Flat Panel Resolution Adjustment Question for Gaming

[Walruslord]

Hey, I have one of those Dell 1800fp LCDs from the hot deal a while back, and it is a native 1280x1024 resolution screen. FOr some reason, a lot of games don't have this as an option, like Counterstrike (at least until 1.6) and C&C Generals, but they offer 1280x960. Is there a way to just set my card+monitor to display 1280x960 at the regular 1280x1024 resolution, but just have a black stip of unused pixes at the top/bottom for as opposed to stretching it across the whole screen and making it look like poo? I have a geforce 4400 ti.

 

[paralazarguer]

Yeah, I've always wanted to know that. 1024x768 is a 1.33 divide by each other and all other common resolutions follow this rule...except 1280x1024. Why is that? I mean, really? Shouldn't the standard be 1280x960?

 

[rbV5]

except 1280x1024. Why is that? I mean, really? Shouldn't the standard be 1280x960?

No CRT's ratio = 4:3 so 1280X960 is correct, FPD = 5:4 so 1280X1024 is correct.

 

[Walruslord]

Someone HAS to know how to do this.....

 

[azkiwi]

Flat panels, unlike CRTs, send a signal to each and every pixel - this prevents effective interpolation and makes resolutions other than the default look like doo-doo.

I suspect there are very few solutions that map for a bunch of 'dead' pixels because there isn't much demand for it.

 

[Walruslord]

Laptops do it automatically, and it did it before xp was installed, it just doesnt use the extra pixels. My friends LCD does it as well.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

1280x1024 is a standard resolution for CRT too.

 

[yaethom]

yeah, laptops did it "automatically" because it is easier to show the direct pixels rather than try to interpolate a signal image and spread it among extra pixels. (kind of like anti-aliasing in the hardware form )

And to answer the question of the topic: It depends on your monitor. All flat panel monitors these days do the "forced" interpolation of smaller resolutions. But some of them have an option (on the hardware itself) to do a direct translation of the signal.

My sony flat panel has three options in the menu (on the flat panel monitor):
1- interpolate the signal and stretch it across the screen.
2- Keep the ratio correctly (4:3 instead of 5:4) but stretch THAT ratio across the 1280 X1024 resolution.
3- Keep the ratio and the pixels correct, so that there will be a black border around the image. (they put the image right in the center.)

So I would look at your manual and see if your Dell monitor supports the different modes.