First of all, it must be stated that Custom Resolution Utility is not a Virus. There are a bunch of misconceptions about CRU because it promises to do what traditional software can’t.
Now, what exactly is Custom Resolution Utility?
It is an EDID editor that can help you optimize and maximize your monitor's screen resolution! However, there are some caveats to it. This utility does not support older Intel GPUs right out of the box.
You need to do some tinkering to make it work the right way (I will show you how!). In my testing, it ran decently with AMD and Nvidia GPUs as promised. So, that’s a good start!
Getting Started with Custom Resolution Utility
When you download and launch the application (it is portable so no need to install it) you will be immediately overwhelmed. Because all the detailed information about your monitor, and display resolution will not be so easily understood at a glance.
So, let’s start with some basics about the interface to get you familiar with the navigation system.
Interface
On the top right corner of CRU software, you will notice a dropdown menu of displays. The software will show the active display that you are currently using and some other third-party options.
If you hit the “Edit” button, then you will notice the options to rename your display ID, color format, maximum color depth, and so on. As I mentioned before, it will be hard for you to deal with all the available options on the first try but you will get it after a while.
If you are done with the edits, we can dive into the other settings and options.
Settings/Options
Under the active display section, you will see established resolutions, detailed resolution options, and standard resolutions. The established resolution options are some of the most used and common resolutions that users actively sport.
If you don’t want to use the standard or established one, you can go for detailed resolutions. In that option, you will be able to customize the horizontal and vertical active resolution, the sync width, blanking options, the sync polarity, and the refresh rate.
You can save and edit a total of 6 customized resolutions and switch between them at any time. I personally use a high refresh rate monitor and have a Nvidia GPU. So, in my limited usage, I didn’t find any issues with the detailed resolutions after I edited them according to my preference.
If you are using an old CRT monitor, you can choose the predefined LCD and CRT monitor options easily. It’s really a great tool if you are an old monitor user.
Finally, if you can’t decide what you want, you can just import EDID files and use your custom ones whenever you want. However, be careful about the file format as CRU only supports BIN, RAW, DAT, or INF formats.
What Custom Resolution Utility is Good at?
The major upside of CRU is its portable design, great customization, instant implementation, and solid support. It’s hard to go back to the built-in Windows display settings after using CRU once!
What are the Disadvantages of Custom Resolution Utility?
The only major complaint with CRU that I have is that it is not quite beginner-friendly. If a user is new to display customization then it’s tough for them to follow every setting and customizations. Also, there’s no support for old GPUs which can be an unfortunate thing for old users.
Custom Resolution Utility Pricing
There is no pricing plan as the software is completely free to use. So, even if you don’t like it, there’s no loss for you!
Overall Summary
In my usage, I found the utility quite responsive and effective without any gimmicks. While some features and options might be a bit hard for beginners to understand, it’s not rocket science.
So, from my perspective, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a killer application to customize their display resolution as they like.
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