I have a 16" (actual measurement diag) screen. I do a lot of photo work and have to really downsize most in order to get it on my little screen. I am not PC geek. Would not a larger screen help eliminate so much downsizing so I can work on them ? Also I have a Trinitron monitor now, would I notice a lot of difference with something else? That's all, Tanks
When you say 16" actual measurement, is that from "visable" corner to corner? If so, and you have a CRT monitor you screen size is prolly 17". Going to a bigger LCD monitor may help, but the main question is, what is your resolution at? I'm at work where I have 2 LCD monitors, 19" each and set at 1280x1024. At home I have a 21" LCD monitor and I run at the same resolution.
Short answer, yes, you could enjoy larger photo work. I used to have a trinitron, and there is no appreciable difference imho. I think the monitor is about the most important part of the system. I now have a 19" crt and I love it. It's worth an upgrade. If you go LCD, keep a low response time (8ns or lower), especially if you do any gaming.
You will need to get another card. If this is the work you do it will be well worth the money in saved time and increased efficiency. Going with a new card will give you the ability to go beyond 1280x1024. It will also speed up your render times. I don't know which program you use but most of them will take advantage of the 2d acceleration newer graphics chips offer. Yes graphics cards accelerate more than just 3d. Going to higher resolution like 1600x1200 will give you more desktop space to show more information. You would be able to see more of your work without having to scroll around or reduce resolution. Of course to be able to work with 1600x1200 or higher you would need a bigger monitor that has the ability to do so. I suggest a 21 inch monitor min. I work with a 21 inch crt. Which brings me to my next suggestion, buy crt not lcd. Yes crt is more expensive, uses more power, and is a lot heavier. It also has better color registration than lcd's. Lcd's have come a long way but most desk top publishers and media people in general prefer crt. Color rendition is simply just better. Try it for yourself first. Go to a store with a picture you work with and are familiar with. See how the colors are displayed on crt's vs lcd's and on different brands. Pick a monitor that you feel displays the colors most accurately. Lastly pick your desired resolution. Again I recommend 1600x1200 or higher. At your chosen resolution make sure your card AND monitor can support a refresh rate of 75hz MINIMUM pref 85hz or higher. Yes its going to cost money. But the time saved will make you think what the heck you were doing not upgrading years before. Oh yeah almost forgot. If your cpu is less than 3.2ghz and memory less than 1gb just get a new computer. Again time saved etc,etc. Good luck.
