[Arch46]

Hello everyone,

I need some help please,
I am in need of a monitor for my old computer,

Dell Dimension 4500
System Specs: Windows XP home edition;Version 2002
Service Pack 3
Intel( R)Pentium ® 4 CPU 1.80GHz;
179GHz 1.00 GB of RAM

I have located a Dell D1226H 19" It comes with the Dell drivers disk.

Description:

Maximum horizontal

1600 pixels
Maximum vertical
1200 lines

ideo Presets/Frequencies
This monitor has 15 factory-preset modes as indicated in the following table:

Factory-Preset
Mode Resolution
Frequency
Sync Polarity
H
(kHz) V (Hz) H V
MO1 720 x 400 31.5 70 -
+
MO2 640 x 480 31.5 60 -
-
MO3 640 x 480 37.5 75 -
-
MO4 640 x 480 43.3 85 -
-
MO5 800 x 600 37.9 60 +
+
MO6 800 x 600 46.9 75 +
+
MO7 800 x 600 53.7 85 +
+
MO8 1024 x 768 48.4 60 -
-
MO9 1024 x 768 60.0 75 +
+
M10 1024 x 768 68.7 85 +
+
M11 1280 x 1024 64.0 60 +
+
M12 1280 x 1024 80.0 75 + +
M13 1280 x 1024 91.1 85 + +
M14 1600 x 1200 75.0 60 + +
M15 1600 x 1200 93.75 75 + +



presently my computer settings show
800 by 600
1024 by 768
1152 by 864
1280 by 720
1280 by 768
1280 by 960

So my question is, Will this monitor work with my computer?
If it will would I need to set the resolution to 1024 x768 since those are the only numbers that match with both the monitor and computer?

Thanks,
Arch

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Hi Arch46
Can I ask why you want such a bulky monitor and not a more modern LCD screen.

[phillpower2]

Hi Arch46
Can I ask why you want such a bulky monitor and not a more modern LCD screen.

[Arch46]

Hi Philpower2,
I have read a few blogs where folks have not had very good results using the newer LCD monitors with the older computers like mine. It seems there have to be new graphic cards installed ect. I thought it might be easier to go with the older CRT.

[phillpower2]

Sorry I have not heard of this before so can`t agree or disagree, modern screens consume less power and have a faster response time and so are superior to the older CRT type, you would need a DVI to VGA adapter though http://www.google.co...ed=0CFUQ8gIwAw#

[Digerati]

What you heard is very true. LCD monitors have a "native" resolution where they offer optimal performance. The problem is the old graphics solutions (card or integrated) may not support that resolution. In most cases, you can still use the LCD, the displayed image will not be the quality you paid for.

Standard 4:3 (not widescreen) LCD monitors are hard to find and therefore, tend to be expensive. But there are still some deals out there, like this 20" LCD that supports 1600 x 1200, like your PC's graphics solution. Now it is refurbished and you never know what that really means. At least it has a 90 day return warranty. And note most 4:3 LCD monitors are analog only - so no DVI adapter needed.

Note that there are still many who prefer the image quality of CRTs. And certainly, a high-end CRT monitor can produce outstanding image quality. But CRTs are huge, take up lots of desk space, they are very heavy, eat lots of power and generate a lot of heat - nice in the Winter, not in the summer.

Having said all that, there are many low cost PCI cards that you should be able to use that will let you use any of today's widescreen LCD monitors at native widescreen resolutions. And if you stick with one of the more budget models, your current power supply should not have a problem supporting it (though that should be verified first). Now the graphics "performance" will not be the same as a $250 PCI Express gaming graphics cards, but for surfing the Internet, email, using MS Office products, they will work just fine - most likely better than your current, old solution. And note if your current solution is integrated, some of your system RAM is currently being used for graphics processing. A card, even the most budget, will most likely have a better graphics processor (GPU) and will come with its own dedicated RAM tweaked for graphics. This will allow that previously snagged system RAM to be freed up, thus giving you a little RAM boost in the process.

[Arch46]

Hi Digerati,

I might be getting in over my head on this, being able to update to a new widescreen LCD monitor sure sounds good, but can you tell me how I can verify a particular PCI Card to be sure my system will support it?
For example I was looking at this card,

EVGA 512-P1-N402-LR GeForce 6200 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI 2.1 Video Card

you can see it here,
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130477


thanks,
Arch

[Digerati]

If your motherboard has a free PCI slot, your motherboard and the operating system will support it. The issue then becomes your power supply. While that card is not particularly power hungry, it certainly will eat more power than your on-board.

I cannot find anything on that specific card, but a similar 6200 with 512MB AGP card recommends a 300W minimum supply with 18Amps on the 12V rail.