New 1704FPV - Settings Advice needed

Jagfan, I wish I could help, but I also need advice for my 1703fp LCD monitor.
The display is still not all that good. My old CRT was better, especially text and small text. I'm running it from the DVI plug which gives a better screen than the VGA connector. (In fact, it seems that I did have a little better display before with this LCD than it is right now; that may have changed changed for some reason.)
I've loaded the newest drivers for my ATI Radeon 9700 pro card; loaded the driver that came with the monitor.
I don't know what else to do or settings to try. Running on 1280 x 1024 doesn't help, and actually makes thing worse since text is much smaller, and even more washed out and harder to read.

Are LCDs really just not as clear and sharp as CRTs? What am I missing here - this shouldn't be so difficult to get a display looking good.

Try these :

Push the reset button on the front of the monitor

Use 60 hrz refresh rate

Only use the native resolution of 1280x1024 for the 17 inch

Turn on Windows XP Clear Type in Display Properties

Use the DVI video connector

Run a Diagnostic's to see if anything is broken

May have speaker's too close to the monitor that may not be shielded.  Move them further away just to see if this helps

Make sure your cables to the monitor are connected properly

Check your video card and driver.  Download a better driver if you can.  You never know

If you want larger fonts, go into Display Properties, click on Settings, click on Advanced, than change the DPI setting of 96 to 120 for a larger fonts.

I cannot think of anything else at the moment.  I know you may have tried some of these fixes, but try again

Dim 4400 ( June 2002 )
2.6 ghz (upgrade from 1.7 ghz)
768 MB 2100 DDR Memory
Gainward Ti 4200 128 MB Nvidia
XP Home plus SP-2
17 inch Dell LCD monitor (1703 FP)
48 X CDRW

 

Message Edited by SR45 on 12-23-2004 05:46 AM

Here is the link to turn on the clear type: http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypeInfo.mspx

I had already changed the setting from 96 to 120 and enlarged the fonts but they weren't crisp and clear.  Turning on the Clear Type in combo with the other 2 options did the trick.  I was unfamiliar with with the "Clear Type option.   I'm pleased now.  Appreciate you taking the time to help.  Thanks.

You are welcome Jagfan.  Glad it worked for you

Well now, much better! The clear type made the biggest difference, and I set fonts to 120 which made text much better to read (for me). I tried the large icon settings too but probably don't need that (it tends to distort and wash out colors in the icons anyway). But I do see that I can make a big difference in the screen text and graphics with all of these settings. I'm really liking LCD now.

Refresh rate - 60.
I also checked other settings, and do have the latest drivers for video card and monitor.

Thanks SR45 and others for all the help and info. Very much appreciated.

Again to Ron, you are welcome.  Glad it works and good luck with your new toy

I just ordered the 1704FPV.  What do you think of your new monitor after the settings were done?  How are the viewing angles and brightness?  Thanks for your feedback.

TazExprez,
I have a 1703fp and I'm very pleased with it now. I had to get the info I needed to figure things out, and do the research. You can't just plug it in and expect it to work ok. But this was my first intro to an LCD. Connect the DVI cable; you may have to press some of the monitor buttons off/on to get it going; I thought my DVI wasn't working at first.
The biggest effect was turning on the clear type - made a huge difference in clarity. Setting resolution to 1280 x 768 was too small for my liking, but increasing the DPI in Display properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> General - made everything larger and similar to running at a larger resolution. Very nice!

The only minor issue I still have is a very slight reddish tint in some text, mostly un-noticeable or not there in most things though. Graphics are fine.

Also, I love the smaller size and the space it clears up on my desk top. And the easier viewing on my eyes is a big plus. I did drop the brightness down to about half way.

The info in this thread should tell you what you need to know to get an LCD running well. Also some other threads have similar info. This forum has really helped me figure things out.

The  1704FPV is not the gaming monitor like the 1704FP LCD is.  Viewing angle is good, but not great.  Normally, you the viewer will not sit to one extreme side to view the monitor so the angle is not much of a problem.  You also have 1000:1 contrast ratio compared to the 500:1 on the 1704FP.  My 1703FP has the 500:1 ratio and is just fine.  The response time is a different story all together.  The FP has a 13 ms response time and the FPV is 25 ms.  My 25 ms 1703 is just fine when I play some of the games, but I am 59 years old.  Those that are younger may see some ghosting with the 25 ms as appose to the 13 ms .  The FPV has a 280 nit Brightness and the FP has a better 300 nt brightness.  All this means that every individual is different as to what they like or dislike.  You could go to Best Buy or CompUSA and view some of the LCD monitors there and find something close to what Dell is selling to see which one is best for you.  SamSung, LG and other's, make the Dell monitors that are sold.

Thanks for all your help guys.  I currently have only seen the E153FP 15" LCD from Dell and the 15.4" US WUXGA screen on my 8600.  If you've seen any of these, what do you think of the comparison?  I am pleased with these two screens, btw.