XFree86.conf detects the DDC information from my monitor, and yet I can't view KDE in my monitor's native resolution (1280x1024). I can get to 1152x864, but the screen's moved to the side and the text is still blurry. If I load GRUB in 1280x1024 mode, then I get the CLI in 1280x1024 and KDE in 1152x864. This is a LiveCD, Kanotix 2005_1, but I know I can save a configuration file with the proper settings. The monitor in question is a NEC LCD1715 - NEC only supports Windows as far as I can tell on their website. I'm not sure what else to do.

before starting X,try running xf86config and selecting the appropriate monitor..if its not available, get the vertical and horizontal refresh rates from the nec website for your monitor...or do a google for "NEC LCD1715 specifications"

use those values while configuring xfree86 (by running xf86config or equivalent for your distro)...for your fonts:

kde control centre - fonts- select anti aliasing - advanced - use subpixel hinting (read up on subpixel hinting to know about the options, all i know is that its meant for LCD screens)

and AFAIK , grub's res has nothing to do with X's res

X starts automatically, I'm not sure how to get it not to load. I checked XF86Config, as well as my monitor's specs, and the right refresh rates seem to be in there as well as all the possible resolutions (including 1280x1024@60Hz). Yet I still can't get 1280x1024 to be accessible. Subpixel hinting helps noticeably, but it's still not as clear as in Windows at my screen's native resolution.

EDIT: subpixel hinting doesn't always work well - ran into a couple websites, like Slashdot, where text has a red or blue aura around it.