Monitor Questions!

Gibb

Was looking at this Acer Monitor, it looked like a really good deal until I read the comments...

Cons: Bought for current XP computer use (VGA) and with future Vista computer (HDMI). Acer does not have an XP driver so cannot get the 1920x1080 aspect ratio to function.

Seriously? How can you not have an XP driver? I've tried google searching for this, couldn't find anything relevant. Thanks. :^: (Planning on using it for Computer / PS3 use.)

taliosfalcon

What kind of videocard does your computer have? With Nvidia for example it wouldn't really matter if the monitor had drivers or not as you can just go into the nvidia control panel and manually set a custom resolution for it.

Ego

I wonder if you'd also be able to use a generally similar LCD driver (ie a diff brands 1920x1080 LCD with the same refresh rate) that is out for XP (since XP will let you manually install a driver for a display whether the driver is actually for that display or not.) It worked well with CRTs for example if you had some no-name monitor packing a trinitron tube, but I've never tried it with LCDs at all.

Khavall

Ego wrote: »

I wonder if you'd also be able to use a generally similar LCD driver (ie a diff brands 1920x1080 LCD with the same refresh rate) that is out for XP (since XP will let you manually install a driver for a display whether the driver is actually for that display or not.) It worked well with CRTs for example if you had some no-name monitor packing a trinitron tube, but I've never tried it with LCDs at all.

Yes.


That comment... I don't understand it at all. As long as the computer can output in the resolution can output to that monitor. I'm not sure like... why they specifically needed an Acer driver. I don't think I've had a monitor come with its own driver to set its resolution. If I have I've never used it.

Decius

Cons: Bought for current XP computer use (VGA) and with future Vista computer (HDMI). Acer does not have an XP driver so cannot get the 1920x1080 aspect ratio to function.

Yeah that comment makes no sense. Display of a particular resolution has little or nothing to do with the drivers from the monitor. It has more to do with what the video card is capable of displaying. Most video cards display a wide range of resolutions, but some are by accident or design crippled to only display a certain range of resolutions.

Case in point, my Dell Inspiron 700m laptop can't display 1680x1050, which means I wasn't able to use my new shiny 22" panel I bought a while back. It was not the capabilities of the video card (Intel Onboard which Intel says on their site can display this res), or the video card drivers. Turned it it was a crippled video BIOS that had the resolution disabled, with no option for an update.

Google you video card and desired resolution (mine was dell 700m 1680x1050) and I'm sure you'll turn up some results.

Gibb

I have 2 9800GTXs. Which I know does 1920, thanks guys.

Ledneh

Why on earth would a monitor need drivers beyond the Plug and Play provided by XP and on, anyway? The video card, sure, but the monitor? O_o

Khavall

I just realized that that guy is using VGA for XP too. So he was complaining that the monitor did not contain specific drivers for the GPU to output an Analog signal.


What.

taliosfalcon

Ledneh wrote: »

Why on earth would a monitor need drivers beyond the Plug and Play provided by XP and on, anyway? The video card, sure, but the monitor? O_o

monitor drivers do generally contain the resolutions the monitor can support which your videocard looks at and then gives you a choice of which resolution to pick. With windows the generic drivers pretty much just list every resolution possible, this was a problem when 1920x1080 monitors first came out since its a non standard monitor resolution that wasn''t listed in the generic drivers. Nvidia actually changed their drivers to add in the 1920x1080 resolution regardless of monitor drivers this year.

Tofystedeth

only thing I have to say about that monitor, is I got an Acer LCD last year, and for someone reason, it takes forever to display an image instead of the Acer splash if you turn it on after the computer. If it's in standby it works fine, or if you turn it on 5-10 second before the tower. If you turn it on after, it usually takes till well after the Windows login screen. Only seen a few similar complaints though, and it was a different model.
Otherwise it works lovely.

GrimReaper

taliosfalcon wrote: »

Ledneh wrote: »

Why on earth would a monitor need drivers beyond the Plug and Play provided by XP and on, anyway? The video card, sure, but the monitor? O_o

monitor drivers do generally contain the resolutions the monitor can support which your videocard looks at and then gives you a choice of which resolution to pick. With windows the generic drivers pretty much just list every resolution possible, this was a problem when 1920x1080 monitors first came out since its a non standard monitor resolution that wasn''t listed in the generic drivers. Nvidia actually changed their drivers to add in the 1920x1080 resolution regardless of monitor drivers this year.

ICC profiles too, comes in handy in the print industry.