External monitors for Inspiron 8200/Dimension 4600

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit to spending 4 or so hours with 4 Dell support fellows (3 chat/1 phone) fiddling with my Inspiron 8200 attempting to connect the Dimension 4600's 1901FP monitor...with no success. After (I've lost count) x number restarts/restores it's a wonder the 8200 seems to be back to where I/we started earlier today
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1. I would still like to add an external 1600x1200 monitor to the 8200 notebook. The Dell people say it's a no go--maybe with a lower res monitor? The notebook is used by Marilyn (spouse) who does two things: writes a few notes and edits digital photos.

2. As for myself I'd like to exchange the 19" 1901FT for a bit larger (say 23-24" monitor with maybe a bit higher res (for photo editing work.) I've had my eyes on a Samsung 2343 BWX ..with a 2048x1152 resolution...leaving me to wonder if the Dimension 4600 will support it? (Or if I'd best invest in a z590 series Sony Vaio notebook that I can take to the field/drive the Samsung 2343 at home...)

Any thoughts/thinking would be most appreciated.

TB/Silverdale, Wa

 

What have you tried as far as getting an external monitor to work with your notebook? You can run 1600x1200 because the notebook itself could be configured with a 1600x1200 LCD screen.

 

Thanks for the quick turnaround.

We/I tried the only other monitor I have the 1901FP "attached" to the Dimension 4600 PC. The issue seems to be (or have been this afternoon with the Dell folks/myself) was that the 1901FP could only be set at 1600x1200 which somehow automatically applied to the 8200 display making it a no go for text reading/writing.

Perhaps the 1901 could have been (we chould have tried) to set it a 1024x768--but that would short its photo editing quality--even if it were possible. In the end I don't know if setting the 1901's res lower if it wouldn't default to 1600x1200. We/the tech doing the remote fiddling didn't try the lower res.

 

According to this: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/monitors/1901FP/en/specs.htm

The optimal and highest resolution is 1280 x 1024

You should start at that resolution and go from there.

 

I think (am speculating here) that if the 1901FP is set at the 1600x1200 res it defaults to the 1280x1024...which in turn defaults the 8200's to the 1280 res up from 1024 (which is about as fine/small for comfortable text r+w work.)

The seemed to be no..zero way for the tech to reduce the 1901's res below 1600x1200--almost as if the drivers are locked on the 1600x1200 res number?

 

The 1901FP only supports up to 1280 x 1024. So if you have it set on your notebook to use 1600x1200 then it won't display anything. You need to use the software on your notebook, either the Nvidia or ATI control panel to set the resolution that it sends to the external monitor.

 

Fair enough..I understand: I/Marilyn is between a rock and a hard place..it's text or photos. I guess a person could do a keyboard finger dance evertime they wantred to move from text to photo editing.

Any thoughts on if the Dimension 4600 will support 1920 x1200 or 2048x1152res of the Samsung 23/23 BWX monitors?

 

That depends on what video card you have in it.

 

The specs show a 120MB DDR NVidia GetForce FX 5200 graphics card..will it do? I'll google...

 

The max resolution for that card appears to be 1600x1200.

 

atbnet..many thanks/appreciation for your thinking.

I'll ask around see if it makes sense (ie the 4600 will toleratean upgrade of the 4600's 120MB DDR NVidia GetForce FX 5200 GC. again thanks for the quick turn around. ted