Custom Display Resolution Utility for Windows

Martin Brinkmann
Apr 10, 2017
Updated • Apr 10, 2017
Software
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Custom Resolution Utility is a free portable program for Microsoft Windows devices that enables you to add custom display resolutions.

The program is a specialized tool, and it is likely that most Windows users have no need for it. But there are a couple of applications for it that some may find worth exploring.

First, you may be able to increase the Hz of the resolution beyond the usual 60 Hz. Second, AMD Freesync may work on display ports that are not supported officially. There are probably more applications for that, and if you know of any other, feel free to mention them in the comment section below.

Note: It is recommended that you have a backup of your system, or recovery options set up properly, before you make use of the tool. It can happen that your monitor will turn blank if you set an unsupported resolution so that you cannot interact with the PC anymore.

Custom Resolution Utility

custom resolution utility

First the basics. Custom Display Resolution is available for Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows. The reason why Windows XP is not support is that XP does not support so-called EDID overrides.

Note: EDID stands for Extended Display Identification Data. It describes capabilities of the display, usually to a graphics card or other video source.

The tool works with AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, and only some laptops with switchable Intel graphics.

Custom Resolution Monitor adds monitor resolutions to the system. This means that lower resolutions are scaled up provided that GPU scaling is enabled, and that higher resolutions are not scaled down.

It is worth to note that you cannot use the program to set a higher than support resolution.

You can run Custom Resolution Monitor directly after download and extraction of the archive. The program displays information about the first monitor in the interface. You can switch monitors at the top if more than one is connected to the computer you run the software on.

The interface itself lists detailed and standard resolutions on the right, and established resolutions on the left.

Detailed resolutions are the best way of adding custom resolutions. While limited to a handful, they can be extended using extension blocks in the program interface.

The first detailed resolution listing is considered the native resolution. You may remove any other resolution if they are not needed.

Hit the "add" button to add a new resolution. This opens a new screen that lists a lot of parameters.

detailed resolution

The default setup option is manual; this lets you set parameter values, e.g. refresh rate or horizontal and vertical pixels, manually.

You can switch to four automatic modes which assist you when it comes to setting the correct parameters (meaning parameters that are supported by the display to avoid issues).

Standard resolutions are "mostly" useful for CRT monitors, and for adding lower resolutions to LCD monitors. The author of the program notes that you should not add the native resolution as a standard resolution.

AMD and ATI only support the standard resolutions in the drop down list; other resolutions are ignored by the driver. Nvidia cards on the other hand support a maximum of 8 standard resolutions.

It is recommended that you check out the official forum post on the developer website for additional information and tips on using the program.

Closing Words

Custom Display Resolution is a specialized tool, but one that can be mighty useful in certain situations. While it may require some tinkering to figure out what works and what does not on your device, the result may very well be worth all the troubles.

Now You: Which resolution and refresh rate do your devices run on?

 

Summary
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Software Name
Custom Resolution Utility
Operating System
Windows
Software Category
Administration
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Comments

  1. CHEF-KOCH said on April 10, 2017 at 12:23 pm
    Reply

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