WSXGA v WUXGA

So peeps wich one is best on a 15.4 lappy

 

Depends on what you use it for-- fill out the FAQ.

 

General web surfing, films and games

 

If you have the eyes of an eagle, go for the WUXGA, if not, then WSXGA+ will suit you just fine.

 

What are your needs? If you want to see as much stuff on the screen as possible and you have good eyes, get WUXGA. My Precision M70 has a WUXGA screen and it's awesome. The text could be a little small for some people's liking though.

 

If you do a lot of reading and plan on sitting a comfortable distance from the screen (more than 12 inches), go with WSXGA. Personally I've found a pixel itch of .25mm to be the most comfortable (which is WXGA for 15.4) - anything larger gives a screen door effect, anything smaller and I sit too close to the monitor.

 

A few comments from a WUXGA fan-boy:

1) WUXGA is nice, but its not particularly useful under WindowsXP. If you have to use WindowsXP, you really shouldn't go WUXGA because XP does not have a decent font scaling engine. Vista is somewhat better on the font scaling front.

2) 15.4" WUXGA screens aren't very bright, and you have to run them at full brightness. Obviously this eats battery power.

3) If you're buying an external screen, I suggest if you're getting a WUXGA laptop, that you also get a WUXGA LCD. The matched resolution is very nice.

Basically, WSXGA+ (1680x1050) is a very nice compromise. Unless you're absolutely sure that WUXGA is a good idea for your needs, I'd highly suggest that you not get one in 15.4" format.

 

The choice of screen hardware has got nothing to do with how bad your eyes are, but how able/willing you are to set up your OS and software to suit your screen hardware. if you are prepared to experiment a bit, then WUXGA beats WSXGA completely. After all, more pixels per inch means better resolution, all other things being equal. Higher HD is always better than lower HD - you just have to have the software set to match the hardware. It is a complete myth that poor eyes should avoid WUXGA, any more than it should avoid WSXGA. In fact the reverse: the poorer your eyes, the more benefit you will get from a higher density of image (higher HD). If text is too small, then that is a different issue - the software is not configured properly for the hardware. If altering OS and software factory defaults is too difficult, then by all means avoid WUXGA, as you are bound to be unhappy with the result...