need low-profile vga video card that displays 1280 x 800

[JohnFunk]

Our company just bought a projector that displays native 1280 x 800.

The closest that our PC displays (on board video) is 1280 x 768. Close, but we'd prefer that it match up exactly. Plus, when we turn the projector off, we can no longer use the monitor.

We have a Dell optiplex 755 (small form factor). The VGA cable runs from the PC to the projector (mounted from the ceiling in the middle of the conference room), then another VGA cable from the projector to the monitor.

Basically, we want:
1) a video card with 2 VGA connections so that it can handle both the monitor & the projector, and project the PC display even if the projector is turned off (actually, the monitor does have a DVI input, so the card can have 1 VGA & 1 DVI, but the projector ONLY has a VGA connection)
2) it must be a low-profile card
3) it must be able to display 1280 x 800
4) it doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line card; we are only displaying spreadsheets, etc in our conference room; not a gaming rig by any means.

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!!!

[darcet]

.....so it sounds like from what you're asking for just about any video card? Getting that resolution should be possible on nearly anything, not sure how you can't get it with the onboard unless its older. Go to newegg's video card section and click on low profile ready (already done here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...rchInDesc= ) and you're probably good to go at this point.

The reason you lose to the monitor when turning the projector off is because you turned the projector off. Projectors aren't like vcr's, turning them off doesn't put them into standby and allow cable to still pass through it- it stops passing video through when you turn it off. So you'll either have to use a second cable or splitter and go into display properties then enable the secondary display (assuming you're using win xp which seems like a safe bet so far) then turn on mirroring (or go a little crazy and don't and simply use the projector like a second window rather than simply showing the same thing on both); or learn how to turn just the bulb of the projector off.

On a side note, you should be able to force the resolution you want, whether or not its deemed a good idea by windows for the device; but unless you have a tech guy around, I'm not going to recommend that course for you.

[jays92]

Quote from JohnFunk : Our company just bought a projector that displays native 1280 x 800. The closest that our PC displays (on board video) is 1280 x 768. Close, but we'd prefer that it match up exactly. Plus, when we turn the projector off, we can no longer use the monitor. We have a Dell optiplex 755 (small form factor). The VGA cable runs from the PC to the projector (mounted from the ceiling in the middle of the conference room), then another VGA cable from the projector to the monitor. Basically, we want: 1) a video card with 2 VGA connections so that it can handle both the monitor & the projector, and project the PC display even if the projector is turned off (actually, the monitor does have a DVI input, so the card can have 1 VGA & 1 DVI, but the projector ONLY has a VGA connection) 2) it must be a low-profile card 3) it must be able to display 1280 x 800 4) it doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line card; we are only displaying spreadsheets, etc in our conference room; not a gaming rig by any means. Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!!!

I think any modern video card can do 1280 x 800. Even my laptop with intel x3100 internal video can do that on my screen or on an external display.

You might be confusing max resolution of your Dell internal video with the resolution of your LCD monitor. If you have a 1280 x 800 monitor, you should be able to get any video card to run 1280 x 800. Since you can only run up to the max of your monitor, maybe your monitor maxes out at 1280 x 768 resolution.

Basically, if that is the case, you have a 16:9 ratio LCD screen, and a 16:10 ratio projector. You can either get a 16:10 LCD and set it to 1280 x 800, or try another LCD that can do at least 1280 x 800.

For example, when I plug my computer into a 17" standard non-widescreen LCD, the max I can get is 1280 x 1024. I could set it to 1280 x 800, but things look distorted. When I plug it into my wife's 20" widescreen LCD display, I can get 1280 x 800 cleanly.


As to video card, you need to know whether you have an AGP port or PCI-E port.

Newegg allows you to filter video cards by low-profile ready -- most are.

For example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6814125251