Missing monitor resolutions

[ezbez]

I just got a new ASUS monitor but can only get it to go up to 1600x1024 (native resolution is 1920x1080) on Windows 7 x64. My Ubuntu 12.04 install on the same machine handles it correctly, so I suspect this is a driver or similar problem. I have a GeForce 120M with the latest drivers (310.70). NVidia control panel lists options like 2048x1536 and 1920x1200 that are not supported by my monitor but does not list 1920x1080. I am connecting with VGA. This is my second display, after my laptop's screen.

No 'custom resolution' will work, even ones that work as default options (though I notice a lot of complaints about this feature online, so maybe that doesn't mean anything). Changing scaling options through NVidia doesn't do anything (I'd like to at least have it not stretch so that I could use 1600x1024 and get most of the space on the monitor without fuzzy text, but the monitor always stretches to full-screen).

I've searched around and there's plenty of posts online reporting similar problems, but nothing suggested seems to be working here. I've tried the obvious things like rebooting, checking for driver updates, and playing with the monitor's settings. I haven't tried reverting to older drivers - might that help? NVidia control panel doesn't give very many options anymore; there used to be an option for advanced settings but I don't see that. Does it still exist? I can get the EDID for the monitor from my Linux install, but I'm not sure if I can force Windows to use that or if that would help.

 

[ezbez]

I'm new to these forums, so if this isn't the best sub-forum to post in, please let me know. I also saw one for 'flat-panel monitors', but I figured this was the more appropriate place given that it works in Linux and so it's presumably a GPU driver problem or related.

 

[Mousemonkey]

What happens if you connect to it via DVI?

 

[ezbez]

Unfortunately my laptop doesn't have a DVI port (and I don't have an HDMI cable either so VGA is all I have to use for now).

 

[Mousemonkey]

Have you tried pressing the "A" button for two seconds and then adjusting the phase and clock settings in the OSD?

 

[ezbez]

Thanks for the suggestion; I just tried that but holding the "A" button seems to only trigger an auto-adjust mode and doesn't allow me to adjust anything manually. The OSD from the Menu button does give phase/clock settings under "focus" so I tried playing with those but am not really sure what I should be doing with them or how they could affect whether nvidia offers me a particular resolution.

 

[Mousemonkey]

According to your monitors manual it should be able to display 19 x 10 on the VGA (believe it or not, some don't), it could be a driver restriction but I can't test that right now as I don't have a long enough VGA lead here at home.

 

[Kari]

Thanks for the suggestion; I just tried that but holding the "A" button seems to only trigger an auto-adjust mode and doesn't allow me to adjust anything manually. The OSD from the Menu button does give phase/clock settings under "focus" so I tried playing with those but am not really sure what I should be doing with them or how they could affect whether nvidia offers me a particular resolution.

about the clock and phase settings, take a look at this
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/clock_phase.php

thou those settings wont solve your current problem, but after you get it solved be sure to set them right to get clear picture. (check all the other pages as well, some are actually quite usefull and others just 'nice to know'-stuff)

 

[ezbez]

I've talked to ASUS support and their only suggestion is to RMA it. Given that the monitor works fine on other operating systems, I guess I'd be surprised if RMA would do anything. Is it worth bothering to RMA it or should I just go ahead and buy an HDMI cable and try that?