PC Hardware A Beginner’s Guide

(^374) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
on each row of its display. If the resolution is changed to 640 × 480, it is not possible to
evenly represent 640 pixels with 800 pixels and produce clear text or images. So, the dis-
play image area is reduced to 10.4 inches for the 640 × 480 image. However, as the natural
resolution and the size of the display get larger, reproducing lower resolutions become
much easier in the standard screen area. Table 16-3 illustrates how LCD displays adjust
for resolutions other than their natural resolution. In the table,smallmeans the display is
reduced,fullmeans it is the natural resolution, andlinearmeans that the user must scroll
up and down and left and right to see all of the displayed image.
Listed LCD screen sizes generally are accurate, so a 15-inch LCD is closer in viewable
image size to a 17-inch CRT than a 15-inch CRT.

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of a monitor is the relationship of its height (in pixels) to its width (in

pixels). On most of the commonly used CRT resolutions, the aspect ratio is 4:3, which is

by far the most common. The aspect ratio helps software determine how to place images

on the screen in relationshi pto each other and to hel psha pes like circles look round and

not elliptical and squares look square and not like rectangles.

Monitor Size and Resolution

As explained earlier, resolution is a real estate issue. As the space available to hold more

pixels increases, so does the monitor’s ability to handle higher resolutions. This is not a

hard and fast rule, but in general it holds true. Another factor in this equation is the age of

the monitor. Most newer monitors can display higher resolutions than many older and

larger monitors.

Higher resolutions use smaller pixels and, when applied on a smaller monitor, may

require a magnifying glass to read the screen. A 15-inch monitor may support 1280 × 1024

resolution, but you may never actually use it. In fact, you may never actually use the

highest resolution available on any monitor smaller than a 19-inch monitor. On the other

hand, lower resolutions look better on smaller monitors. Larger monitors display lower

resolutions in pixel blocks that can really detract from the image on the screen.

Natural Resolution 640 × 480 800 × 600 1024 × 768

640 × 480 Full Linear Linear

800 × 600 Small Full Linear

1024 × 768 Small Small Full

Table 16-3. LCD Resolutions