Really Strange problem

Need input......

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 by BoXXi | Discussion: Video Cards

O.K. I just noticed something happening, and at first I thought I was going crazy. It's quite difficult to describe, so bear with me.......

If I open two windows side by side on my desktop and put them near the top of the screen, they are both the same colour and contrast. Obviously, you might say. However, If I then grab one of those windows and slowly move it towards the bottom of the screen, it gets lighter and lighter the further I move it down, until if I drag it all the way down so that the titlebar is just above the taskbar, the two windows look COMPLETELY different.

This also means that, although I made a taskbar from the same graphic that I used for the titlebar, the taskbar is about 20 shades lighter than a maximized window!.

Now, I recently got a new monitor, (a few days after Christmas) but I'm sure I had noticed the same thing on my old CRT monitor. BUT, I recently got a new graphics card too, just before I switched monitors. It's an Nvidia G-Force 6200.

Could the graphics card be responsible for this problem? Have any of you heard of this problem before, and if so, was it graphics card related? Any light you guys can shed on this would be a great help as it's starting to drive me insane now, and I can't judge the colors of my skins anymore.

Thanks in advance guys!........ Bryan.
23 Reply 20 Referrals
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BoXXi
Reply #1 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 6:05 PM
Well, it wasn't my big bass speaker behind the monitor that was causing it, so we can rule out magnetic interference....... Any suggestions?

MindlessPuppet
Reply #2 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 6:21 PM
Sounds kinda cool looking to be honest. I had a similar effect once but that was because my CRT monitor finally bit the dust... Have you taken any screenshots? They might appear correctly, and that might help rule out some problems.

starkers
Reply #3 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 7:09 PM
Tell ya what, BoXXi, I think it has something to do with atmospherics & altitude... now you wouldn't happen to be living below sea level, would ya???

scorpNZ
Reply #4 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 7:20 PM
Question i have why do you think it's strange,it's a pc what else do you expect ,yeah really helpful ain't i

Surely it can't be the NEW graphics card as it happened on the old crt without it,assuming i read your post right,will it still do it if you use the old g/card but on the new monitor.

BigDogBigFeet
Reply #5 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 8:13 PM
If it's an LCD monitor then its probably normal. LCD monitor's illumination depend on the angle to the human eye. Since most monitors tilt back there is a visual difference in appearance at the top of the monitors from the bottom. Darker at top and lighter at bottom. I have my monitor with the top portion at about eye level, slightly tilted back and I also have this same perceptual difference. Change my viewing angle and the perception of lighter and darker changes. At least that's what I've noticed.

jazzymjr
Reply #6 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 8:46 PM
If it's an LCD monitor then its probably normal


I agree BigDog. I have an LCD monitor, and the same things happen with me. I don't worry about it, though...it's just the tilt of the monitor.

ZubaZ
Reply #7 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 10:28 PM
A LCDenterist (opposed to a geocentrist or heliocentrist) would say that the monitor is static and we all tilt around it . . . same effect in any case.

However. . . Boxxi said that the same thing happened with his previous CRT . . would that have the same effect? I am thinkign not.

BigDogBigFeet
Reply #8 Thursday, January 10, 2008 2:23 AM
BUT, I recently got a new graphics card too, just before I switched monitors. It's an Nvidia G-Force 6200.


Boxxi said that the same thing happened with his previous CRT


would that have the same effect?


Difficult to say, not very possible they are the same. Since both graphics card and monitor were recently changed, whatever was happening with his old setup is not likely the same as his new setup. I do know there is a certain amount of this visual effect with all LCD screens.

JewelCG
Reply #9 Thursday, January 10, 2008 3:23 AM
I'll chip in with an agreement on it being just one of those things with an LCD monitor. Mine does the same thing, gradually gets darker near the top. You do get used to it after a while. It becomes normal. Just remember when you are creating graphics to keep them about middle of the screen.

Try looking at your screen from different heights. You'll have true color at whatever point on the screen is direct line of sight. As Mindless Puppet said, take a screenshot and have a good look. That'll set your mind at ease if nothing else.

As for the old CRT.. Could have been age causing it to go darker at the top. I've seen them do some weird things.

jazzymjr
Reply #10 Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:20 AM
Just remember when you are creating graphics to keep them about middle of the screen.


