Monitor Resolution

prinsipe

Not Too eXPerienced
Joined
21 Jun 2002
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is there a significant difference between a monitor that can display 1920 x 1080p versus a monitor that can display 1680 x 1050 only? which one would support full HD? This monitor will be used primarily in gaming and watching video, thanks for any input.
 
1680x1050 is not an HD resolution. Go with 1920x1080p (which most come at 1920x1200, just as good)
 
1680x1050 is not an HD resolution. Go with 1920x1080p (which most come at 1920x1200, just as good)

thanks for the quick reply Bman; is the difference noticeable? I mean the quality of graphics, performance of the monitor, etc. etc.
 
I guess it depends on the person, but I would say yes.

For one, most new monitors advertised as HD or not, come in resolutions greater then 1680x1050. Second, if you are trying to watch a 1080P HD movie or video file, you are trying to watch the 1920x1080 image within a 1680x1050 screen, so it can get messed up.

Now if you were to watch that 1080p file on the 1680x1050 screen, but left it full, so most was cut off, is there a quality difference? I am not sure on that aspect, probably because most older monitors do the 1050 resolution, and are well older. Of course I don't know if there are new models that support 1680x1050, and if so, I'd still think it's resolution would decrease the overall quality of image. Did that make sense?
 
You do make sense Bman and thanks for your patience; last question, lets say the monitor will be used mainly for gaming would there still be a great difference between the 2 resolutions (1920 x 1080p / 1680 x 1050 ); so what your basically telling me is that is that resolutions 1920 x 1080 and above are the only true and Full HD? Is this correct?
 
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As far as I understand it yes.

Cause currently (have not got my new monitor yet) I have a 21" 1680x1050 monitor, and a 40" 1920x1080 TV. I have played Fallout 3 on both, and it looks a sh*t ton better on the TV. Maybe not the best way to compare, cause ones a tv and ones a monitor, but same idea.
 
Thanks, I guess I have to wait then for a couple of weeks to get my monitor; good luck on your purchase of a new monitor as well, by the way what brand can you recommend? I am limited to Samsung or HP but any suggestion will be appreciated...
 
Out of those 2 brands, Samsung all the way. My 21" is the Samsung SyncMaster series, it's quite an awesome monitor besides being old.

Other then that, dell monitors are some of the best.
 
1680x1050 is still widescreen resolution albeit 16:10 rather than 16:9. If you are using a decent software player such as any of the major ones like Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre, Cyberlink PowerDVD, or Corel WinDVD, they will fit the content to your monitor. As long as the monitor is an HD monitor you will still see an amazing image but you just won't be seeing it at its full native resolution.

I use HDCP over DVI connecting my ATI Radeon HD 4870 videocard to my Samsung SynMaster 2232GW 22" monitor at 1680x1050 and I am thoroughly pleased with my HD-DVD/BD playback. At the time I purchased my 22" monitor the cost difference to bump up to a 24" monitor with 1920x1080 resolution was insanely prohibitive. Were I to buy a monitor now I'd go 24" since prices have fallen. My monitor is still in perfect condition and works beautifully so I have no intention of upgrading anytime soon.

The question of supporting "full HD" depends on your definition. Literally, only a 1920x1080 resolution is full HD resolution so only a monitor that is an HD monitor with that resolution or higher is "full HD". Having watched HD-DVD and BD playback on a Samsung monitor that was 24" (1920x1080) vs my 22" (1680x1050) monitor, I'm definitely not feeling depressed. Both look beautiful.
 
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1680x1050 is still widescreen resolution albeit 16:10 rather than 16:9. If you are using a decent software player such as any of the major ones like Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre, Cyberlink PowerDVD, or Corel WinDVD, they will fit the content to your monitor. As long as the monitor is an HD monitor you will still see an amazing image but you just won't be seeing it at its full native resolution.

I use HDMI over DVI connecting my ATI Radeon HD 4870 videocard to my Samsung SynMaster 2232GW 22" monitor at 1680x1050 and I am thoroughly pleased with my HD-DVD/BD playback. At the time I purchased my 22" monitor the cost difference to bump up to a 24" monitor with 1920x1080 resolution was insanely prohibitive. Were I to buy a monitor now I'd go 24" since prices have fallen. My monitor is still in perfect condition and works beautifully so I have no intention of upgrading anytime soon.

The question of supporting "full HD" depends on your definition. Literally, only a 1920x1080 resolution is full HD resolution so only a monitor that is an HD monitor with that resolution or higher is "full HD". Having watched HD-DVD and BD playback on a Samsung monitor that was 24" (1920x1080) vs my 22" (1680x1050) monitor, I'm definitely not feeling depressed. Both look beautiful.

Which is where my point about depending on the person comes into play.
 
I screwed up in my post. It's HDCP over DVI not HDMI over DVI. :yowch:
 
You also have to consider the gaming side. if you're into bumping up the details as much as possible in a game you play, the difference between 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 can sometimes be easily noticable.

as for brands.... i'm quite fond of Gateway myself. went from a Gateway FPD2185W 21" to a Gateway FHD2400 24" monitor.... and i LOVE my 24".
 
You also have to consider the gaming side. if you're into bumping up the details as much as possible in a game you play, the difference between 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 can sometimes be easily noticable.

Very valid point.

The response time of the monitor is also important in terms of gaming. The 2232GW has a 2 ms response time.

Also important is the contrast ratio. Mine has 3000:1 Dynamic Contrast and 1000:1 Static Contrast. The newer monitors are better. The newer Samsung 2243WM 22" LCD, for instance, has 8000:1 Dynamic Contrast (1000:1 Static).

as for brands.... i'm quite fond of Gateway myself. went from a Gateway FPD2185W 21" to a Gateway FHD2400 24" monitor.... and i LOVE my 24".

I'm a sucker for Samsung. I really haven't seen a recent Samsung monitor that didn't just look amazing to me.
 
I'm not sure i really like the whole Dynamic Contrast Ratio stuff. i feel it puts too much of a strain on the hardware in the monitor. I mean come on..... some TV's now have a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000:1. you can't tell me that there's no harm in using that constantly.

And yeah.... i'm not saying Samsung is bad.... just that i love Gateway's monitors. they always feel sturdy, and come with quite a few useful things. Kinda like my FHD2400..... has every input you'd ever need. DVI, VGA, HDMI, Composite, Component, and S-Video. Not to mention a nice sturdy metal stand that's height adjustable, the screen can be rotated into portrait mode, and the whole stand rotates instead of just the monitor. that last bit might not seem like too much of a benefit compared to a stand that only has the monitor turn... but it's still nice, and does so very smoothly.
 
Never heard of that company, i think there statement of HD is because it has HDMI on it, which don't mean much.
 
Which i find funny.... cause i think that's the first monitor i've seen that has either VGA or HDMI as an input.... no DVI. I have heard of AOC.... but haven't heard much about their monitors. Nice that it's LED backlit.
 
AOc is a budget OEM manufacturer. Their screens are not for watching movies or playing games.
 
So the HD or full HD being of a monitor matters only if your watching movies?
 
.... well.... to most, there is only ONE HD, and that's 1080p.... because that's the highest resolution available on TV's, and is regarded as being High-Definition. Monitors go well beyond that. And i wouldn't exactly say it only matters with movies, because games tend to look better at higher resolutions.... otherwise game consoles wouldn't be focusing on HD.
 

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