1400x900 vs 1920x1080

hi guys,first of all i don't know if this is the right section to post this question.

i'm thinking of buy a new laptop,mostly for watching movies and playing games.i want to know whether playing a 720p video on a 1080p screen is more clear than playing it on a 720p screen.simply put,720p video on 1080p screen or 720p video on 720p screen which is better.

 

- 720p is not 1440x900. 720p generally refers to 1366x768.

- 15.6" 1366x768 (720p) screens are awful. Both because of quality and because of desktop workspace size.

The resolution is more ideal for a 12-inch laptop due to how little fits onscreen at once. It makes everything onscreen really big and makes multitasking more difficult than it should be because it makes it difficult to fit more than one window onscreen at once. The screen resolution affects everything you do, and is the first spec you need to pay attention to.

The issue with quality: Most 15.6" 1366x768 screens have awful image quality. It's not only because of the low pixel density, in fact that plays a rather small role. It's because they're bargain-bin grade LCD screens and they generally have terrible contrast, noticeable image grid-lines, and very limited viewing angles even when compared to higher-end LCDs that are still TN. Point is, manufacturers make no effort whatsoever to make 15.6" 1366x768 (720p) screens look "good" since they're budget-grade. More often than not you should avoid this type of screen.

Also, if you're by-chance looking at 17.3" laptops and the "720p" resolution you're referring to is 1600x900, the same deal applies: everything onscreen is huge, and image quality is awful.


Which laptop are you looking at in particular?

 

yeah im thinking of getting a 17.3" laptop.im thinking of buying a dell xps17.

 

I wouldn't even consider a laptop with a 1366x768 resolution, you'd be wasting your time. As edit1754 noted, they have terrible image quality but most importantly have a terrible screen resolution. You can't fit two windows side-by-side and you'll be doing an excessive amount of scrolling.

1920x1080 is the best resolution you can get on a new notebook. The XPS 17 is a solid notebook; also look at the HP ENVY 17 and the Pavilion dv7.

 

ok.so how would the video look on a 1080p screen?will it be sharper than on a 720p screen?

 

In general, yes. More pixels (twice as many) across the same surface area will make it look more crisp.

However for gaming, a 720p screen is "ideal", in that pixels won't be stretched to the full 1080p, so game graphics can look a little "fuzzy", depending on the game too.

And yes as noted already, most stock 1366x768 screens have horrific quality. If you can get 1600x900 it would be best compromise between the two, but those are usually found in 17" notebooks as stock, otherwise you get 1366x768 or 1920x1080.

 

bluray rips look awesome on XPS 17 1080p....
definitely sharper than my old xps M1530 (720p)

 

so they look better than on a 720p screen.

thanks guys for all your replies

 

Depends. It's probably because 720p is considered to be HD. And not all BluRay are true 1080p, but are upscaled from 720. So 720 can potentially look better than an upscaled 1080p. This is not always the case, it really depends on who did the mastering of the video.

Or... it could be his 720p display is of higher quality than his 1080p. This is more likely. You can get 1080p LCD from Clevo notebooks that are calibrated now.

 

Content on blu-ray could be SD as well (480p). It could potentially look better on a screen with 480 vertical pixels. Of course, settling for the lowest potential quality doesn't make much sense.

Most major films (can anyone find me a major non-obscure 720p film on bluray? or any 720p film on bluray?) are 1080p. They will look best on a 1080p display, but 720p isn't terrible by any means.

 

This only applies (getting the 1080p screen) if he has a strong enough video card to play it with that resolution

Since he wants to game, he also has to invest in a good card or stuck being on low settings with that.

1080p with a middle class card is only good for work and movies

 

For working space, definitely a 1080p is far better. Be warned, tough, that once you've worked in a 1080p screen you wouldn't want to set for a lower resolution, is just too damn good

 

1080p is just solid, if you watch movies or series in 1080p blu ray it is quite detailed and impressive imo.

 

NO they will not! 720p screens are awful quality, so they'll always look worse than 1080p screens. Do not get a 720p screen.

Games will still look better on 1080p screens due to the significant difference in quality. I really wish people would quit thinking that games are even remotely a valid reason to get a worse screen. They're not.

 

What is your definition of significant? I want to see videos of this.

I stated earlier if you have a strong enough video card, by all means spend the extra cash on a 1080p screen if gaming is one of your priorities.

Otherwise, youd be playing games under 30, even 20fps. And to get 30 or higher, you would need to put it alot of settings to their lowest just to get decent frames.

