monitor refresh rate?

Question

hi there, i have a dell 1704FPT monitor (which came with my dimension 9150) and was wondering what the difference in refresh rates 60mhz and 75mhz are? what should i set my monitor at? does it even matter which one i set it at? i'm also curious about the differences between DVI and VGA. i currently have it hooked up with the DVI cable, but my new graphics card came with a DVI to VGA adapter... thanks!

mombodog · Answer

DVI is much better than VGA.   'Much of the discussion of refresh rate does not apply to LCD monitors. This is because while a phosphor on a CRT will begin to dim as soon as the electron beam passes it, LCD cells open to pass a continuous stream of light, and do not dim until instructed to produce a darker color' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refresh_rate   Whatever that means.   I see no difference using higher refresh rates on a LCD panel, 60htz is default, and is what I use. Most LCD monitors only allow 60hz, be sure refresh rates are hidden that are not supported on your monitor, forcing higher refresh rates can damage the monitor.   VGA = is the old analog signal used for CRT monitors and some low end LCD monitors, becoming a thing of the past   DVI = Digital signal, so much better than VGA Message Edited by mombodog on 09-30-2007 03:51 PM

SR45 · Answer

Native refresh rate for a LCD is 60 hz, and at times it will allow maybe 75 hz.  CRT's have different refresh rates you can chose depending on the video card so you can increase it and avoid flicker.   If your monitor will allow either a 60 or 75 hz refresh rate its up to you.  I just leave mine at 60 hz at all times since I see no difference between the two

discostu668 · Answer

i figured DVI was better - i was just curious because my current video card (X600 pro 256mb) has 1 DVI and 1 VGA output. the card i just bought a few days ago (which i will be RMAing because it crashes my system) has those too, but it also came with a DVI to VGA adapter. is there an available VGA to DVI adapter in the event i wanted to run 2 monitors with DVI? i really want to be able to upgrade my video card, but i am struggling to find out what the wattage of my power supply is. i've read that the dimension 9150 comes with a 375W, but the new card i got was crashing my system (the screen would glitch like crazy even if i scrolled down a webpage). this could have been because the card was bad or i didn't have the strength to run it (i kept getting vpu reset errors). my old card works just fine, but i would like something that's a *little* better and one that has HD capabilities (and also works with vista in the event i upgrade to that OS).

mombodog · Answer

'is there an available VGA to DVI adapter in the event i wanted to run 2 monitors with DVI?'   Yes, but you will only get vga analog signal.   http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=110&sku=26957   Plug this into your vga port on the video card, then use your DVI cable to connect it to the dvi monitor.

discostu668 · Answer

hah! so there's no real point to it, then. i guess if i run two monitors in the future, unless i get a video card with two DVI ports, it'd be 1 VGA and 1 DVI.

mombodog · Answer

'there's no real point to it, then.'   Having a dual monitor setup is nice, no matter how you get it imo.   You need to be careful about some video cards, just because there are two video out ports does not mean they support 2 monitors at the same time. Read the specs carefully before choosing.

discostu668 · Answer

sorry, what i meant was there's no point in getting the VGA to DVI adapter if you're getting a VGA signal anyway! i'll have to look at the specs of my X600 pro 256mb to see if it does. i know that the new card i bought is fully capable. this 2 monitor system wouldn't be until i could afford a new monitor anyway, which is nowhere in the immediate future.

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monitor refresh rate?

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