F ire G L 4 U se r's G u id e Version 1.0 P/N 137-50000-10 Rev. A © Copyright 2001, by ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved, including those to reproduce this guide or parts thereof, in any form without the express written permission of ATI Technologies Inc. Features and specification are subject to change without notice. Trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
D is cla im e r The manufacturer (MFR) reserves the right to make changes to this document and the products which it describes without notice. The MFR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions made herein; not for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
T a b le o f C o n te n ts Introducing the Fire GL4 .......................................................1 About your Fire GL4................................................................................................ 1 Hardware Design............................................................................................... 1 Operating Systems ............................................................................................ 2 Typical Application Environments ..........................
Reference..............................................................................42 Removing the Fire GL4 Drivers............................................................................. 42 Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 44 Technical Details.................................................................................................... 47 Features and Performance .............................................
1 CHAPTER 1 In tro d u c in g th e F ire G L 4 IN THIS CHAPTER ! About your Fire GL4 ! How to Use this User's Guide ! Quick Installation A b o u t yo u r F ire G L 4 H ardw are D esign The Fire GL4 is an AGP/ATX card based upon the IBM RC 1000/ GT 1000 chipset. With the ability to support two monitors and 128 MB of on-board memory the Fire GL4 is ideal for digital content creation, high-end CAD and other sophisticated 3D applications.
2 Introducing the Fire GL4 O perating S ystem s The Fire GL4 supports the following operating systems: • Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 (or higher) • Microsoft Windows 2000 • Linux - 2.2.x kernels, C Library 1.2 (LibC 6.2) Download Linux drivers and installation instructions from www.ati.com/support Service Pack Information for Windows NT 4.0 You must be running Windows NT 4.0, updated with Service Pack 6 (or higher) prior to installing the Fire GL4 drivers.
Introducing the Fire GL4 3 T ypical App lication E n viron m ents Fire GL4 offers outstanding 2D/3D performance in Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Linux. Fire GL4 is optimized and certified for professional 3D graphics in the following business environments.
4 Introducing the Fire GL4 P erform ance O verview Note: For more detailed information on features and performance please refer to the section Technical Details Hardware Performance • 32-bit RGBα TrueColor 2D and 3D acceleration Note: The Fire GL4 does not support 8-bit or 16-bit video modes • Accelerated, double-buffered 32-bit TrueColor up to 1920 x 1200, at 75 Hz refresh rates • 24-bit Z-buffer, 8-bit double-buffer, 8-bit single-buffer overlay • Video engine supports YUV conversion, point and b
Introducing the Fire GL4 5 H o w to U s e th is U s e r's G u id e For your convenience, this online User’s Guide has been formatted as an Adobe® Acrobat® PDF file. This format gives you great flexibility when using this documentation. Many hyperlinks provide easy access to any information you may want. To make it useful in a printed format, too, a - hyperlinked table of contents and page numbers are provided.
6 Introducing the Fire GL4 V iew ing the U ser's G uide O nlin e You can also read the User's Guide online—important hypertext links, such as Table of Contents entries, World Wide Web, and email addresses are active. Place your mouse cursor over Table of Contents entries or main headings. If the hand icon changes to a pointing index finger, simply click and you will move to that place in the document. Some email or World Wide Web addresses inside this manual may be active as well.
Introducing the Fire GL4 7 Q u ic k In s ta lla tio n • Brief instructions on how to get to work with the Fire GL4 in the shortest possible time. • Recommended for experienced users and system administrators only. • For more detailed information on installation and operation of your graphics accelerator, please refer to the corresponding sections of the Fire GL4 User’s Guide. Installation S teps 1 Un-install the drivers and software for your old graphics card.
8 CHAPTER 2 In sta llin g th e F ire G L 4 IN THIS CHAPTER ! Installing the Hardware ! Installing the Software In s ta llin g th e H a rd w a re The hardware installation includes the following steps: • Preparing your Computer • Installing the Card • Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation P reparing yo ur C o m p uter Turn off the power to your system and discharge your body’s static electric charge by touching a grounded surface—for example, the metal surface of the power supply
Installing the Fire GL4 9 Information Before you Start System Requirements and Tools What do you need to use your Fire GL4? What type of monitors do you need? • Motherboard with free AGP 1.X slot. Note: The bracket of the Fire GL4 also covers the expansion slot next to the AGP slot. • System interrupt (IRQ) which is free. This may have to be reserved in the computer’s BIOS.
