PC Gaming Screen Resolutions...

iv-tecman

iv-tecman

iv-tecman

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I want to discuss screen resolutions. I’m maybe a little old school, but I remember when SVGA 800 x 600 was considered to be a very high resolution and anyone wanting the best in their gaming rigs ensure 800 x 600 was the res they could game at.

Then we moved into 1024 x 768 which for me was perhaps the moment when I stopped noticing when higher resolutions really made much difference in my mind. Maybe is it just me, however I’ve been gaming on a PS3 for some years now at 1280 x 720 (if I’m lucky for some games) or maybe the odd 1080 title such as GT5 or Wipeout HD (fake 1080 I believe), however have a fairly decent spec laptop.

So been gaming for about a week on this with F1 2011 and Crysis 2, playing both games using an ATI 5650 1GB card at 1208 x 720 on a 42” plasma. With ultra or max settings with a healthy dose of MSAA applied, I must admit it looks absolutely fantastic, however I do keep reading about those gaming at insane levels with regards to resolution. F1 2011 compared to the PS3 is night and day. PS3 version doesn’t even compare, the screen tearing of low texture and grainy look when compared to the smooth looking tear free display I’ve been getting on my laptop, well I’m convinced a mid spec PC with a lower resolution with ultra details is every bit as good as ubber high resolutions, but maybe I’m in the minority ??

Is this ‘really’ that important, does it really make all the difference? I would rather play games with a lower resolution with zero screen tearing and ultra details then at a higher resolution with less detail etc.. Crysis 2 if you asked me looked every bit as good in 1280 x 720 as it did at 1920 x 1080 yet at 720 ran like butter instead of treacle and was a really smooth experience, even for such a lower end GPU..

I was very impressed with Crysis 2, even more so it cost me £7.99 when compared to the PS3 version perhaps costing twice this, maybe even at this price second hand..!!

Just thoughts about PC gaming, I’ll admit I’ve enjoyed F1 2011 and Crysis 2 at 1280 x 720, yet been shy to try them both on PC as I felt my laptop hooked up to my TV wouldn’t handle it using an ATI 5650… I llike to play games in the living room, its a chore to drag the PC downstairs so if the laptop could handle this, then bonus... I like playing games with a gamepad as well.. Must say, now I’ve tried it I’m quite impressed..!!
 
Ahh 800 x 600 glory days! I remember playing games at that thinking "Corrrrrrrrrr!"

I tend to run at 1440 x 900 as thats what my monitor supports. I get the feeling from all the threads on different forums that its not as good a resolution as it used to be but its fine for me! Only problem I have is when I have to make the wallpaper fit instead of downloading wallpaper at the specific size, but thats a pet peeve! :p
 
I have a 1920x1080 monitor and a 1280x720 tv. most games i find look better on my tv tbh, well not better necesarily, but different(obviously as i am sitting further away)
This is probably more to do with the quality of the screen anyway.

If i am playing a FPS then i will use my monitor and i think it looks better(much better) but if i am playing something like FIFA12, i think it looks better on my tv. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a game which o started on my monitor and then decided i would like to sit back on the sofa so i switched to the tv and i thought it looked a lot better.

Personally i don't think twice about lowering resolution if it suits me. If we were talking about 2 identical screens but with different resolutions then obviously the higher res would be better but i am also comparing a good quality tv to a decent monitor, so res makes a smaller difference in my gaming. My lower res TV probably gives a better quality picture to my monitor, but only because it has more features and is just generally better quality
 
Beauty in pc games is that's the choice we can make, nothing wrong with preferring lower resolution in favor of more effects! I do prefer a sharper image personally but I sit very close to my monitor and do notice the difference, if the atmosphere is heavily dependent on shaders and such ill run in a lower res to preserve this.

Of course if your native res is fairly small then you don't have to worry so much.

edit: this is in the context of limited processing power, if you have the rig of dreams then yes bigger is better.
 
I've been running 1680x1050 for 3 years, I recently bought a 1920x1080 monitor 120hz monitor which I took back. I honestly dont see the difference, in BC2 I had to drop the AA to 4 from 8 to get and average FPS of over 75ish, I think I prefer the extra AA to be honest, I sit up close to the monitor anyway
 
Guest2 said:
1080 looks rubbish after playing 2560x1440
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And there is one of the reasons I've been shy towards PC gaming and using a PS3, as talk of 1080 being rubbish means me playing crysis 2 on a HD TV at 1280 x 720 makes me sound as if I've not got the gear anymore to play PC games..

Which is a shame, this Dell 1749 laptop with an ATI 5650 at 1280 x 720 is actually pretty good at gaming, hooked up via HDMI to my TV and it looks every bit, if not better then a PS3... applying 8 x MSAA with ultra details in F1 2011 or running max settings for Crysis 2 and I was well happy..

