Checking refresh rate

I installed a new ATI video card a few months ago. I have set the refresh rate to 160 using VGA utility and it runs fine.But I was wondering if there is a utility or something that can actually measure the refresh rate, as I seem to suffer eyestrain and headaches more than usual, which makes me suspect it might be flicker induced. When i go into display properties/ advanced / displays / it shows the monitor is set at 800x 600 @ 75hz, but I can't find a way to raise it. It did show 60hz, but I don't know what caused it to change. Any suggestions?
It's a ati radeon 9600se card, win ME
Thanks guys

 

go into the menu for the monitor (on the physical buttons) somewhere inside, there should be an info option. that will tell you the refresh rate

 

I went to control panel-display-settings-advanced-which brings up Radeon 9600 series properties.Click displays and see Monitor 800x600 60 Hz (again)
I tried the buttons on the monitor and it says 800x600 60Hz. Anyone know how to change the rate?

 

Try installing the drivers for your make/model of monitor. If you already have them installed, then it's likely your monitor doesn't support that resolution at the rate you want.

Click on the Adapter tab and click List All Modes.

 

I tried setting it lower, 56 Hz and it worked, but I can't go any higher than 60Hz, although one time , as I said earlier, it had changed to 70 Hz for some reason. Maybe I'm stuck with 60 Hz-sucks.

 

OK, let me ask you guys this.According to my video card book, my card supports refresh rates from 56 to 200 at 800x600 and 32bpp (16.7M)true color.
the book for the monitor (KDS 17" LCD RAD7) says it supports at 800x600 Freq. 37.9kHz horizontal and 60Hz vertical -clock 40.000MHZ -polarity+/+ or
Freq. 46.9kHz horizontal and 75Hz vertical -clock 49.500MHZ -polarity+/+

I'm not sure what all these numbers mean, maybe one of you do.
I just can't believe that I'm stuck with a 60Hz refresh rate. There must be some way to set it higher, but when I try to set it to 75, the screen flashes but stays at 60. Any suggestions? How do I change the clock speed , or at least check to see what it's set at? I can barely use this thing more than 45 minutes or so without my eyes and head going.

 

Go to the Monitor tab in Display Properties/Advanced, and see if your Monitor is listed. If Windows doesn't recognize the monitor, it won't allow refresh rate changes. If your monitor is pure "Plug & Play", and the manufacturer doesn't offer a specific driver for it, then "Plug & Play" should come up as the name for the monitor. But check the manufacturer's site for a specific driver, and install that if they have one.

 

BTW, in your first post you say you're trying to set a refresh rate of 160, which is fine for the video card but likely too fast for the monitor. Unless the monitor is rated (and recognized by Windows as being rated) for that refresh rate, it won't let you set it. Try setting something like 75 Hz & see if that works.

 

if its an LCD, 60Hz is probably all it can support anyway...

With CRTs the refresh rate is critical to stopping "flicker", as the electron ray hits the phosopher to create the image, but the light produced decays after time, and so it becomes dim. However with an LCD, this doesnt happen, as you are turning a pixel on and off, and it doesnt "decay" as such.

So with a CRT you are likley to want 72-75Hz in order to fool your brain into thinking its a still image, but with a LCD this isnt nececary.

And thus why most LCDs dont support much above 60Hz, as its simply not nececary.

However, it might be that the drivers are setting the refresh rate incorrectly. Check for the latest drivers (in fact, the new Catalyst drivers have just come out recently... www.ati.com )

 

Oh, that's intersting, I was wondering if LCD made any difference. It seemed strange that the monitor only supportrd low refresh rates but this makes sense now. Maybe I just need new glasses!LOL I'll check for the newer drivers though.

 

Aha... have you tried putting the resolution to 1280 x 1024 and see if it will let you put it on 75Hz then? Thats the max it supports, apparently.

 

LCDs don't need to have a refresh rate higher than about 50 Hz, because the screen is refreshed as a whole.

 

Missed the fact that it is LCD. Sorry.

 

Thanks

well, thanks for the education everybody. I should have figured there was a difference in LCDs. I tried the new catalyst drivers and they wouldn't work. Removed and reinstalled them several times, but no good, so I went back to the others and it's fine I guess.
Thanks again