i6000: WXGA vs WXSGA

Hello everyone. This is my first post.

I received my Inspiron 6000d yesterday. So far I like everything about it except the screen. I ordered WXGA because I didn’t want my font small. But it’s really hard to read anything on this screen. It’s bright enough -- at least for me -- but the text doesn’t look sharp. It was much easier to read on my 3-year-old Inspiron 8100 screen (1400 x 1050). I don’t play games or watch DVDs, but I spend hours every day reading and writing stuff on the computer, so a readable screen is very important for me. I’m thinking about returning the 6000.

My question is . . . would the text be sharper and easier to read on WSXGA+?

I have read some of the past posts here, and the screen choice seems to be largely a matter of personal preference, but I would appreciate any input from others who own Inspiron 6000 or a similar model.

Thanks!

 

Make sure you are running it in the "native resolution" running a LCD in any resolution other than native will reduce quality. I think for the WXGA the native resolution is 1280x800.

 

Is ClearType turned on? Trying turning that off. Personally, I find it easier to read text without ClearType.

I went to Control Panel -> Display, click the Appearance tab, clicked Effects, and unchecked use large icons and unchecked the box for using anything to smooth the edges of the fonts.

 

Thank you both for replies.

Steven, yes, I'm running in the native resolution.

Octothorpe, I have ClearType on. I like it on, and in fact, my main complaint is that the text often looks as though ClearType was turned off even if it's on. After reading your post, though, I tried turning it off anyway, and I didn't like it -- the text was less clear.

I also tried ClearType Tuner, and experimented with various fonts, but I'm still not satisfied. The text just doesn't look sharp. I'm getting a headache trying to read on this screen. And I have good enough eyesight.

I wonder if this is due to the low resolution. That's why I'm wondering if I should get WSXGA instead. I know the font would be smaller, but I could always increase the font size on Firefox, etc. Would it be worth it to upgrade to WSXGA, or the increase in the resolution doesn't make much difference when it comes to text?

 

Hi,
Can you tell us if your notebook has the integrated graphics or the x300 graphics card?

-Mad

 

It's because the resolution is too low. Low resolution equals fuzzier text.

Steve

Sony A190 WUXGA

 

It has x300.

 

hello everyone... well this is my first post as well and I recieved my 6000d today. my dilemma is opposite that of Claire. I have the WSXGA+ screen with 128 ATI radion and am thinking of going down to the XGA display. I have noticed that everything is very tiny, including fonts as well as web pages. I will use my notebook mostly for word processing, web browsing and occasional DVD watching. Should I step down to XGA? Anyone have any thoughts and opinions on the sxga+ vs the xga? Also, when using internet explorer, it seems that the graphics are very rugged and not clear... anyone have this problem? Thanks much, Mark.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by comput25

 

I think Steve is right in that the resolution is not high enough. My Inspiron 8100 has SXGA, and even though it’s over 3 years old, everything looks much sharper on that screen. I think I’ll be returning this 6000. I just ordered another 6000 with WSXGA+. Hopefully it will arrive within the next couple of weeks (before I need to return the one with WXGA for a refund), so that I can compare the two side by side.

Mark --
I too use my laptop mostly for word processing and web browsing (and occasional photo editing). That’s why I thought WXGA would be good enough. But I need to use my laptop 10+ hours a day, and the quality of this screen is not acceptable to me. Although your perception might be different from mine, I think you’d be better off with WSXGA+. If you feel the fonts are too small, you can use Zoom in your word processing program, and increase the font size in IE, as bugmenot suggested.

I also agree with bugmenot that Firefox is great. I never use IE any more, unless I really have to. It’s easier to change the font size in Firefox, too.

 

Dell has 21 day return policy.

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dells_sat_policy?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs







I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by claireL

 

i think cleartype sucks myself...during the last month I had the same issue and i returned my dell...i ordered a del with wsxga...way too small.....

1) cleartype can make your resolution seem blurry.

2) having the laptop set to 120 dpi rather than 96 dpi can also make it blurry....for some reason the default setting when the laptop came was 120 dpi...once it was changed to 96 dpi it was fine.....but problem for me was that it was way too small...unless i had a magnifying glass.

 

for everybody here who is saying that the fonts or icons are fuzzy, there must be something wrong with your settings. i have a wuxga 6000 w/cleartype on and everything is incredibly crystal clear. the icons in the taskbar are tiny, yet perfectly crisp and clear.

if you send me your email addy, i'll send you a screenshot: drumfumaster(at)yahoo(dot)com.

there are several settings you may need to play with...

1. resolution
2. cleartype
3. dpi
4. font size, active title bar size (changing this made my taskbar icons perfectly clear), etc. under display properties > appearance tab > advanced button

good luck

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by drumfu

 

The only thing that is clear to me is that this is all very subjective. What looks good or acceptable to one person may not to another. When running SXGA+ with normal fonts at the normal 96 DPI the text is going to look small. This resolution (1680x1050) is what Dell uses on the desktop display that is 20" (2005FPW). In my opinion it looks comfortable on the 20 inch but reduce the physcial size to 15.4 with the same resolution and yes it will look too small to many people. It is also about trade offs, I find the font size smaller than comfortable on one hand but on the other hand I need the extra screen real estate to work efficiently. So my plan is to use the laptop with an external 20 inch dispay when working at my desk which will be 75-80% of the time. When I am away from my desk I will use the standard 1680 96DPI as long as I can stand it, then I will change to 120 DPI after a few hours to give my eyes a break. It is all about balance, work efficiency vs eye fatigue. But this is very personal and has a lot to do with your eyes. The twenty somethings I work with use 1600x1200 on a 19" CRT and don't complain, but anyone a bit older who tries to read text on their screen struggle. You just need to find what is good for you.


