Resolution in Relation to GPU's and Gaming

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't WUXGA make sense in all cases? You can decrease resolution when needed, and it seems to me that the higher the native resolution, the better the antialiasing will be when switched down, due to the finer detail.

I use an LG/Philips WUXGA panel, but never find use for WUXGA either in gaming or work, it's just too small, even on a 17" screen. I work in 1440x900 which is perfect for my needs, and looks fine running on a WUXGA native panel. It would look even better on a higher native res panel, so I'd always recommend getting the highest you can - more flexibility.

In gaming, I'm certain it doesn't matter what your native resolution is. My frame rates increase as I lower the working resolution - native res doesn't seem to hinder performance - the GPU pushes as many pixels as the res you are currently in.

That's my take anyways.

 

You're actually correct. The only other factors that I was really considering when making the poll were the decrease in image quality when scaling down and small text/windows. It's interesting and surprising to see just how unfavoured the apparently ideal resolution is to most people, as shown by the poll.

 

WUXGA all the way. True HD resolution, maximum desktop estate, the ability to lower res for scaling, keeping 16:10 aspect ratio, etc etc.
I love my WUXGA and whenever I can , I game on native since everything looks awesome at that res...if not,anything below , at 16:10 is just as good.
Heck, even 960:600 looks ok to me

 

WSXGA+ for me. I wouldn't want a WUXGA screen on a 15.4"; that would be too small for me.

 

1080p on a 15.4" laptop. The mere thought of the picture quality makes me drool.

 

Yea but the difference between 720p and 1080p at that screen size is virtually indistinguishable at distances greater than 4-5 feet (I usually watch videos at a distance from a more comfortable locale ).

But for photo editing or watching videos up close, it'd be really sharp!

 

Today I'm really enjoying reading all these wonderful topics, GPU, CPU and now resolution !
I would have only one little question :
I need to buy a laptop for a friend, it has to be a great ratio price/perf, so can't allow a WUXGA...
I have selected some models, 15"4 in WXGA, 15"4 in WXGA+ and 17" in WXGA+.
I have also one 15"4 in WSXGA and one 17" in WSXGA although they are a bit above price limit for him.
Its use of this laptop would be especially gaming, so at the beginning I thought only about a 15"4 in WXGA or 17" in WXGA+ if good prices could be found.
The laptop in 15"4 WXGA+ is equipped with a 9600MGS and a intel P8600, will it be sufficient in native resolution ?? Because the decrease from native to WXGA will make the image quality quite poor...
Also I can't help but think that a 17" is more appropriate for WXGA+, same resolution but larger screen, especially equipped with a HD3650 and P8400... no ? Or does the fact that screen size is larger makes image quality equal to a 15"4 in WXGA ???

As you can see I'm a bit lost
Thanks for your help.

 

1280*800 will enable all gaming cards to run most games at maxed out settings without noticing any pixel blocks. (lol? like gaming at 640*480 in 1999 )

 

Thanks swell9 Short but straight.
Anyone less straight or has everything been said ?

 

I also think 1280 x 800 is fine. I would take graphics on high settings on a lower resolution any day over lower settings with a higher resolution. Plus, why do I need the same resolution in a 15" or 17" as a 60" HDTV ... it seems like a bit of overkill.

 

1440x900 is my all time fav, couldnt imagine going any higher, although 1680x1050 wouldnt be too bad.

 

Hi,

I am about to buy a Dell XPS M1530. Reason that I chose this one is as I need a 15" laptop, which has decent gaming abilities at a good price. I will also be doing a lot of other stuff (general tasks like office/internet/coding but no graphic work)

So it still has the 8600M GT and I can choose between 3 resolutions:

- WXGA+ (1.440 x 900)
- WSXGA+ (1.680 x 1.050)
- WUXGA (1.920 x 1.200)

I was going to go for the WXGA+ (considering it's only 15"), but after reading this thread I am having some doubts.

So are there any M1530 (or other 15" laptops with 8600M GT) owners out there which have one of these 3 resolutions and would like to comment? So I am going to use this for some gaming and for the rest fairly basic tasks.

 

New Games at WUXGA will need to be scaled down considerably
at WSXGA+ the games will need to be put on medium/high for ~30 FPS
at WXGA+ the games can probably be maxed (minus AA, shadows) for 30+ FPS

But! The higher the resolution the better downscaling is and the more convenient for coding and basic work.

I have a 14" and 1440x900 is a great resolution, bordering on the edge of too small, so I would guess that a 15.4" could handle WSXGA+ without becoming too small and WXGA+ without being too large. WUXGA however may be a bit too high of a resolution for working comfortably (IMO).

 

Thanks for your opinion. I also recently bought a Dell E6500 (for work) with 15" WXGA+ and find the ratio screen resolution vs. screen size quite good. Just wondering if I can take it a step further