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ATI Technologies RADEON X1550 SERIES User Manual

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Radeon® X1550
Series
User's Guide
P/N 137-71102-10

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  • Page 1 Radeon® X1550 Series User’s Guide P/N 137-71102-10...
  • Page 2 ATI hardware, software, or other products and documentation provided herein. ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes without further notice to a product or system described herein to improve reliability, function or design. With respect to ATI products which this...
  • Page 3 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS • Read Instructions - All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the product is operated. • Retain Instructions - The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. • Heed Warnings - All warnings on the product and the operating instructions should be adhered to.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Introduction ....... 1 Radeon® X1550 Series Features System Requirements Before You Begin Installing Hardware .
  • Page 6 Installing Software and Drivers ....21 Installing Drivers and Software in Windows® Monitor Configuration To set up a multi-monitor display Reinstalling Drivers Installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite Catalyst™...
  • Page 7 CrossFire™ FAQ ......99 Reference ....... 103 Troubleshooting Product Registration Customer Care...
  • Page 8 viii...

  • Page 9: Introduction

    Radeon® X1550 Series Features 1 CHAPTER 1: Introduction Congratulations on the purchase of your ATI Radeon® X1550 Series graphics card. We hope that you will enjoy countless hours of trouble-free computing. Radeon® X1550 Series Features Graphic Features • Native PCI Express® X16 bus support. •...
  • Page 10 2 Radeon® X1550 Series Features • Loss-less Z-buffer compression • Z Cache optimized for real-time shadow rendering. VideoShader™ • Seamlessly integrates pixel shaders with video in real time. • All format DTV/HDTV decoding. • Adaptive Per-Pixel- De-interlacing and Frame Rate Conversion. 512-bit Ring Bus Memory Controller •...

  • Page 11: Crossfire Ready

    Radeon® X1550 Series Features 3 High Dynamic Range (HDR) Rendering • 64-bit floating point HDR supported throughout the pipeline • Includes support for blending and multi-sample anti-aliasing. • High precision 10:10:10:2 integer format support. • Includes support for blending and multi-sample anti-aliasing. •...

  • Page 12: System Requirements

    4 System Requirements System Requirements Hardware • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon®. • 512MB of system memory; 1GB or more for best performance. • Optical drive for installation software (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive). • Specialized PCI Express® 350 watt or greater power supply recommended.

  • Page 13: Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers

    Before You Begin 5 102 part number (P/N) Write the numbers, shown in bold above, down before installing your new ATI product. Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers To ensure the successful installation of your new Radeon® X1550 Series card, you must uninstall the drivers for the existing graphics card before removing it from your computer.
  • Page 14 6 Before You Begin...

  • Page 15: Installing Hardware

    Graphics Card Bus Types 7 CHAPTER 2: Installing Hardware This chapter will guide you through the physical installation of your new Radeon® graphics card. Graphics Card Bus Types There are three possible card bus types. See the illustration below to determine if you have an AGP, PCI, or PCI Express®...

  • Page 16: Installing The Graphics Card

    8 Basic Graphics Card Installation Radeon® graphics cards that require a connection to the computer’s power supply will have a power cable connected to them. Installing the graphics card Turn off the computer, monitor, and other peripheral devices. Unplug the computer’s power cord and disconnect all cables from the back of your computer.

  • Page 17: Advanced Installation: Agp

    Advanced Installation: AGP 9 Advanced Installation: AGP There are two types of installation. If your graphics card does not require a separate connection to the computer’s power supply, follow the Basic Install instructions. If your graphics card require a separate connection to the computer’s power supply, follow the Advanced Install instructions for either AGP or PCIe™, as appropriate.
  • Page 18 10 Advanced Installation: AGP Power Cable Connector 4-Pin Power Connection Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Graphics Card Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Hard Drive Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Power Supply Hard Drive Power Connector to Hard Drive Installing the graphics card Turn off the computer, monitor, and other peripheral devices.

  • Page 19: Advanced Installation: Pcie

    Advanced Installation: PCIe™ 11 Align your ATI graphics card with the slot and press it in firmly until the card is fully seated. Remove the power cable from the hard drive power connector. Connect the power extension cable to the 4-pin power connection on the graphics card.
  • Page 20 12 Advanced Installation: PCIe™ Graphics Card Installation Graphics Card Power Supply 6-pin Power Cable Connector 6-pin Power Connection Power connector to Graphics Card Power connector to Power Supply Installing the Radeon® graphics card Turn off the computer, monitor, and other peripheral devices. Unplug the computer’s power cord and disconnect all cables from the back of your computer.
  • Page 21 Advanced Installation: PCIe™ 13 Remove the computer cover. If necessary, consult your computer’s manual for help in removing the cover. WARNING - Remember to discharge your body’s static electricity by touching the power supply or the metal surface of the computer chassis.

  • Page 22: Connecting Devices

    14 Connecting Devices Connecting Devices The following illustration shows typical connections found on ATI graphics cards: Connector Types Supports an analog CRT monitor. DVI-I Supports a digital monitor. VGA-DVI-I Adapter Supports an analog monitor on a DVI-I connection. S-Video In/Out Supports a TV, VCR, or Camcorder.