Each to their own, pleased I tried it.. Opens up another gaming platform, games aren't cheap.. With our first baby on the way I need cheap mobile gaming... I can afford £8 for a game.. Heck F1 2011 was only £17 when compared to say £34 for the console, and I get better graphics at the same res etc.. and zero screen tearing.!! That was a win in my books..
 
I went from a 19" 1280x1024 to 26" 1920x1200 which was a massive leap and then to 1920x1080 and the width ratio helps.

I have a 1920x1080 monitor and 1920x1200 monitor that i can't seem to choose between..

The 1920x1080 screen gives me a wider field of view and is brighter with better contrast ratio
The 1920x1200 screen is bigger and provides a better response time and better out of game experience.

Grrrr.
 
I went from 1280x1024 19" to a 24" 1920x1200 which was absolutely amazing.

It actually made my 8800GTX worth it and meant I had to start buying highend GPU's to run games well.

I switched to 2560x1440 this summer and it's an even bigger jump is quality and now it seems my GTX 470 is struggling.

I do love it though and qaulity it brings is well worth it.
 
First big jump for me was from a 1024x768 15" jobby to a 1920x1200 24" Imac, screen blew me away, although after ditching Mac for PC and getting a 5850 jumping from 1280x1024 19" to 1080p on a 23" just wow 90% of all the games i played easily maxed out with 4xAA looked amazing :D
 
I too remember the jump to 800x600.
I have found the jump from 1280x720 to 1920x1200 makes a big difference - when played on the same screen. If I'm sitting 2' away from the monitor, playing a game on a 1920x1200 monitor, and try to drop the resolution down to 720, it looks pretty horrible.
This is in part due to the fact that TFT's have an inherently poor quality when viewed at native resolutions.

I have memories of playing Oblivion when it was a new game, on my computer then which dropped to sub-20 FPS when run at 1920x1200 (with no AA!). But dropping town to lower resolutions lookeed really, really horrible in that game on my monitor, so i had to play it at high res and low fps.

When I play on my 40" TV, and sit, say, 7' away on my chair, it's a little different. Then 1280x720 is fine, even though its non-native for the screen. I am far enough away that I cant see that fine detail.
 
This may sound daft but I sometimes lower the resolution on some games down one step from the max res as the image is too sharp and looks unrealistic. If the game dosent have wow factor textures and lots of nice detail then a too higher resolution amplifies these imperfections, does that make sense?

Sometimes a bit of fuzzy blur round the edges makes it seem a bit better imo.
 
My desktop is 1920x1200p but I play more on my TV at 1280x720p - both have roughly the same apparent size and more most gaming purposes I can't really tell them apart - unless it's something text heavy or a rts.
 
Its good to read that many who play on a 40" or bigger TV find 1280 x 720 acceptable. I was hammering away at crysis 2 again last night on a 42" plasma and honestly think it looked and ran fantastic consdering its just a laptop with a mid range ?? GPU.

Best part about lowering the res means you can really crank up the details and apply lots more AA, so overall sitting 5 ft away from the screen with ultra details and lots of AA just results in what I think quite an epic display...

Sadly, just means you need to play gamepad friendly games. Can't see me being much good with COD4 online with a gamepad lol PC lot would totally own me, so its pretty much limited to gamepad for most applications..

F1 2011 I guess you could get away with a wheel as well as a gamepad but for FPS online I think sitting with a keyboard and mouse etc up close or closer to the screen is maybe the only way..

Wish I could find some type of lap board where you could put a keyboard and mouse on your lap, then I'd be all set lol
 
neoglow said:
This may sound daft but I sometimes lower the resolution on some games down one step from the max res as the image is too sharp and looks unrealistic. If the game dosent have wow factor textures and lots of nice detail then a too higher resolution amplifies these imperfections, does that make sense?

Sometimes a bit of fuzzy blur round the edges makes it seem a bit better imo.
Click to expand...

It's not daft at all. It's a way of getting cheap anti-aliasing - not as good as the real thing, but pretty good. I have done it in the past too. But I found it only works for very small drops. If I was playing on a 1920x1200 screen, I could drop to 1680x1050, but any further would look increasingly horrible.
 
iv-tecman said:
Sadly, just means you need to play gamepad friendly games. Can't see me being much good with COD4 online with a gamepad lol PC lot would totally own me, so its pretty much limited to gamepad for most applications..


Wish I could find some type of lap board where you could put a keyboard and mouse on your lap, then I'd be all set lol
Click to expand...


Am i the only person who uses USB extension leads? I also have a big book which i use as a mouse mat with part of a boogi but XL on it(going very cheap atm too). It works great:)
 
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