For TFT folks: what's your DPI (in Windows)

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** TFT only **

If you go into:

Display Props -> Settings page -> Advanced -> General Page

what DPI setting is Windows using?

I' m interested to see how common it is for TFT users to have a DPI setting above the regular 96 seen on the average CRT setup...
 
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Thanks to all those who've answered so far.

The reason I'm interested is 'cos I'm a developer, and I want all my software to look good on typical systems.

<Long-winded explanation>
The DPI seting is provided so that people with non-too-brilliant eyesight don't have to strain their eyes. At a higher DPI, Windows scales up all its drawing so that objects that were previously drawn at a size of say 100 x 100 pixels now span more pixels. Consequently they appear larger on the screen.

The hassle for developers is that we've got to scale up all our drawing too, otherwise things can either end up misaligned, or suddenly look ridiculously small in comparison to everything else.

Now although I am scaling, I've been aiming my screens to look their absolute best at 96 DPI, which for a long time has been the standard Windows setting (in fact if you try a large DPI, you'll find that Windows itself doesn't always do a brilliant job of drawing things - icons don't always get resized too well)

So what's this got to do with TFTs?

In the past, manufacturers would often ship systems at less than their highest resolution to suit people with poor eyesight. So, let's say they're using a CRT in a system that can go to 1600 x whatever, well they ship it set to only 800 x 600 or maybe 1024 x 768 so that, when first used, all customers will be able to use the screen. If your sight's good, you'll fire the resoltuion up within the first 5 minutes of course.

But now most systems come with TFTs. You don't want to run a TFT monitor at less than its optimal resolution. So as a compromise, they often ship with a higher than normal DPI.

So, I was just wondering if most people with TFTs are still running at 96 DPI, or going for a higher setting. I guess many people here have built their own systems, but still, if you've got a physically small monitor with a high native resolution, you might go for a higher DPI (or drivers might preselect a higher DPI by default).

If there's a new "sweet spot" DPI setting, then I should take this intoaccount in my drawing code.
</Long-winded explanation>

Hope that makes some kind of sense!!
 
Soldato
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I am using a 19" widescreen (1440x900) and am using the default 96dpi setting as the text size is more than fine for me even though the monitor is rather far away. I have the options to go up to 120dpi or to use a custom setting, but if it ain't broke...
 
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Al Vallario said:
96DPI here, but I have the option to ramp it up to 120DPI or use custom settings. Using a 17" LCD with a resolution of 1024x768. :)

Is that the native res? I thought 17" displays were 1280x1024?

96dpi here, for both my notebook (1280x800) and PC (1280x1024).
 
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96dpi is the windows default, even if you have a CRT
so your question is of no real impotence
as everyone will have it at 96 unless they change it
in 11 years of owning and building/fixing PC`s i have never seen it set at anything other than 96
 
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Caporegime
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ShakenNstirred said:
96dpi is the windows default, even if you have a CRT
so your question is of no real impotence
as everyone will have it at 96 unless they change it
in 11 years of owning and building/fixing PC`s i have never seen it set at anything other than 96

Exactly.
 
Soldato
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ShakenNstirred said:
96dpi is the windows default, even if you have a CRT
so your question is of no real impotence
as everyone will have it at 96 unless they change it
in 11 years of owning and building/fixing PC`s i have never seen it set at anything other than 96


Neither have I - and I have been building PC's quite a bit longer, but to be fair I wouldnt have been exact enough to check on any pc's ( sooo long ago that I cant remember) that I bought pre- assembled

Of course if you (re)install windows for yourself it will default back to 96 anyway ( unless you use the restore disc manufacturers are now supplying)

I have also never seen a new delivery sub optimally setup (unless its beein faulty or DOA on arrival which I would classify differently in this case)

Mind you I have only ordered from Dell and Panrix in my time of ordering New so maybe thats why
 
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ShakenNstirred said:
96dpi is the windows default, even if you have a CRT
so your question is of no real impotence
as everyone will have it at 96 unless they change it
in 11 years of owning and building/fixing PC`s i have never seen it set at anything other than 96

96 is the default as I've said, however Microsoft themselves warn developers that this is changing:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dngdi/html/highdpiapp.asp

I'd just like to see how common this is at the moment...
 
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