10 Installing the Fire GL4 Where are the drivers? Are you planning a multi-monitor system? • Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 drivers are provided on the Fire GL CD. • Linux drivers and installation instructions are available for downloading from www.ati.com/support. • You may connect two monitors to the Fire GL4. • If DDC support is available, the respective resolution and refresh rate for each monitor is automatically detected.
Installing the Fire GL4 11 Plug-n-Play? The card has been designed to take advantage of 'plug–n-play' without requiring additional hardware installation or configuration. The illustrations do not show your card? The illustrations provided in this section are for instructional use only; the card shown may look different than the one you purchased.
12 Installing the Fire GL4 6 Click Close and OK as often as necessary to accept the changes. 7 Windows asks you if you want to restart your computer. Click No. 8 Shut down your computer. You are now ready to remove your old graphics card and install your new Fire GL4 card. Installing the C ard To install your graphics accelerator card, follow these steps: 1 Switch off your computer and all external options (printer, display, and others) Unplug all power cables from the electrical source.
Installing the Fire GL4 13 4 Insert the card into the AGP slot. • Locate the AGP slot • If necessary, remove the metal slot covers from the AGP slot and the adjacent slot.
14 Installing the Fire GL4 • Align the Fire GL4 with the AGP slot and press it in firmly until the card is fully seated. Take care to press it evenly and snugly into its slot. Do not force. AGP cards are designed to fit one way only. Be sure your card is properly aligned Grasp the card by the top edge and carefully seat it into the AGP slot. Be sure the metal contacts are completely pushed into the seat.
Installing the Fire GL4 15 C onn ectin g the C a bles and C o m pleting the Installation Connecting the Monitor Cables Note You may connect one or two monitors, either digital CRT / TFT-LCD, or - via an VGA -> DVI-I adapter - analog VGA, to the Fire GL4. If you connect only one monitor, make sure to connect it to DVI connector (1) on the card. Securely attach the data cable of your first monitor to the DVI output connector (1) on the card.
16 Installing the Fire GL4 How to connect analog VGA Monitors? If the data cable connector on your VGA monitor does not fit into the DVI-I connector on the card, please use the VGA to DVI-I adapter provided with your Fire GL4. a b Display cable DVI-I connector on card c d VGA connector from monitor VGA to DVI- I adapter Setting the Monitor Impedance If you can switch the impedance values on your monitor, use the following recommended settings: • R, G, B video input: 75 Ohm • Synch: 2.
Installing the Fire GL4 17 Connecting the Stereo Glasses You need this information only if you want to use StereoGraphics’ CrystalEyes or compatible stereoviewing eyewear. Please note that stereo glasses are optional equipment and not included in the Fire GL4 package. Connect your stereoviewing eyewear to the 3 pin Mini-DIN stereo sync connector (3) on the card. Connect only stereoviewing eyewear with shielded cable and ferrite cylinder to the Fire GL4.
18 Installing the Fire GL4 Start your System Switch on your monitor before you switch on your computer. Failing to do so could damage your monitor. If you have correctly installed the card, operating system messages will appear on your monitor when the boot procedure is finished. Note Your monitor is running in standard VGA mode. Higher refresh rates etc. are not available at this stage of the installation.
Installing the Fire GL4 19 In s ta llin g th e S o ftw a re ! Before you Start: Information, Tips and Hints ! Software Installation for Windows NT 4.0 ! Software Installation for Windows 2000 You will need to install the Fire GL4 drivers and software in the following cases: • After you have installed the card to your system. • After you have re-installed or upgraded your operating system.
20 Installing the Fire GL4 B efore you S tart: Inform ation, T ips, and H ints Before you install the drivers for your Fire GL4 accelerator, make sure your monitor cable is properly attached to the DVI-I connector. Do you need a special driver installation? The software installation procedure later in this chapter describes how to install the drivers for your graphics card after you have installed the new card for the first time and have rebooted your computer.
