Panther display question

vice108vice108
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Before upgrading, 85 hertz was the maximum refresh available at my chosen resolution. After installing Panther I'm now able to select 90 and 100 hertz. Is the higher refresh automaticaly my best choice? I know it's better for my eyes - but I'm curious if there are any performance disadvantages (ie slower video, slower games, etc)? Thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    I've heard some rumors about how a higher refresh rate reduces the life of the display, but they had no evidence to support that whatsoever. I can't think of any disadvantages, really.



    Incidentally, my brother was given a new resolution with his blue Apple 17" monitor - he can now do 1344x1008. It's about as many pixels as 1280x1024, but it's a 4:3 aspect ratio so you don't get any distortion of the image like you do if you run a 17" monitor at 1280x1024.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    mmmpiemmmpie Posts: 628member
    I was playing with an eMac in the Apple shop today ( to have a look at the monitor ), and the refresh rate was much improved, 89hz for 1152x870, and 80hz for 1280x960. A vast improvement, that finally makes the eMac a worthwhile buy.



    As for what refresh rate to choose, firstly, does it actually work?

    Secondly, when you push the data rate on cheap monitors they can loose definition, so you might want to pull the refresh rate down a bit. Thats really subjective, you'll have to decide what refresh rate offers the best image quality.

    Thirdly, you dont need to worry about monitor life, using a higher refresh wont make a big difference in its many year life.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    mmmpie, are you sure about those refresh rates? My eMac is basically the same as the ones for sale now: it's a 1 GHz model and I bought it just a month ago. The refresh rates you describe fit for 1152x864 and 1024x768, which have refresh rates of 80 and 89 Hz respectively. The rate is still 72 Hz at 1280x960.
  • Reply 4 of 9
    mmmpiemmmpie Posts: 628member
    Absolutely, I was stunned.



    1152x870 at 89hz

    and

    1280x960 at 80hz



    Ill go back and check, but refresh rates have been my main turn off for the emac, I cant use anything below 80. The only thing different about this eMac was Panther.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    chikanchikan Posts: 34member
    Guys, can you change the refresh rate on a new 15" Powerbook at all? And if not, what is it set at "at the factory"?
  • Reply 6 of 9
    mmmpiemmmpie Posts: 628member
    Well, I went and checked, but the refresh rates were 'standard'. I can only guess that I was going blind, and stupid.



    Oh, Im not so excited, but 80hz 1152 is still good enough.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    DO NOT USE A REFRESH RATE HIGHER THAN THE ONE OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED BY YOUR MONITOR.



    Doing so will shorten the life of your monitor significantly and can cause video errors. I heard this on the Screensavers recently.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chikan

    Guys, can you change the refresh rate on a new 15" Powerbook at all? And if not, what is it set at "at the factory"?



    The refresh rate on LCD screens is not the same as on CRTs. In fact, there really isn't a true "refresh rate"; the closest other variable would be an LCD's pixel response time.



    The problems with low refresh rate on CRTs causing eye strain do not apply to LCDs because they present pixels in completely different ways.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    mmmpiemmmpie Posts: 628member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Kecksy

    DO NOT USE A REFRESH RATE HIGHER THAN THE ONE OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED BY YOUR MONITOR.



    Doing so will shorten the life of your monitor significantly and can cause video errors. I heard this on the Screensavers recently.





    Well, in general I expect monitor companies to sell up their products, and you'll find that if you run beyond the specs your monitor just wont work ( its a pretty well defined limit ). Apple, of course, arent your normal vendor, I it wouldnt surprise me in the least if they understated the capabilites of the eMac monitor to mac more expensive products more appealing.



    As for shortening the life of the monitor, it might, but not many people run their monitors at rates beyond what they are capable of for long.
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