  • Page 23: Using Multiple Displays

    CHAPTER 3: Using Multiple Displays Connecting Your Monitors Your Radeon® X1550 Series graphics card provides hardware support for the following display configurations: • Single VGA. • Single DVI. • Dual VGA (DVI-I-to-VGA adapter use required). The TV Out connection supports the following TV formats (cables not provided): •...
  • Page 24 Connections and Adapters for the Radeon® X1550 Series Card Standard VGA Monitor Connector. To connect a VGA monitor to the DVI-I connector, plug the supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter into the DVI-I connector, then plug your monitor cable into the adapter. DVI-I-to-VGA Adapter (optional, not included). DVI-I Connection.

  • Page 25: Display Configurations

    Display Configurations 17 Power on your monitors first, and then restart your computer so that Windows® can detect the new hardware settings. When the New Hardware Found Wizard appears, at the appropriate prompt insert the ATI Installation CD to load the drivers for your card.
  • Page 26 18 Display Configurations Display Connector(s) Comments Configuration Used Single TV S-Video Out The S-Video out can also support a composite connection via the S- Video-to-Composite adapter. Single HDTV S-Video Out to HDTV - High Definition Television display HDTV (YPrPb) cable CRT display + VGA connector + UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION...
  • Page 27 Display Configurations 19 Display Connector(s) Comments Configuration Used CRT display + VGA connector + UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION CRT display + DVI-I connector HDTV with DVI-I-to-VGA adapter + S-Video Out to HDTV (YPrPb) cable...
  • Page 28 20 Display Configurations...

  • Page 29: Installing Software And Drivers

    Installing Drivers and Software in Windows® 21 CHAPTER 4: Installing Software and Drivers This chapter will guide you through the installation of the drivers and software associated with your Radeon® X1550 Series graphics card. Installing Drivers and Software in Windows® You will need to install the Radeon®...

  • Page 30: Monitor Configuration

    22 Monitor Configuration Run the ATISETUP utility. The ATISETUP utility will start automatically when you insert the ATI Installation CD-ROM into your optical drive after the operating system has started. If your CD- ROM auto-run is not enabled or the ATISETUP utility does not start automatically: a) Click the Start button in the task bar.

  • Page 31: To Set Up A Multi-Monitor Display

    To set up a multi-monitor display 23 To configure your primary display Navigate to the Control Panel and choose Display, or right-click on the desktop and choose Properties. Choose the Settings tab and select the screen resolution and color depth that best suit your requirements and your monitor’s performance.

  • Page 32: Installing The Catalyst™ Software Suite

    24 Installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite If your CD-ROM auto-run is not enabled and the ATISETUP utility does not start automatically, follow these steps. In the Windows® task bar, click Start. From the Start menu, select Run. Browse to SETUP.EXE on the root directory of the ATI Installation CD-ROM.
  • Page 33 Installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite 25 Not all software components are installed using the Express installation. Custom installation allows you to select individual software components for installation.
  • Page 34 26 Installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite...

  • Page 35: Catalyst™ Control Center

    Catalyst™ Control Center 27 CHAPTER 5: Catalyst™ Control Center The Catalyst™ Control Center is a graphical user application providing access to the display features contained within the installed ATI hardware and software. Use the Catalyst™ Control Center to fine-tune your graphics settings, enable or disable connected display devices, and change the orientation of your desktop.

  • Page 36: Other Quick Launch Access Points

    28 Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Other Quick Launch Access Points Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the System Tray Right-click the ATI icon in the Windows® System Tray. Select Catalyst™ Control Center from the popup menu. Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the Desktop Shortcut When you first installed Catalyst™...
  • Page 37 Launching Catalyst™ Control Center 29 Catalyst™ Control Center: Standard View...

  • Page 38: Catalyst™ Control Center Dashboard

    30 Catalyst™ Control Center Dashboard Catalyst™ Control Center: Advanced View Catalyst™ Control Center Dashboard The Catalyst™ Control Center Dashboard is a graphical representation of the display features of the installed ATI hardware and software. Use the Dashboard to fine-tune your graphic settings, enable or disable connected display devices, and change the orientation of your desktop.

  • Page 39: Catalyst™ Control Center Views

    Catalyst™ Control Center Views 31 • Profiles • Preferences • Help Catalyst™ Control Center Views The Catalyst™ Control Center Dashboard supports three types of views: • Basic • Advanced • Custom Basic View Basic View is the default view when Catalyst™ Control Center is launched for the very first time.

  • Page 40: Hotkeys Manager

    32 Hotkeys Manager Create a Custom View In Advanced View, click View and select Define Custom View. In the Define a Custom View dialog, click the plus sign beside the graphics card name to expand the tree view. Select the check box next to each aspect you wish to add to your custom view.

  • Page 41: Profiles Manager

    Profiles Manager 33 Note: A hot key character is restricted to letters of the alphabet. Create a list of active hot keys Open Hotkeys Manager. Select an option from the List Hotkeys for drop-down menu. • Optionally, select an aspect from the According to list. Select the hot key actions you want active.