Yup...exactly!

vStyler
Reply #11 Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:30 AM
Boxxi, I bought and returned two monitors because of JUST this reason...most newer LCD monitors are just not made very well.. you should not have to look straight on at a monitor to see it the way it should look, it should look the same at the top or bottom of the screen, left or right.

I finally bought a monitor by a company called SOYO it has zero gradient.. doesnt matter what angle I look at it, is a 24' LCD and I got a steal on it at 299$. It's a SOYO Topaz S

I urge anyone buying a new LCD to consider SOYO as a name brand.. its an EXCELLENT monitor, no gradients, no dead pixels...possibly my favorite purchase..ever.

Really bothers me that companies are pawning off these monitors with on screen gradients to people.. its getting to where people expect it to be that way when it doesn't have to be.   

2of3
Reply #12 Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:46 AM
I've never thought about it. I guess like everyone else I accepted gradients as a given with LCD screens

Thanks John

MindlessPuppet
Reply #13 Thursday, January 10, 2008 7:03 AM

I urge anyone buying a new LCD to consider SOYO as a name brand.. its an EXCELLENT monitor, no gradients, no dead pixels...possibly my favorite purchase..ever.

Really bothers me that companies are pawning off these monitors with on screen gradients to people.. its getting to where people expect it to be that way when it doesn't have to be.


Wish I knew that before I bought my Samsung (sometime in october), thing drives me nuts. And I don't care what a hundred some studies say, my CRT didn't cause half the eye this LCD does... kinda pointless buying a 22 inch monitor when you can only use the middle 6 inches.


vStyler
Reply #14 Thursday, January 10, 2008 10:14 PM
just be VERY cautious when buying an LCD... hope everyone reads this, no need to get ripped off or settle for less.

starkers
Reply #15 Friday, January 11, 2008 10:26 PM
Aha, I remember now... you're on the Yorkshire Moors!! So it is an atmospheric/altitude thing and gravity. Yep, your screen gets lighter at the top cos of the thinner air.. and darker at the bottom cos of gravity being stronger up there with all that dense granite.

Now how can you argue with logic like that???

Seems to me then, you got 2 choices! Get and work in one of those pressurised chambers or move to someplace not so far above sea level.


There again, you've not wearing those specs with the graduating tint... have ya???

CerebroJD
Reply #16 Friday, January 11, 2008 10:32 PM
Although this might seem like an odd suggestion, have you checked to make sure there are no window masks in effect in WindowBlinds?  Y'know that vista gloss bit... I cant remember what OS you're running, but it might be part of the issue, if you're starting from the default skin (or another skin with the overlay).  Is the taskbar darker than the titlebar you're comparing it to, or are both light at the bottom?

BoXXi
Reply #17 Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:01 AM
Hey guys..... After much testing with various video cards etc, it has been decided that the monitor is actually faulty. It has also developed a very bad flicker too.
I have contacted the vendors and they are shipping a new one out to me next week.

Gonna have to go back to my old CRT for a few days........ that should be fun!

Interestingly, I put my old graphics card back in while testing the monitor (it's an Nvidia GeForce4 MX with 64Mb's of RAM, and there is absolutely no difference in quality, picture or performance when compared to my NEW graphics card which is an Nvidia GeForce 6200 with 256Mb's of RAM. Looks like I wasted my money there! I really thought everything would be much better with a new Graphics card. Should I have expected a marked difference with the new card? or are we just getting ripped off by the card manufacturers telling us we need this new super duper feature, when in fact it doesn't do much at all.

I'm going to keep the old card in, and just increase system RAM, at least I might notice some difference for my money!!

Thanks for all your help and input, I really appreciate it. (Especially Yrag for all the help via email!!)

BoXXi
Reply #18 Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:04 AM
...............Anyone want to buy a a virtually unused Nvidia GeForce 6200 card with 256Mb Ram? it's an AGP card. Offers welcome.   

2of3
Reply #19 Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:09 AM
Looks like I wasted my money there!


Anyone want to buy a a virtually unused Nvidia GeForce 6200 card with 256Mb Ram? it's an AGP card. Offers welcome.


You make it so tempting, Bryan. You obviously aren't a used car salesman

BoXXi
Reply #20 Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:11 AM
hahaha..... just kidding..... it will be on E-bay tomorrow.   

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