Can I increase my max screen resolution?

[The Dude]

This keeps me puzzled. I have a Geforce GTX 260 video card and I can't seem to run my games on higher settings than 1280 x 1024, simply because there are none available. I hear people talking about playing at 1600 x 1200 and I'm like... how?!

Honestly, I feel like I've got a pretty good card here with no idea how to use it. I wanna get the max out of this thing and I can't do that if I can't even play on higher resolutions than 1280 x 1024. At first I thought that your monitor decides your max res, but I'm not sure if that's true.

Can anyone help me out? I'd love to play at higher resolutions than simply 1280 x 1024 but I have no idea how.

[Freddie]

How big is your monitor 1280x1024 sound like you have 17" or 19" screen in which case that would be the right resolution. The only way around it would be buy a new monitor.

[The Dude]

Yeah that's what I figured. I have a 4:3 19" monitor. I had hoped that I could've just kept increasing my resolution as long as it remained 4:3.

[HansDuet]

Yea bigger monitor. 24"s are quite cheap nowadays.

[Musthavename]

Yeah, it's all about the monitor.

1280x1024 is about as big as you get for 4:3 (which is really annoying for me, as I much prefer 4:3 to other resolutions, albeit mostly out of habit). If you want bigger, you're going to either have to go to 16:9 or 16:10.

[english tyrant]

Yeah, it's all about the monitor.

1280x1024 is about as big as you get for 4:3

Both me and my Dad's 4:3s are 1600x1200...

[Welshman25]

Righto, you'd need to get a new monitor. I got my Asus 21.5" that's 1920x1080 for about $160.

[Timefool]

Go to newegg.com and get whatever they have that is marked down alot. I got a $200 monitor for $120 after a $50 mark down and a $30 mail in rebate.

[neillombardi]

Beware my friend, if you enjoy playing old games, DO NOT buy a huge monitor. Stretching 800 x 600 to fit into 1680 x 1050 looks really ugly. You will never ever be able to play your classic games then.