Refresh rate

Good day i bought a dell 600m laptop with the 32meg ati mobility 9000 and sxga+ screen.I am running 1024 768 resolution The problem is when i go to refresh rate the max and only one there is 60hz. I am used to running 85 in my dektop computer. Also the lcd does look GREAT but shouldnt it be able to run a higher refresh rate ?

thanks for reading

60Hz is standard for LCD displays. Because they aren't tied into 60Hz AC power like CRT's are, there is no eye strain. Keep in mind that movies have a 24fps refresh rate and TV has a 30fps refresh rate.

CRT monitors use an electron beam to "draw" the screen. That one beam scans every row of pixels on your monitor, side to side and up and down. When you've got a refresh rate of 60 Hz, that means the beam can make 60 passes of your screen per second.

LCD's don't work that way, though. Every pixel on the screen is controlled independently, so there's no "draw" or "scan". Because of this, there isn't really a refresh rate like there is with a CRT monitor, even though you'll still see the option in your video driver.

With an LCD, you can generally just set it at 60 and be happy.

OK. I understand now. Thanks for clearing that up.

Congrats on the new laptop purchase, I have had my 600m for maybe 18-20 months now and it is holding up very well.