VGA Resolution Reference
VGA is 640 × 480 pixels at 4:3 (307,200 pixels, 0.31 MP). The standard 60 Hz mode uses a 25.175 MHz pixel clock and an 800 × 525 total raster, giving 31.469 kHz and 59.94 Hz. QVGA is a quarter of VGA (320 × 240); SVGA is 800 × 600.
VGA resolution is 640 × 480 pixels: 640 wide by 480 tall, 307,200 pixels (about 0.31 megapixels) at a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Use the VGA Resolution Reference
Pixel Density Calculator
Pick a VGA-family resolution and enter the diagonal screen size.
CRT sizes are tube sizes; the viewable diagonal is about an inch smaller, so real PPI is slightly higher.
Original IBM VGA (1987)
Display modes and hardware of the PS/2 Video Graphics Array.
| Graphics, high resolution | 640 × 480, 16 colors, 60 Hz |
| Graphics, 256 colors | 320 × 200 (mode 13h), 70 Hz |
| Text mode | 80 × 25 chars, 720 × 400, 70 Hz |
| Palette | 262,144 colors (18-bit DAC) |
| Video memory | 256 KB |
| Line rate (all modes) | 31.469 kHz |
| Signal | Analog RGB, 0.7 V peak-to-peak |
| Connector | DE-15 (15-pin D-sub) |
VGA 640 × 480 Timing Table (VESA DMT)
Line rate = pixel clock ÷ total pixels per line; refresh = line rate ÷ total lines. Porch and sync widths are in pixels or lines; all modes use negative sync except the 720 × 400 text mode (positive vertical sync).
| Mode | Pixel clock | H total (fp / sync / bp) | V total (fp / sync / bp) | Line rate | Refresh | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640 × 480 @ 60 Hz | 25.175 MHz | 800 (16 / 96 / 48) | 525 (10 / 2 / 33) | 31.469 kHz | 59.94 Hz | DMT 0x04, CTA-861 VIC 1 |
| 640 × 480 @ 72 Hz | 31.500 MHz | 832 (24 / 40 / 128) | 520 (9 / 3 / 28) | 37.861 kHz | 72.81 Hz | DMT 0x05 |
| 640 × 480 @ 75 Hz | 31.500 MHz | 840 (16 / 64 / 120) | 500 (1 / 3 / 16) | 37.500 kHz | 75.00 Hz | DMT 0x06 |
| 640 × 480 @ 85 Hz | 36.000 MHz | 832 (56 / 56 / 80) | 509 (1 / 3 / 25) | 43.269 kHz | 85.01 Hz | DMT 0x07 |
| 720 × 400 @ 70 Hz (text) | 28.320 MHz | 900 (18 / 108 / 54) | 449 (12 / 2 / 35) | 31.467 kHz | 70.08 Hz | IBM VGA text, EDID established |
Timings as listed in the DMT, CTA-861 and established-mode tables of the Linux kernel EDID code (drm_edid.c). CTA-861 also allows 25.200 MHz for exactly 60.00 Hz.
The VGA Family: QQVGA to XGA
Names derived from VGA. Only VGA, SVGA and XGA are VESA computer display modes; the rest are industry shorthand for sensor and small-panel sizes, so always check the pixel dimensions on a spec sheet.
| Name | Resolution | Pixels | Aspect ratio | × VGA pixels | Typical use / standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQVGA | 160 × 120 | 19,200 | 4:3 | 0.063× | Quarter-QVGA: small camera sensors, tiny LCDs |
| QVGA | 320 × 240 | 76,800 | 4:3 | 0.25× | Quarter VGA: early phones, embedded TFTs, webcams |
| WQVGA | 400 × 240 | 96,000 | 5:3 | 0.313× | Wide QVGA: small embedded and feature-phone panels |
| HVGA | 480 × 320 | 153,600 | 3:2 | 0.5× | Half VGA: original iPhone (320 × 480 portrait) |
| VGA | 640 × 480 | 307,200 | 4:3 | 1× | IBM VGA (1987); VESA DMT 0x04; CTA-861 VIC 1 |
| WVGA | 800 × 480 | 384,000 | 5:3 | 1.25× | Wide VGA: 7-inch embedded panels, early Android phones |
| FWVGA | 854 × 480 | 409,920 | 427:240 (~16:9) | 1.334× | Full wide VGA: 16:9 phones (Motorola Droid) |
| SVGA | 800 × 600 | 480,000 | 4:3 | 1.563× | Super VGA: VESA DMT 0x09 |
| DVGA | 960 × 640 | 614,400 | 3:2 | 2× | Double VGA: iPhone 4 (640 × 960 portrait) |
| XGA | 1024 × 768 | 786,432 | 4:3 | 2.56× | IBM XGA (1990); VESA DMT 0x10 |
Resolution Comparison: VGA vs 30 Other Formats
Where 640 × 480 sits among 31 common display, TV, web-video and cinema formats, from 240p to 8K, and which standard defines each one. Search by name or number (try “4:3” or “480”), sort any column, or download the table.
