Wide screen monitor and resolution

What's your choice?

Hi there,

I was wondering which resolution you guys are using when using a widescreen monitor? I just bought a new computer and monitor. The monitor is a Samsung syncmaster 226BW, 22inch wide. I now play the game at 1680x1050, which makes the lower bar in the main screen and other menu's pretty small and unreadable. What other resolution would you guys recommend (and use)? Do you play the game in wide screen or just 4:3? Are there some options for scaling?

I would really appreciatie some advice and info!

6,317 views 7 replies
Reply #1 Top
I also have the 226BW (Great monitor!), and run it at 1680x1050.

I do not have a problem with unreadable screens. Everything is clear and readable.

Are you playing in full-screen mode, or windowed?
Because windowed will reduce clarity to some extent.
Reply #2 Top
Make sure that the monitor, the vid card, and the game are ALL set for 1680x1050.

And if you are running off motherboard imbedded graphics, invest in at least a modest (US $120-150) video card.

drrider
Reply #3 Top
I have a Laptop with a widescreen (15,4") and I play GCII at 1680x1050 resolution. I also have no problem with unreadable screens. Well try the things drrider suggests that should help.
Reply #4 Top
One issue that I used to have is dependent on the combination of your video driver and card, your monitor and directx.

The issue was that when going into directx mode a refresh rate would be selected that the monitor could not support for that mode. The typical result of this would be the inability for the monitor to maintain sync either horizontally or vertically, however another typical result would be for the video to be stable but simply sized incorrectly which would usually crop the right or bottom edge of the display.

You can tell if this is happening in your case by opening the debug.err file and looking for a line like:

Current Display Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)

If the refresh rate is one that your monitor doesn't support then go to the start menu and under Run type "dxdiag" then under More Help press the Override button and enter in the refresh rate for directx to use. Make sure that your monitor supports this rate for every mode that you will possibly use with directx because it will use this rate regardless of mode.

If you still have this issue after following this and the above mentioned advice then you should probably post at least the top portion of your debug.err file after loading the game. This often provides some more concrete insight into what is happening.
Reply #5 Top
I have a Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW 24-inch monitor native at 1920x1200, and that is how I run the game. The machine has a Geforce 7900GS, and I experience superb performance with AA enabled.

-Brian
Reply #6 Top
Thanks for the info, it's not that things are wrong at my resolution, which is also the native resolution. BTW I have a very new graphic card (8800GTS). It's just that there are large horizontal distances between some lists in the game and menu's, so it's sometimes hard to read. In addition, the mini map looks rather small in comparison to the rest of the screen. What's the next common wide screen resolution below 1650x1050? Perhaps I should try that one.
Reply #7 Top
I recently got a 24" LG, and play the game at 1920x1200. Even with a Radeon x600, the game plays great on max settings.