Text mode *IS* 720 x 400. Unlike LCD, CRT will show 320/640 x 200/400 just as well as 360/720 x 200/400, without any uneven pixel artifacts that most LCDs are plagued with.

You change the resolution by going into an application/game/OS that uses a different resolution.

But on the OSD it shows a list of various resolutions/refresh rates. Is there not a way to "click" on the one
you want from the OSD? You can adjust brightness/color/etc. but not that? I'm ignorant when it comes to
these CRT's I guess.

DukeNukem3D is the only DOS game I'm aware of where you can change the rez in setup. Shadow Warrior might
be another I think. I'm ignorant when it comes to these CRT's I guess.

You have to use software (drivers or DOS apps) to change the resolution. If you could change it by adjusting the hardware alone, there would be no guarantee the software would support it, but changing it using software allows thhe system to check whether the hardware supports the new resolution

buckeye wrote on 2020-12-28, 21:06:

Is there not a way to "click" on the one
you want from the OSD?

No. The list you see in the OSD will be for information purposes only.

The screen can only set a resolution when software asks it to.

Example, Quake II's video options in the game menus, where the resolution is set for that game :

Shreddoc wrote on 2020-12-28, 23:14:

No. The list you see in the OSD will be for information purposes only. […]
Show full quote

buckeye wrote on 2020-12-28, 21:06:

Is there not a way to "click" on the one
you want from the OSD?

No. The list you see in the OSD will be for information purposes only.

The screen can only set a resolution when software asks it to.

Example, Quake II's video options in the game menus, where the resolution is set for that game :
Quake_II_Video.jpg

Yes, I understand the settings in windows games and all, but what about in DOS? Do I need to be looking
at the various dos utilities out there and if so which ones?

Wait, CRTs are no different to LCDs regarding how you "set the resolution". You don't use some OSD on a modern screen to change the resolution, it doesn't work that way.
Forget about the monitor and you don't need any utility. Run whatever you want to run, it'll set its resolution (which you can confirm using the OSD). If it has options to select more that one, it'll set the one you select.

Even simpler, run a game and check the OSD. You'll see that the resolution is not 720 x 400 anymore

konc wrote on 2021-01-04, 18:58:

Wait, CRTs are no different to LCDs regarding how you "set the resolution". You don't use some OSD on a modern screen to change the resolution, it doesn't work that way.
Forget about the monitor and you don't need any utility. Run whatever you want to run, it'll set its resolution (which you can confirm using the OSD). If it has options to select more that one, it'll set the one you select.

Even simpler, run a game and check the OSD. You'll see that the resolution is not 720 x 400 anymore

I'll run some games and check the OSD then report my findings, thanks.

buckeye wrote on 2021-01-04, 18:09:

Yes, I understand the settings in windows games and all, but what about in DOS? Do I need to be looking
at the various dos utilities out there and if so which ones?

DOS games set their own resolution.

The few that don't, will have obvious Resolution Setting menus similar to Windows games.

You are expecting DOS to behave like Windows. Expecting there to be some "master location" for changing resolutions. That is the wrong way to think about this. DOS doesn't work like that. When you run a DOS game, that DOS game contains programming which forces the screen into the resolution it requires, end of story. You don't need to do anything, and indeed, you CANNOT do anything, about that.

Unless the game you are playing has a Resolution Settings menu like you see in Quake 2, then YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE RESOLUTION OF A DOS GAME. IT SETS ITSELF. IN WINDOWS, RESOLUTION IS A USER CONTROLLABLE SETTING. IN DOS, IT IS NOT.

Sorry, I don't mean to shout, but I want to be absolutely certain you understand, and do not keep asking the same question over and over.

Also, stop checking the OSD of your CRT. The OSD of a VGA monitor has no clue of the actual resolution that your computer is using. It makes a guess based on the synchronization signals but usually it throws all 400 line modes on one heap. That includes 320x200, 320x400, 640x400 and 80x25 and 80x50 text mode. The same goes for other resolutions.

Ok, thanks all for the feedback it's been helpful. For the record all the dos games I've tried show 720 x 400 but even so
they all look better than on my Acer LCD so there's that.