Eye Strain With New Pc.

Hi I have a problem with eye strain on my new computer.

I have some mild macular(eye muscle) issues which makes me a little more sensitive to eye strain than most people. Very subtle differences can start to give me floaters. I'm a little confused about what's going on because the screen settings are the same on the new computer as they were on the old one(same monitor) so I can't figure out why I'm getting eye strain.

It's hard to describe why exactly, it feels like very minor/subtle fluctuations or maybe if it's just a bit fuzzier in a way I can't pinpoint without a side by side comparison. Because I didn't immediately think there was a problem but after 10 minutes or it felt like there was something wrong.

Monitor:
PHILIPS TV LCD 720
with VGA port.

OLD PC:
HP dc7800
Intel Core duo CPU E6550 @2.33GHz
Display adapters:
Intel Q35 Express Chipset family
Color Quality: 32 bit
Resolution: 1360-768
Refresh: 60herts

NEW PC:
HP proDesk 400G3SFF
Intel HD graphics 530
Intel Core i3-6100 CPU@ 3.70mz
Color Quality: 32 bit
Resolution: 1360-768
Refresh: 60herts

Assuming whatever is listed on the OLD PC under 'display adapter' is the integrated graphics chip and the equivalent of the new PC's Intel HD graphics card 530.

So any ideas besides the settings in bold? Or are there any settings besides these for me to check? Any picture adapters or stabilizers I don't know about?

The only differences between the two I can spot is the graphics cards and the CPU. I was using a VGA connection for both PC's. The new PC has a DVI port, so I tried a DVI to HDMI adapter to see if that would improve things but it just came out very jaggedy and the picture was waaay too big for the screen. Because both the graphics card and CPU are stronger I wonder if it's somehow that the signal is sending too much for me maybe? Not sure.


Thanks for any feedback. Robert.

 

Don't take a chance with your eyes.
Rather consult an ophthalmologist or oculist.

 

Since this is the same monitor, resolution and refresh rate, I would not conclude the issue is with the new computer. Sadly, I would suspect it is you and you just now noticed. I agree with Eldon - go see your doctor and make sure he/she understands you did not change monitors.

Did anything else change? Room lighting? Monitor height, angle, or distance from your face? Monitor brightness or contrast? Note the brightness and contrast is not something you could test or measure without applicable test equipment with the monitor connected to the old and new computers. The percentages shown in the menus would not directly correlate from the old graphics card to the new.

So this would have to be a subjective test (playing with the settings).

 

Sorry I should have mentioned after a few days I went back to the old PC and everything was fine again. So I figure it was something to do with how the new PC is outputting. But my old PC is still working pretty well but it was starting to crash with firefox alot. I think it was made in '08. But I bought it refurbished in '11. The last PC I had was really dying by the ten year mark. If I can't figure out how to resolve this eye strain thing I might have to throw up a separate thread about making this one last as long as possible.

I'll check the brightness and contrast settings again between the old and new graphics cards, but these are both 'integrated' cards built into the mother board right? Obviously ten year on there's going to be differences.

Was I right in saying the "Intel Q35 Express Chipset family" under display adapters, that's the graphics card right?

I'm just wondering a head of time, if I can't resolve things on this PC, if getting a PC with a proper dedicated graphics card might make a difference in some way. Or give me something to experiment with at least. Because I knew the when I got the HP pro desk, a compact appliance computer, that I can't open it up and swap out parts like a tower PC.

 

The fact they are integrated should not matter.

The DVI connection should give the best most accurate image because it is digital. Analog is a throw back to CRT monitors.

Assuming the brightness and contrast are not too much to handle, I don't understand why there would be strain unless the new computer video output is faulty. Perhaps there is an imperceptible jitter that your eyes see but your conscious mind does not. I'm grasping at straws here.

 

If you've already tried adjusting the brightness and still nothing changed, perhaps you should try adjusting the color. It's great to see the colors 'come out' of your computer but sometimes it aggravates eye irritation.

 

Personal experience: the same monitor hooked up to different computers, displays differently. It is a function of the video card/chip in the computer.

I bought a GE monitor, probably 10 years ago to use when my Samsung started blacking out. (bad resistor or capacitor) Everything looked fuzzy on my computer; I couldn't stand it. I replaced it with an Acer monitor.
I hooked the GE monitor up to my husband's XP computer in the basement and the display was fine on that. (I know because I'm tech support so I update all the computers and have to be satisfied with the display).

You can either try another monitor on your new computer and hope it is better, put a video card in it and use your current monitor or return the new PC and buy another new one and hope it displays better.

 

The computer was refurbished, like someone sent it back so maybe there was a problem with the output . I'll set it back up and try and get a screen grab somehow, I'll have to figure that out. I didn't take as many notes about what I tried to make the DVI image work. I know when I just rebooted it with the new connection the image was so zoomed in that none of the icon were actually on the screen. But I'll try and show you to see if it looks normal...maybe a problem with the DVI would indicated an output problem in general.

Maybe I need a monitor with a proper DVI input port, cause right now I have a DVI to HDMI adapter. Or maybe the problem is with the cord. Can't test that without a new monitor though.

 

Good point.
Adapters are not perfect.

 

I agree adapters are not perfect but that's part of the appeal of going digital. A 1 is a 1 and 0 is a 0. Those don't change through adapters. They may get dropped, but not changed. So if you were seeing pixelization or other image anomalies, I might be on board with this.