Monitor/Display Problem or Not

I just received and installed a new monitor (LaCie) on my PC and noticed something I hadn’t noticed before. When I change the screen resolution from 1024 X 768 @ 85Hz to 1280 X 1024 @85Hz (as recommended by manufacturer) anything displayed on the monitor is distorted horizontally. If I use these resolutions 800 X 600, 1024 X 768 or 1600 X 1200 all is fine. I spoke to the tech support at LaCie and they didn’t feel changing the resolution should create any distortion. Size-Position and Geometric controls have no affect on correcting the distortion. This evening I re-attached my old monitor and realized it had the same distortion “problem” as the new one and I just never noticed it before. At least it made me more comfortable that it's not likely a monitor problem.

Is this typical because of the changing relationship in ratios or do I have a problem here and if I do any thoughts?

Techs:
Dell 4600 2.8 GHz 1024 MB RAM
Windows XP Pro
128MB DDR NVidia GeForce FX 5200 graphics card
LaCie Electron 19 Blue IV

Thanks for your help.

Ed

I use the same video card as you are and I will get distorion if I choose certain settings also. Try changing to 1024x768 and then see if you can adjust the monitor controls to remove the distortion manually. If this does not work try changing the setting to one that is close to 1024x768 that does not appear to be distorted either up or down. I use 1280x1024 on a Sony Artisan 21"

if you change the monitor and still have the same problem, then it's likely that the problem is in the graphic card or the driver. Try to upgrade the graphic card driver, you can use the one from Nvidia (detonator) or the card manufacturer;s driver... and see which one work best...

Marty & Rad-id,

Thanks for the input. Marty 1024 X 768 is fine & that's what I'm using now so I am able to work. I'm also pursuing the graphic card route and will try updating the drivers first. I'll let you know how I make out.

Ed

1280x1024 is a different aspect ratio than 1024x768 or 800x600 etc, (4 by 5 vs 3 by 4) so unless your monitor supports this aspect ratio you are going to get some distortion.

But since you say your monitor does support this I am not sure what to tell you!

good point there greg.... some monitor will not support different aspect ratio, same goes to graphic card.

good way is check both...monitor connected to different computer and another monitor to check the graphic card....

Just wanted to close this out.

For those interested, in the most current driver release for my graphic card there is now included menu options for setting "fixed aspect ratio timing" and "fixed aspect ratio scaling" which allow the user to select either maintaing aspect ratio of an image or aspect ratio of the display. My current driver release didn't provide the option for selection and must have defaulted to "aspect ratio of the display", just my guess on the latter.

Greg, Rad & Marty thanks for your help.

Ed

Indeed most CRTs have a 4:3 aspect ratio, and generally life is much simpler if you have square pixels and use a display "resolution" with the same aspect ratio. For example:
1024x768
1152x864
1280x960
1440x1080
1600x1200

If you were stuck using 1280x1024 on a 4:3 monitor you could adjust the monitor's "H-size" controls so that there were blank areas on each side of the image area to maintain the 5:4 aspect ratio of the display, but that seems like a waste of screen real estate. Driver options for manipulating aspect ratios would seem to fall into the same category.