External Screen for Laptop question:

[Waaib]

I have a laptop that only has a screen with max resolution of 800x600. I'd like to buy a monitor to plug into the laptop to give myself more real estate on the screen.

How and where do I check if the laptop screen card can handle higher resolutions?

Thanks.

 

[ponder]

It's online specs. Got a brand & model#?

 

[Waaib]

Duh! Sorry.

It's an HP Compaq nc6320. Running Vista. The Display driver says "Generic PnP on Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family".

 

[ponder]

I have a HP nx6110 with the older 915 chipset and that quite happily runs my 22" LCD at 1680x1050, it will do 1920x1080 as well if I had a HD monitor. You should be fine doing HD but you are not going to be playing games on it.

Edit:
You actually have the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 video chipset and you can do,
Up to 32-bit per pixel color depth
VGA port supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 at 75 Hz
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12428_div/12428_div.HTML

Easiest way to double check is to connect a external crt and see how far the resolution slider will go even though it wont work on the monitor you plugded in.

 

[Waaib]

I have a HP nx6110 with the older 915 chipset and that quite happily runs my 22" LCD at 1680x1050, it will do 1920x1080 as well if I had a HD monitor. You should be fine doing HD but you are not going to be playing games on it.

Edit:
You actually have the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 video chipset and you can do,
Up to 32-bit per pixel color depth
VGA port supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 at 75 Hz
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12428_div/12428_div.HTML

Easiest way to double check is to connect a external crt and see how far the resolution slider will go even though it wont work on the monitor you plugded in.

It's used 98% for email, excel and skype.
The extent of the graphics requirement is youtube vids.

Thanks for the info.

 

[ponder]

It's used 98% for email, excel and skype.
The extent of the graphics requirement is youtube vids.

Thanks for the info.

Then you are fine.