CALLING ALL WEBMASTERS! STICK WITH 800x600 OR MOVE ON TO 1024x768?

Question

Alright...i know this question has been covered by many forums out there...but i still don't know what to say on the topic.

Given that more and more people are moving to higher resolution monitors/screens...should webmasters still be catering to the 30% of 800x600 viewing public?

I'm personally sticking w/ 800*600 but that is primarily because my website is intended to be viewable by an overseas (i.e India) audience. So my website's 800*600 demographic is larger than 30%.

Answer 1

It really depends on what the site is for. If it is some hobby site that you could care less about the people with low res monitors, then go ahead and go bigger. However, there are many people with lower res monitors than you think. I design web sites, and in testing my sites on other computers and platforms I still see allot of monitors just at 1024 or less. And even if people have the better monitor, I see allot of people surfing the web with the browser not at maximized size. On top of that, many people keep their laptops at a low to medium res because of the small monitor. Although I would like to design with a larger canvas, I keep to the 800X600 size. Try designing your site that it looks like it spans any resolution, but all the content stays in the 800X600 box.

Answer 2

Yes, I would stick with the 800x600 because although 30% doesn't sound like a very high percentage, when you think of the millions upon millions of people who use the internet, 30% is A LOT of people.

Answer 3

My general opinion is that you should have MOST of the important information in the center of a 1024x768 layout so those on 800x600 can still tell whats going on and scroll to the rest of it. Much in the same way that we used to design 800x600 sites while keeping users running 640x480 layouts ijn mind.

Just my 2 cents...

Answer 4

It's really up to the client who specifies the best deal. but keeping the current haste of everyone's professional life, 800x600 is best. People can have print outs without having to think about the page setup. Rest u know very well!

Answer 5

design for both, I know that sounds like a cop-out but seriously, if you look at a website like http://www.InclineSiteDesign.com it looks great in 800x600, 1024x768, or1280x1024. as a Webmaster I know the difficulty in doing so, but it is possible.

Answer 6

I use 1024x768 for most pages, but some times I still use 800x600 to meet certain pages needs. ie; objects that will not be displayed large enough to justify 1024x768 res.

Answer 7

I think so because you would rather have something that everyone can view than exclude 30%.

We are sticking with 800x600 here at my workplace.

Answer 8

1920 X 1080 For Gaming 1360 X 768 For pc and surfing so words are no longer so small to work out from the settee. with the aid of HDMI On a 42inch 240 Hz lcd you have been crowned john C ; )

Answer 9

There are very few people nowaday that are still using resolutions as low as 800*600 i suppose. most are on 1024*768 and higher. but care should be taken. there are still people out there having CGA graphic cards lol

Answer 10

Personally, I've gotten to the point where I'm not concerned with it much. I want to cater to people who have modern equipment and fast connections. The rest of the world needs to catch up or lag behind.