[V0lt]

Hi guys,

I just set up dual monitors with my main system. I started with a 17" that my friend gave me, but it was really a piece of crap (fuzzy and dark), so I switched it out for one that I got with an old gateway 2000. It's a far superior monitor, but it's only 15 inches. I have it set on 1280x1024 with a refresh rate of 60hz (it won't go any higher without the monitor saying it's out of range).

Will running this resolution damage the monitor in the long term? I'd really rather not kill this monitor.

 

[DumberDrummer]

AFAIK, higher resolutions will not kill your monitor, since if it wasn't designed to go that high, you couldn't put it up that way.

What can damage your monitor is setting the refresh rate too high, and too low can cause eye strain.

At such a high resolution, 60hz seems kind of low, and conducive to eye strain. Mines on 60hz at 1024x768. If the monitor won't go any higher though, I wouldn't push it, since you can damage the monitor that way.

 

[V0lt]

Thanks. Yeah, it does have some strain but for what it's worth I'm saving the text reading for my good monitor and the unimportant stuff for the other one. Believe it or not, it's a good deal less eyestrain than it was with the other 17".

 

[ebackhus]

My monitors also top out at 1280x1026 @ 60Hz. I've gotten used to it somehow but I'd really like something above 75Hz... If you OS knows the monitor's specs then it won't allow you to set it above anything it can't handle.

 

[V0lt]

Yeah the only reason I asked was because this monitor is old to the point where it's not recognized by windows to be anything more than a "default monitor".

 

[ebackhus]

If that's the case I sometimes use a profile for a slightly different monitor. Often they are close enough in capabilities that the DDC information works.