Need help with choosing screen for Inspiron 1520

Hi,

I had a Inspiron 9100, 3.Ghz, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9800.....it died and Dell are going to replace it with a Inspiron 1520.

The only thing is I need to choose the correct screen. In my 9100 I had a 1650x1080 but it was just too high res for my eyes....everything a bit to small, although very sharp was uncomfortable. So I used to put this on the next setting down, 1280x800, but this was not very clear - quite grainy and just not that sharp.

They have said the choices I have are either a 1280x800 matte, 1280x800 TrueLife or a 1650x1080.....

I really wanted a 1440 x 900 but they say it's not available on this model.

So is the native resolution of a screen look better than a higher res screen going to a lower resolution (will the 1280x800 screen native look better then my 9100 screen synced down to 1280x800)???

What are the 1280x800 screens like in the 1520? Is it worth having "True life?"

Will a 1650x1080 1520 screen suffer the same issues as my 9100 when put at 1280???

Help - I'm going insane!!??!!?!?

 

Lowering the native resolution will definitely make the image blurry, especially from 1680x1050 to 1280x800. This is not unique of your screen, they're all like that.

TrueLife simply means "glossy".

If 1680x1050 is uncomfortable, then get 1280x800. It'll look MUCH better than 1680x1050 running at 1280x800.

 

Thanks, I think I'll go with the 1280x800....I mean this will be good for games and watching dvds....

....shall I get the glossy or get the normal? Whats the advantages and disadvantages with the true life?

 

With the glossy screen, you'll get significantly more reflection from light than with the matte. However, colors are usually more vibrant and overall glossy looks sharper.

Matte is nice if you use your laptop in a very lit place or outside. If you plan to use your laptop for lots of multimedia purpose, glossy is nice.

It would be worth it to go to Best Buy (or somewhere similar) to see the difference between them. Keep in mind, however, that in stores, there are way more lights than in your home or work, so there will be more reflections on the screens in the store.