Ignorant display monitor question: For X1

Hi all,

I'm a little confused on the best display monitor setup for X1.  I currently have a 19" Dual monitor VGA/DVI setup.  Now that X1 GUI is more chunky, I'm debating an upgrade.  Forgive the ignorance of my query here but what I'm confused about is:


If you want to go above lets say 22-24" LCD, do you then have to go for a graphics card with HDMI output and then get a HDMI Tv/monitor.


What are the limits of VGA compared to HDMI in terms of rezolution size?  


I would look for the biggest screen real estate (1 screen) and obviously with great clarity.  Probs can't go above 28" considering room size but I assume I would need a new Graphics card also...


Hope you can shed some light...

Thanks

I recently went from two 19" DCL monitors to one 25" Hannspree and one 19" DCL. I didn't even change any cables, just plugged it straight in. I'm using 1920 x 1080 native resolution (per my Nvidea control panel). I haven't yet installed any software for the Hannspree so I expect I could go higher, but I'm happy.
My system's a few years old and all worked well.
Hope this helps a little.

1280x1024. if my vid cards highest output rez is this... if i was to get a monitor with 2560x1024... will i not still see 1280x1024 with just larger pixels and so not gain any desktop space

yepp.. that's how it works.
a monitor has an optimized resolution of f.e. 1920x1200, that's where he performs best.. you need a graphic card that support that resolution. Usually the graphic card driver only allows a resolution that will not override/destroy the connected monitor..
monitors used to make some funny noises or went black or totally berzerk when you'd run them at a higher resolution than they were designed for.
anyway,.. the higher the resolution the more desktop space you get..
the size of your monitor is your magnifying glass..
I have a 24" @ 1920x1200, not much fun working with X1 in that configuration.. but except for adding a second monitor I don't see any alternative and reasonable configuration.

Cool.  tnx for the advice y'all.  i think i get it now.

I still despise the oversized cartoon style GUI, with the big fonts, big icons.  There is so much unused blank gray, light gray,  medium gray, slightly less gray space all over the page, yet much of the info I want to see is either not visible (such as Archive, Freeze Status) or truncated (track names).  

I took a total breather on X1 for a few weeks and came back to it the other night and my displeasure at the GUI has not lessened at all.  I do like being able to turn panels on and off, but resent *having* to do so just to be able to do what was quite easy in 8.5 and earlier version.