Thinkpads Forum

hello to all.
i have a question regarding the T60P, will it display properly on a 1440x900 native resolution external LCD?
i am planning to buy the Samsung 940BW LCD monitor which has a native resolution of 1440x900 and i am wondering if i could use it for my T60P.
thanks in advance.

Yes, the T60p will support 1440x900. But...

You cannot use the VGA connector. You can't drive widescreen resolutions with the VGA, which means that in order to use the 1440x900 mode you'll have to get either a Mini Dock or Advanced Dock, which gives you a DVI connector.

If you use the VGA connector, you'll be sending the monitor a resolution with 4:3 aspect ratio, which the monitor will then scale. It won't be pretty.

thanks RonS.

Since i dont have the dock, that means i will have to buy an LCD monitor with the 1280x1024 or 1400X1050 native resolution then. As you mentioned using LCD's at a resolution other than the native is not pretty and i agree 1000%.

good thing i asked first because i was planning to buy the monitor tomorrow.

great forum.

RonS wrote:Yes, the T60p will support 1440x900. But...

You cannot use the VGA connector. You can't drive widescreen resolutions with the VGA, which means that in order to use the 1440x900 mode you'll have to get either a Mini Dock or Advanced Dock, which gives you a DVI connector.

If you use the VGA connector, you'll be sending the monitor a resolution with 4:3 aspect ratio, which the monitor will then scale. It won't be pretty.

So Windows won't allow you to select the widescreen resolutions if your external monitor is connected through VGA? Is this a T60 video chipset restriction?

Hi all

Unfortune the answer for your question is YES , you can
you have 2 solutions:
1.buy RGB Matrix Switcher - it works in my work
2.use OmegaDrivers - and choose second monitor on your resolution (I use OmegaDrivers on Catalys 6.9)

Regards

masterus wrote:Hi all

Unfortune the answer for your question is YES , you can
you have 2 solutions:
1.buy RGB Matrix Switcher - it works in my work
2.use OmegaDrivers - and choose second monitor on your resolution (I use OmegaDrivers on Catalys 6.9)

And the omega drivers (which bluescreen my X31 ... ugh ...) work using the standard VGA connector? Or you need to use DVI?

rnsolo wrote:thanks RonS.

Since i dont have the dock, that means i will have to buy an LCD monitor with the 1280x1024 or 1400X1050 native resolution then. As you mentioned using LCD's at a resolution other than the native is not pretty and i agree 1000%.

good thing i asked first because i was planning to buy the monitor tomorrow.

great forum.

1400x1050 is also a widescreen resolution, so you'll have the same problem. Get 1024x768, 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 if you plan on using the VGA connector.

RonS wrote:1400x1050 is also a widescreen resolution, so you'll have the same problem. Get 1024x768, 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 if you plan on using the VGA connector.

1400x1050 is 4:3. Some 20" external monitors are 1400x1050 rather than 1600x1200.

I am still mystified by what, exactly, precludes the use of the VGA connector with widescreen external monitors.

You're right - I didn't catch that. I've never used that resolution before.

Here are the resolutions supported by the VGA connector on Thinkpad T60:

External monitor
Resolution Color Refresh rate (Hz)

640 x 480 256 60, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
640 x 480 64K 60, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
640 x 480 16M 60, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
800 x 600 256 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
800 x 600 64K 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
800 x 600 16M 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
1024 x 768 256 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 150, 160
1024 x 768 64K 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 150, 160
1024 x 768 16M 60, 70, 72, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 150, 160
1280 x 1024 256 60, 70, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
1280 x 1024 64K 60, 70, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
1280 x 1024 16M 60, 70, 75, 85, 90, 100, 120, 160
1600 x 1200 256 60, 75, 85, 100, 120
1600 x 1200 64K 60, 75, 85, 100, 120
1600 x 1200 16M 60, 75, 85, 100, 120
2048 x 1536 256 60, 66, 70, 75
2048 x 1536 64K 60, 66, 70, 75
2048 x 1536 16M 60, 66, 70, 75

RonS wrote:You're right - I didn't catch that. I've never used that resolution before.

Here are the resolutions supported by the VGA connector on Thinkpad T60: (snip)

No 1400x1050 on VGA either, then? So the resolutions on DVI are different? How does this show up on Windows? The extra resolutions are only available when something is connected to DVI? Or are they for plug-and-play monitors only?