what screen res you recommend (1024 vs. 1400)

I'll be getting a 14.1" screen. I've never had a laptop before. Can anyone give me some advice on what screen res will be best. I'll be doing a lot of writing in MS Word, surfing the web for shopping, web communication thru email, and powerpoint presentation creation.

 

It all depends on personal preference and your vision. I have good close vision, but I honestly prefer my text a little bigger while browsing, so 1024x768 at 14.1" is preferable to 1400x1050. In Word and Office it doesn't really matter since you can zoom the view to whatever works for you, but when web browsing on a 14.1" screen with 1400x1050 we are talking about sub 8pt fonts much of the time, which is pushing it for me personally (you can increase font size in IE or Firefox, but style sheets tend to override these settings on some sites and it messes with formatting).

Summary: I suggest you go to a store and compare some notebooks with the various screen sizes and see what resolution suits you best.

 

Office Depot carries ThinkPads if you want to look.

 

i'm in favour of 1024 on a 14 inch.

higher resolution makes you want to tear your hair out when reading text in browsers (firefox doesn't help that much as it screws up layout, and sometimes even make texts overlap if you increase the size too much)

 

Browser look beautiful in XGA mode on an SXGA screen. Readability is much better too because letters are bolder. And there is not much interpolation to even be bothered with.

PS: At the same time I am using SXGA mode on spreadsheets when looots of screen needed. Loving it (I have 15" though).

 

I have the 1400x1050 and I love it, plenty of room (would be nice to have a 14.1" WSXGA+ though). I'm a developer so I like placing a lot on the screen so I can work between windows. 1024x768 is a little cramped IMO. I don't mind small text/icons either. I regularly use Firefox at 1280x1024 and don't have any issues. On my T60, I use it at 1400x1050 and haven't had issues so far either. I have young eyes too, so that may make a bit of difference too.

 

XGA is more comfortable to look at, but you have to scroll around and SXGA is nice because of the extra real estate.

 

I have a 1400x1050 t43, and I love it. I had my misgivings before I got my system; before, I was using 1152x864 on a 17" CRT.

Comparing a laptop display to a desktop display can be a little misleading. Usually with a desktop, you are sitting farther back from the display than you are with a laptop. The extra screen real-estate is a huge bonus; I would never be able to work properly (multimedia design) on my laptop with a 1024x768 screen, and even word processing/emails/etc would be uncomfortable.

For your web browsing needs, I suggest you give the Opera web browser a try. Unlike other browsers I have seen, the "zoom" function actually zooms into the page instead of just sizing up the fonts. I still use Firefox, but if I have my laptop plugged in at my desk (its platform sits about 1.5-2 feet back from the desk's edge), usually I'll roll the fonts up a few points for more comfortable reading.

As far as switching between resolutions; changing the desktop resolution on my t43 stretches a 1024x768 display to fit the full screen. It looks a little less crisp, but it's perfectly usable.

Also keep in mind: you can lower the resolution on a 1400x1050 display, but you can't increase the res of a 1024x768 display.

 

Definitely a matter of personal preference, I chose 1024x768 for my t43. I have a 19" 1400x900 lcd and I knew I wouldnt want that on a 14". To me xga is more comfortable to use when doing basic stuff like browsing etc. and what I prefer (besides widescreen resolutions). Only negative is xga sucks for photo/graphics editing.

 

XGA is grainy, which makes it hard for eyes to work for a longer periods, it looks kind of double edged, fuzzy. My eyes are becoming blurry even after 2-3 hours. SXGA is much more defined and sharp, even in XGA mode. Can work 5-6 hours straight without much strain. So in my case it is more like an eye protection than preference as far as liking goes (even though I like it as well).