Will I damage my monitor?

[steliosneo]

I have a G550 running a Sony 19" G420 110KHz

Up to now I was using the recommended resolution 1280x1024@85Hz (91KHz)

As this is not a 4:3 resolution I switched to 1280x960 but I needed more than that, so I tried the next one which is 1600x1200@85Hz (106KHz)

After using this resolution I cannot go back. My question is whether I will damage in some way or another my monitor in the long run as it is being run on the limit

I noticed notebooks have a 1400x1050 resolution which is 4:3, would this be a better solution for me and since I cannot find it in my supported resolutions how do I add it (using latest Matrox Powerdesk)?

Thanks for reading

[Jon P. Inghram]

Use the official Matrox Tweak Utility. It lets you add custom resolutions. Running the monitor at it's rated limits shouldn't be a problem, but it might not look as good as at lower pixel rates.

[steliosneo]

Thanks Jon P. Inghram, for both the link and the advice.

I am now running 1400x1050@85Hz (93.2KHz) and it's looking brilliant. Will stick to this resolution for now.

[Paddy]

hmm... I have a Sony CPD-G400. I find that 1600x1200 is too high a resolution as the text is too small and looses a lot of clarity.

I have been searching for an optimum resolution for ages now, and have always resorted to 1280*1024.

I'll try adding your custom res on 1400x1050 and see how that looks.... I am suprised that you cant get more than 85Hz at that resolution though....

[Paddy]

erm... can someone remind me how to add custom resolutions??? I thought that you could do it with ATIs refresh fix....

[Paddy]

I think PowerStrip will do it....

[Nuno]

Modern monitors generally don´t synch and show something like "signal out of range" if you try to run it over spec. So if it runs, don´t worry, and 1600x1200@85 is definitly on spec for your G420. I never heard nobody complaining about ruining a monitor running it at higher resolutions.

[Paddy]

I am running at 1400*1050@85Hz.... Still trying to get used to the aspect ratio.......

[Tempest]

Paddy, how did you add an 1400x1050 resolution for your 8500? I'd like to try that on my 8500LE, but at a quick glance I wasn't able to add resolutions in PowerStrip.

[Paddy]

I just created a custom resolution in:

DISPLAY PROFILES > CONFIGURE > ADVANCED TIMING OPTIONS > CUSTOM RESOLUTIONS

I kept the timings the same as for 1280*1024

[Tempest]

Tee-hee... Thanks, one can see that I'm a PowerStrip n00b

I did as you told me and it worked okay... My monitor won't do much more than 85 Hz at 1400x1050 though. The image is sharp, but for some reason 85 Hz flickers a bit too much for my liking, maybe the monitor just wasn't built for this res. I'll play with it some more, but unless those fine-tuning timing etc. adjustments can work wonders I think I'll stick to 1280x960 @ 85 or 1152x864 @ 100 in the end.

[Paddy]

I cant quite hit 100Hz, I have it running nicely at 95Hz now

[steliosneo]

Originally posted by Paddy
hmm... I have a Sony CPD-G400. I find that 1600x1200 is too high a resolution as the text is too small and looses a lot of clarity.

Well in WinXP I use Normal size (96DPI) and set Large Fonts in the Appearence tab instead, then set Active Title Bar Font Size from 14 to 12 because it is too big for my liking

This method as opposed to Large Size (120DPI) works best for me as it doesn't resize everything causing problems with applications, plus it looks better too

What setting are you using?

Originally posted by Nuno
Modern monitors generally don´t synch and show something like "signal out of range" if you try to run it over spec. So if it runs, don´t worry, and 1600x1200@85 is definitly on spec for your G420. I never heard nobody complaining about ruining a monitor running it at higher resolutions.

I worry because of experience. I have an 21" EIZO Flexscan F764T (90KHz) and a 17" Gateway EV700 (69KHz) which were run on the limit on a Millenium and Mystique card respectively
After a few years both monitors' image is blurry and they sometimes flicker, the colors are washed out, one is greenish, and the picture is fuzzier

I do not want to make the same mistake again. My monitor is 110KHz so at 1400x1050@85Hz it is running at 93.2KHz which is a good safety margin for me, at 1600x1200@85Hz it was at 106KHz

Originally posted by Paddy
I cant quite hit 100Hz, I have it running nicely at 95Hz now

Wow! I can recognize 75Hz at a glance but anything above 85Hz seems the same to me
Do you find 100Hz more relaxing to use?
On the notebook monitor I cannot tell between 60Hz and resolutions above 60Hz

[Greebe]

Running any monitor at it's Max res/refresh rate (even if it's recomended per spec) will reduce it's life.

The higher switching speed increases the loading on many of the caps which are what typically kill a monitor (flyback failure is next in line typically)

Same thing is true of Switching PS's. If you run them near Max power they will not last as long as one that has ample reserve. When many systems are spec'd by true professionals they always build in a redundency that extends the life and this is just one of the ways it is done.

[Paddy]

aye, but when it dies i'll change it.