Screen, Brightness and Resolution

Hi, I just got this new laptop which is a Compal Hel 80 originally but rebranded to a Velocity Micro. I am not that much of a gamer but I wanted a good powerful laptop on which I could do some video editing, watch DVD's etc and some other memory and cpu intensive applications and this one was quite cheap as I got it on sale.

My question is on the screen and the resolution. I adjusted the screen to be at its brightest. It is a bit decent now and not that hard on the eyes. Previously it was a bit straining since I had not adjusted the brightness. Does everyone else also feel that the brightness should be at the highest setting? I guess its based on personal preference but just wanted to know how everyone else was using it.

The other question was with regards to the resolution. The laptop was set to its highest resolution which was 1680 * 1050. I found that the icons and the fonts were extremely small and it was really straining the eyes so I had to move back to 1024 * 768. Just wondering if that's normal. I mean isn't the whole point of a dedicated graphics card is to get a higher resolution. I tried incrementing the DPI but i don't like the looks of the Font when the DPI is increased. Is it just based on preference. I can't seem to think how someone can find the highest resolution readable since the font and the icons are really small. Thx

 

It's personal preference and also doesn't look like your eyes are too good either I have mine set somewhere in the middle for brightness and the resolution is good for me, not too small for me at all. I actually prefer the real estate from the resolution. If you need to make your screeen 1024 * 768 then to me you have near sight problem because that will blow everything up huge. I think the minimum resolution should be 1280x1024 for good screen space and font sizes.

 

Hi, Thanks for replying. Well you are definetly right about my eyes. I do wear glasses but I didn't think they were that bad. My concern comes from the fact that on a 19'' desktop LCD screen the resolution is set to 2560 * 1024 dual screen and that is actually perfect for me. I have absolutely no trouble seeing that. The fonts are great and the icons are good. I believe since the desktop is dual screen it might have something to do with it but than on one screen that would come up to be 1280 * 1024 and I tried that and that's fine as well.

 

When I had the Compal I used it on the highest brightness setting. (That is, the brightness that you adjust with the function keys).

As to the resolution, it used to be the case that you would buy a better graphics card for better resolution. I don't think that's really true now, as far as computers like the Compal go. Even the Intel integrated graphics can run 2048x1536 at 75 Hz.

It is recommended to keep the computer at max resolution to keep things sharp. As an owner of a 1600x1200 15", I can tell you that I had to do a little adjusting, but I always run in native resolution. You can change the icons to large icons in your display settings (under Appearance, then Effects). You can also while there enable Cleartype fonts which will probably help make the fonts look better when you change the dpi on them. In Firefox, you can press Ctrl+ to make text larger. In Word, I just keep the pages zoomed in a little. For the task bar, right click the taskbar and unlock it. From there, right click in the quick launch area, view, large icons. Lock the taskbar.

I find the high resolution to be extremely useful, and would have a lot of trouble giving it up.

 

The graphics card and resolution have nothing to do with each other. Resolution only controls size of the image on the screen. The higher the resolution the smaller the image, but it gives you more screen real estate...like zooming out. Lower resolution is like zooming in.

Now, when you change your resolution you need to make sure you keep it scaled to your aspect ratio. If you try to take a widescreen LCD (16:10) to a resolution for a 4.3 aspect ratio screen (e.g. 1024x768) it will become distorted. It would be better to try 1280x800, but see my comments below before even doing that.

The very best thing you could do for yourself is recognize that the focal distance for your LCD is greater (about 18-22") than that for reading a book (about 12") so using reading glasses for computer use will not bear good fruit. You need to get glasses that work at 18-22" for computer work. You can either get a single pair for this purpose only, or maybe get a pair of bifocals that have the computer distance lens in the upper, and the book reading lens in the lower. Whatever works best for you, the point is quit trying to read a computer screen with glasses made for a focal distance that is different than the distance between your eyes and the LCD screen.

The next best thing to do is to leave it at its native resolution and increase your icon size (Display Properties>Appearance>Effects>Large Icons [while you are there, Click the "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" check box, click the down arrow, and then click ClearType.] and/or with your Taskbar unlocked right click in an area where there are no icons and at the top of the window hover on View, and then select Large icons) and your font size dpi (Display Properties>Settings>Advanced>120dpi or larger, and/or Display Properties>Appearance>Large Fonts or Extra Large Fonts)...but don't do that AND lower your resolution.

Do all of these things and your enjoyment will increase greatly

 

Very cool information to know Donald (Focal Point stuff). Maybe on the sad day that I too must get glasses to see stuff... oh wait... I'll probably just have the laser surgery.. it just sounds cool.. like overclocking my head or something

*visions of Star Wars skit done on family guy for laser surgery* "Use the force luuukkeee" zzzztttttt AHHHHHH

 

Unfortunately laser surgery will not help Presbyopia which we all get sometime around 40 or so. This is when those who have had perfect vision all their life start having difficulty reading the menu in a dimly lit restaurant...and seeing computer screens clearly.

Yes pyro, you too will get there someday...God willing

 

Oh gee thanks... Aren't you just the big ball of sunshine?