  • Page 42: Create A Profile

    34 Profiles Manager Note: A profile applies to a specific graphics card. If there is more than one graphics card installed in your computer, you need to select the appropriate card before creating, loading, or activating a profile. Note: Profiles Manager is only available in Advanced View. Display Profiles Manager Click Profiles in the Dashboard.

  • Page 43: Preferences

    Preferences 35 • If you choose Hotkeys assignment, select a Hot key modifier and a keyboard key. Activate an application, file, or shortcut when a profile is started Open the Profiles Manager. Click the Applications tab. Click opens the following application, file or shortcut. Click the browse (“...”) button and browse to the file you want associated with your profile.
  • Page 44 36 Preferences The Catalyst™ Control Center Preferences page contains the following options: • Hide Tooltips • Always on Top • Enable System Tray menu • Restore factory defaults • Hide Toolbar Text • Select a Language • Select a Skin Keep Catalyst™...
  • Page 45 Preferences 37 Note: When a check mark appears next to Hide Splash Screen the Catalyst™ Control Center splash screen will not appear during start Show or hide the Catalyst™ Control Center icon in the Windows® System Tray Click Preferences button in the Advanced View of the Dashboard. Click Enable System Tray menu in the drop-down menu.

  • Page 46: Help

    38 Help Help Use the Catalyst™ Control Center Help feature to access the comprehensive online help system, generate a Problem Report, and get the installed version information. Display help for the aspect or feature you are using Click the Help button in the Advanced View of the Dashboard. Select Help for this Page.

  • Page 47: Information Center

    Information Center 39 Information Center The Information Center provides detailed information about the installed graphics hardware and associated software. • Graphics Software includes information such as installed 2D and 3D driver versions, OpenGL® version, and Catalyst™ Control Center version. • Graphics Hardware includes information about each installed graphics card, such as the installed graphics chipset, device ID, bus type, memory size, and BIOS version.

  • Page 48: Displays Manager

    40 Displays Manager To access system information • Click the System Information button to open the Windows® System Information. Displays Manager The Displays Manager aspect is the central location for configuring your display devices and arranging your desktop. Use the Displays Manager aspect to quickly change your display setup, arrange your desktop in a multi-monitor environment, and enable TV Out.

  • Page 49: Displays Manager Advanced View

    Displays Manager Advanced View 41 Catalyst™ Control Center: Displays Manager Displays Manager Advanced View Use Display Manager Advanced View to set your desktop resolution, the display refresh rate, and arrange your displays. To change your display configuration requires dragging and/or clicking or right-clicking a display icon Access Displays Manager •...
  • Page 50 42 Displays Manager Advanced View Click Yes to the Enable this display dialog. • Optionally, right-click the number 2 icon in the right-hand box and click Enable in the pop-up menu. Note: Repeat steps 2 and 3 above for each additional connected device.
  • Page 51 Displays Manager Advanced View 43 Click Clone Main with [display device]. Click Yes to the Displays Manager Notification dialog. Note: Display device can be CRT, DFP, TV, or HDTV. Enable Stretch Main Vertically If the secondary display is disabled: From the Tree View pane, click Displays Manager. Click and drag the display device icon from Additional Displays to the empty box to the right of the Main box.
  • Page 52 44 Displays Manager Advanced View Note: Display device can be CRT, DFP, TV, or HDTV depending on the device connection. Swap displays in Extended Mode Use Swap displays to switch your desktops when using multiple monitors. From the Tree View pane, click Displays Manager. Right-click any Desktop icon.
  • Page 53 Displays Manager Advanced View 45 Note: See your monitor manual for supported refresh rates. Setting a refresh rate higher than recommended by the monitor manufacturer could damage the monitor. Rotate the desktop From the Tree View pane, click Displays Manager. Right-click the desktop monitor icon to be rotated.

  • Page 54: Display Options

    46 Display Options Clicking Discard applies to all features of an aspect, not just the feature in the current view. Display Options The Display Options aspect gives you additional control to optimize performance of OpenGL® and Direct 3D® applications. Use 3D Refresh Rate Override to set a refresh rate of your choice when a full-screen application or game has a default refresh rate that is lower than optimal.
  • Page 55 Display Options 47 Catalyst™ Control Center: Display Options Select a refresh rate override Some applications may have a default refresh rate lower than the optimal setting for your monitor. 3D Refresh Rate Override enables you to set the refresh rate for full-screen applications or games utilizing Microsoft® DirectX®...

  • Page 56: Determine How Display Devices Are Detected

    48 Display Options Determine how display devices are detected Use this feature to determine how the Catalyst™ Control Center detects display devices connected to your computer. You can set the Catalyst™ Control Center to automatically detect all connected display devices when it is opened or you can manually detect connected devices when they are required.

  • Page 57: Monitor Properties

    Monitor Properties 49 Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center. Discard your settings • Click Discard to ignore any unsaved changes and restore the settings that existed when the Catalyst™...
  • Page 58 50 Monitor Properties Catalyst™ Control Center: Monitor Properties (Sample) Monitor Attributes Monitor Attributes provides information about the attached monitor. You can also enable Extended Display Identification Data. Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) uses the information provided by the attached monitor to determine the limits for the resolution and refresh rate.

