Refresh Rates and XP ???

I recently upgraded to XP from 98SE and I've got some questions about refresh rates. I understand what refresh rates are etc. but I don't quite understand how they effect things. I'm running a 1Gig T-Bird with a GeForce2 MX 100/200 at work and a 2.2 Athalon XP+ GeForce4 Ti 4200 at home as my racing 'puter. 1.. I never really paid attention before XP, 98SE was set to optimize so I just assumed all was well. Now I've been looking at it I see that most of the time my monitors have been set to 60 Hz. I've since changed them to 75 Hz. I'm ashamed to say that I can't really tell a difference. Am I crazy or blind. Should I see a real difference at 75 or 100 Hz. 2.. When I changed to 75 Hz the image no longer filled the screen in XP I expanded the Horizontal and Vertical image on the monitor and it filled the screen but when I went into GPL (Ditto F1C ) the image didn't fill the screen (I'm not talking about the top and bottom letter boxing in GPL I'm talking about the sides) I guess that I could expand it by the monitors Vertical and Horizontal settings but then everything in Windows would be screwed. 3.. Do you take a FPS hit by upping the Refresh rate? 4.. How do you know how much my monitor will push. I've read if it can't push the refresh rate that you punch into XP then the screen is blank. But I've also read that you can push the refresh rate to an unhealthy degree that will show but will reduce the life of the monitor? The Sun website has a list of resolutions and then different numbers for horizontal and vertical refresh rates. None of which really correspond to the refresh rates in XP. What do those mean exactly? 5.. On the work computer (GeForce2 MX) the XP Appearance page sez <<Hide Modes that this monitor can not display>> and it only goes from 60 Hertz to 75 Hertz. The racing computer (GeForce4 Ti) XP won't let you check off that box at all and goes right up to 200 Hertz (I think). Does this mean that it is safe to run it all the way up? Or just that my card can push it but maybe not the monitor? 6.. The monitor is only set up through Plug and Pray, I bought it used it' s badged as 19" Sun Microsystems. I didn't get any drivers with it, would it be worth going to Sun and getting some? 7.. Should have been first question, is there a good resource about monitors, refresh rates, XP and racing sims? (or a combination of some of those?) TIA Rudeboy

In article <_xyob.235046$6C4.71611@pd7tw1no>, [email hidden] says...

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> I recently upgraded to XP from 98SE and I've got some questions about > refresh rates. I understand what refresh rates are etc. but I don't quite > understand how they effect things. I'm running a 1Gig T-Bird with a > GeForce2 MX 100/200 at work and a 2.2 Athalon XP+ GeForce4 Ti 4200 at home > as my racing 'puter. > > > > 1.. I never really paid attention before XP, 98SE was set to optimize so I > just assumed all was well. Now I've been looking at it I see that most of > the time my monitors have been set to 60 Hz. I've since changed them to 75 > Hz. I'm ashamed to say that I can't really tell a difference. Am I crazy > or blind. Should I see a real difference at 75 or 100 Hz.

Its rubbish isnt it. 75 hz is still pretty nasty, you will definately see a difference between 60hz and 100hz. Use refresh force, or multires or something to set all resolutions to their max refresh rates.

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> 2.. When I changed to 75 Hz the image no longer filled the screen in XP I > expanded the Horizontal and Vertical image on the monitor and it filled the > screen but when I went into GPL (Ditto F1C ) the image didn't fill the > screen (I'm not talking about the top and bottom letter boxing in GPL I'm > talking about the sides) I guess that I could expand it by the monitors > Vertical and Horizontal settings but then everything in Windows would be > screwed.

Just set it up for gaming, your monitors got memorys right? > 3.. Do you take a FPS hit by upping the Refresh rate? No, if anything, your FPS will INCREASE, because its no longer limited to the 60 a second that your monitor is forcing you to see. Of course, unless you have Vsync on, the game will report the same fps.

