8.42.3 + Ubuntu 7.10 + X1950 + x86_64 (should I bother?)

[an0n1m0us]

Hello

I'm trying to get the graphics working in a new install of Ubuntu. Not having much luck.

Details:

Ubuntu 7.10 (Gusty Gibbon) x86_64
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+
Sapphire X1950 GT 256MB PCIe x16
Samsung SyncMaster 205BW (1680x1050)

I've tried several options mentioned around the place however after several failures I thought I'd go back to the "Restricted Drivers" version and put up with that. However the best that driver seems to be able to offer (possibly because the monitor is not detected properly) me is 1280x1024.

Has anyone actually got the above combination working with 8.42.3 ? If so what magic did you have to pull off?

Is there any way I can get the "Restricted Drivers" version (I think it's 8.37 ??) running at 1680x1050?

Help would be extremely appreciated.

[givemesugarr]

try reading the 8.42.3 thread upper where i seem to remember of a patch to make it work with 2.6.23.
then try setting manually the monitor in your xorg.conf to the values you want. towards the end of the thread there's an xorg.conf posted by me that has about what it is needed to make xorg run well. the configs there are standard and should be effective for all ati boards. the fonts section is not really needed and if you see some module of the section module not working just comment it.
so search for the patch, patch the driver, install it and make a copy of your actual xorg.conf (/etc/X11/xorg.conf); then set your device bus to the one in your actual xorg.conf and the name as the actual name you have in xorg.conf then paste in you sectiondevice and in the other section the options there. in the section modes add to your modes the ones you need including 1680x1050 in all the sections.
if you managed to actually install the driver and to adapt the xorg.conf configuration then startx and see the difference. it should start directly in 1680x1050 at 24 bit. remember to not set your sync at more than 60hz or whatever your's support (60 is standard for an lcd, but some support also 75 or 85hz) or you risk burning your monitor.

[an0n1m0us]

Hi givemesugarr, thanks for your response however I'm not sure what "reading the 8.42.3 thread upper" means.

Also, Ubuntu 7.10 uses the 2.6.22-14-generic kernel. Does this mean the patch will not work?

[aoanla]

This isn't very helpful, but I thought I'd note that I have exactly the same issue, but in Feisty, not Gutsy.

Somewhere, the thread I started on this is sitting, with no replies from anyone. This makes me think that there is, in fact, no solution...

(It's definitely not an issue with the kernel - it seems to be, at least partly, an issue with broken EDID parsing, although if I generate a correct modeline for my monitor, the display is still very corrupt at that setting. This makes me think that there is a deeper problem with the driver itself.)

In detail: if I generate a modeline for my monitor (1440x900, in this case), and force the driver to use it in the xorg.conf, then I /do/ get 1440x900 - but only the lefthand 1280x900 is usable - the rightmost section is partly overwritten by another copy of left-hand side of the screen. This renders 1440x900 unusable for me.

I'd be interested, if you do the experiment as well, an0n1m0us, as to if you get the same problem.

This issue is present in 8.41.7 and 8.42.3 for me, at least.

[an0n1m0us]

hi aoanla

In my case I was suspecting dodgy EDID parsing might be an issue as well. My suspicions are based on the connection I have set up. Currently I'm using a DVI to analog adaptor that is then passed through an analog switch box before finally getting to the monitor. I actually am not surprised this therefore doesn't work. What is annoying though, is that when I manually use the new "Screens and Graphics" applet in the latest GNOME, and specify the exactmonitor I have, the system will not accept it.

I'm more than happy to exchange experiments with you aoanla however I'm not 100% sure how to "create a modeline", I used the aticonfig command line utility to add the 1680x1050 resolution and that seemed to work initially but then failed upon second reboot, I think.

You say "exactly the same issue" but it sounds like your monitor is different, is it? What about your graphics card?

[aoanla]

I'm more than happy to exchange experiments with you aoanla however I'm not 100% sure how to "create a modeline", I used the aticonfig command line utility to add the 1680x1050 resolution and that seemed to work initially but then failed upon second reboot, I think.

Right. Well, what the EDID parser does is to calculate modelines for each supported mode on your monitor. Instead, you can use online utilities to create the "correct" modeline for a given resolution etc, and then insert them into your xorg.conf - X then includes them as valid additional options, as well as any options which are automatically detected by EDID parsing.

My xorg.conf contains the following additional lines:
In the Monitor section, the line:

Modeline "1440x900@60" 106.50 1440 1520 1672 1904 900 903 909 934 +hsync

This is the "correct" modeline for my monitor at 1440x900 - the quoted bit is just a name to identify it within the xorg.conf file.

Then, in the Screen section, in the Display subsection, there is:

Modes "1280x1024" "1440x900@60"

this is sufficient to tell X that that modeline is also a valid one for this Display.

So, try using this site:
http://xtiming.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/xtiming.pl
to generate the right modeline for 1680x1050 on your monitor (for best results, consult your monitor manual for the timing settings) and insert the relevant modeline - then see what happens when you switch to it in an X session.

You say "exactly the same issue" but it sounds like your monitor is different, is it? What about your graphics card?

My monitor is different - it's a Hannstar AH191D.
My graphics card is the same - an X1950 (Pro, not GT)
And I'm also using 64bit Ubuntu, just Feisty not Gusty.

What I mean is that the issue is the same in the sense that we both can't use resolutions above 1280x1050 - the driver apparently rejects them unless it is forced to use them.

[an0n1m0us]

Hiya

Phew that generator looks like it wants a lot of esoteric information. I'll see what I can do.

Re not being able to go to a high resolution. I'm not sure that is the case as something (i've lost track of what is doing what - Catalyst GUI, direct xorg.conf edits, aticonfig CLI utility ...) was setting up the resolution at 1600x1200 or 1900x1200, notsure.

Fortunately looks like a handy Windows utility I've stored for a while will come into play here:

SyncMaster HVYL602566 24 / 2006 11596 (0x2D4C) 541 (0x021D) 1280 X 960 43.3 X 27.1 cm (20.1 Inch) 43 X 27 cm (20.0 Inch) 30 - 81 KHz 56 - 75 Hz No No No Yes No 2.20 1212232240 (0x48413230) 1.3 SAM021D\4&28cc8969&0&22446688&00&05

[an0n1m0us]

Unfortunately not. I don't know what the dot frequency is or another couple of items

[givemesugarr]

reading the 8.42.3 thread upper"

means reading this:
http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5947

[aoanla]

Unfortunately not. I don't know what the dot frequency is or another couple of items

You can still try to get it to generate a modeline for you, with the information you do have. It'll use common values for the things you've not filled in, so the resulting modeline is a very good guess, and may still work.

(It's definitely worth a try.)