CRT refresh rate overide question.

[slug]

To anyone in the know.

 

I'm running a couple of bequeathed 15 inch CRT monitors. Ideally trying to run at 1280 at 75hz to avoid the appalling flashing glare you get at lower rates.

 

When I've input this setting via the graphics card software the monitors quite sensibly blink off and state that the sync is out of range (unless I wack them down to 1024 or 60hz.)

 

Yet Windows seems to let me run them at 1280/75hz via its graphics interface quite happily.

 

My question is whether this is likely to utterly destroy these monitors, or whether I'm simply exceeding the advised limit but they'll actually probably be fine. (Like controlled overclocking.)

 

I mean no one likes being stuck with dud CRT's there appear to be at least 3 in my garden, I have a 21 inch with brightness issues that I'm stuck with etc.

 

Any input appreciated.

[TetsuoShima]

Depends on the model in question, there's a maximum bandwidth you can get out of a monitor, it simply the horizontal*vertical refresh*resolution, this value will be in the MHz. If you still have the specs you can easily calculate it from those.

 

I must admit though, that 15" crt's that can run 1280*960*75 will most likely be extremely rare. (don't run 1280*1024 on a crt as that's the wrong aspect ratio) As such I doubt your monitor can do that, which further seems indicated since its protection circuits are activated when you try anyway.

 

In such case, you can consider yourself lucky that the monitor has such protective cicuits at all (older models usually don't have them), since if you leave it running for a long time a large amount out of spec, you will kill it or at the very least unbalance it, so it'll have to go to an electronics shop with the right equipment.

 

Don't trust windows to know what the specs of your monitor are, those values are based on assumptions and partial reports from the monitor, they are not always correct. If in doubt, trust the monitor (which seems to be telling you that it can't handle the res).

[slug]

I shall take this advice and turn them down a notch, thankyou. To be honest I'm not sure they're running at the spec the computer says they are anyway. I'd bring them down to 1024 but one of them is on a switch with a 19 inch lcd and the rescailing is obviously god awful.

 

People seem to be a bit unnerved when they see I have a monitor on my bedside table.

[TetsuoShima]

Ye, I can see how that would be a problem...

I don't have a solution though, al I could say is combine the crt's on the switch and place the lcd on a seperate connector, DVI if possible, a lot of nice new scaling options will be available in your drivers options once you use dvi as output (for ATI and nVidia, no idea about other brands).

[slug]

There are a number of different ways of doing it, the greatest need in this sort of setup is to have the taskbar on the switchable monitor, thus accessable from different places.

 

i plan to get a 17 inch lcd to duplicate or switch the main screen solving the problem. I actually run two cards with 3 displays spread out over 4 screens two monitors lined up against the big hdtv, able to drag across all 3, then the main display switches with an lcd across the room. Its amazing that the setup actually functions at all.

 

It has a distinct 'Mr Universe' quality.

[TetsuoShima]

Lol, quite the mediacenter you've got there. :D

What do you use the two screens flanking the hdtv for?

[slug]

Web-browsing, everyday stuff, multitasking. The TV works quite well lounging at medium distance for browsing etc but is too big to sit right in front of, also only 720p.