LCD refresh rate overclock possible?

[zzz]

I'll need someone super knowledgeable to answer this one.

Is DVI refresh rate controlled by the driver? Would it be possible to force a higher rate with software? For simplicity, assume you're trying to run at 61Hz instead of 60Hz.

 

[dr.stevil]

yes, you can force it to run at higher refresh rates (some will do 75hz, for example)... however, do so with caution as you can very easily break your display.

edit: to do so, setup a custom resolution through the nvidia control panel (I'm sure there is something in ATi's CCC as well for this)

 

[zzz]

The nvidia control panel lets you do this?? I'll have to check that out.

How could this cause damage? Besides the possibility of excess heat causing damage, I would think that running too fast would only make the circuits not work, and cause no display or occasional glitches.

 

[zzz]

As I suspected, you're completely wrong. The nvidia control panel has a dropdown menu with 59Hz or 60Hz for every resolution. Even with a CRT hooked up, the dropdown menu choices are limited to predetermined safe values, while the CRT is capable of more.

 

[evilsofa]

As I suspected, you're completely wrong. The nvidia control panel has a dropdown menu with 59Hz or 60Hz for every resolution. Even with a CRT hooked up, the dropdown menu choices are limited to predetermined safe values, while the CRT is capable of more.

How To Run A Dell 2209WA At 75Hz

Some LCD monitors can do it, some (probably most) can't.

 

[mistermojorizin]

i got a p2350 up to 75Hz. At least that's what the Nvidia says. I also checked the lcd's built in OSD, and it is also reporting 75hz.

However I am not noticing much of a difference. I remember on CRT's the difference between 60 and 75hz was quite noticeable.

Is there any way to check the actual refresh rate? I have a Nvidia 9300m if it makes a difference. It won't run games for ish but it'll run 1080p flawlessly.

 

[SoAndSo]

my 226bw can run at 75hz

 

[Lunknumb]

I believe most monitors can take 75Hz input. My 24WMGX3 can, and will report 75Hz in the OSD, but it'll drop frames to show it at 60Hz.

Anyone tested if these new 120Hz displays can do modes that aren't factors of 120? Are they fixed as well?

 

[quantum112]

my 226bw can run at 75hz

At what resolution? Mine seems to be only able to do it at 1280x1024.

 

[jwalk6]

I know there are 120Hz LCD panels out there. I think the card driver picks up on the monitors ID chip that reports its capabilities to windows. I know I have a 23" Viewsonic LCD that works except that chip went out and windows won't use the specific monitor driver. Tried it on 3 different pc's with same result so I'm stuck with windows defaults. I have another identical LCD panel that does get picked up.

 

[mistermojorizin]

ok i just had a horrible experience. i have my computer set to turn off the displays after a certain time. well, when running the custom resolution through nvidia, it turned off the display and it would not come back on. no signal through the dvi. i restarted the computer and the display wouldn't come back on at all. again no signal through the dvi.

i updated the graphics driver, thinking it would make it better. nope it made it worse. finally got the display running, and moved it back to 60hz. Anyone have experience like this?

i believe it is some sort of conflict between the windows native display setting and the nvidia settings. there was a "phantom" second monitor in the windows settings even when the LCD was unplugged. the way i got it to reinitialize was to time the replugging of the LCD with me hitting "apply" to extend desktop onto this "phantom" monitor in windows display settings.

any workarounds to this?

 

[dr.stevil]

As I suspected, you're completely wrong. The nvidia control panel has a dropdown menu with 59Hz or 60Hz for every resolution. Even with a CRT hooked up, the dropdown menu choices are limited to predetermined safe values, while the CRT is capable of more.

wtf?

thats why you need to create a custom resolution.


not every monitor will allow you to run it past 60hz to prevent damage. You can force it (might have to do it through the registry) at that point, but I wouldn't recommend it

mistermojorizin, if you value your monitor, I would leave it at 60hz. I know that there is a piece of software for XP that would scan your machine and tell you the maximum refresh rate it would run at, so to prevent damage.... but I don't recall what the name of it was

 

[Inu]

Most monitors have an analog input mode for 75hz at most resolutions, so if your using that instead of DVI thats probably why.

 

[evilsofa]

Read through the thread I linked to again, carefully. The custom resolutions are the way to do it, but it is quite possible to use settings that could cause malfunction or even damage.

Checking whether the higher Hz settings are working is best verified with a camera with low shutter speed, as ToastyX describes in this post (see the pictures where he's moving the mouse cursor in a circle). OSDs and drivers may not be able to accurately report the Hz of the monitor when you are doing these custom resolutions and timings.

 

[Lunknumb]

Most monitors have an analog input mode for 75hz at most resolutions, so if your using that instead of DVI thats probably why.

There's a difference between input signal and what's displayed on screen.

Most LCD's can take 75Hz input just fine (and display it in the OSD), but very few of those will actually refresh at 75Hz and just drop 1/5 frames instead. Only ones confirmed that I know that don't do this is the 2209WA and the 23" Nec.

 

[zzz]

thats why you need to create a custom resolution.

Oh, you mean with that grayed out button at the bottom. Clicking it doesn't do anything With my 3007WFP or my CRT hooked up (one at a time), the button is grayed out! It's the "Add Resolutions" button on this screen (some other guy's screenshot).

I know I have a 23" Viewsonic LCD...that chip went out...so I'm stuck with windows defaults.

This begs the question, can you force the higher rate with software?

Maybe I need to give PowerStrip another try, or RivaTuner... I still don't see how anything could get damaged by increasing the frequency of new digital data.

 

[zzz]

The nvidia control panel "Add Resolutions" button is flaky. It's active when you first go to that screen, or if you switch the resolution there, but upon clicking anywhere it goes gray. In there, any custom resolution works with "automatic" timings, but the supposed refresh rate has no effect. I made custom resolutions with 5Hz and 100Hz, and that's even what the Windows monitor tab reported, but it was obviously still 60Hz.

Powerstrip on the other hand works. But outside of 59-62Hz my screen goes blank. Not all that surprising, but a bummer. It's as if the monitor subsystem relies on a 60Hz input. I wonder if there could be a hardware hack, like replacing a crystal with a slightly faster one.

 

[jwalk6]

Oh, you mean with that grayed out button at the bottom. Clicking it doesn't do anything With my 3007WFP or my CRT hooked up (one at a time), the button is grayed out! It's the "Add Resolutions" button on this screen (some other guy's screenshot).

This begs the question, can you force the higher rate with software?

Maybe I need to give PowerStrip another try, or RivaTuner... I still don't see how anything could get damaged by increasing the frequency of new digital data.

The Viewsonic example is stuck at 60 even though it's spec'd for 75.

 

[zzz]

The Viewsonic example is stuck at 60 even though it's spec'd for 75.

Try PowerStrip. In display profiles click "Advanced timing options", and then on this screen click on refresh rate text box. Keep pressing the up arrow, and if the screen goes blank for more than 5 seconds, press the down arrow 10 times, and the screen should come back. I wonder if yours will work up to 75Hz with this technique.