640x480

640x480 refers to a display resolution with 640 horizontal pixels and 480 vertical pixels. It comprises 307,200 individual picture elements and has an aspect ratio of 4:3. This resolution is commonly called VGA, named for the Video Graphics Array standard developed by IBM in the late 1980s. 640x480 served as a baseline display mode for many early personal computers and monitors.

Historically, 640x480 was widely used as the standard mode for PC graphics, games, and software during the IBM PC era and early Windows environments. It offered a practical balance of image clarity and system performance on the hardware of the time, and it remained a traditional fallback or compatibility option even after higher resolutions became common.

Technical notes: VGA-compatible hardware supported multiple color depths at 640x480, including 16-color and 256-color modes, depending on the graphics adapter and video BIOS. The standard 4:3 aspect ratio was preserved on many CRT monitors, making it distinct from today’s widescreen formats. In video and image capture, 640x480 is still used as a basic, easily processed baseline resolution for simple footage and for low-bandwidth streams or embedded applications.

Modern relevance: While not common for new desktop displays, 640x480 remains important in retro computing, emulation, and some educational contexts. It also appears in webcams and surveillance devices as a low-resolution option and serves as a compatibility target in various software environments.