Display problem Options

[pandy]

My display is wonky and wonkier it gets for each day. Is there a way to find out if it's the screen or the video card that is BSODed? I haven't been able to borrow another screen, which would of course be the easiest way to find out.

It started with short, thin lines showing up in columns where there was a solid or close to solid color. Pure black, pure white and yellow weren't affected.

Now colors are garbled and solid color areas flicker (like the chrome of programs and windows, old Windows gray style).

How the problem manifests itself is affected by the display mode I choose on the screen. In Standard and sRGB mode light lines are rolling down the screen (much as it could look at a badly tuned old fat TV). If I choose Movie or Dynamics the rolling lines go away but colors look like they were designed by Disney.

The problem gets worse if I leave the computer idle. If I'm not working at it I leave a movie on so something happens on the screen.

I haven't made any changes lately, neither to the computer or its environment. Tried to turn speakers off and so on.

No biggie, I was contemplating getting a new screen anyway, so I'm thinking of getting that first, even if it's more expensive. But it's the worst time of the year, shops are jammed full with people, things get sold out and since I don't keep up with hardware it takes me some time to figure out what I want.

WARNING: I really suck at hardware, so you need to talk to me like to a baby.

[Christian J]

You could get a (almost) new GPU too, sometimes you get the investment back within a year or so from savings on the electricity bill (ditto for PSUs).

In hindsight I should have bought a 31" screen too, and placed it farther away on the desk (thus freeing up more desk space) but I was too stingy as usual.

[pandy]

Nuh, computer is only about 2 years old.

GPU? I'm not sure what GPU is. Wikipedia says it's not the same as graphics card and then they start listing what I've always thought were graphics cards, like Nvidia GeForce. Maybe GPU is called graphics card in everyday language?

I'm getting used to the big desktop, but there are issues, things I need to relearn. I seldom used maximized windows before, but now it's impossible. And I need to place the window a good bit down from the top of the screen because the screen is so high I probably really would get wry neck/nackspärr if reading at the top of the screen. Or I could get a dedicated LOW computer table... A taller person wouldn't have the same problem, of course. I'm not very tall and I like to sit on a fairly low chair so that's something I should have thought about.

There are some other large screens that have other proportions. They are very wide but not so high. I thought they looked horrible, but now I'm thinking that might be the best way to go, almost like having two normal screens side by side.

[Christian J]

GPU? I'm not sure what GPU is. Wikipedia says it's not the same as graphics card and then they start listing what I've always thought were graphics cards, like Nvidia GeForce. Maybe GPU is called graphics card in everyday language?

To be exact it's part of the graphics card: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_card...Processing_Unit

I'm getting used to the big desktop, but there are issues, things I need to relearn. I seldom used maximized windows before, but now it's impossible.

Same thing here, it's increadibly annoying when you open multiple program windows and Windows positions each new one at random around the screen and not where you want them.

Or I could get a dedicated LOW computer table...

Or a higher chair together with a foot rest?

[pandy]

To be exact it's part of the graphics card: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_card...Processing_Unit

Yeah, that's the article I referred to. Are you sure it can be exchanged separately? Never heard of changing parts of the graphics card.

I'm getting used to the big desktop, but there are issues, things I need to relearn. I seldom used maximized windows before, but now it's impossible.

Same thing here, it's increadibly annoying when you open multiple program windows and Windows positions each new one at random around the screen and not where you want them.

No, I meant the other way around. I don't like maximized windows but I sometime maximize for a short time. But on this screen maximized is way to much. If one just drags the window larger one needs to drag to get it smaller again too. Can't just click the title bar to toggle between your preferred size and the temporarily larger window.

Or I could get a dedicated LOW computer table...

Or a higher chair together with a foot rest?

Not comfortable. I like to sort of move around in the chair. I'll just learn to keep my windows low.

[Christian J]

Are you sure it can be exchanged separately? Never heard of changing parts of the graphics card.

No I meant the whole card, but writing "GPU" was shorter.

No, I meant the other way around. I don't like maximized windows but I sometime maximize for a short time. But on this screen maximized is way to much. If one just drags the window larger one needs to drag to get it smaller again too. Can't just click the title bar to toggle between your preferred size and the temporarily larger window.

Yes, maximized have become useless: https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-large-display-paradox/ (the page mentions a customization program called WinSplit, which redirects to the non-free MaxTo).

BTW here's a test of Win10 on ultrawide screen: http://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-u...itor-experience (Linux(?) desktops like Cinnamon also let you fit program windows maximized to one quadrant of the screen, or one side half).

Not comfortable. I like to sort of move around in the chair. I'll just learn to keep my windows low.

For maximum eye comfort I recall you're supposed to be eye level with the screen's top edge. Get a lower table.

[pandy]

For maximum eye comfort I recall you're supposed to be eye level with the screen's top edge. Get a lower table.

Yeah, I recently heard placing the screen low, I think even lower than that, also helps with dry eyes since the eye lids will cover more of the eye ball then.

Things like that may be easy peasy in an office. Not so easy at home. Especially not with a large screen. You'd need a huge table.

[Christian J]

also helps with dry eyes since the eye lids will cover more of the eye ball then.

Yes that's the point with it, AFAIK. But if the table is too high, maybe you could tilt the screen down towards you instead? Should give the same result as lowering it, except that you must raise your head, but if you lean back in the chair maybe that's not an issue. Not that I understand how you can type with any of these acrobatics.

Things like that may be easy peasy in an office. Not so easy at home. Especially not with a large screen. You'd need a huge table.

Why is that? AFAIK the only need for a big table is to increase the distance to the screen, but screen height shouldn't be affected by table size, or?

[pandy]

Yeah, two screens seems like an ideal setup in many ways, we we're talking about that earlier.

Why is that? AFAIK the only need for a big table is to increase the distance to the screen, but screen height shouldn't be affected by table size, or?

But we have large screens and need the distance. Isn't the problems with big screens what we are talking about?

Of course, in theory one could use two smaller tables. One for the keyboard and hand writing and a lower one behind that for the screen. If the "writing table" is narrow enough you would still see the screen behind it even if it was lower. You could even use a stand for the screen. One of those TV stands maybe. But for me that would mean ditching another table and I don't want that. Don't have room for an additional setup.

A stand would probably be a good idea anyway, for watching movies or TV comfortably. But I've looked for that before and only found ridiculously expensive ones. Wouldn't need anything fancy, just a stand.