Last verified against the primary sources: . Data license: CC BY 4.0 (free to reuse with a link to this page).
| 240p | 426 | 240 | 102,240 | 0.10 | 71:40 (~16:9) | Web video | YouTube recommended upload resolutions |
| 360p | 640 | 360 | 230,400 | 0.23 | 16:9 | Web video | YouTube recommended upload resolutions |
| VGA | 640 | 480 | 307,200 | 0.31 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| 480p (web) | 854 | 480 | 409,920 | 0.41 | 427:240 (~16:9) | Web video | YouTube recommended upload resolutions |
| SVGA | 800 | 600 | 480,000 | 0.48 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| XGA | 1024 | 768 | 786,432 | 0.79 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| XGA+ | 1152 | 864 | 995,328 | 1.00 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| 720p HD | 1280 | 720 | 921,600 | 0.92 | 16:9 | TV and video | ITU-R BT.1543-1 (2015) |
| WXGA | 1280 | 800 | 1,024,000 | 1.02 | 16:10 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| SXGA | 1280 | 1024 | 1,310,720 | 1.31 | 5:4 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| WXGA (1360) | 1360 | 768 | 1,044,480 | 1.04 | 85:48 (~16:9) | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| FWXGA (1366) | 1366 | 768 | 1,049,088 | 1.05 | 683:384 (~16:9) | Laptop display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| SXGA+ | 1400 | 1050 | 1,470,000 | 1.47 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| WXGA+ | 1440 | 900 | 1,296,000 | 1.30 | 16:10 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| HD+ | 1600 | 900 | 1,440,000 | 1.44 | 16:9 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| UXGA | 1600 | 1200 | 1,920,000 | 1.92 | 4:3 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| WSXGA+ | 1680 | 1050 | 1,764,000 | 1.76 | 16:10 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| 1080p Full HD | 1920 | 1080 | 2,073,600 | 2.07 | 16:9 | TV and video | ITU-R BT.709-6 (2015) |
| WUXGA | 1920 | 1200 | 2,304,000 | 2.30 | 16:10 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| DCI 2K | 2048 | 1080 | 2,211,840 | 2.21 | 256:135 (~1.90:1) | Digital cinema | DCI Digital Cinema System Specification 1.4.2 (2022) |
| QWXGA | 2048 | 1152 | 2,359,296 | 2.36 | 16:9 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| UW-FHD | 2560 | 1080 | 2,764,800 | 2.76 | 64:27 (~21:9) | Ultrawide display | CTA-861 video format list |
| 1440p QHD | 2560 | 1440 | 3,686,400 | 3.69 | 16:9 | Monitor and video | YouTube recommended upload resolutions |
| WQXGA | 2560 | 1600 | 4,096,000 | 4.10 | 16:10 | Computer display | VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13 |
| UWQHD | 3440 | 1440 | 4,953,600 | 4.95 | 43:18 (~21:9) | Ultrawide monitor | No standard format (vendor/marketing size) |
| 4K UHD | 3840 | 2160 | 8,294,400 | 8.29 | 16:9 | TV and video | ITU-R BT.2020-2 (2015) |
| DCI 4K | 4096 | 2160 | 8,847,360 | 8.85 | 256:135 (~1.90:1) | Digital cinema | DCI Digital Cinema System Specification 1.4.2 (2022) |
| DQHD (32:9) | 5120 | 1440 | 7,372,800 | 7.37 | 32:9 | Super-ultrawide monitor | No standard format (vendor/marketing size) |
| 5K2K | 5120 | 2160 | 11,059,200 | 11.06 | 64:27 (~21:9) | Ultrawide display | CTA-861 video format list |
| 5K | 5120 | 2880 | 14,745,600 | 14.75 | 16:9 | Monitor | No standard format (vendor/marketing size) |
| 8K UHD | 7680 | 4320 | 33,177,600 | 33.18 | 16:9 | TV and video | ITU-R BT.2020-2 (2015) |
Pixel counts, megapixels and exact ratios are computed from width × height. Names such as XGA or WUXGA are industry shorthand: the documents define pixel dimensions, not nicknames. "~" marks the nominal ratio a format is sold under when the exact ratio differs.
