(nVidia) Want to change aspect ratio from 5:4 to a wider one (with black bars)

[-Slacker-]

I tried to change the aspect ratio of my 1280x1024 monitor to a wider 16:10 or 16:9 ratio - for games, but the result isn't quite right.

First I set the resolution to 1280x800 in the "adjust size and position" tab of the nvidia control center, left the scaling mode to "aspect ratio" and set it to perform the scaling on "Display" "GPU".

Tested it in metro 2033 at an in game resolution of 1280x800; The game changed to a correct aspect ratio of 16:10 and I got the black bars on the top and bottom (I was aiming for this), but the image did not scale with the change; Everything got squeezed vertically so that now things looked "fatter".

I only got the problem partially solved when I also changed the resolution to 1280x800 form the "change resolution" tab, but now the screen's general resolution has understandably changed to that resolution, including the black bars.



So is there a way to get the driver to display 1280x800 (or x768, or x720) in the game without squeezing the image while keeping the desktop at it's native 1280x1024 resolution?



Please, no questions about why I want to do this or trolling about getting a better monitor. Thanks.

 

[Keysplayr]

Did you try windowed mode?

 

[railven]

Have you tried 1:1 pixel output on your monitor itself (if it supports it?)

If you're using the correct Width you'd get the letterboxing as you want with proper rendering scale, only issue is if you are using a shorter width you'll also get pillar boxing.

 

[KingFatty]

Why did you set it to perform scaling on the display?

As a test, I would suggest trying to have the video card perform the scaling. I think that's how I got my old GeForce 7950GTX to display 16:9 with black bars on a 4:3 screen. Note: the black bars persisted in Windows too, not just games, effectively converting my monitor from 1600x1200 to 1600x900 with permanent black bars until I reconfigured the nvidia control panel settings.

 

[-Slacker-]

Doh! I meant I set the scaling on "GPU", not "Display". Sorry about that, I was trying to recall the steps I went through while making the post, and saw "display" selected, but that was after I changed the settings back to normal.

Did you try windowed mode?

No, but I prefer full screen.

to railven:

Don't know if it supports it, but I didn't find anything that would suggest that it would...

 

[djsb]

The 1:1 pixel mode sometimes goes by another name. In AMD drivers it's called "Use centered timings", for instance.

 

[-Slacker-]

There's nothing relating to 1:1 pixel ratio in the nvidia control panel... Can't find a guide on google either

 

[Anarchist420]

There's nothing relating to 1:1 pixel ratio in the nvidia control panel... Can't find a guide on google either

It's called "do not scale", unless you meant the option called that isn't there. I don't know why it wouldn't be though.

 

[-Slacker-]

Oh, ok. I see it now ("no scaling" in the "adjust size and position" tab). Gonna try it out.

edit: nope, not working. I'm guessing that in the end it has to do with the type of monitor I have and the kind of games that I tested (metro and crysis 2); They're both 'horizontal +' type games but probably not 'vertical -', so if I had a widescreen monitor I could probably get them to work in classical aspect ratio correctly, but it doesn't look like the reverse is possible.