REQ: Monitor vs Video Card?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wee
  • Start date Start date
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wee

I have always assumed that 'video drivers' were video-card specific.

That is, one had to load the proper driver(s) for whatever video-card
he has. I know that is indeed true.

Now I notice W98>ControlPanel>DeviceManager>Monitors gives you the
option to choose the specific monitor you have as opposed to the W98
'default'.

Since I now have a new monitor, I tried the prior for the new monitor
and it seemed to take it okay.

What I want to know is - what did choosing the monitor do for me? Are
their 'drivers' just for the monitor? It didn't ask me for any. Does
the system somehow know what monitor I have now and is doing something
different than with the 'default'.

This may be a dumb question, but it is gnawing at me.

Thanks
 
I have always assumed that 'video drivers' were video-card specific.

That is, one had to load the proper driver(s) for whatever video-card
he has. I know that is indeed true.

Now I notice W98>ControlPanel>DeviceManager>Monitors gives you the
option to choose the specific monitor you have as opposed to the W98
'default'.

Since I now have a new monitor, I tried the prior for the new monitor
and it seemed to take it okay.

What I want to know is - what did choosing the monitor do for me? Are
their 'drivers' just for the monitor? It didn't ask me for any. Does
the system somehow know what monitor I have now and is doing something
different than with the 'default'.

This may be a dumb question, but it is gnawing at me.

Thanks
Click to expand...

A monitor "driver" is actually only a plain text file that specifies basic
parameters like maximum resolution and refresh rates, and perhaps a color
profile filename & file for color accuracy.

So if you used the wrong driver, at worst it'd either allow setting a
resolution or rate too high, which any modern monitor will simply refuse
to do, resulting in a blank screen or "out of range" type message, else it
would restrict you to lower resolutions than the maximum the monitor
supports... basically it depends on whether the "driver" you're using is
for a larger (or better) monitor or smaller (worse) monitor. Then for
color profile, it might be off a bit, though I'm hard pressed to see the
difference between most color profiles, it's a far larger difference to
adjust the on-screen controls on the monitor or useing the video card's
display properties settings.
 
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