Just got a Dell 1901FP LCD, I need some pointers on resolution, setup, etc...

[Jeff Lam]

I just got the new Dell 19" LCD because of its high ratings and great price. I set it up and the monitor disapoints me a little. I heard I have to run it at native resolution but my computer only allows "256 colors" at 1280x1024 and when I set it to this resolution pictures look bad... real bad. Intrernet, desktop wallpaper, everything. Everything is pixelated and looks blurry. Test is great at this resolution but any type of picture looks real bad. Is this the video card's fault or in my case lack of a video card. I'm still running an old IBM PC300GL and using on board video. I am working on getting things together for a new computer.

I set it to "True Color 32 bit" and the resolution only allows 800x600. I finally settled on 16 bit color and the highest resolution it would allow is 1152x864. I'm new to all this and don't really understand the whole resolution/color thing. How do I get this screen to look like it should? Video Card???

Would my PC support a good card or do I need a whole new system before my monitor will really shine?

Any helpful sites to explain this stuff to me???

Thanks!

[RJ]

Well, the onboard video is too old, it just doesn't support true color at 1280x1024. So you need a new one.
Depending on what you want to do with the PC you could insert a PCI GeForce 2 or 4 MX card, or an AGP if your computer has one. If you want something powerful you will need an AGP slot, and if your PC doesn't have AGP or the AGP doesn't support today's cards, you'll need to build a new one.

RJ

[glc]

Your onboard video has insufficient RAM to support anything over 256 colors at 1280x1024, which *IS* the best resolution to run a 19 inch LCD at. You need 8mb of video ram to do that, you should be able to find any old 8mb PCI video card such as an ATI Xpert98 fairly cheap.

[Jeff Lam]

What video card would you recommend under $50?

I can get a discount as I work for Fry's. So maybe $100 retail?

Thanks!

[glc]

ANY PCI card that has 8mb or more of ram, the quality won't make a darn bit of difference on a machine that old and slow. Don't waste money on a GOOD card if you are going to be building new soon, you won't want to be stuck with a PCI card for a new build.

From outpost.com:

Kaser (Video Card)

2807014
Kaser 16MB PCI S305-16P Video Card Dos, Win95, Win98, Win2000 Call for Availability $29.99 Buy

Thats more than adequate.

So is this:

3042389
Kaser 32MB PCI Video Card with SIS305 Chipset Dos, Win95, Win98, Win2000 Same Day $39.99 Buy

[Jeff Lam]

I opened up the PC and it looks like I only have PCI slots open. That ATI Xpert is a AGP right? So I would have to go with one of the Kaser cards you mentioned?

I agree with not spending the money now. I could save it for my new system in the future. I just need something good enough to get me true color at 1280x1024 right?

[glc]

Exactly. The Kaser is a SiS chipset, it's a POS but it will do what you need just fine and it's a heck of a lot better than the onboard. There are PCI Xperts if you can find them, but they are 8mb and prolly cost more than the Kasers. See what your local Fry's has on the shelf for PCI, just make sure it's at least 8mb.

[Jeff Lam]

Well, my local Fry's didn't have any older cards for cheap but they had this one for $60:

http://www.power-color.com/rv6p-a3.htm

I thought I'd check and see if it would make a big difference using the DVI output since this is the only PCI card I have seen while doing research that is fairly cheap and has DVI. How much difference would the DVI port make? Or should I just get a cheap kaser or even a NVIDIA TNT2? The TNT2's are all over ebay for under $20.

[glc]

DVI is *always* better than analog VGA - how much can you get that card for? That's a VERY decent card.

[Jeff Lam]

Thanks,
I think I'll just go ahead and pick up that card. It's $41 at newegg and $60 at Fry's. I thought I may as well run my LCD with DVI since it's there.

Anything with DVI that would be better for under that price for PCI?

[glc]

I highly doubt it. DVI is not something that low end cards typically offer.