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I have an old IBM CRT monitor from, I think the 80's, and although it seems like it should support resolutions up to 1024x768 anything higher than 640x480 results in the image being garbled up (sort of being distorted and then tiled around the screen). What I am wondering is if, while having it displaying in, say, 1024x768, if I am shortening the life of this monitor?
user248971
Posted 2014-09-16T21:46:27.577
Reputation: 25
0
The answer is yes and no, and has to deal with refresh rate versus display resolution.
No, an invalid resolution will not cause damage to your monitor, so long as the refresh rate is still well within tolerance of the CRT monitor. Most newer monitors are "smart" enough to recognize and drop any signalling that isn't valid for that monitor. That flies out the window with older CRT units, though. If the refresh rate is too high, yes, it can damage an older monitor.
While not directly related, this question's accepted answer details that the resolution difficulties you're experiencing should not affect the CRT in any way, so long as you keep your refresh rate in check.
James Brewer
Posted 2014-09-16T21:46:27.577
Reputation: 394
-1
The monitor is unable to deal with the resolution you are trying to force on it. You will not be able to get a useful result.
Xavierjazz
Posted 2014-09-16T21:46:27.577
Reputation: 7 993
I'm fairly certain the answer is no, but I have no supporting evidence or further information to support that answer. Why would you want to set a display mode that doesn't function, though? – James Brewer – 2014-09-16T21:48:38.160
This may sound weird, but although I primarily use this monitor for an old Windows 95 computer, there are some things I can't get to run on it properly so I use a Windows XP computer that I typically have hooked up to a monitor that can display 1024x768. When plugging the XP into this older monitor, I can make out just enough to change the resolution, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't messing anything up by doing this. – user248971 – 2014-09-16T22:38:41.723
It's not weird, it's just your intended use! – James Brewer – 2014-09-16T22:52:27.037
1Instead of guessing the age of this monitor, either research it or post the model number. "Multisync" computer monitors were not common until the 1990s. Even 1024x768 was not widely used in the 80s although the VESA standards were already in place. Monitor manufacturers were very slow in moving from VGA to 800x600 and then to 1024x768. If you have a single-frequency monitor, then you could damage it by driving it with a too-fast signal. That is a warning typically printed in every CRT manual. – sawdust – 2014-09-17T01:01:27.057