  • Page 59: Restore Default Settings

    Monitor Properties 51 Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center. Restore default settings Move the mouse to the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Click Defaults.
  • Page 60 52 Monitor Properties Catalyst™ Control Center: Digital Panel Properties (Sample) Attributes Digital Panel Attributes provides information about the connected digital display. Use DVI Settings and Image Scaling to configure your digital display. Set Image Scaling From the Tree View pane, expand Digital Panel Properties. Click Attributes.
  • Page 61 Monitor Properties 53 Note: Use centered timings will not resize the desktop to fit the screen, and may result in a centered image with a black border around Adjust the DVI Settings From the Tree View pane, expand Digital Panel Properties. Click Attributes.

  • Page 62: Avivo™ Color

    54 Avivo™ Color Avivo™ Color Use Avivo™ Color with ATI graphics cards that supports per-display color settings. Independently set the hue and saturation for each attached and enabled display. Set Hue Refers to a specific color within the visible spectrum of light, defined by its dominant wavelength.

  • Page 63: Hdtv Support

    HDTV Support 55 Note: Clicking Defaults will restore the defaults for the current view only. Previous settings are not altered and will be saved once you click OK. Discard your settings • Click Discard to ignore any unsaved changes and restore the settings that existed when the Catalyst™...
  • Page 64 56 HDTV Support WARNING!: This option is only intended for displays that report incomplete or incorrect EDID information. Adding this setting could damage your digital flat panel display. USE WITH CAUTION! Add 1080i mode to the Displays Manager Force button If the Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats list box is empty you can add a format.
  • Page 65 HDTV Support 57 Add an HDTV format The Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats list box should list any standard and optimized HDTV formats supported by the digital panel’s EDID. If the list is empty, then no HDTV formats are natively supported. From the Tree View pane, expand Digital Panel Properties.
  • Page 66 58 3D Click to highlight the desired an HDTV format in the Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats list box. Click Apply Format. Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center.

  • Page 67: Standard Settings

    Standard Settings 59 • API-Specific Catalyst™ Control Center: Standard Settings Standard Settings The Standard settings page provides access to a universal slider control where you can simultaneously adjust all of the standard 3D settings for any type of 3D application. The slider enables you to adjust for overall system performance, overall 3D image quality, or a balance between the two.
  • Page 68 60 Standard Settings Click Standard Settings. If necessary, remove the check mark from Use custom settings. Click and drag the Control slider to the left to select High or Optimal Performance, or to the right to select High or Optimal Quality. Preview your changes •...

  • Page 69: Anti-Aliasing

    Anti-aliasing 61 Anti-aliasing Anti-aliasing is a technique used to smooth out the jagged edges of three- dimensional curved objects or objects with diagonal edges. Anti-aliasing can be set to favor either an increase in system processing performance or improved image quality: •...
  • Page 70 62 Set the Anti-Aliasing preference manually Set the Transparent Anti-Aliasing Expand 3D in Advanced View. Click Transparent Anti-Aliasing. Ensure the application override is enabled. To do so, make sure the Let the Application Decide check box is not selected. Click and drag the slider to the desired setting. Note: The slider control becomes unavailable when Let the Application Decide is enabled.

  • Page 71: Adaptive Anti-Aliasing

    Adaptive Anti-aliasing 63 Note: Clicking Defaults will restore the defaults for the current view only. Previous settings are not altered and will be saved once you click OK. Adaptive Anti-aliasing Adaptive anti-aliasing is a technique that applies a combination of multi- sampling (MSAA) and super-sampling (SSAA) on 3D objects to improve edge smoothness and fine detail.
  • Page 72 64 Anisotropic Filtering Ensure the application override is disabled. To do so, make sure the Let the Application Decide check box is cleared. The slider control will become available. Click the Control slider and move the selector to your preferred setting: •...

  • Page 73: Catalyst™ A.i. 65

    Catalyst™ A.I. 65 Discard your settings • Click Discard to ignore any unsaved changes and restore the settings that existed when the Catalyst™ Control Center was opened or the last time Apply was used. Discard does not close the Catalyst™ Control Center. Clicking Discard applies to all features of an aspect, not just the feature in the current view.
  • Page 74 66 Catalyst™ A.I. Click Catalyst™ A.I. If necessary, clear the check mark from Disable Catalyst™ A.I. Click and drag to slider to the desired setting. Note: Change to Catalyst™ A.I. settings is not shown in the 3D Preview. Preview your changes •...

  • Page 75: Mipmap Detail Level

    Mipmap Detail Level 67 Mipmap Detail Level Mipmapping is a texturing technique that preserves the detail on a 3D object’s surface as it moves into the background. A series of high- and low- resolution texture maps are stored in memory and selectively used to create the object’s surface, depending on what level of detail is needed.

