Does screen resolution matter that much for school?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>So I just realized most of the computers I'm thinking about purchasing for when school starts offer 1366x768 resolutions, but I also realized that the current 17" laptop I use now is 1440x900. I've been using that resolution for 5 years, so my question is will 1366x768 have the potential to ruin my computing experience if I plan to use the new laptop mostly for school? I'll be getting a new laptop in the 13-14" range and don't plan on gaming with it. I'll be a Business major, so no tough software requirements either. The resolutions I'm seeing are 1366x768 or 1600x900 (which, just by numbers seems more appealing to me).</p>

<p>I actually really do like the 1440x900 on my laptop, but I'm not sure that it's mainly due to it being on a 17" screen. I use an external monitor at work, so I think it also has a higher res. I've gone into the computer stores plenty of times and messed around with some of the models I've been considering and I didn't notice any qualms about the 1366x768 resolutions, though it was somewhat limited with what I can do with a display model.</p>

<p>The 1366x768 models are cheaper.</p>

<p>What do you think - 1366x768 or 1600x900 for regular consumer and student use?</p>

2

<p>It depends on the screen size. At 13-14 inches, either one will be fine for normal use.</p>

<p>Sent from my HTC VLE_U using CC</p>

3

<p>If that resolution is on a 17" laptop it would ruin your computing life.</p>

<p>The better the resolution, the better the experience. If the laptop has an add-on option for a HD Res you should take it.</p>

4

<p>The higher the better, especially for staring at lines of code (CS) or spreadsheets (business).</p>

<p>Sure, you can get used to the 768 panel, but going from a 17" 900 panel to a 15" 768 panel will be a pretty substantial decrease in screen real estate.</p>

<p>I guess you can look at it as doing one thing at a time vs more than one thing at a time. You don’t really have much screen space to do more than one thing at a time at 1366x768.</p>

5

<p>

That’s exactly me: always have multiple things open doing a bunch at once.</p>

<p>Thanks for the insight! I’ll be trying to nab a 1600x900 display instead of the 1366x768 one then.</p>

6

<p>In short, calculate the PPI (Pixels Per Inch) and you can determine whether it will work for you or not. I also personally wouldn’t get a computer with 1336x768 unless it’s a 11.6", even then it would be a 16:9 display, which I do not recommend. You should also look into what kind of panel it is as well as the backlight type.</p>

7

<p>If a monitor you find in college is not used and you have your laptop with you, you can unplug the VGA / DVI / HDMI cable from the desktop PC and plug it with an appropriate adapter on your laptop. This will allow you to use the monitor rather than laptop screen (you can use both as well but using just the monitor will help your laptop battery last longer) which will probably have a high resolution. That’s what I’m doing right now at home.</p>

8

<p>

Yes, I too am currently using an HDTV as an external monitor via HDMI cable, but the original inquiry is meant to be geared more for on-the-go and in-class time . . . not static settings.</p>