Question regarding WideScreen monitors

[AiM]

My GF's comp has been having trouble recently where her monitor would simply go nuts and you won't be able to see anything. I checked her comp and she doesn't have a display card (the computer is at least 4 years old). So, from what I can gather, the problem is either with her on-board graphics or her monitor. I've been trying to find an old AGP card to test it out, but no luck so far.

In any case, the question I want to ask is, whether on-board graphics can support 16:9 widescreen resolution?

Thanks

 

[Acepilotf14]

It depends on the on-board graphics. Mine can, but it's a fairly new motherboard.

Older ones don't have a chance.

 

[Dynasty]

I thought it was the monitor that spread the res to 1440 or 1900 odd resolutions regardless of the chip on the board or card? Its just a resolution change, its not like the chip is under stress of gaming is it?

The list of available resolutions will change under display settings as well to the only resolutions that the screen/TV supports.

Happened to me when I bought my HDTV and started using it as a PC monitor as well. My PC back home is at 1900x1440 or something like that.

Then again, thats plugged into a PCI-E card.

 

[VirusType2]

I would test the monitor on your computer, or test a different monitor on her computer. Kind of a pain, but it's probably easier. Maybe we could safely say it's not the monitor if you could be more specific about this -

where her monitor would simply go nuts and you won't be able to see anything.

 

[AiM]

Hmm... ideally I'd like to test it out with my monitor. The problem is, it pops up randomly and the past few times I've been there, the problem never came up. But whenever I leave, the problem flares up again.

I've seen it happen briefly once and it's hard to describe, basically the screen looks like the monitors cracked and the images are all distorted and flickers.

 

[No Limit]

Most onboard video cards will have no problem with widescreen resolutions as long as you have the proper driver installed. You can always look at the mobo specs, it should have a max resolution somewhere in there. If it doesnt the chipset web site will.

 

[giant384]

Is your input VGA or DVI?

or D-sub as many call VGA now.

 

[Schall]

Yes, but you should probably get a dedicated card while your getting a new monitor. Even a cheap one. It was save you a lot of the time in the future. Try this. Only 35$.

 

[VirusType2]

I've seen it happen briefly once and it's hard to describe, basically the screen looks like the monitors cracked and the images are all distorted and flickers.

I guess this is LCD monitor?

I've never owned a LCD, but CRTs can occasionally flicker before they die. And when they flicker, the aspect of the screen can squish up, because of the way the gun works. I think this is a [monitor's internal] power supply going bad. Eventually it just won't turn on.

Well I don't know about LCDs, but you didn't make it sound like a video problem to me. Sounds like the monitor. I could be wrong, but I don't think a video problem would randomly do something weird and then correct itself instantly, like you described.