  • Page 76: All Settings

    68 All Settings Discard your settings • Click Discard to ignore any unsaved changes and restore the settings that existed when the Catalyst™ Control Center was opened or the last time Apply was used. Discard does not close the Catalyst™ Control Center. Clicking Discard applies to all features of an aspect, not just the feature in the current view.
  • Page 77 All Settings 69 Ensure the application override is disabled. To do so, make sure the Let the Application Decide check box is cleared. The slider control will become available. Click the Control slider and move the selector to your preferred setting: •...
  • Page 78 70 All Settings Set the Catalyst™ A.I. setting From the Tree View pane, expand 3D. Click All Settings. Scroll to Catalyst™ A.I. Click the Control slider and move the selector to the left to increase processing performance, or to the right to increase image quality. Set the Mipmap detail level From the Tree View pane, expand 3D.

  • Page 79: Api Specific

    API Specific 71 Discard your settings • Click Discard to ignore any unsaved changes and restore the settings that existed when the Catalyst™ Control Center was opened or the last time Apply was used. Discard does not close the Catalyst™ Control Center. Clicking Discard applies to all features of an aspect, not just the feature in the current view.
  • Page 80 72 API Specific Set Support DXT texture formats for Direct 3D® This option enables support for DirectX® compressed texture formats. DXT requires half the amount of memory to draw the same amount of textures. This frees up memory while achieving high quality graphics. From the Tree View pane, expand 3D.

  • Page 81: Color

    Color 73 Select Force 24-bit Z-buffer depth to place a check mark in the check box. Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center.

  • Page 82: Color Desktop

    74 Color Desktop Catalyst™ Control Center: Color Color Desktop Adjust the overall richness of color by using the Gamma control. To adjust the overall brightness use the Brightness control, and the overall contrast use the Contrast control. Display Color page to configure Desktop From the Tree View pane, click Color.
  • Page 83 Color Desktop 75 Click and drag either the Gamma, Brightness, or Contrast to adjust all these settings simultaneously. Revert to last known All Channel settings From the Tree View pane, click Color. Select Desktop in Set color correction for. Select All Channels. Reactivate your color settings Your desktop may retain the color settings when exiting an application or game.
  • Page 84 76 Color Desktop Note: The preview image automatically displays the adjustment you have made. Set Color Contrast From the Tree View pane, click Color. Click and drag the Control slider to your preferred setting: • To increase the Contrast, move the slider to the right. •...

  • Page 85: Color - Fullscreen 3D

    Color - FullScreen 3D 77 Color - FullScreen 3D Adjusting the Gamma control alters the overall richness of color. Adjusting the Brightness control alters the overall brightness. Adjusting the Contrast control alters the overall contrast. • Adjusting the Gamma can be useful for CAD applications that rely heavily on color coding or applications that require realistic color.

  • Page 86: Avivo™ Video For Radeon® X1000 Series

    78 Avivo™ Video for Radeon® X1000 Series Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center. Restore default settings Move the mouse to the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Click Defaults.

  • Page 87: Standard Settings

    Standard Settings 79 Catalyst™ Control Center: Avivo Video Standard Settings To quickly adjust your video settings choose one of the video presets or use the Video Wizard to configure your display devices. Start the Video Wizard From the Tree View pane, expand Video. Click Standard Settings.
  • Page 88 80 Standard Settings Select a preset from the Video Presets menu. Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Catalyst™ Control Center. Restore default settings Move the mouse to the bottom right-hand corner of the window.
  • Page 89 Standard Settings 81 Click and drag the Gamma control slider to the desired position. Set Contrast Contrast is the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. From the Tree View pane, expand Video. Click Adjustments. Click and drag the Contrast control slider to the desired position. Set Brightness Brightness is the overall intensity, or luminosity of an image.
  • Page 90 82 Standard Settings Restore default settings Move the mouse to the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Click Defaults. Note: Clicking Defaults will restore the defaults for the current view only. Previous settings are not altered and will be saved once you click OK.
  • Page 91 Standard Settings 83 • Optionally, select in Theater Mode (full-screen) if you want the video content to be displayed on both displays. The Secondary display displays the same content as the primary. Set video aspect ratio From the Tree View pane, expand Video. Click Theater Mode.
  • Page 92 84 Standard Settings • Auto Detect lets the multimedia driver to select the best deinterlacing scheme for different video sources and sizes. • Bob deinterlacing, when selected, removes every other line of the video image and is recommended for motion video. •...
  • Page 93 Standard Settings 85 All Settings The All Settings page combines all of the principal Video features onto a single page, without any preview window, allowing quick access and adjustment. This page is useful when it is not necessary to preview the adjusted settings because the effect is already known or understood.
  • Page 94 86 Standard Settings Click All Settings. Scroll to Video Adjustments. Adjust the Contrast control slider to the desired position. Adjust Saturation Saturation is the measure of amount of color in an image. From the Tree View pane, expand Video. Click All Settings. Scroll to Video Adjustments.
  • Page 95 Standard Settings 87 Scroll to Overlay Display Mode. Under Extended desktop shows overlay: select in Standard Mode if you want the video content to be displayed on the primary display only. • Optionally, select in Theater Mode (full-screen) if you want the video content to be displayed on both displays.

