24" Widescreen LCD Questions

[Racer7]

I did some searches on this and read some of the LCD Buyer's Guide post looking for the answers to a few questions. I will confess that I didn't make it through all 116 pages of the Buyer's Guide. Since I didn't find the answers I guess a new thread is in order. All of these are in regards to me looking to purchase a 24" widescreen LCD for gaming and general computer use.

I was first considering the Dell 2407, but I have read that it doesn't support fixed aspect mode in 1600x1200. Is this true? Are there workarounds? This would probably be a deal breaker right here.

So, if the Dell is out, are there any other recommendations. My other biggest pet peeve is that I don't like glossy finishes. I like having lights on in my computer room. Glare and reflections really bother me.

Thanks in advance for any answers or recommendations!

 

[kmmatney]

I believe the Dell does support scaling, at least other Dell models do.

In general, most LCDs do not have built-in scaling, so you have to scale through your video card driver. If you have an NVidia card then they usually allow scaling through the video card, and it usually works OK.

If you have an ATI card, then, in my experience, you can only do fixed aspect ratio scaling if you keep one side at native resolution. This means that you should be able to scale a 1920 x 1200 LCD to 1600 x 1200 in fixed aspect ratio, since you are keeping the 1200 pixel height. At least that's how my ATI card works. You would not be able to use any other resolutions in fixed aspect ratio, just 1600 x 1200.

So, if you have either an ATI or NVidia card you should be able to scale to 1600 x 1200. If you want other resolutions, then NVidia cards do better.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: Racer7

I was first considering the Dell 2407, but I have read that it doesn't support fixed aspect mode in 1600x1200. Is this true? Are there workarounds? This would probably be a deal breaker right here.

That is true, I've seen it first hand. The Dell doesn't support fixed aspect mode in 1600X1200 (greyed out in control panel, only default "stretch" works).

I believe if you have an Nvidia card you can use the driver to scale it for you. Sadly ATI has no such scaling in their current driver .

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Regarding other monitors, the BenQ 24" FP241W sounds like it's generating a lot of buzz (not sure if it is out yet or just coming out..). Apparently the BenQ aside from VGA and DVI also supports HDMI (as well as component), which is a boon for future HD-video users. Also, from what I hear, the BenQ will actually support HDCP at every resolution (at least through the HDMI port, if not through the DVI port as well).

The Dell 2407 supports HDCP via DVI, but only 720p/1080i (which kind of defeats the purpose of HDCP on that monitor, since you'd expect full 1080p support on a screen with a native 1920X1200 resolution!).

 

[Racer7]

Too bad that the best deal out there on a new card seems to be with ATI right now. I guess it might be a good time to sit back and wait for the new NVIDIAs and that BenQ.