Anyway to play on LCD without any stretching? I mean can we get 4:3 on it then (black bars on sides are perfectly acceptable :)
 
I've never managed to get the black bars, but YMMV.

Overall, I prefer the LCD. It runs cooler, has a smaller footprint, and is much easier on the eyes on long sessions. The colour accuracy ain't great and neither is the black level. In the better LCDs the colour accuracy improves but the black level problem will always remain as long as there is a light behind the screen. But your eyes get used to it no problem at all, and anyway your brain translates it as a picture and not real life.

LCDs also have the stretching issue, but it doesn't bother me much at all in gaming. It's very irritating in text mode, but most cards cope with the resolution fine (except Intel integrated video, grrr!). I would say an LCD is better, overall. Unless you watch a lot of movies I would take a 4:3 LCD over a WS, you get more pixels and games won't get stretched.
 
hmm....i do watch lots of movies too :(

so u mean i shud get a 4:3 LCD then? i guess games will look ok on it.

But then will i be able to lower the resolution of the games ? ( in order to bump up game settings..considering that i ll b using a 8600GT and definitely wont get full effects at the high LCD native res.
 
techie_007 said:
hmm....i do watch lots of movies too :(

so u mean i shud get a 4:3 LCD then? i guess games will look ok on it.

But then will i be able to lower the resolution of the games ? ( in order to bump up game settings..considering that i ll b using a 8600GT and definitely wont get full effects at the high LCD native res.
Click to expand...

You really ought to check out a LCD being used at a lower than native resolution for gaming before making up your mind based on feedback on these forums. Personally, I've felt that scaling or rather the lack of detail due to it is something dependent on how far you are from the monitor also.

I've gamed on my laptop (native res 1280x800) at 1024x768 in Doom3, FarCry and QuakeIV while played at native res in Halo and HL2,HL2:EP1. Sure, HL2 looked tack-sharp and absolutely wonderful but apart from losing a bit of definition in FarCry's many "camp_here_and_snipe_tht_bugger_200ms_away" situations...I dint miss out on thaat much to consider me moving up to 1280x800 and losing detail.

You really ought to try out lower-resolution gaming on a LCD and make up on your mind. For sure, it's a totally different ballgame as compared to a CRT but whether it's for completely worse or acceptable is up to you and your eyes alone. :)

Have fun.

Payne

PS: Jus got the 22" Dell E228WFP here. Played NFS:C sitting some 4 ft away from the display... :D And it is beautiful. :)
 
I almost have the same QUESTION here but with a small zing !!

I have a 15" LCD syncmaster 152s planning to get an viewsonic 22" Q22wb

Now As a noob in this thing !

What is Native resolution

is it 1680x1050 in case of 22" Q22wb ???????

if it is will i get good OUTPUT from a 8800GTS 320Mb card at everything maxxed with SHADOWS ?? @ 1680x1050

if i decrease the res will it CRAP the whole GAME like some sorta ARCADE game ??

cause if it will ill keep my 15" which has a 25ms Response time compared to 5ms of the 22"

OR shud i go for the 19" ????
 
aceman said:
If you are asking on if the LCD will do 1:1 and aspect ratio then the answer is no.Only the higher end models like Ultrasharp 2007 and 2407-HC ....etc can do 1:1.All other LCD scale to their native resolution.
Ideally you can scale using the Video card but the "Do not scale" and "Maintain aspect ratio" features are buggy in the Nvidia drivers and will not work in the current driver set.
Click to expand...

All the current Nvidia drivers work with the 8 series and give perfect scaling. The earlier drivers had problems in vista, but that was solved a while ago. Refer to AT forums for some threads on those.

Therefore, you can a) Play at native resolution b) Lower resolution at fixed aspect ratio c) Fixed aspect ratio - scaled (image will scale to the edge with black bars on the sides or top depending on the movie or game)

aceman said:
Video drivers also do the same, ie take a 1280*1024 and fill the remaining portions with black pixels and feed to the screen.It is just that this feature is buggy in the Nvidia driver.
Yes even I miss the CRT days, currently typing this reply from a Dell 21 inch Trinitron display :) .
Click to expand...

Again, it WAS not working earlier on, the new drivers work perfectly well. Also have a 19" Viewsonic CRT and a 17" Flatron apart from my Dell E228 - all have their advantages and disadvantages :)

sangram said:
I've never managed to get the black bars, but YMMV.

Overall, I prefer the LCD. It runs cooler, has a smaller footprint, and is much easier on the eyes on long sessions. The colour accuracy ain't great and neither is the black level. In the better LCDs the colour accuracy improves but the black level problem will always remain as long as there is a light behind the screen. But your eyes get used to it no problem at all, and anyway your brain translates it as a picture and not real life.

LCDs also have the stretching issue, but it doesn't bother me much at all in gaming. It's very irritating in text mode, but most cards cope with the resolution fine (except Intel integrated video, grrr!). I would say an LCD is better, overall. Unless you watch a lot of movies I would take a 4:3 LCD over a WS, you get more pixels and games won't get stretched.
Click to expand...

My dell is pretty colour accurate - for a TN panel. You're right about the black level, but then, who pays attention to that when playing games or watching movies :) .

deep_nx said:
I almost have the same QUESTION here but with a small zing !!

I have a 15" LCD syncmaster 152s planning to get an viewsonic 22" Q22wb

Now As a noob in this thing !

What is Native resolution

is it 1680x1050 in case of 22" Q22wb ???????

if it is will i get good OUTPUT from a 8800GTS 320Mb card at everything maxxed with SHADOWS ?? @ 1680x1050

if i decrease the res will it CRAP the whole GAME like some sorta ARCADE game ??

cause if it will ill keep my 15" which has a 25ms Response time compared to 5ms of the 22"
OR shud i go for the 19" ????
Click to expand...

Yes, the native resolution is 1680x1050 for the 22" TN panels. If its an 8800, it should be able to handle all the current games easily with shadows, AF and AA.

If you decrease the resolution, it won't look terrible at all. If you have an 8800 class, there's no reason not to go for the 22" monitor.

deep_nx said:
EDIT:
i am not too far from the monitor MAX 30inches away......... so will d 22" screen be dat harmful ??
Click to expand...

Not at all, I'm a hand's distance away from the monitor myself.

Finally
If you scale TEXT - it doesn't look great on an LCD.
Games and Movies
Movies are obviously up-scaled in the case of DVDs and DVD rips etc, so there's no problem there, they look GREAT on a widescreen.
Games look great at native resolution. They look very nice even when scaled. I will take pics later on for comparison :)
 
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thanks for the explanation dude! I had the same query. Waiting for the comparative pics :) please do post it.

repped you!
 
My tripod is with a friend, I'll get hold of it tomorrow evening, and then post a little guide on calibrating the dell E228 as well as take pictures at various resolutions. I need the tripod so as to make comparisons of the cropped pictures easy and accurate.
 
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