Installing the Fire GL4 21 ReadMe file Select Readme from the Fire GL CD start menu to display a readme file. Refer to this file for additional and ‘last minute’ information. Information in this file may not appear in printed documentation or online help. Driver installation dialog The installation dialog will display in English if your operating system’s language is not supported. S oftw are Installation for W in dow s N T 4.0 1 Run the Quick Start utility.
22 Installing the Fire GL4 3 Click the button corresponding to the type of installation you want. If you select Custom, a list of software components will be displayed. Select the check boxes to specify the components you want to install. 4 Click Next to continue the installation. 5 When the ATI FIRE GL Install dialog displays the components to be installed click on Next. (Depending on which components you chose different windows might appear.
Installing the Fire GL4 23 4 Click the button corresponding to the type of installation you want. If you select Custom, a list of software components will be displayed. Select the check boxes to specify the components you want to install. 5 Click Next to continue the installation. 6 When the ATI FIRE GL Install dialog displays the components to be installed click on Next. (Depending on which components you chose different windows might appear.
24 CHAPTER 3 F ire G L 4 S o ftw a re U tilitie s IN THIS CHAPTER ! Changing the Video Settings ! Using Application Profiles and Advanced Features As part of its Windows NT/2000 drivers, Fire GL4 installs additional property pages to your Display Properties control panel. They are named as follows. Information DualScreen ATI Monitor Adjustment Configuration Advanced Settings The Information dialog displays some card-specific hardware and driver information.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 25 C h a n g in g th e V id e o S e ttin g s The dialogs in the Display Properties menu allow setting and adjusting the video settings to best suit your specific requirements. H ow to S w itch to the D isplay P ro p erties? 1 Start Windows. 2 After Windows has finished booting, click Start > Settings > Control Panel. 3 Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties window appears.
26 Fire GL4 Software Utilities Windows 2000 1 Select the Settings dialog in the Display Properties window. 2 Set the resolution (Screen area) that best suit your requirements and your monitors' performance. 3 Select the Windows Monitor dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Monitor. 4 In the Monitor Settings section set the refresh rate for the monitor(s) connected to the Fire GL4. The refresh rate setting always applies to both monitors, if you have two monitors connected.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 27 S ettin g a D u alS cre en C o nfiguration 1 Windows NT 4.0: Select the DualScreen dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the DualScreen dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > DualScreen. Refer to the context sensitive online help for more information on setting up your DualScreen configuration.
28 Fire GL4 Software Utilities 2 Select Enable two-monitor modes to enable screen resolutions for a two-monitor configuration in the Settings dialog. Deselecting this option will allow single-monitor resolutions only. Notes: (1) Click on a monitor icon in the DualScreen dialog to identify the corresponding monitor. For example, if you click on the right monitor icon in the DualScreen dialog, your second (right) monitor will display a 2.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 29 5 Select the Settings dialog in the Display Properties window. 6 Select a two-monitor resolution - that is twice a horizontal single-monitor resolution. For example, 1024x768 is a singlescreen resolution (using only one monitor) and 2048x768 provides the same resolution but uses both monitors. Notes (1) Both monitors will operate with the same resolution.
30 Fire GL4 Software Utilities S electing your M onitor 1 Windows NT 4.0: Select the ATI Monitor dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the ATI Monitor dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > ATI Monitor. Note In Windows 2000 the ATI Monitor dialog is only active if you have two-monitor modes enabled via the DualScreen dialog.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 31 You can customize the settings of the connected monitors. For more information on setting up the monitors refer to the context sensitive online help. 2 Click the tab for the monitor you want to set up. 3 Set the desired operation mode for your monitor. Custom Modes Use resolution and refresh rates for this monitor as specified in the Settings dialog and menus in Display Properties.
32 Fire GL4 Software Utilities Select from list (continued) If the list does not display your monitor type and you have a disk from the monitor manufacturer, use the Have Disk button to import the monitor information to the internal monitor list. • Click the Have Disk button, insert the disk, and select the directory or file containing information about your monitor. • Then select your monitor and click the Apply or OK button.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 33 A djusting th e M on itor D isplay Using this dialog you can adjust the display of the connected monitor. For more information on adjusting the monitor's display refer to the context sensitive online help. 1 Windows NT 4.0: Select the Adjustment dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the Adjustment dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Adjustment.