Thats ok.. I'll fit right in because the resolution will be 32K x 16K (14" screen) so those without glasses will have magnifiers on their face anyways... Or perhaps those geeky and brave enough will have the stuff beamed right into their brains and not need to see the screen! I don't know about you, but my thoughts are in 20/20

 

MuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuHAHA

 

It's F4 and F5 on the Compal I think.

 

When I was trying to make up my mind about which resolution to get on my laptop, and having a lot of trouble seeing what I wanted, I made a table of pixel sizes for different resolutions and screen sizes. I have listed here some of the common PC sizes. Maybe this might help some of those who are still in doubt. To compare how large the pixels (and type, proportionately) are compared to the screen you are used to, just ratio the two pixel sizes of the two screens. For example, my laptop (1680x1050, 15.4", 0.197mm) has pixel sizes which are 3/4 the size of the pixels on my desktop (1280x1024, 17", 0.263). This means that all details on the laptop are going to be 3/4 the size of everything on the desktop (not counting adjusting page size in Word or making some of the adjustments described above).
Standard AspectRatio Horiz Vert ScreenSize Pixel Pitch (mm)
XGA 4:3 1024 768 12" 0.238
XGA 4:3 1024 768 14" 0.278
XGA 4:3 1024 768 15" 0.298
WXGA 16:10 1280 800 12" 0.202
WXGA 16:10 1280 800 14" 0.236
WXGA 16:10 1280 800 15.4" 0.259
SXGA 5:4 1280 1024 17" 0.263
SXGA 5:4 1280 1024 19" 0.294
SXGA+ 4:3 1400 1050 14" 0.203
SXGA+ 4:3 1400 1050 15" 0.218
SXGA+ 4:3 1400 1050 20.1" 0.292
WXGA+ 16:10 1440 900 17" 0.254
WXGA+ 16:10 1440 900 19" 0.284
UXGA 4:3 1600 1200 15" 0.191
UXGA 4:3 1600 1200 20.1" 0.255
WSXGA+ 16:10 1680 1050 15.4" 0.197
WSXGA+ 16:10 1680 1050 17" 0.218
WSXGA+ 16:10 1680 1050 20.1" 0.258
WSXGA+ 16:10 1680 1050 22" 0.282
WUXGA 16:10 1920 1200 15.4" 0.173
WUXGA 16:10 1920 1200 17" 0.191
WUXGA 16:10 1920 1200 24" 0.269
Hope this helps.

 

CTRL+ '+' or '-' should zoom the page. thats what I do for some sites since it's generally more of an issue then with anything else I do.

 

but how do you change the resolution on the laptop to 1440 x 900 which is the same apsect ratio as 1680x1050. I have that on my desktop LCD. so why isn't it on this laptop. Why is it not listed. it is a common one. this is what i need to know.

 

zanthia, have you read your manual? It is on the drivers CD. This will tell you how to adjust your brightness using the keyboard, and you can also adjust it and the contrast and gamma in your video card properties.

What driver are you using for your video card?

 

You can manually add the resolution using the nvidia control panel.

Assuming you are already in the utility...
- Click screen resolution and refresh rates
- Click 'Add' at the bottom
- Scroll down the EULA and 'I accept'
- add the resolution you want, 32bit, 60 hertz
- Click ok
- Select your new resolution on the slider

in the words of Emeril... BAM (hopefully you have your desired resolution)

 

I normally use my LCD at 3-4/7 brightness. If you get used to the brightest setting though, anything less will seem dull in comparison.

 

I have changed my resolution to 1680 * 1050 which is the highest allowed. I guess I can get used to it. I did try the other adjustments that Donald suggested which were to increase the fonts etc but it looks a lot better without those adjustments for some reason. One thing though I am noticing that my quick launch and taskbar icons are really fuzzy and have rough edges and are not clear. Is there a fix for this. I don't think I ever noticed it when I was using the lower resolution but now when I go back to the lower resolution it is the same.

Also as far as I know I do have glasses that are for the computer. I hardly wear them otherwise. I have been using this resolution for about 5 minutes now and I guess it takes getting used to and it doesn't seem that bad. I guess I just preferred the fonts and images to be a bit larger rather than straining my eyes. Thx for all your help.

 

All my hard labor to provide you an answer to get your resolution and you don't even try it? *virtual sweat*

 

Hi Pyro,

I tried that too. Customizing the resolution. It looked kinda worse. I will play with the settings a bit later. Thanks so much for your help. Is there any way to avoid the clear space on websites that comes due to it being a widescreen and the resolution being that high?

 

clear space? Uhh.. if I'm understanding you right... don't use your browser in fullscreen mode?

I normally build up a sort of "console" with my instant messenger on the right of the brower, im windows below the window, and teamspeak in the lower right corner... When I'm developing software I normally have eclipse side by side with either websites or documentation.

 

I am using the drivers that came with the notebook.

thanks pyro I will give that a try.

 

I guess you are welcome, I'm not even sure I understood your question but I took a guess If you drop from browsing in full screen maybe get yourself a nice desktop picture to make things more interesting.

 

I believe Zanthia was referring to the custom resolution solution that you provided. I think. I tried the custom resolution and am currently using 1440 * 900 and am getting used to it. Let's see. As for the white space that I see in a browser window I guess I can minimize the window instead of running full screen or live with it. Its not a big problem anyway, yet. Thx for all your help.