Is hi-res important?

I'm looking at buying a laptop with 1280x800, 1440x900 or 1680x1050 resolution. Assuming I want to keep the laptop for 4+ years, will the higher resolution buy me anything?

 

More real estate. More screen area.

 

Hi,

I recently bought a Sony VAIO AR notebook with a 17" screen and a res of 1440x900. Personally, I think this is the best res for a 17" screen.

I have setup a Dell and Rock notebooks at work with a 17" 1920x1200 res, and this is just too high for comfortable viewing I feel.

A desktop 17"/19" TFT uses 1440x900 and 1920x1200 is only available on 23"/27" desktop monitors.

I do work with lots of digital images and still find 1440x900 OK for this purpose.

I would say go and take a look at different resolutions for yourself and see whats best for you.

Hope this helps.

 

More garbage on the desktop...

The screen resolution is a personal preference, so go and check it out in person, and no it won't buy you anything besides more pixels on the screen... lol

Personally, I like the WSXGA+ resolution...

 

Me like WXGA+ I suggest you to go to a computer store to have a look at different resolutions and see which one you prefer.

 

I would not personally settle with under 1680 x 1050, as you really loose the amount of workspace.

If you do alot of design work, like cad, photoshop, video editing, where the programs have hundreds of tabs, one with a higher resolution screen has a clear advantage.
If you do just web browsing and typing, then 1280 x 800 should be fine.

K-TRON

 

1280x800 on a 15.4" widescreen gives a DPI of 98

1440x900 on a 17" widescreen gives a DPI of 100

I personally think those are the sweet spots, and are also very affordable. No small text, no eye strain, no need to zoom into web pages or increase the text size in the OS manually (i know you can do that in Vista).

 

A common misperception is that text is too small on WSXGA+. Absolutely not true. If you have normal eyesight, or corrected eyesight to 20/40, you will easily be able to read text on a WSXGA+ screen from 2 arms-lengths away.

 

1680x1050 could be straining for some people on 15,4", even with decent vision, but 1440x900 is perfect. A good compromise between resolution and large enough fonts.

By the way it could become standard pretty soon on 15,4 with screen prices dropping and if it becomes available for even 13,3".

 

I have perfect eyesight and I can say that WSXGA+ is too small for extended text viewing. Although the op did not mention a specific screen size, I am referring to a 15.4" or smaller. I use a WXGA+ on the 15.4" and I look at text for many hours straight during a day. It does begin to strain the eyes after prolonged use, not to say that it is unreadable though. I would not imagine going to a higher resolution unless it was a bigger screen size. I think an optimal screen size will depend on your personal needs. For photo editing, watching movies, or things that can benefit from more detail, go for higher res. However, if you plan on reading lots of text for extended periods, lower is better IMO. Difference to me in real estate is negligable from WXGA+ to WSXGA+. It's not an earth shattering difference.

 

This is a key factor in any purchasing decision I make. I spend seven or eight hours a day writing. I wear fairly weak glasses for reading. I don't want to have to deal with eyestrain and headaches.

I really like the Lenovo T61P, for example, but the WSXGA+ resolution of its screens count against it. It's hard to be sure, though, since it's just about impossible to find a 15.4" laptop with WSXGA+ resolution around here.

 

Its not common mis(conception/perception) when I've seen a 17" at 1920x1200 and google's home page is the size of a biscuit.

I don't mean to be rude, so i'll leave it there, but of course the most important thing is to see a screen and use it. Then each to their own.

I chose 1440x900.on the Dell 1720, not only because i am happy with 1280x800 on my 15.4", but also because i'd rather be able to game in near full resolution. Furthermore, i can't imagine excel spreadsheets are fun to read at such a high resolution.