34 Fire GL4 Software Utilities 2 Monitor Tuning: With the buttons in the Move and Size sections you can tune the position and size of the monitor's display for the indicated resolution and refresh rate Note (1) Use the hardware setting controls on your monitor, if available, to adjust your display size or position - instead of the software controls in 'Adjustment - Monitor Tuning.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 35 3 Gamma Correction Adjustment: Adjust the monitor's gamma correction for optimal brightness with the red, green and blue slider bars. When these sliders are changed the gamma correction table modifies each pixel's color value. The brightness produced at the face of the display is proportional to the input voltage raised to the power gamma. This nonlinearity must be compensated to achieve correct reproduction of the image's brightness.
36 Fire GL4 Software Utilities U s in g A p p lic a tio n P ro file s a n d A d v a n c e d F u n c tio n s Use the Configuration dialog to customize application profiles for individual application settings. Use the Advanced Settings dialog to enable the following functions.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 37 (1) The configuration default settings typically require modification only for the following: Notes • • • • diagnostic purposes fine-tuning a specific application/system configuration specific settings recommended by your hardware or software documentation tuning your application/system environment for best performance and memory usage (2) Only experienced users should modify the configuration settings
38 Fire GL4 Software Utilities Adding a new application profile: Click the Add button in the Configuration Profiles section and enter the new application for which you want to set the configuration parameters. Modifying the configuration parameters: To change the configuration settings of a specific application, for example, CATIA, select the application from the list in the Configuration Profiles section and click the Modify button. To remove the selected configuration profile completely, click Delete.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 39 S ettin g Ad va nced Functions Using the Advanced Settings dialog you can enable the following advanced functions: • Synchronization of graphics with streaming video/audio • Offscreen Rendering • Quad Buffer Stereo for operation of stereo glasses, • Fullscene Antialiasing
40 Fire GL4 Software Utilities 1 How to switch to the Advanced Settings dialog? Windows NT 4.0: Select Display Properties > Advanced Settings. Windows 2000: Select Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Advanced Settings. 2 Select your Advanced Settings options Enable Sync Control Extension Check this option for precise synchronization control of graphics with streaming video or audio.
Fire GL4 Software Utilities 41 Oversampling Quality: Move the slider to optimize the oversampling quality. Note: Increasing the oversampling quality may reduce the performance Force Fullscene Antialiasing: Check this option to use Fullscene Antialiasing also for OGL applications that do not support this feature Notes: (1) Forcing Fullscene Antialiasing may reduce the performance. (2) You cannot use this option together with Quad Buffer Stereo.
42 CHAPTER 4 R e fe re n c e IN THIS CHAPTER ! Removing the Fire GL4 Drivers ! Troubleshooting ! Technical Details ! Compliance Information R e m o v in g th e F ire G L 4 D riv e rs This section describes how to properly remove your graphics card software from your system should you need to do so. Notes (1) Before removing the Fire GL4 video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any antivirus software that is running on your computer until the driver is removed.
Reference 43 3 Click Next to remove the software and shut down your computer. After you have removed the software according to the instructions, you may remove the hardware. 1 Shut down your computer. 2 Remove the computer case as outlined in the hardware installation instructions. 3 Ground yourself by touching the power supply box. 4 To remove the hardware, simply reverse the hardware installation procedures.
44 Reference T ro u b le s h o o tin g Your board is a complex electronic device and can only be repaired by authorized technical personnel with special equipment. Do not attempt to change or repair any parts of this product. Doing so will render your warranty invalid. If you experience a problem using the Fire GL4, check the following sections for advice on how to solve your problem.
Reference 45 Screen image is off-center, color balance is wrong, or there is no picture • Try adjusting the brightness, sharpness, contrast, and color balance controls of your monitor. • Try adjusting the centering and positioning controls of your monitor to position the picture on the screen. Note: The Monitor Tuning settings in Display Properties > Adjustment tune the position of the picture on the screen via the video signal.
