Whats an Aspect Ratio?

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Christopher Gonzalez

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Jul 27, 2013
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Hey Guys!

I'm building a gaming machine with plenty of VRAM so I could push high resolutions! I have three (estimation) 23" 1080p Monitors that I might game on, and I'm looking at one 27" 2440p monitor, as well!

I just want to know what an aspect ratio is. I think it has something to do with the width/length of the monitor, but I really don't know. And knowing that bigger numbers almost always means better in PCs, is a 4:3 monitor worse than a 16:9 monitor?

Thanks Guys!
 
Solution
jwk3
aspect ratio is the ratio of the display, so a 4:3 means that for every 4 inches/centimetres/pixels across it will also be 3 inches/centimetres/pixels up. this means that the screen will almost be square. with a 16:9 it means that for every 16 pixels across (horizontal) there will be 9 pixels up (vertical), which is wider than 4:3, which for comparison can be told as 16:12 (multiply 4 and 3 both by 4 so that we can compare it to 16:9). if you compare it to drawing boxes, one which is "16cm x 12cm" to "16cm x 9cm" the 16x9 will be flatter and more widescreen.
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Melderv

Melderv

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Oct 1, 2013
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4:3 is a lot worse now and you won't see that a lot anymore since this ratio is quite outdated, and not to mention small. This was used widely by CRTs.

16:9 and 16:10 is just personal preference. Obviously, the latter has a longer vertical resolution and is perfect for people who love screen real estate. For HD movies and games however, most are based on the 16:9 resolution (the 720p and 1080p resolutions). Many multimedia files and games are designed for this resolution. Playing them on 16:10 will get you either outstretched or letterboxed displays.

There is also 85:48 but it's just a weird resolution, though it was what I started with. It may also be called 768p.

For games I suggest the 16:9 resolution which includes those sizes you are looking at.
 
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jwk3

jwk3

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Feb 29, 2012
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aspect ratio is the ratio of the display, so a 4:3 means that for every 4 inches/centimetres/pixels across it will also be 3 inches/centimetres/pixels up. this means that the screen will almost be square. with a 16:9 it means that for every 16 pixels across (horizontal) there will be 9 pixels up (vertical), which is wider than 4:3, which for comparison can be told as 16:12 (multiply 4 and 3 both by 4 so that we can compare it to 16:9). if you compare it to drawing boxes, one which is "16cm x 12cm" to "16cm x 9cm" the 16x9 will be flatter and more widescreen.
 
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Solution
Someone Somewhere

Someone Somewhere

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Sep 23, 2012
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Aspect ratio is basically how square/rectangular the screen is. The more different the numbers are, the more rectangular the screen.

The size of the actual numbers means nothing; 4:3 could be represented as 16:12 if you wanted.

EDIT: Aspect ratio has little to do with the actual size of the screen - your phone probably has a 3-5" 16:9 screen, depending on model. And you can get quite large 4:3 displays.
 
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PsyKhiqZero

PsyKhiqZero

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Jun 1, 2008
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All it is, Monitor length : monitor height in pixels. The ratio is then simplified. For example 1920 :1080 simplified is 16:9. The Aspect ratio lets the buyer know what shape the screen will be. 4:3 is a square, 16:10 rectangle, 16:9 a more narrow rectangle. (also most common aspect ratio) and 21:9 is ultra wide. For a 3 monitor gaming setup. 16:10 works best for a 3x1 portrait setup. 16:9 or 16:10 will for for a 3x1 landscape.
 
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COLGeek

COLGeek

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Apr 6, 2009
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What specific display are you considering, BTW?
 
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