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> 4.. How do you know how much my monitor will push. I've read if it can't > push the refresh rate that you punch into XP then the screen is blank. But > I've also read that you can push the refresh rate to an unhealthy degree > that will show but will reduce the life of the monitor? The Sun website has > a list of resolutions and then different numbers for horizontal and vertical > refresh rates. None of which really correspond to the refresh rates in XP. > What do those mean exactly?

um... > 5.. On the work computer (GeForce2 MX) the XP Appearance page sez <<Hide > Modes that this monitor can not display>> and it only goes from 60 Hertz to > 75 Hertz. The racing computer (GeForce4 Ti) XP won't let you check off that > box at all and goes right up to 200 Hertz (I think). Does this mean that it > is safe to run it all the way up? Or just that my card can push it but maybe > not the monitor? try it. go up in steps, try 100, then 120, then 144 etc, until it nolonger works, then step back one. > 6.. The monitor is only set up through Plug and Pray, I bought it used it' > s badged as 19" Sun Microsystems. I didn't get any drivers with it, would > it be worth going to Sun and getting some? Nah, XP is pretty good with drivers. Unless your display properties list your monitor as 'Default Monitor', i wouldnt worry. > 7.. Should have been first question, is there a good resource about > monitors, refresh rates, XP and racing sims? (or a combination of some of pass.

I can really notice 60Hz when I look away from the monitor, but still have it within sight. If you know what I mean... When I look directly at a monitor, it looks constant, but when I sort of look a foot away from it, I can see 60Hz flashing like mad... immediate headache.. Mike http://mikebeauchamp.com "Rudeboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:_xyob.235046$6C4.71611@pd7tw1no...

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> I recently upgraded to XP from 98SE and I've got some questions about > refresh rates. I understand what refresh rates are etc. but I don't quite > understand how they effect things. I'm running a 1Gig T-Bird with a > GeForce2 MX 100/200 at work and a 2.2 Athalon XP+ GeForce4 Ti 4200 at home > as my racing 'puter. > > > > 1.. I never really paid attention before XP, 98SE was set to optimize so

I > just assumed all was well. Now I've been looking at it I see that most of > the time my monitors have been set to 60 Hz. I've since changed them to75 > Hz. I'm ashamed to say that I can't really tell a difference. Am I crazy > or blind. Should I see a real difference at 75 or 100 Hz. > > > 2.. When I changed to 75 Hz the image no longer filled the screen in XPI > expanded the Horizontal and Vertical image on the monitor and it filledthe

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> screen but when I went into GPL (Ditto F1C ) the image didn't fill the > screen (I'm not talking about the top and bottom letter boxing in GPL I'm > talking about the sides) I guess that I could expand it by the monitors > Vertical and Horizontal settings but then everything in Windows would be > screwed. > > > 3.. Do you take a FPS hit by upping the Refresh rate? > > > 4.. How do you know how much my monitor will push. I've read if it

can't > push the refresh rate that you punch into XP then the screen is blank.But > I've also read that you can push the refresh rate to an unhealthy degree > that will show but will reduce the life of the monitor? The Sun websitehas > a list of resolutions and then different numbers for horizontal andvertical > refresh rates. None of which really correspond to the refresh rates in XP. > What do those mean exactly? > > 5.. On the work computer (GeForce2 MX) the XP Appearance page sez<<Hide > Modes that this monitor can not display>> and it only goes from 60 Hertzto > 75 Hertz. The racing computer (GeForce4 Ti) XP won't let you check offthat > box at all and goes right up to 200 Hertz (I think). Does this mean thatit > is safe to run it all the way up? Or just that my card can push it butmaybe > not the monitor? > > > 6.. The monitor is only set up through Plug and Pray, I bought it usedit'

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> s badged as 19" Sun Microsystems. I didn't get any drivers with it, would > it be worth going to Sun and getting some? > > > 7.. Should have been first question, is there a good resource about > monitors, refresh rates, XP and racing sims? (or a combination of some of > those?) > > TIA > Rudeboy > >

a good approximation of how far you can push your monitor is the following formula: refresh rate = horizontal refresh rate / vertical resolution so a 96 kHz monitor @ 1024x768 can push at its best: 96 000 lines/sec : 768 lines = 125 Hz Wojtek