  • Page 96: Vpu Recover

    88 VPU Recover Restore default settings Move the mouse to the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Click Defaults. Note: Clicking Defaults will restore the defaults for the current view only. Previous settings are not altered and will be saved once you click OK.
  • Page 97 From the Tree View pane, click VPU Recover. Click Prepare an error report if VPU Recover is activated for submission to ATI Technologies. Click Send Error Report button in the error report email.
  • Page 98 90 VPU Recover An email is created containing the error report for submission to ATI Technologies. Note: No personal information is included in the error report. Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™ Control Center open.
  • Page 99 VPU Recover 91 Click Catalyst™ A.I. If necessary, clear the check mark from Disable Catalyst™ A.I. Click and drag to slider to the desired setting. Note: Change to Catalyst™ A.I. settings is not shown in the 3D Preview. Apply your settings Click Apply to save your changes and leave the Catalyst™...
  • Page 100 92 VPU Recover...

  • Page 101: Using Tv Display And Capture Features

    Using TV Out 93 CHAPTER 6: Using TV Display and Capture Features This chapter describes how to use the TV display and video capture features of your Radeon® X1550 Series card. Using TV Out Your Radeon® X1550 Series has TV Out capability. Viewing Your PC’s Display on a TV You can attach your Radeon®...
  • Page 102 94 Using TV Out Determine if your TV supports either a S-Video or Composite video connection. Looking at the back of your PC, locate your S-Video Out. Using an S- Video cable, attach one end of the cable to your graphics card and the other to your TV.

  • Page 103: Connecting To Hdtv

    Connecting to HDTV 95 occurs because the display adjusts to fit the dimensions of your TV. To correct the monitor’s display, use the monitor’s control buttons to adjust its display size and position. Some single-frequency monitors may not work with TV display enabled. If you experience problems when TV display is enabled, disable TV display to restore your monitor’s display.
  • Page 104 96 Connecting to HDTV The HDTV Component Video Adapter can be used in place of the standard A/V Output cable to connect to an HDTV or other component input device, using component video cables. You must have a monitor attached to your computer before installing the ATI HDTV.

  • Page 105: Using Your Ati Hdtv Video Cable

    Connecting to HDTV 97 Turn on your computer. Note: Your TV will not display anything until Windows starts. This can take several minutes. Using Your ATI HDTV Video Cable Use the HDTV Video Cable to watch DVD movies and play video games on your High Definition Television.
  • Page 106 98 Connecting to HDTV...

  • Page 107: Crossfire™ Faq

    CHAPTER 7: CrossFire™ FAQ The following are frequently-asked questions about CrossFire™. For the latest information, please consult the CrossFire™ Web site at: ati.com/crossfire What combination of products are required to build a working CrossFire™ system? Two components are required: • Two CrossFire™ Edition graphics cards from the same brand- family.
  • Page 108 To access and enable CrossFire™ in Catalyst™ Control Center, do the following: • In Advanced View, click CrossFire™ and check the Enable box. CrossFire™ When CrossFire™ is successfully enabled, all display devices except the one used by CrossFire™ will be disabled. Multiple monitors/ displays that are disabled when CrossFire™...
  • Page 109 In this scenario both graphics cards will operate as 12-pipeline graphics cards while in CrossFire™ mode. What happens if two CrossFire™ graphics cards have different clock speeds? Both cards will continue to operate at their individual clock speeds; neither card is “stepped down”. The compositing engine on the CrossFire™...
  • Page 110 What type of performance improvement is expected? Performance enhancements experienced on a CrossFire™ system depend on the application or game being used. Performance improvements can be increased up to 100%, and the latest graphics- intensive programs will generally see over 80% performance improvement at high resolutions and image-quality modes.

  • Page 111: Reference

    Troubleshooting 103 CHAPTER 8: Reference This chapter provides information on troubleshooting, where to get additional accessories, how to register your product, plus warranty and compliance information. Troubleshooting The following troubleshooting tips may help if you experience problems. ATI’s documentation contains helpful installation/configuration tips and other valuable feature information.
  • Page 112 104 Troubleshooting General Troubleshooting Problem Possible Solution No Display • Check that the card is seated properly in its expansion slot. • Ensure that the monitor cable is securely fastened to the card. • Make sure that the monitor and computer are plugged in and receiving power.

  • Page 113: Product Registration

    Product Registration 105 HDTV/HDTV Adapter Troubleshooting Problem Possible Solution The colors on my • Ensure that the connections between the Component TV display are Video Adapter and your HDTV are correct (Y=Green, incorrect Pb=Blue, Pr=Red). There is no • Your TV will not display anything until Windows starts; display on my TV this may take several minutes.
  • Page 114 If you require further assistance with your product, the following Customer Care options are available: Service Availability Language Access ati.com Online 24/7 English, French, Spanish, ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC. Portuguese, Attention: Customer Care German Mail 1 Commerce Valley Drive East Markham, Ontario Canada L3T 7X6 Telephone 9:00AM - English 1-877-284-1566 (toll-free) US &...

  • Page 115: Additional Accessories

    Additional Accessories 107 • ATI Customer Care is unable to assist with refunds, returns, or exchange specific inquiries. If resolving the problem being experienced is critical to your decision to keep the product, it is your responsibility to ensure that you know and are within the period of time your reseller will allow for refunds, returns or exchange.