Sources: ITU-R BT.1543-1 (2015); ITU-R BT.709-6 (2015); ITU-R BT.2020-2 (2015); DCI Digital Cinema System Specification 1.4.2 (2022); VESA DMT 1.0 rev. 13; CTA-861 video format list; YouTube recommended upload resolutions. VESA DMT and CTA-861 are member documents; their format lists were checked against the DMT and CTA-861 mode tables in the Linux kernel EDID code (drm_edid.c). Rows marked "No standard format" are vendor sizes that appear in neither list.
Quick Facts
- Introduced by
- IBM (1987, PS/2)
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3, square pixels
- Scan type
- Progressive
- Diagonal in pixels
- 800 (√(640² + 480²))
- vs 720p / 1080p / 4K
- 3× / 6.75× / 27× the pixels
- Uncompressed 24-bit, 60 fps
- ~442 Mbps
- HDMI fallback
- CTA-861 VIC 1 (mandatory)
- Succeeded by
- SVGA, XGA (early 1990s)
Cite this page
Top10k Tools. (2026, October 9). Common Screen and Video Resolutions (VGA Resolution Reference). https://top10k.com/tool/vga-resolution-reference
"Common Screen and Video Resolutions (VGA Resolution Reference)." Top10k Tools, 9 Oct. 2026, top10k.com/tool/vga-resolution-reference.
Quick answer
VGA resolution is 640 × 480 pixels: 640 wide by 480 tall, 307,200 pixels (about 0.31 megapixels) at a 4:3 aspect ratio. IBM introduced it in 1987, and 640 × 480 at 60 Hz is still the universal fallback mode: VESA DMT mode 0x04 and CTA-861 video format 1, which every HDMI display must accept.
Example: the 640 × 480 diagonal is √(640² + 480²) = 800 pixels, so a 15-inch screen has 800 ÷ 15 ≈ 53.3 PPI
Enter your own screen size for the exact PPI of a 640 × 480 or other VGA-family display.
Summary
VGA (Video Graphics Array) is the display standard IBM introduced in 1987 with the PS/2, defining 640 × 480 pixels at 4:3 — 307,200 pixels per frame. Its 60 Hz timing (25.175 MHz pixel clock, 31.469 kHz line rate, 59.94 Hz refresh) survives as VESA DMT mode 0x04 and CTA-861 video format 1, the mandatory fallback for monitors and HDMI sinks. The name also spawned a family of sizes — QQVGA, QVGA, HVGA, WVGA, FWVGA, SVGA and XGA — used in cameras, embedded panels and early phones. This page lists exact timings, the VGA family, a PPI calculator and a sourced table of 31 resolutions you can search, sort and download.
How it works
- Read the spec card for the essential VGA numbers at a glance.
- Pick a VGA-family resolution and enter a screen diagonal to get its pixel density (PPI) and pixel pitch.
- Check the timing table for the pixel clock, line rate and total raster of each VESA 640 × 480 mode.
- Use the VGA family table to decode names such as QVGA, WVGA or FWVGA.
- Search or sort the 31-row resolution table, or download it as CSV.
Use cases
- Configuring legacy monitors, KVM switches, industrial panels or FPGA video output at 640 × 480.
- Writing VGA timing parameters for a microcontroller or FPGA (25.175 MHz, 800 × 525 total).
- Decoding camera and embedded-display specs that list QVGA, WVGA or FWVGA.
- Checking PPI for a VGA-era monitor before restoring or repurposing it.
- Setting up retro gaming emulators that target original 640 × 480 output.
- Understanding why 4:3 content has black bars on widescreen displays.