Max resolution with an external monitor?

[andrew_stelmach]

I'm a bit confused about using external monitors with my laptop.

I want to buy a big external monitor to use with my 14" laptop, and have everything look cool. I want a big screen so I can fit more stuff on it.

However, it seems that's not really possible, because the resolution of my laptop screen is 1366x768, and when I plug it into an external monitor, that will also run at 1366x768? So, I won't actually be able to fit more on the screen - everything will just be scaled-up proportionately.

Am I right in that?

Second question, how big can I go?

Third question, is it possible for my laptop to output a higher resolution than 1366x768 to an external monitor?

For example, my photos are usually around 3800 x 2600 pixels. It would be great to be able to actually view them at this resolution, or close to it anyway.

In my user manual, under 'display', it says:

14" 16:9, 1366x768 pixels HD WXGA/200 nits, 1600x900 HD+/250 nits(option) (Z400) "

Does that mean I can output to an external monitor at 1600x900? Or is that referring to the fact that my model of laptop is available with a touch-screen display, and that display would be a 1600x900 resolution screen?

Hopefully you can clear up my confusion.

 

[jarotech]

Hi, sure you can have an external monitor with a resolution greater than your laptop screen. The GPU is the component who will give you the resolution. What is the make and model of laptop you have?

 

[andrew_stelmach]

Hi, sure you can have an external monitor with a resolution greater than your laptop screen. The GPU is the component who will give you the resolution. What is the make and model of laptop you have?

It's a Lenovo Z400. In my Control Panel, under 'Display adapters', it says I have Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Check what resolution your PC is set for.

Yes alot of times the graphics card is capable of higher resolution then the screen on the laptop. This card is capable of way higher resolution then your getting. Are you using HDMI to connect the monitor? What is the highest resolution that the monitor is capable of?



The feature set of the GT 740M corresponds to the GT 730M. This includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a if available. HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.

 

[andrew_stelmach]

Check what resolution your PC is set for.

Yes alot of times the graphics card is capable of higher resolution then the screen on the laptop. This card is capable of way higher resolution then your getting. Are you using HDMI to connect the monitor? What is the highest resolution that the monitor is capable of?



The feature set of the GT 740M corresponds to the GT 730M. This includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a if available. HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.

Hi orlbuckeye, thanks for your reply.

I haven't bought a monitor yet. The knowledge I will hopefully gain from this thread will directly influence the choice I make.

Given everything you've said, how do I know how big a monitor to buy? Is there a limit? How can I be assured that my laptop output will TRULY FILL the resolution of the monitor?

 

[orlbuckeye]

No if your concern is how big then you need to go look at them. It's personal opinion and no right answer. My last 3 laptops have been the largest screens on the market. 8 years ago I bought an Acer with a 20.1" screen that weighed 15 pounds. Next when 20" laptops were no longer to be found I bought a Acer with a 18.4" screen and 2 months ago I bought the only 18.4" screen laptop available today (Alienware).

 

[andrew_stelmach]

So I was in a hostel and I plugged my laptop into one of their 1080p monitors using just the vga ports and it worked like a charm - full 1080 resolution on the big monitor when using it as an extended display or as the sole display.

 

[jarotech]

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M chip gives you on the VGA port a resolution of up to 2048x1536.