  • Page 116: Industry Canada Compliance Statement

    108 Compliance Information • Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to ensure compliance with FCC regulations.
  • Page 117 Compliance Information 109 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive Compliance This product was manufactured by ATI Technologies Inc.
  • Page 118 110 Compliance Information...

  • Page 119: Glossary

    CHAPTER 9: Glossary Acronym for “two dimensional,” a term applied to computer graphics that are “flat.” Typical desktop applications such as word processors, spreadsheet programs, or other programs that manipulate print or simple graphics (such as pictures or line art) are generally considered to be operating within a 2D environment, even when they include simple three dimensional elements, such as buttons.
  • Page 120 surfaces, allowing game programmers to include more texture and lighting details without affecting performance. Adaptive Anti-aliasing Adaptive anti-aliasing is a technique that applies a combination of multi- sampling (MSAA) and super-sampling (SSAA) on 3D objects to improve edge smoothness and fine detail. Multi-sampling works best on smoothing the edges of solid polygons, but cannot effectively smooth edges within polygons which are partially transparent.

  • Page 121: Aspect Ratio

    operation is only available in Radeon® CrossFire™ graphics cards running Microsoft® Direct 3D® and OpenGL® games or applications. Anisotropic Filtering A technique that preserves the surface details of an object as it recedes into the distance by utilizing and blending together the object’s texture maps. This makes 3D objects appear more realistic as the detail of their surface texture is retained in a smooth, seamless fashion on the sections that move or fade away into the background.

  • Page 122: Back Buffer

    single display within its existing ambient lighting environment, or to better color match two or more adjacent monitors. Back Buffer A type of offscreen memory used to provide smooth video and 2D graphics acceleration. This technique uses two frame buffers, so the process is often referred to as “double-buffering.”...

  • Page 123: Color Correction

    Brightness The amount of white or black that is applied to all colors onscreen. By making the screen “brighter” you are adding more white to it. This should not be confused with luminosity, which measures the actual light level emitted from the computer display. Buffer A name referring to portions of on-board video memory.

  • Page 124: Composite Video

    Component Video Typically used on DVD players and HDTV systems, component video is a standard Red/Green/Blue (RGB) color signal for televisions. The signal is split and compressed into separate luminance and color values—luminance (“Y”), red minus luminance (R-Y), and blue minus luminance (B-Y). The value for green is not transmitted.

  • Page 125: Dot Pitch

    through a shadow mask and onto the back of the glass screen. The electron beams activate separate red, green, and blue values in various strengths in order to produce a colored image. Dashboard The dashboard is the part of the Catalyst™ Control Center used to display a graphical representation of the features available in installed ATI hardware and software.

  • Page 126: Frame Buffer

    equal the dot pitch. If the monitor is set to lower resolutions, the pixels will be comprised of multiple dots. Acronym for “Digital Video Interface,” a standard video connection used on many current computer displays. There are three types of DVI connections: DVI-A (analog), DVI-D (digital), and DVI-I (integrated, capable of either analog or digital).

  • Page 127: Frames Per Second

    Frames Per Second In terms of 3D graphics, refers to the rate at which the graphic processor can render new screens per second. Higher rates equals better, more naturalistic performance for such things as games set in a 3D environment. Sometimes abbreviated to “fps.”...
  • Page 128 HDTV Acronym for “High Definition Television,” a format that produces much greater picture quality than a standard television, and in a wide-screen format that matches that of a movie theater screen. The two most popular formats are 1080i and 720p, where the number represents how many horizontal scan lines they have, and the following letter represents whether the picture is interlaced, or the product of progressive scanning technology.
  • Page 129 Keyframe Interpolation This feature is also known as “morphing.” In an animation, a start and end point are picked as the key frames. In a 3D rendering, the start point could have a character with a neutral expression, and the end point could have that same character smiling.
  • Page 130 flicker-free. The acronym refers to the National Television Systems Committee, which devised this color video standard in 1953. Offscreen Memory An area of memory used to preload images so that they can be quickly drawn to the screen. Offscreen memory refers to all of the remaining video memory not taken up by the front buffer, which holds the contents of the display screen currently visible.

  • Page 131: Refresh Rate

    card. PCI replaced the older ISA and VESA bus standards, and was itself superseded by the AGP standard for the main graphics card bus. PCI Express® (PCIe™) The successor standard to the PCI and AGP bus standards, with a significantly faster serial communications system, further opening up bandwidth for more communications between such peripherals as graphics cards and the computer’s CPU.

  • Page 132: Scissor Mode

    the display may look three dimensional, but it is really just a 2D grid of pixels designed to appear that way. Resolution The resolution of any display is the number of pixels that can be depicted on screen as specified by the number of horizontal rows against the number of vertical columns.

  • Page 133: Shadow Mask

    SDTV SDTV is an acronym for “Standard Definition Television” that identifies lower resolution systems when compared to High Definition Television (HDTV) systems. SDTV systems use the same 4:3 aspect ratio and 480 scan lines to produce a picture as regular analog television sets, but digital decoding enhanced of the signal, displaying a sharper and crisper picture.

