Monitor Drivers

Monitor Drivers

Monitor Drivers, in a very real sense, aren’t generally needed except with proprietary monitors (Dell, Compaq, HP, etc.). All the monitor drivers do is instruct the onboard video adapter or video card which signals to send to the monitor to process picture and at what frequency. They also tell the computer which monitor is attached to the computer.

Most monitors, including proprietary, will work with the generic monitor or display adapters and drivers provided by your operating system. Unfortunately, they won’t work to their full potential. An example would be Dell LCD monitors. Dell has hardwired protocols which will require that you download their monitor drivers. Several other companies do this as well.

With the generic monitor drivers, the computer will have to keep scanning for the display, and changing the screen resolution to a very high setting is likely to bog down the video adapter. This will result in the higher speed resolutions to not be viewable, or to only use part of the screen. With the proper monitor drivers the video adapter will know precisely which signals to send to the monitor without searching for the drivers first.

The proper monitor drivers will also allow video to be played more smoothly without the latency problems of an unsupported monitor. Without them the video will appear choppy and slow, and will freeze often while the monitor catches up. Also the high definition features available in modern monitors won’t be usable.

For overall video and picture performance it is recommended that you install both the proper monitor and video card drivers. When both can communicate swiftly, and in the same language, you are the one who benefits from your viewing experience. No one wants to look at a picture, and know that they could be seeing it better.