Gaming Resolutions

[Adroid]

Can someone give me some guidance for good gaming resolutions? I have used 1680x1050 for the last couple years, and I've been very happy with it.

I am considering buying a 2494 HM Samsung that has a 1920x1080 - but im not sure if most games are compatible with it.

What the best gaming monitor in the $300 range? I don't care about viewing angles, but I would like something with a good picture and decent response time for FPS games.

Thanks

 

[OvrClkr]

It's not a question of games being compatible at that resolution... The main question is what video card will you be using if you get that Samsung screen?

 

[nun]

yea i agree with "overclkr" i bought my 21.5in 1920x1080 for olny 160 also i've heard that 1920x1200 is best for gaming but you will need a good graphics card for that

 

[Herr_Koos]

Can someone give me some guidance for good gaming resolutions? I have used 1680x1050 for the last couple years, and I've been very happy with it.

I am considering buying a 2494 HM Samsung that has a 1920x1080 - but im not sure if most games are compatible with it.

What the best gaming monitor in the $300 range? I don't care about viewing angles, but I would like something with a good picture and decent response time for FPS games.

Thanks

It depends on what you're playing, really. Most modern games support widescreen resolutions natively. With the older stuff you'll have to do some digging and maybe some .ini editing to make it work.

I agree however that your GPU will have to be powerful enough to game at that resolution. Otherwise the new monitor would be a waste.

 

[baddad]

16x9 is the standard or 1920x1080 for all new displays coming out http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009167

 

[pambridge]

If you have an Nvidia graphics card, it doesn't need to be that powerful, as you can add many different 16:9 resolutions to play games with (in the Nvidia control panel). I play at 1440x810 on my 1920x1080 monitor and things look crisp and play very smoothly without turning settings down etc.

 

[OvrClkr]

Would be nice to see the OP's response as to what GPU will be used....

 

[Twoboxer]

Can someone give me some guidance for good gaming resolutions? I have used 1680x1050 for the last couple years, and I've been very happy with it.

1680 is fine on a smaller screen, but at say 24" you will see the pixels instead of the picture, so a higher resolution is needed. With the higher resolution comes the need for faster graphics cards and cpus to get much more processing done and (18%) more pixels on the screen while maintaining frame rates.

I am considering buying a 2494 HM Samsung that has a 1920x1080 - but im not sure if most games are compatible with it.

This resolution is the "same" as "1080i", so you will likely find it in all newer games.

What the best gaming monitor in the $300 range? I don't care about viewing angles, but I would like something with a good picture and decent response time for FPS games. Thanks

There aren't a lot of monitor reviews done, so not much good info is available.

Hopefully some folks will start responding with monitor suggestions instead of just graphics card worries.

 

[OvrClkr]

I disagree to a point, you actually need to know what GPU will be used.... What if he has a 9600GT and wants to buy an UBER 26" screen? If we knew what GPU would be used then we could give a more accurate answer....

 

[Twoboxer]

He wants a good monitor FIRST, then we can suggest a vid card to drive it.

I'd suggest one, but I have no *data*.

 

[OvrClkr]

The reason I ask is due to the fact that he states he needs a monitor and not both... Assuming he already has a GPU then all he has to do is let us know so we can help...

 

[Twoboxer]

The best info I could find with a reasonable effort is this 5/2008 article:

http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=3302&p=12

Since that was 5/2008, the table and the article may tell you more what to look for than which model to choose.

To drive these well, you will want a 260-216 or 275 graphics card, or the ATI equivalents. Stay away from xfire/sli for an initial install if you can. A good list of best cards for the money and what gaming they will do is here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2404-4.html

 

[Adroid]

Sorry I haven't responded to my own thread sooner, busy week at work. I'm pushing
q6600 @ 3.0 ghz with the 120mm solid copper zalman heatsink, I can barely hit 60c after 24 hour prime95
4 gig ddr2 800 @ 5-5-5-18
GTX 260 216 mild overclock using the evga tool.
64 bit vista ultimate
I can run almost anything I play full blast... hoping this system will last me till the next gen stuff after i5. Or maybe I wait till a hyperthreaded i5 - I build my own systems but I don't want this years best... Last years best for hundreds less is Ok for me

 

[Adroid]

I do like the notion that "1080i" will be used in future games. I know its the choice for consoles nowadays, but I wasn't sure about PC.

Its a plus too that its actually 16:9 and will run movies fullscreen in HDMI.

That was one dissapointment with my current 16:10 ratio.. I bought all widescreen movies and low and behold I still had a border.

 

[Adroid]

The best info I could find with a reasonable effort is this 5/2008 article:

http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=3302&p=12

Since that was 5/2008, the table and the article may tell you more what to look for than which model to choose.

To drive these well, you will want a 260-216 or 275 graphics card, or the ATI equivalents. Stay away from xfire/sli for an initial install if you can. A good list of best cards for the money and what gaming they will do is here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2404-4.html

Thanks for the article links. I have found it increasingly difficult to find monitor reviews as well. Maybe I should go for the Samsung - they seem to be a consistantly good brand. On the other hand, there is a 24" viewsonic for about 30$ cheaper with the same 1080i.

Or maybe I should wait another year untill the 26" widescreen drops prices with the TM panels. Wishfull thinking anyway

 

[Twoboxer]

Hehe. I feel your pain. I have a terrific 27" Dell monitor running at 1920 . . . and its got noticable lag. probably the most important line in Anand's review was this:

"The table tells a clear story: all of the S-PVA panels as we mentioned clearly have more input lag/internal processing lag than all of the TN panels."

So, if you look at the table, get a Samsung with a TN screen if you want a true gaming monitor.