External monitor only goes up to 1280x1024 in Windows, when it should be 1440x900?

[Gary King]

I use an external monitor as my primary monitor, and I use a 1440x900 resolution for it, which is perfect when I'm using Mac OS X. When I'm in Windows using Boot Camp, however, my external monitor can only go up to 1280x1024, which makes the image very distorted because that is a 1.25:1 ratio while it should be a 1.6:1 ratio. I do have the option of increasing the resolution, but if I do so, then I get an "Out of frequency" error message, which I'm sure at least a few of you have seen before. My graphics card is an ATI Radeon X1600 128 MB, and I have indeed already installed the latest drivers for it (specifically for Boot Camp and from ATI) as of last week, and my external monitor uses a VGA connection. A few of my other computer specs can be found in my forum signature, below this post.

How can I resolve this issue? It is really problematic because I still use Windows for applications that are very important to me, including graphics design, which require that the image not be distorted.

Thanks in advance!

 

[esaleris]

You might have some luck using PowerStrip, which is a shareware software the allows you to play with the timings so that you can get custom resolutions on Windows.

 

[Gary King]

You might have some luck using PowerStrip, which is a shareware software the allows you to play with the timings so that you can get custom resolutions on Windows.

Thanks, I think and have always thought that the main issue was the frequency; it is set at 60 Hz in Windows but 75 Hz in Mac OS X, so I'd like to force 75 Hz to see what happens in Windows. After playing around with the timings, however, it seems that all of them are "Out of frequency". Are there any particular combination of resolution and refresh rates that I should try out?

Thanks again!

 

[chscag]

LCD monitors will normally refresh adequately at 60 Hz and most will yield their native resolution at that rate. Your problem is not only driver related but it seems your external does not support a digital input signal. Sadly, ATI and their "driver of the month" mentality has always been a problem when using their graphic adaptors. I know that doesn't help your current situation.

Have you thought about upgrading the monitor to a newer digital model, one that is supported both in OS X and Windows? I currently use a Samsung SyncMaster 220M which yields its native resolution in OS X and Windows with my built in Intel GMA X3100 graphics adaptor. The Samsung accepts both digital and VGA inputs.

Regards.

 

[Gary King]

LCD monitors will normally refresh adequately at 60 Hz and most will yield their native resolution at that rate. Your problem is not only driver related but it seems your external does not support a digital input signal. Sadly, ATI and their "driver of the month" mentality has always been a problem when using their graphic adaptors. I know that doesn't help your current situation.

Have you thought about upgrading the monitor to a newer digital model, one that is supported both in OS X and Windows? I currently use a Samsung SyncMaster 220M which yields its native resolution in OS X and Windows with my built in Intel GMA X3100 graphics adaptor. The Samsung accepts both digital and VGA inputs.

Regards.

So basically I need an external monitor that has DVI instead of VGA?

 

[esaleris]

Hey man,

The refresh rate has little to do with the resolution, so I think your best bet is to try to find the "Add Custom Resolution" section to add 1440 x 900 to your current driver's resolution set. I used it on my Thinkpad to add 1440 x 900 to my work computer. Rebooted and worked like a charm.

You might also want to check this tweak tool: http://www.radeon2.ru/atitray/ I haven't used it since I had a PC, but I seem to remember it was able to access a lot of options the drivers didn't. Give that a shot.