I upgraded my monitor and my text looks worse

[SAWYER]

Or maybe I am imagining things, it is a Acer AL2216W. I was using a 19 inch Proview, both using a vga to a cheap onboard videocard. I have the resolution set to the max my videocard can do i suppose, or the highest is display properties I can choose from.

 

[heyheybooboo]

That bites ....

Are you running the 'native' resolution ? - probably 1440 x 900

edit: With a quick check I couldn't find that model# - but I did find a 19-inch Acer that had a 1280 x 1024 native resolution ... that most likely is where your problem lies.

edit (again ): native is 1680 x 1050

 

[SAWYER]

Here is a screen shot and I underlined a few things. It is like everything has a shadow at the end
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2420/screentz0.jpg

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I may be wrong in this, but if you can take a screen cap of it, it is a problem with something else other than the monitor. Some settings somewhere changed most likely.

 

[DSF]

I don't really see the problem in the screen capture.

 

[SAWYER]

At the end of every pic, folder, icon, text etc there is a shadow for lack of better word

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Sawyer
Here is a screen shot and I underlined a few things. It is like everything has a shadow at the end
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2420/screentz0.jpg

I'm just seeing the color fringing from lossy JPEG encoding in the pic. A lossless TIFF or RAW pic cropped to one section of the screen would be more useful.

Edit: also, you didn't answer whether you are running at the native resolution of your LCD. If not, that's probably the cause.

 

[magreen]

LOL... A screenshot to capture.a monitor problem... I feel like I'm in a Douglas Hofstadter book...

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: magreen
LOL... A screenshot to capture.a monitor problem... I feel like I'm in a Douglas Hofstadter book...

True, I was thinking a 3+ MP camera shot -- if this was really the print screen button which captures from the frame buffer then it's not going to be very useful

 

[SAWYER]

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8344/desktopwj3.jpg

 

[gorobei]

looks like ghosting. downside of a monitor with only dsub vga input. maybe clean the contact pins?

 

[s44]

Rerun the monitor's auto adjust.

 

[0roo0roo]

running at 60-72hz like ur supposed to?

ur monitor has dvi, it is much better with lcds.
its better, esp at higher resolutions.
if setting the "auto" calibration doesn't fix it then ur video card is spewing out garbage to the monitor.
get a cheapie video card with dvi, they cost very little.

 

[harle]

I may be wrong on this, but doesn't enabling Clear Type make text look better?
Right click on your Desktop > properties > Appearance > Effects > "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" > clear type.

You could always check this to see if it makes your text look better.

 

[ihyagp]

Cable problem.

Use DVI if at all possible.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Pretty common where I work with crappy VGA cables. Either it's not making correct contact (try jiggling the cable) or get a better quality cable.

 

[Fox5]

Use a DVI cable if at all possible.
Make sure cleartype is enabled.
If it's an option, tell your GPU to do maintain aspect ratio scaling. (though this shouldn't matter at native res)

BTW, my old CRT monitors on VGA used to have that ghosting problem too, so it's probably a VGA cable problem. Even using a highly shielded cable didn't help, once the resolution or refresh rate got high, the monitor started ghosting. (I suppose it could be a problem with the monitor's internal circuitry for the analog to digital conversion and not the cable though)

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: harle
I may be wrong on this, but doesn't enabling Clear Type make text look better?
Right click on your Desktop > properties > Appearance > Effects > "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" > clear type..

Right on! And, while you are there turn off (uncheck) the lower options like shadows, etc. And, switch to a DVI cable.

 

[SunSamurai]

Originally posted by: Fox5

Make sure cleartype is enabled.

?

Cleartype doesnt do anything to improve what is being talked about. Why not tell him to get an oil change while youre at it?

Like someone else said LOL At the screenshot to capture a monitor issue. That was priceless.

 

[SunSamurai]

Originally posted by: harle
I may be wrong on this, but doesn't enabling Clear Type make text look better?
Right click on your Desktop > properties > Appearance > Effects > "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" > clear type.

You could always check this to see if it makes your text look better.

No. It makes text look more "smooth" like type on a printed page by taking advantage of how LCDs place red/blue/green in each individual pixel. Meaning they increase effective resolution of the horizontal by 3x.

Having said that, it does make text fuzzy. Many people like the effect, many people don't. Its upto the person, and doesn't do anything for bad monitor connections.

 

[jae]

looks like crappy VGA cable. Experienced a few of those ("Help! I think my monitor is going bad IT guy")

 

[SunSamurai]

^ haha. I remember the first time i went to buy an LCD, did so much research on this. I wanted the best picture quality. Sharpness. Sadly Circuit City was the only place that had LCDs 8+ years ago around here. I kept askin the guy where the DVI LCDs were and he would just look at me blankly and I had to explain it to him. He tried to tell me there is no difference. I wanted to smack him.

I should of just left after seeing 90% of the LCDs wernt even in a native resolution. Its little wonder to me now Circuit City is tanking harder than inflation would indicate. What a shitty place.

 

[0roo0roo]

no, 8 years ago the lcds were small enough that quite literally it wouldn't make a difference, it was true.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Even on my 20" Samsung and 22" Westinghouse, there's no visible difference than I can see between VGA and DVI. Using Radeon X1950 Pro video cards with included DVI-to-VGA adaptors.

 

[SunSamurai]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
no, 8 years ago the lcds were small enough that quite literally it wouldn't make a difference, it was true.

No, it was NOT true. What a lie! lol

They ALL had at least slight ghosting or the very subtle degradation you get with an non-dvi connection.

I finally found one with DVI and it was crystal clear and sharp as a razor, so stop talking rubbish.