Same monitor, new video card, but very different look

[NorthWoodsman]

I recently built a new system but kept the same monitor. I'm using an Acer 23" LED widescreen monitor (forgot the exact model number - let me know if it matters and I'll find it).

The old video card was a GeForce 8400 GS
The new card is a Geforce GT 610

The view angle did not change. The monitor settings did not change. I'm using the same version of Windows (XP Pro SP3) with the same display settings and monitor drivers. The NVIDIA control panel is the same version and I set it to match the old one (most settings were default; just a contrast/brightness tweak or two).

But with the new system/card the greys in Windows all bleed together, the display looks washed out, and when I adjust gamma and brightness/contrast to fix these problems, there is too much contrast in darker/colored areas and the hue seems off. I do a lot of graphics and video work and have projects in progress; it's very important that I'm not second guessing my work due to a display that doesn't match the one I used to use.

Any ideas why this is? Any suggestions on how to fix it? I'd prefer to find a fix that doesn't involve lots of settings tweaking, as I've already tried this and failed, and because I don't want to second guess my settings for the life of this system.

 

[hood6558]

It's possible that a BIOS setting was changed when you upgraded, so make sure you're still set to PEG or PCIe graphics, and set the bus speed to the right generation (PCIe 2.0 in your case), disable multi-monitor, etc. Anyway that's a long shot, the real problem may be that you got a bad video card. If possible, try it in another system and see if the problem persists.

 

[NorthWoodsman]

Thanks for the tips, hood. But this is an entirely new system. I just assumed that since they are both NVIDIA cards there would be some reasonable expectation of standardized output to the monitor; especially seeing as how the control panel and settings are the same.

 

[Cobalt006]

Check the monitors setting it self.

 

[hood6558]

Thanks for the tips, hood. But this is an entirely new system. I just assumed that since they are both NVIDIA cards there would be some reasonable expectation of standardized output to the monitor; especially seeing as how the control panel and settings are the same.

I've never had this problem with any video card, nor have I heard of any other cases like this, that's why I suggested that the video card may have a problem. You're right about standardized output; through dozens of card swaps, monitor swaps, on board video, and many brands of hardware, the color palette remains similar and the brightness and contrast stays about the same for me. It's rare that I feel it needs adjustment, beyond changing to the highest resolution if not already set. In your case, if it can be adjusted to your satisfaction, and otherwise works good, I'd keep it for a while and see how it goes.