I think my LCD monitor is too big

[soupcxan]

So I ordered a Dell FP2001 LCD monitor this week to replace my 17inch...the new one is 20.1 inches and it's awesome. I set it up in my office today and it looks great...but I feel like its just too big. I never thought you could say such a thing about a monitor (too rich/too thin/etc.) but I wonder if I should send it back and get the 19 inch instead. Am I just being stupid?

 

[dex]

A large screen is great if you want to multitask.
Do you have a TV tuner into your computer?

With a large monitor your can do all or a combo of:
TV surfing
Internet Surfing
DVD watching
Game playing
Spread sheets
Word processing

 

[haha]

I have that monitor too. Only way it leaves is over my dead body

Mikey

 

[Marshac]

I have two of those monitors on my desk and sometimes with I had one more.

Software development is much much easier with two.

 

[wabmester]

Oh, somebody has to say it....

It's not size that matters.

It's the number of pixels.

I'm using a laptop with a 17" 1920x1200 LCD, and I have trouble going back to anything else.    I even have a 37" Plasma that I sometimes use for the computer, and things look positively cartoonish at 1024x768 on that monster.

The FP2001 should look great as long as you're using it at max resolution (1600x1200).   At that res, the DPI is about the same as a 17" at 1280x1024, which is probably what you're used to.    You should feel right at home.

 

[Marshac]

It's not size that matters.

Sure it's not

Seriously though, I have a laptop with a rez about that size... I hate it. IE does this weird scaling trick to make everything "look" ok, but all it does is make things worse. Any idea how to turn it off? Also.... if they can make LCD displays of that high rez, why they don't offer them in a desktop version.

 

[wabmester]

Well, now we're getting into the dainbramaged microsoft goo.   In theory, higher resolution should always be better, but that assumes the software is smart enough to scale everything correctly, and the microsofties aren't that smart yet (they're supposed to get there with longhorn).

It sounds like you may have your DPI setting to something other than the standard 96.  Images will look blocky, dialog boxes will be off, etc.   Until they fix the way their scaling works, all you can do is set things back to 96 DPI and squint (or buy a 17" laptop, where 1920x1200 looks much more comfortable -- assuming yours is 15").

Right click desktop.  Properties. Settings.  Advanced.  DPI.

You can also play with some of the settings under Appearance, such as title font size.   And get the ClearType tuner from Microsoft (one of their PowerToys) to get your fonts looking their best.