Editing Video Graphics Array (section)

===Typical uses of selected modes===
{{See also|Extended Display Identification Data}}
{{anchor|640×400}}
{{resx|640x400}} @ 70&nbsp;Hz is traditionally the video mode used for booting VGA-compatible [[x86]] [[personal computer]]s<ref name="epanorama_net-vga_timing">{{cite web|title=ePanorama.net - Circuits|url=http://www.epanorama.net/documents/pc/vga_timing.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227050541/http://www.epanorama.net/documents/pc/vga_timing.html|archive-date=2009-02-27}} 090425 epanorama.net</ref> that show a graphical boot screen, while text-mode boot uses {{resx|720x400}} @ 70&nbsp;Hz.

This convention has been eroded in recent years, however, with POST and BIOS screens moving to higher resolutions, taking advantage of [[EDID]] data to match the resolution to a connected monitor.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

{{resx|640x480}} @ 60&nbsp;Hz is the default Windows graphics mode (usually with 16&nbsp;colors),<ref name="epanorama_net-vga_timing" /> up to Windows 2000. It remains an option in XP {{citation needed span|date=September 2024|and later versions}} via the boot menu "low resolution video" option and per-application compatibility mode settings, despite newer versions of Windows now defaulting to {{resx|1024x768}} and generally not allowing any resolution below {{resx|800x600}} to be set.

The need for such a low-quality, universally compatible fallback has diminished since the turn of the millennium, {{clarify span|as VGA-signalling-standard screens or adaptors unable to show anything beyond the original resolutions have become increasingly rare.|date=September 2024}}

{{resx|320x200}} at 70&nbsp;Hz was the most common mode for early 1990s PC games, with pixel-doubling and line-doubling performed in hardware to present a {{resx|640x400}} at 70&nbsp;Hz signal to the monitor.

The [[Windows 9x|Windows 95/98/Me]] [[LOGO.SYS]] boot-up image was 320&nbsp;×&nbsp;400 resolution, displayed with pixel-doubling to present a {{resx|640x400}} at 70&nbsp;Hz signal to the monitor. The 400-line signal was the same as the standard {{resx|80x25}} text mode, which meant that pressing {{#invoke:key|press|Esc}} to return to text mode didn't change the frequency of the video signal, and thus the monitor did not have to resynchronize (which could otherwise have taken several seconds).{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}