DUAL DVI g550

[Supernaut]

hello,
i was wondering if the g550 dual dvi card can output digitally in linux.

If it cannot, it is useless 2 me so no guesses please

also, on my g400,
when i use both of my SGI LCds, i get a ghost of one monitor to the other. I am positive that this is not a monitor problem since when I move a window that is totally encased in one monitors screen area, u can see its ghost in the other.

I am guessing that this maybe a power issue from my abit kg7 raid mobo. It never happened on my 440 bx, or at least i have not noticed it.

no ghosting appears when i only use one monitor.

neway, i guess the big thing is finding out if the g550 will work in linux so i dont have 2 deal with the stupid ghosting

obtw,
can u use one digital and one analog?

can u use 1600x1024 res in counter strike as well?
i remember someone mentioning adding resolutions to the registry to be able to do this. the problem arose since people could not get past the 1280x960 resolution in counter strike.

anyway, sorry for long post
thx

[Supernaut]

http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/tech_info/g550dvi_factsheet.cfm

http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/comp_chart/g200mms_vs_g550.cfm

configurations
"Dual analog or dual DVI"

Digital
"Crystal-clear images at resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 on both panels"

Analog
2048 x 1536 32 bpp @ 75 Hz
(main display, single-head mode)***
1600 x 1200 32 bpp @ 70 Hz
(secondary display, DualHead® mode)

So basically, the only way i can output the full resolution of the monitors is by going analog, crap

I am also really suprised about the low digital resolutions. I guess most mainstream LCDs only do this much but I thought this was made as a workstation card. dunno

also...
"Matrox Software DVD Player and TV-Out cable available separately as an upgrade."

WHAT!! Is it possible to do one dvi for the main and tv out for secondary? If the card cant even do one analog output and one digital, how can the card do one dvi and one tv out?

I think i may get the card just so i can use 1600x1024 on both monitors in analog, but it costs so much. The card costs 199 at the store, I am not sure if its worth it.

Right now, im running 1280x1024 on both monitors with the g400. Running one at 1600x1024 and the other at 1280x1024 produces phase errors er something.

i would use the dvi out on the card but the SGI monitors dont stretch a digital signal, from what i have read anyway.

CRAP

[Wombat]

The card costs 199 at the store, I am not sure if its worth it

uhhh, 199 what, exactly? If you mean US$, or even CN$, then you're looking in all the wrong places.

[atko]

Originally posted by Supernaut So basically, the only way i can output the full resolution of the monitors is by going analog, crap

I am also really suprised about the low digital resolutions. I guess most mainstream LCDs only do this much but I thought this was made as a workstation card. dunno[/B]

I think it is not the fault of G550, it is the limitation of the DVI standard... The DVI "bus" (or interface?) is too slow to transmit higher resolution picture at high refresh rate... You know it is digital and your banwidth is not unlimited so you don't have enough bandwidth to transmit the pictures to the display with high refresh rates...
(I think so, if I'm wrong please correct me! )

[Supernaut]

i said $199 US because i can get it free from the matrox store.

and,

DVI has a limitation of 1280x1024?

THAT SUX!!

I hope that is not true.

[atko]

Originally posted by Supernaut
DVI has a limitation of 1280x1024?

It's sad, but true... A DVI implementation with one 165Mhz T.M.D.S link has a limitation of 1280x1024@85. 165Mhz is the maximum speed of a T.M.D.S. link, so if you want to reach higher resolutions at the same refresh rate you have to use two links, but it depends on your hardware (video card). If two links are not supported by the hardware you won't be able to use higher resolutions at the same refresh rate. In the case of a 165Mhz T.M.D.S. link you can use 1600x1200@60Hz too, but you can see that the refresh rate is just 60Hz in this case...

I don't know how Matrox implemented the DVI standard in the case of G550, but if G550 has just one T.M.D.S. link, then the maximum resolution and refresh rate you can reach in digital mode are 1280x1024@85/75Hz...

[Supernaut]

50395282

ahh thx atko

its really a shame, all i really need is 1600x1024 at 60hz

actually, when going to SGIs website, i remember reading that the g400 did this with the daughter card for DVI.

maybe it is still possible?

from SGI...

Matrox
Millennium G400 with required DVI daughter card* Windows® 98
Windows NT® 4.0
Windows 2000 Requires latest drivers and BIOS update 2.07

weird isnt it?

[Novdid]

Java is a kind of coffee.

[atko]

Re: 50395282

Originally posted by Supernaut
its really a shame, all i really need is 1600x1024 at 60hz

If you using a TFT flat panel at 60Hz refresh rate, it doesn't mean that the image on the screen will be flickering, because it is not a CRT...

I haven't found any information about the Matrox cards' DVI output refresh rate. AFAIK it is 75Hz at the resolution of 1280x1024. If it is true, it means that these cards can't output 1600x1200@60Hz signal, because you need a 165Mhz T.M.D.S. link to output such a signal, but 75Hz at 1280x1024 means that these boards don't have 165Mhz link... If Matrox boards had 165Mhz link then they would be able to run 1280x1024 at 85Hz. So I don't know...