1280x1024 resolution
1280 × 1024
SXGA · 5:4 · 1,310,720 pixels · 1.31 megapixels · Legacy
What 1280x1024 is
The odd one out: 5:4 rather than 4:3, so a circle drawn on a 1280×1024 panel set to 4:3 output comes out an ellipse. It was the standard 17-inch and 19-inch office monitor for a decade.
The numbers
| Width | 1,280 px |
| Height | 1,024 px |
| Aspect ratio | 5:4 |
| Total pixels | 1,310,720 |
| Megapixels | 1.31 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 0.63× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 0.16× the pixels |
What 1280x1024 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 1280 × 1024 that is 3.93 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 94 MB/s | 0.34 TB |
| 30 fps | 118 MB/s | 0.42 TB |
| 60 fps | 236 MB/s | 0.85 TB |
| 120 fps | 472 MB/s | 1.7 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 1280x1024 feed runs at a few tens of megabits, which is a compression ratio of several hundred to one, and it is why a still frame from a stream looks worse than a photograph of the same scene.
How close you have to sit for 1280x1024 to be worth it
The eye resolves about one arcminute of detail. Past a certain distance the pixels merge whatever the panel does, and a higher resolution stops being visible rather than stopping being better. That distance is the pixel pitch divided by the tangent of one arcminute:
| Screen | Pixels merge beyond |
|---|---|
| 13.3 in monitor or laptop | 0.71 m (2.3 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.83 m (2.7 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 1.28 m (4.2 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 1.44 m (4.7 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 1.7 m (5.6 ft) |
| 43 in television | 2.29 m (7.5 ft) |
| 55 in television | 2.93 m (9.6 ft) |
| 65 in television | 3.46 m (11.4 ft) |
| 75 in television | 4 m (13.1 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 1280x1024 and the next resolution down look the same. That is the whole argument about 4K televisions in ordinary living rooms: the resolution is real and the seating position usually is not close enough to show it.
Pixel density at common screen sizes
A resolution on its own says nothing about sharpness — the same 1280x1024 panel is dense on a laptop and coarse on a television. Density is the diagonal in pixels divided by the diagonal in inches.
| Diagonal | Pixel density | |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 in | 123 PPI | Comfortable at native size |
| 15.6 in | 105 PPI | Comfortable at native size |
| 24 in | 68 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 27 in | 61 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 32 in | 51 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
Other legacy resolutions
| Resolution | Name | Ratio | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 640×480 | VGA | 4:3 | 0.31 MP |
| 800×600 | SVGA | 4:3 | 0.48 MP |
| 1024×768 | XGA | 4:3 | 0.79 MP |
| 1600×1200 | UXGA | 4:3 | 1.92 MP |
| 1680×1050 | WSXGA+ | 8:5 | 1.76 MP |
Closest in total pixels
- 1440×900 — WXGA+
- 1600×900 — HD+
- 1366×768 — HD (laptop)
- 1280×800 — WXGA
- 1280×720 — HD (720p)
- 1680×1050 — WSXGA+
- 1024×768 — XGA
- 1600×1200 — UXGA
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 1280x1024?
5:4.
How many pixels is 1280x1024?
1,310,720 pixels, or 1.31 megapixels.
Is 1280x1024 higher resolution than 1080p?
1280x1024 has 63% of the pixels of a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 1280x1024?
Pixel density is what decides that. 123 PPI at 13.3 in, 105 PPI at 15.6 in, 68 PPI at 24 in, 61 PPI at 27 in, 51 PPI at 32 in. Below roughly 110 PPI text starts to look coarse; above about 200 the operating system will usually scale the interface rather than render it at native size.