Best setting for 19" Monitor?

[atc_traffic856]

What is the best setting for a 19" Monitor for the most distinct clarity and size of icons et cetra? Thank you.

[iisbob]

General recomendations for monitor's/screen size is as follows;

• 15"=800*600,
• 17"=1024*768,
• 19"=1200*1024,
• 20"=1600*1900 ( more or less )

The truth is that you have to find what's comfortable for you ( and within your Monitors'/Vid cards capabilities ), i know people who use a 15" monitor at 1200*1024/32 simply because they can! And they say it works for them?!



Oh well, different strokes for different folks!



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iisbob

Computer-Show me the Enterprise; no bloody A, no bloody B, and no bloody C-just the original...Mr Scott { from a STNG episode }

[Eutychus]

One note of caution: While everyone is aware of the potential damage loud noise or music can produce over time, not everyone is aware of years of working with small text on a PC. I started programming and working 8-10 hours a day on PCs when in my early 30s and had 20/20 vision. For a period of time, I noticed that my vision was blurry when I got away from the monitor by it gradually cleared. Eventually, it never completely cleared. By the time I was in my early 40s I had trouble focusing on anything more than about 8 feet but I could detect a little fuzziness between 4 & 5 feet. It got to where driving was like having a permanent dirty windshield. When all the people my age started needing bifocals, everything at a distance was fuzzy to me. At 50, I don't need glasses to work on my PC or to read - even small print. However, I have become near-sighted enough to need glasses to drive or watch TV.

I find this condition becoming more common as I talk to others who have spent 8 or more hours a day for several years with small monitors or high res settings.

800*600 is comfortable for me, but anything higher I can begin to feel the same strain I used to when I was younger.

[saphalline]

I find that 1024 x 768 gives the best-sized icons and Desktop look, but when working, 1280 x 1024 works best for productivity reasons so I leave it there. But like Eutychus said, I'm still young and I already wear glasses for nearsightedness!

My grandpa on the other hand can't see a darn thing up close, so he runs his 17" monitor at 640 x 480. That's about equivalent to Eutychus's 800 x 600 on a 19" monitor.

If you really want to be kind to your eyes now, get a 17" or 19" LCD monitor. A high quality one will cost you more than two of my computer systems (!), but it's worth it for minimizing short- and long-term eye strain in addition to LCD's other ammenities.

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this space for rent

[gregzeng]

Other vision factors are important. I use specially created "Computer Screen" spectacles, especially prescribed for fixed distance viewing. Other people do not know that they need this too. The lens are coated with an anti-reflection layer to 'sharpen' the image received by the eyes, similar to the coating on expensive cameras, telescopes & binoculars.

Next time I order these glasses, I'll try to get a spectacle frame, lightweight, but which shields the top & sides of each eye from stray air gusts & stray lighting. Stray lighting increases eye strain by decreasing visual contrast. Stray air gusts rapidly age the non-blinking eye that is focused on the screen.

If you are using your eyes in a dry atmosphere (eg central Australia, or in winter, or in an refrigerated air conditioned room, you urgently need to humidify your work station. Dry eyes will rapidly age & sicken the unblinking eyes. Eye-blinking for computer viewers is dangerously much less than is safe.

If you have stray light or stray wind gusts at all, try to minimize these as much as you can.

[pentachris]

While we're on the subject, it's a good idea to give your eyes a rest every 30 minutes or so while working at your computer. Turn away from the computer and focus alternately on something close and something far away for a few minutes. The varied depths will "exercise" your eyes and save your vision.

And don't forget about this nuisance.

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Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

[gregzeng]

Oops. I forgot other factors besides stray lighting & stray dry air blowing on the eyeballs. There are some VERY OLD & VERY CHEAP monitors, no matter how big or small they are.

The oldies & the cheapies have a large dot pitch (size), so they cannot show sharp lines clearly. They also have reduced lighting CONTRAST, plus poor coloration, plus poor brightness, plus low frequency display, plus low tolerance to power changes in the power supply (when the amount of brightness on the screen as a total is suddenly changed.

The cheapies have poor cable connections, etc. So do you have such and oldie and cheapie? If so, you can disregard most of the advice you have received.