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In a few months my main computer, a Dell Dimension 4100 will be 10 years old. I don't mind that too much, but the problem is that the companion screen, a Dell-Trinitron with UXGA resolution (1600 by 1200 pixels) has faded to a point where my eyes hurt when I'm reading text. It was great as long as it was "fresh". When I bought it back in 2001 I knew EXACTLY that I wanted an UXGA screen resolution and I shopped for that. The computer that went with it was not that important for me. The important thing was that it could give the correct signal for what was, at the time, a huge screen. It was easy to find.
So , I'm shopping for a new computer, and despite the fact that I know EXACTLY the kind of screen I want, an LCD with WQGA resolution (2560 by 1600 pixels) and absolutely no bells and whistles, it turns out that getting the correct companion computer is a lot more complicated than it used to be.
The biggest problem is that computer stores (brick and mortar as well as the virtual ones like Dell) have again and again cut back on staff. Their sales staff know next to nothing about the computers and the video cards they're selling. The secondary problems have to do with the diversification in computing devices in the last ten years. Desktops are only a thin wedge in a big pie. Stores make their money on the other stuff. Just getting a store that carries what I want is really not easy.
Some days I'd like to call the whole thing off. It's just a pain. Getting a nice big hi-res screen should not have to be so difficult when you're willing to pay the price. And once I've bought it and its companion PC I'll have to go through the whole installation process. I've gotten used to working in Windows 2000 for the last 10 years and now I'll have to get into System 7. ARRRRGH.
So , I'm shopping for a new computer, and despite the fact that I know EXACTLY the kind of screen I want, an LCD with WQGA resolution (2560 by 1600 pixels) and absolutely no bells and whistles, it turns out that getting the correct companion computer is a lot more complicated than it used to be.
The biggest problem is that computer stores (brick and mortar as well as the virtual ones like Dell) have again and again cut back on staff. Their sales staff know next to nothing about the computers and the video cards they're selling. The secondary problems have to do with the diversification in computing devices in the last ten years. Desktops are only a thin wedge in a big pie. Stores make their money on the other stuff. Just getting a store that carries what I want is really not easy.
Some days I'd like to call the whole thing off. It's just a pain. Getting a nice big hi-res screen should not have to be so difficult when you're willing to pay the price. And once I've bought it and its companion PC I'll have to go through the whole installation process. I've gotten used to working in Windows 2000 for the last 10 years and now I'll have to get into System 7. ARRRRGH.