Also I just tried turning off the ClearType and to me it made things look less vivid and thus harder to read. I will leave it on.

I think I will download the Microsoft PowerToy Cleartype tuner. Maybe this will allow tweaking clear type to better suit out preferences.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx





Inspiron 6000d
PM 760(2.0GHz)
15.4" WSXGA+
1 GB RAM (pc2-4200 533mhz from crucial, it works)
64MB ATI X300
60GB 7,200 RPM
CDRW/DVD
Bluetooth
2200
XP pro

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Steven

 

I think I'm in the same boat as mooselander --- I’m on day 3 of my i6000d and its terrific in many ways! Love the look, the feel of the keys, the widescreen real estate… BUT, I am not at all sure I can deal with this very small type. (WSXGA). I’ve researched laptops for many months, and came close to other models, (including Dell 8600 and 9200) and then finally bit the bullet with this one. I picked WSXGA for the resolution, and it is nice to be able to see pages side by side and reduce scrolling. Everything is very clear it is just INCREDIBLY small - after 3 hours on here on day 1, I really couldn't see properly after leaving my desk ... til my eyes readjusted. Not good.

I’ve been reading various posts in the forums about type size, and did do the things I can figure out to improve the type like setting the dpi to 120 and downloading Firefox, but it doesn’t seems to increase the size consistently. For example, when I sign on to the home page of notebook review, the type is tiny, but then clicking on the discussion forums the type is great – even larger than this forum displayed on my old Sony. AOL is simply awful it is so very tiny. I should mention there are no jagged edges that I’ve seen other people write about – resolution is very clear, its just the size that is killing my eyes. (And, oddly enough, this computer doesn’t seem as fast as my Sony Vaio laptop purchased in 2000.

Main use is word processing, desktop publishing, web design, ebay, internet access. NOT into gaming.

A couple of questions:
1. Is there a DEFINITIVE FIX for this problem? One that applies to all pages? If not, I have no choice but to return this model.
2. Re-order same computer with XGA?
3. Do I need to revert back to a 14.1 or 15 screen?
3. Order different Dell model altogether? And if so, any suggestions would be welcome.

(If I need to leave Dell, I can get an IBM T41 or T41 through my alma mater for $1500-1700, and I paid about $1600 for this i6000—would those be good prices for the IBM models?)

Thanks again – I’ve gotten a real education browsing these pages!

 

Hello everyone,

I currently have the i6000 with wsxga+. I am returning it tomorrow for the wxga screen, and I saved 100 bucks. I had a post earlier on a comparison of the two. I agree that the screen is a preference ... the screen is nice, crystal clear graphics ... but when it comes down to it, I'd rather have the bigger fonts that give less eye strain than an increase in graphics quality. I believe that the 1200x800 is still very fine graphics wise, I do a lot of word processing and for this past week, its been tough on my eyes. Hopefully the WXGA will be much comfortable for me.

 

Hi there, i have just received the Inspiron 6000 with WUXGA and I have the Browser problem only with graphics such as Jpegs. The icons and text is fine using 120 DPI but the only problem i have is when I browse IE and look at websites with pictures. Do you know whether there is a freeware like the one you mentioned to fix this issue, aside this all is fine. Let me know...L



<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Steven

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by niccolini

 

I am on my second day of my i6000d with the wsxga screen. The text is small but I have good eyes and like my settings a little smaller than most. If you are looking to buy, I recomend that 80% of people to go with the xga version. On lighter color backgrounds I do the the "sparkle effect". Does anybody else notice this. The screen looks like it needs to be cleaned. It is not bad and I only noticed it when I looked for it.

------------------------------------------
Ditch IE and switch to Firefox
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

 

I received a new Inspiron 6000d with WSXGA+ display yesterday, and was able to compare it to the one I got earlier with WXGA. But it wasn’t really necessary to have them side by side; the difference was immediately noticeable.

Contrary to what I’d heard, the WXGA screen was brighter. That’s not to say WSXGA is dim, though. It’s bright enough, and the quality is far better than that of WXGA. Everything is *so* much sharper on WSXGA and easier on my eyes. With DPI set to 120, there’s no problem with the font size. In fact, even with 90 DPI, the fonts weren’t terribly small. And no sparkles, no dead pixels. I’m pretty happy with it so far.

I used the WXGA screen for a little over a week, and I felt the display was killing my eyes. Even though I took frequent breaks (I had to), I was getting headaches and my vision was getting blurry. I’m returning that one.

It’s apparent from reading this thread that everyone has his/her own preference, but for me, WSXGA definitely wins.

 

I just received my Inspiron 6000D with WSXGA and was immediately disappointed in graphics on web pages. Text was fine but pictures and graphic text was ragged. I called Dell Support and they had me reset UserHR value in registry (current user-software-Microsoft-Internet Explorer) from "1" to "0". This immediately fixed the web page problem - evidently "0" is setting for wide screen and "1" for standard screen.