can I get a black border instead of a blurry full screen when I lower the resolution

[swapjim]

I have an ancient CRT monitor (on an old PC) and I'm about to get my first flat monitor (along with a new PC).

I play the occational game and I understand that it might become necessary to lower down the resolution (after trying other things). With CRT monitors that's not a problem but I've seen TFT monitors get really blurry.

So what I want is to get a black border instead of a full screen but blurry image. Meaning this:

Do I need to check something in the specifications as I check for monitors? Or is it something that I can configurei in the GPU drivers or OS?

 

[lehtv]

You can configure it in GPU drivers, it will work on any LCD monitor and on both AMD and NVIDIA. Not entirely sure about Intel HD, probably?

E.g. for AMD, here's the correct setting:

 

[96Firebird]

I just tried it out for you, it can be done in Nvidia Control Panel. Basically you just find the scaling options and select "No Scaling". I had to force mine to perform scaling on GPU rather than Display.

I see lehtv has shown you the AMD way to do it.
http://i.imgur.com/s0NYoRK.png

 

[swapjim]

That is excellent! I must say I'm surprised that I got answers so quickly and that they were so helpful.

Thank you guys!

Oh, 96Firebird, that's one of the displays I'm considering! Is the 8ms response time a problem on games? Although, I better search the forum about response times.

 

[96Firebird]

I haven't noticed any issues with response time, but I'm not very picky when it comes to monitors. My last one was an 8 year old TN Acer, decided to replace it with an IPS because I got into photo editing. That is when I first noticed TN color shift.

I love my Dell though, and I'm a big fan of 16:10 (my last monitor was a 22" 1680x1050). I read some good reviews so decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. :thumbsup:

 

[lehtv]

Is the 8ms response time a problem on games?

No. The average human reaction time is in the hundreds of milliseconds - it'll take much more than a human to notice a difference between 8 ms and, say, 1 ms.

 

[therealnickdanger]

No. The average human reaction time is in the hundreds of milliseconds - it'll take much more than a human to notice a difference between 8 ms and, say, 1 ms.

However, seeing something happen 7ms sooner will begin the reaction process 7ms sooner. We may not be able to specifically identify the difference, but it can still be of some benefit. Human brains don't see movement as specific intervals, but rather as a continuous range of motion. What our eyes can't detect, our brains make up the difference. Every little bit of raw input helps our brains paint a better picture.

If you notice/feel a difference and you like it, then upgrade. If not, don't worry about it.

 

[swapjim]

No. The average human reaction time is in the hundreds of milliseconds - it'll take much more than a human to notice a difference between 8 ms and, say, 1 ms.

When I try to move something fast (like a window in Windows), I can see artifacts. It's like ghosting or smearing. I have not played a game in a CRT monitor (but now that I think about it, it's a good idea to do so before I buy one) but it seems to me that this ghosting may become apparent in fast paced games like FPS.

This is what I mean as "a problem in games".

I love my Dell though, and I'm a big fan of 16:10 (my last monitor was a 22" 1680x1050). I read some good reviews so decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.

Well, I'm almost sold on this panel, but isn't it a bit old? I can see a reference from 2011. Although being a 4-year old panel makes is cheaper, won't I be missing out on technological advancements since 2011?

 

[96Firebird]

If you're worried about it's age, you can also take a look at the U2415. They are about the same price on Amazon, and I'm pretty sure they're very close in quality and performance.

 

[MrTeal]

I do the same thing with my Crossover 434k. The LCD is a little too far from the backlight, and with the large size of the screen the parallax means the edge pixels have the bezel behind them instead of the backlight. I run the desktop at 3808x2142, and it takes care of that problem nicely.

 

[swapjim]

If you're worried about it's age, you can also take a look at the U2415. They are about the same price on Amazon, and I'm pretty sure they're very close in quality and performance.

Thanks for the tip!