Thinkpads Forum

Hello-

I'm getting close to ordering a new T420.

I don't know which graphics to get, the 1600 x 900 or the 1366 x 768?

In my desk setup (using a T400), I have two 20 inch monitors that are currently running 1680 x 1050.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

I'd get the 1600x900 myself. It's a relatively inexpensive upgrade. Good luck.

on my t520 I went lower res because with higher res screens, I either have to increaese the font size or use a non native resolution.
And bitmap images, can't increase them.

Maybe your eyes are better than mine, but something to consider.

lpenner wrote:Hello-

I'm getting close to ordering a new T420.

I don't know which graphics to get, the 1600 x 900 or the 1366 x 768?

In my desk setup (using a T400), I have two 20 inch monitors that are currently running 1680 x 1050.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

Are you replacing the T400 with the T420? Are you planning to use the T420 in the dock most of the time? Given the resolution of your monitors, do you think the text is too small, just right or too big?

You might want to compare the PPI of each resolution using a DPI calculator (like this one: http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html). You can plug in the monitor resolution and size and see the PPI and based on your current monitor you might be able to draw a conclusion that is right for you. Good luck.

1600x900, no question.

Unless you want less screen space and a lower quality panel...

Yes, the T420 will be a replacement for the 400.
And yes it will be docked during the day in the dual monitor setup.
In the evening it will dock at home where I have an Acer 18 " running 1280 x 1024.

The screen res and ont sizes on both setups seem to be satisfactory.

I would get new contacts or eyeglasses if vision was a problem with me. The higher res screen is my only requirement when shopping for a thinkpad. If I was looking to buy right now, I would not even consider a 1366x768, no matter what the rest of the specs or price comparison was. That is probably the only feature that I am not flexible on.

For future resale value, you might as well get the higher resolution screen now.

Since the laptop is going to be docked most of the time, I don't think readability issues will be a concern. Besides, you could always change the resolution setting to 1366x768 for those times when the laptop is not docked (this is what I do with my 1600x900 work laptop).

Thank you to all. It seems that 1600 x 900 is the smart choice.