  • Page 134: Specular Highlight

    image quality. Anti-aliasing performance is improved, providing better overall detail and image quality. The enhanced anisotropic filtering ensures sharper and clearer pictures at higher frame rates, and the new 3Dc™ compression technology makes it possible to display higher polygon counts for 3D rendered objects.
  • Page 135 contain 4-pins within a single connection housing and are commonly found on consumer DVD players, VCRs, game consoles, and related devices. Texel Short for “texture element,” the 3D equivalent of a pixel, describing the base unit of the surface of a 3D object, such as a sphere; for a 2D object, such as a circle, the base unit is a pixel.

  • Page 136: Trilinear Filtering

    Trilinear Filtering A sampling method used to produce realistic-looking 3D objects. Trilinear filtering averages one of the bilinear filter mipmap levels along with the standard mipmap samples. Vector Adaptive Deinterlacing A technique that provides smoother, less jagged edges for interlaced video playback.

  • Page 137: Vga Connector

    within the graphical processor, the more complex polygons that can be generated per clock cycle, and hence finer, more naturalistic detail and movement is possible. VGA Connector A type of graphics connector, sometimes also called an analog connector. It is the most common type of video connector available, consisting of 15- pins set in three rows.
  • Page 138 while “Pb” and “Pr” represent the blue and red channels respectively, both of which have the luminance value subtracted from them. It is an equivalent color space to the chrominance-based YCbCr, which is used for digital video. Z-buffer The portion of video memory that keeps track of which onscreen elements can be viewed and which are hidden behind other objects.

  • Page 139: Index

    Index Numerics 102 part number 56, 57, 120, 129 1080i 1080i mode 1080p 113, 120 16:9 (aspect ratio) 58, 59, 61, 62, 69, 73, 77, 90, 100, 101, 111, 120, 125, 126 60, 62, 64, 66, 67 3D Preview 3D Settings 111, 125 113, 120, 125 4:3 (aspect ratio)
  • Page 140 Anti-Aliasing preference API-Specific appearance of the Catalyst Control Center 59, 71 Application Programmable Interface (API) Apply a Hotkey Aspect 57, 78, 83, 87, 113 Aspect Ratio ATI Overdrive 22, 23, 24 ATISETUP utility Avivo ™ Color Avivo Color Back Buffer back buffer Basic Basic View...
  • Page 141 Color quality Compliance Information compliance information Composite Engine 116, 126, 129 Composite Video 101, 126 Compositing Engine composition of the profile configuration multiple monitors primary monitor configuration tips Connecting Devices 74, 81 Contrast 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 85, 104, 113 contrast 5, 23, 115 Control Panel...
  • Page 142 Digital 43, 44, 45, 55, 56, 104 Digital Flat Panel (DFP) Digital flat-panel (DFP) display Digital Panel properties Digital Video Interface 46, 70, 71, 72, 101, 113, 117, 124, 126 Direct 3D DirectX 66, 91 Disable Catalyst ® A.I. Disable Catalyst A.I. Display Color page Display Data Channel (DDC) Display Detection Options...
  • Page 143 42, 43, 44, 82, 86 Extended Mode external connectors FCC Compliance Flat Shading Force 24-bit Z-buffer depth Force button Force changes to a specific display setting Force TV Detection Force TV detection Frame Buffer 72, 111 frame rate Frames per second (fps) FullScreen 3D games TV display...
  • Page 144 54, 78, 80, 81, 86, 113, 120, 124 22, 24, 120 HydraVision HyperZ HD Image Scaling Industry Canada Compliance Information Center installation tips Installing drivers interlaced Keyframe interpolation KTX Buffer Region Extension 80, 85 Let the application control the video adjustments 61, 63 Let the Application Decide 111, 112, 114...
  • Page 145 122, 125 122, 123 4, 99 PCI Express 112, 123 PCI Express (PCIe) Pentium Péritel 100, 101, 123 Pipeline 72, 101, 123 Pixel pixel shaders pixel-by-pixel Pixel-shading power supply 55, 56 Predefined and Custom HDTV Formats 31, 35 Preferences 60, 62, 64, 66, 67 Preview your changes Prince of Persia Product Registration...
  • Page 146 safety instructions Same on all displays 54, 80, 81, 86, 113, 120, 124 Saturation Save your Profile 83, 87 Scale to full screen scaling SCART 101, 124, 126 Scissor Mode Search for Help SECAM secondary display device 84, 87 Select a deinterlacing mode Select a Language Select a skin Separate Video...
  • Page 147 101, 126 SuperTiling 24, 102 SurroundView S-Video Swap display Switch Views SXGA System Information system requirements System Tray Icon Temperature Temporal anti-aliasing temporal filtering Texel texture buffer Texture mapping Texture Preference the same on all displays 78, 82, 83, 86, 87 Theater Mode Theater Mode Settings ToolTips...
  • Page 148 4, 124 VGA connector 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 104, 105 Video Video Adjustments 83, 87 video aspect ratio Video Graphics Array Video Immersion II video memory Video Preset Video Wizard VideoShader HD Views 88, 89, 129 VPU Recover Wait for display refresh Wait for vertical refresh setting...

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