Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen - Gaming at 16 by 10 on a Widescreen LCD

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Gaming at 16 by 10 on a Widescreen LCD

Posted 2005-10-28 08:25 PM in Gaming.

I just couldn't help myself. When I found a series of "stackable coupons" for Dell.com that made the UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1" WideScreen LCD only $394.94, including shipping, I had to act. Let me tell you, while it's a 16:10 ratio (not 16:9) you wouldn't believe the widescreen gaming joy. DVDs look nice also. The monitor also pivots and lets be see a complete 8"x14" sheet of paper within Word which makes writing prose, for me, very enjoyable.

GuildWars

Half-Life 2 Lost Coast

Now playing: Kanye West - Gone (Featuring Consequence & Cam'ron)

Tracked by:
"Dell LCD wide aspect monitors" (ryanstevens.co.uk) [Trackback]
http://www.ryanstevens.co.uk/2005/11/09/Dell+LCD+Wide+Aspect+Monitors.aspx [Pingback]

Friday, October 28, 2005 11:29:50 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

I'm jealous! Are the coupons still around?

Eric

Saturday, October 29, 2005 8:21:40 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

I got the same deal. What video card did you end up getting? I haven't gotten one yet that supports rotating and fully supports its resolution.

Chris

Chris S

Saturday, October 29, 2005 10:05:37 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

http://blog.dreamprojections.com/archive/2005/07/03/1719.aspx

=)

Alex

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:04:38 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

Nice, to be sure, but I am very fond of my gaming rig. It's based on a mathematical equation of my own design:

Xbox + InFocus projector + 91" home-made screen + 700 watt 5.1 channel sound system = heaven. :)

Cam

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:52:48 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

ChrisS: I already had an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. It was pretty inexpensive and readily available. It supports rotation and these odd resolutions automatically. Highly recommended, even if it's a 2-year old card. I'm sure there's a better one now.

Scott Hanselman

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:53:28 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

Eric, the coupons were chatted to me, but I know there are (via google) a number of forums that swap woot.com-style "use it or lose it" deals like this.

Scott Hanselman

Monday, October 31, 2005 9:24:45 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

Keep an eye on www.TechBargains.com. I got in on the same deal, but for the 2001FP. Not wide screen, but still a damn fine monitor. 1600x1200 is a beautiful sight to be seen.

Shawn Wheatley

Monday, October 31, 2005 11:40:38 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

Isn't it annoying on the games that DON'T support your native resolution? On my NEC 18.1" (1280x1024) I have to play a handful of games that only support 1280x960, which makes the horizontal crystal clear, but the vertical a little blurry.

Ben Scheirman

Tuesday, November 01, 2005 9:52:06 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

I did the same deal, and use the monitor with my PowerBook. I found the coupons on gotapex.com.

Andrew Shebanow

Wednesday, November 02, 2005 7:09:53 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

You're playing lost coast at 16x10 on a 9800pro? what kind of framerate are you getting? 10?

Apart from gaming, I don't think most computer use (browsing, email, coding, ...) lends itself all that well to widescreen displays, so I settled on the 2001fp instead a while ago. Guild Wars plays fine on 16x12, but for HL2, my 9800 just can't quite hack it... Haven't tried Lost Coast yet, but the HDR only makes that more graphics-intensive, so if anything that may force me into an even lower resolution.

For anyone interested in deals like this, just check out slickdeals.net from time to time (or subscribe to their RSS feed). Dell monitor deals seem to pop-up there at least every other week or so...