46 Reference Checking for address and interrupt conflicts • It is necessary to ensure that the I/O and memory addresses reserved for the graphics board are not used by other hardware devices. • The integrated on-board VGA controller of your Fire GL4 uses the following addresses (hex): I/O Address: Standard VGA I/O: 3B0-3DF Memory Addresses: Video RAM: A000-BFFF Video ROM: C000-C7FF Note: You cannot change the addresses of your Fire GL4.
Reference 47 T e c h n ic a l D e ta ils ! Features and Performance ! Pin Assignments ! Video Modes ! Block Diagram Features an d P erfo rm an ce Hardware Design • Single full AGP/Pro50 length • AGP 2X/4X v2.0 compliant, including side band signalling support Controller IBM Chipset: IBM RC 1000 256-bit graphics rasterizer and IBM GT 1000 hardware geometry engine with integrated features.
48 Reference Memory and BIOS • 128 MByte Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM for unified framebuffer, Z-buffer and texture storage • 128 KByte BIOS FlashROM, 3.3V only, reprogrammable by software Connectors • Two 25-pin DVI-I output connectors for digital flat-panel (DFP) displays and analog or digital CRT displays • Stereographic 3-pin Mini-DIN output connector for stereoviewing eyewear (supports StereoGraphics CrystalEyes shutter glasses).
Reference 49 Professional 3D Rendering • Full OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.
50 Reference Software • OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.2 functional extensions • OpenGL support for quad-buffer stereoviewing eyewear • Supports Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 • 2D and 3D Linux support • Pentium III Streaming SIMD Extension (SSE) support for Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, and Linux • Athlon 3Dnow! support for NT4.
Reference 51 DVI-I Output Connectors DVI: Digital Visual Interface DDC: Display Data Channel T.M.D.S: Transition Minimized Differential Signal MicroCross Pins: C1 Analog Red Video Out C2 Analog Green Video Out C3 Analog Blue Video Out C4 Analog Horizontal Sync C5 Analog Common Ground Return (Red, Green, Blue Video Out) Pin Function 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 T.M.D.S. Data2T.M.D.S. Data2+ T.M.D.S. Data2/4 Shield T.M.D.S. Data4T.M.D.S.
52 Reference V ideo M odes All video modes comply with VESA DMT (Discrete Monitor Timing) or VESA GTF (General Timing Format) standards. The Fire GL4 supports only TrueColor, 32-bit (24 color, 8 α) modes. There is no support for 8-bit or 16-bit modes. Analog and Digital Monitors with 15-pin VGA connector - need VGA-to-DVI adapter Resolution Color Bits α Bits Line Frequency (kHz) Refresh Rate (Hz) 640 x 480 24 8 31.5, 37.5, 43.3, 50.9, 61.8* 60, 75, 85, 100, 120* 800 x 600 24 8 37.7, 46.9, 54.
Reference 53 Digital Monitors with DVI-I connector Resolution Color Bits α Bits Line Frequency (kHz) Refresh Rate (Hz) 640 x 480 24 8 31.5, 37.5, 43.3, 50.9 61.8* 60, 75, 85, 100 120* 800 x 600 24 8 37.7, 46.9, 54.1, 63.9 77.2* 60, 75, 85, 100 120* 1024 x 768 24 8 48.4, 60.0, 68.7, 80.8 60, 75 85 100 1152 x 864 24 8 53.7, 67.7, 77.1 60, 75, 85 1280 x 960 24 8 60.0, 75.2 60, 75 1280 x 1024 24 8 64.0, 80.0 60, 75 1600 x 1024 24 8 63.
54 Reference B lock D iagram
Reference 55 C o m p lia n c e In fo rm a tio n FC C C o m pliance In form ation FCC - DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY FOR A CLASS B DIGITAL DEVICE We, the Responsible Party ATI Research Inc.- Fire GL Graphics 4 Mount Royal Avenue, Marlborough, MA 01752-1978 USA; Phone: (508) 303-3900 declare that the product Fire GL4 AGP complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. The compliance with those standards is confirmed in an accreditation certificate.
56 Reference C E C o m pliance Inform ation EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and amendments 91/263/EEC, 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, Class B Digital Device EN 55022:1998/CISPR 22 Class B, Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Interference Characteristics Information Technology Equipment.