 

The difference is significant because most 15.6" 1366x768 and 17.3" 1600x900 screens have truly awful image quality compared to the better screens that are available. It cannot easily be demonstrated in a video.

And running in a non-native resolution on a 1080p screen, which looks better than running in native resolution on a budget-grade-quality screen, will result in the exact same performance.

The truth is you should not be spending a lot of money on a laptop if the screen is a terrible low-resolution display. The screen affects your entire usage, game performance only affects games.

 

Guys I have a question here, what is the highest native resolution on a laptop? 1920 x 1200?
Thanks

 

I dont know where you got this from, I own both a 720p screen laptop and a 1080p laptop and Crysis 2 and Dirt 3 look identical on them when both are running at 720p

And to the last paragraph; yes if the general purpose is overall usage and minimal gaming, then go for the screen, but the OP asked for movies and games. My first post stated that a 1080p screen is ideal for work and movies but if he is paired with a weak graphics card and primarily gaming, then there isnt a point in that 1080p as the first upgrade, he should be getting a better graphics card.

Its dependent on one's preferences. I worked on a 720p and was managing fine. The 1080p adjustment was better yes, but you act as if its 1080p or nothing.

 

Some of the older ASUS G53SW laptops used a bad quality 1080p screen, the AUO B156HW01 V5. And that isn't representative of other 1080p screens.

Also, like I said, it's a stupid decision to get a 720p screen regardless, especially for gaming, because it has no effect on game performance. You can always run in a non-native resolution if you need to boost game performance, but you can never make up for the severely-limited desktop workspace outside of gaming.

 

yeah i think so far its 1920x1200 on a native resolution laptop screen.

 

1440x900 for gaming, 1080p for practicality and desktop space (Which imo aint a big problem if you like your external monitors/tv goodies).

 

Like I said, you can run in a non-native resolution for identical performance to as if the resolution you're running in were native, so gaming should never under any circumstances be a reason to go with a lower resolution. Often due to the sheer difference in quality between budget-grade screens and higher-end screens, games still look better running on the 1080p screen. So no, not "1440x900 for gaming..." "1080p for everything."

I don't know why people keep thinking this, but no you cannot use an external monitor to make up for lost screen realestate. External monitors are not portable and cannot be taken with you, and portability is the entire point of getting a laptop instead of a desktop. It's better to get a good quality external 1280x1024 monitor and a good quality internal 1920x1080 display than it is to get a bad quality internal low-res display (1366x768, 1440x900, 17.3" 1600x900) and an external good quality) 1920x1080 monitor. 1280x1024 is generally a better resolution than 1440x900 and 1366x768 anyway because since even 1440 horizontal isn't enough to allow easy side-by-side multitasking, the higher vertical resolution (1024) will make a considerable difference with scrolling. And 1280x1024 monitors can come rather cheap if you know where to look.


This whole thread is full of false misinformation. The fact is that gaming shouldn't be a deciding factor behind which screen you pick. The deciding factor is eyesight. The only reason you should even be considering going with the lower resolution display and not making it your number one priority to get the upgraded display is if you require large text and need to sacrifice a lot of image quality and multitasking usefulness to get that large text.

Anyone who tells you that solely because of gaming you should get a 17.3" 1600x900 display or 15.6" 1366x768 display instead of a 17.3" or 15.6" 1920x1080 is flat-out spreading lies and causing unnecessary confusion. Please stop.

The Dell XPS 17 should never be ordered with the 900p display unless you need to have large text. You should be upgrading the display to 1080p and prioritizing that as your first upgrade before you select any other upgrades unless readability is a large concern. The 900p display in the Dell XPS 17 is quite terrible with regards to quality, while the 1080p display has been reported by those who have owned both screens as being significantly better.

 

And even in that case you can always increase the general font size. The gaming factor is something more psychological than anything else (I have a 1080p screen, ergo I should play at 1080p even if the GPU can't get you good fps's...).

 

Back to the point, this really all comes down to opinion, in the majority of cases it may be better to go with the high resolution screen, but that's not to say it's the definitive best solution and that any other choice is wrong, therefore making you a fool who shouldn't be on the internet?

 

i will get the new motherboard tomorrow and i will see if the laptop will work because i got it for 79xx series not the 6860 motherboard. if i get it i will go for 1920X1200. Its even better for workspace.

If you dont mind lowering the resolution and getting a bit blurry image to get good FPS at higher settings the go for 1080p. If i will fix the laptop the first thing to change is the screen and i will order maybe the next day that i fix the laptop.

it really makes a big difference when you need a workspace especially for me when i have to code for assignment at school .

I really like the big resolution and its better for me if i cant run the games because i will play less.