What size screen?

Hey all-

My almost 4 year old dell has done me good. But last falls crop of games I have to play at low levels, so that means I won't bother playing this years until I get a new system. On my budget, an Inspiron 1520 works with the 256 nvidia 8600. The question now is what resolution to get. I'm used to 1280x800.

I'm basically asking that to play a game, say Bioshock, at max settings with that nvidia card (not sure if thats even possible, but if not, close to max), would it have to play at 1280x800, or can you play it with good framerate at the higher resolutions? What are the advantages to the higher resolutions? I remember that the higher the resolution, the more detailed the gameworld BUT the interface shrank (I like large fonts, easier on the eyes). We are talking a $50-$100 difference. I'd rather not spend the money just for bragging rights.

Being a gamer among non-gamers, I can't even compare the different resolutions, so I have no idea how much better looking a game is on a higher resolution.

Regardless, if the current 1520 can play current games at high resolutions ONLY if you turn the graphic settings down, than forget it. I would like to have max graphic settings first with playing at higher resolutions second.

Anthony

 

If you like 1280x800, then that's what you should get.