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What's the performance penalty for using ClearType?

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by rexworld 2 views

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So they upgraded me at work to a nice 19" LCD monitor (replaced an aging 17" CRT). The problem is that my PC doesn't have a digital video output so this is being fed from the standard analog port. The screen fonts definitely look better when I turn on ClearType--not a ton better but better.

So my question is whether it's worth the price to turn on ClearType? Is anyone aware of a benchmark or something that gives a feel for how much CPU I'm sucking down just to smooth the on-screen fonts?

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by stress junkie

If your computer's graphics output doesn't already have a DVI output then try to persuade your IT people to replace your graphics card with one that does have a DVI port. The difference between the DVI port and a standard VGA port can be dramatic.

I had a graphics card with both ports. I purchased a NEC 19 inch LCD monitor. The monitor only came with a stupid VGA cable but had both VGA and DVI ports. When I used the VGA port and cable the monitor showed Moire lines and was not very clear. I purchased a DVI cable. When I used that the picture was excellent.

Since you don't need the latest and fastest graphics card for gaming you can get a new older model card for a few dollars.

by aakash shah

I don't know of any benchmarks. But, here is my experience with cleartype:

I have seen problems with Intel LANDesk (a remote control tool) where it tends to crash often with cleartype enabled. However, sometimes the problem can be fixed by updating the video drivers. I have also noticed problems where the text on a page may become very thick temporarily. However, by simply scrolling to a different location and back, the problem is resolved.

That being said, I still recommend it very much and I always enable it on all of the computers I work on.

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