Graphics Administration Guide (5900-1605, November 2010)

Supported visuals
ATI Radeon family graphics devices support the following visuals:
DepthClass
8PseudoColor
24TrueColor
There are two visuals available with the ATI Radeon family displays, although not at the same
time. The X server can be either in depth 8 or depth 24 frame buffer mode. In depth 24 mode the
available visual is TrueColor. This is the recommended visual. In depth 8 mode the available
visual is PseudoColor. The frame buffer depth is configurable through SAM/SMH.
Supported monitor configurations
The screen resolutions available for a monitor depend on what that particular monitor supports.
However, the available screen resolutions must be within the range supported by the graphics
device.
The ATI Radeon family graphics devices support monitor resolutions from 1024x768 to 1920x1200
with the following exceptions:
• The ES1000 based core graphics devices support resolutions up to 1600x1200 pixels on
non-widescreen monitors and up to 1680x1050 pixels on widescreen monitors.
• The DVI-I digital connector on some graphics devices support resolutions up to 1600x1200
pixels on non-widescreen monitors and up to 1680x1050 pixels on widescreen monitors.
The Radeon 7000 and Radeon 7500 have two video connectors: a VGA analog connector and a
DVI-I digital/analog connector. These devices will thus support up to two independent monitors.
When using a single monitor, the monitor can be attached to either connector.
The FireMV 2250 has two DVI-I digital/analog connectors. It will thus support two independent
monitors. When using a single monitor, the monitor can be attached to either connector.
Some systems using the ES1000 core graphics may have two VGA connectors, one in front of the
machine and one in the back. These systems are, however, not able to support two independent
monitors. The two video connectors will generate identical outputs with the same timing and
resolution. Two connectors on these machines are provided only for the convenience of hookup.
The graphics driver will use the monitor’s Extended Display Identification Data (EDID)
information via the Display Data Channel (DDC) interface if the monitor provides it. The EDID
information tells the graphics device which timings the monitor supports.
If EDID information from the monitor is not available, the driver will provide the following
default resolutions and timings. Use caution when selecting an “X default” timing. You should
only use those that you know the monitor will support, otherwise a black or unreadable screen
may result. The setmon or SAM/SMH utilities for changing monitor resolution will tell you if a
particular timing was obtained via DDC and is thus supported by the monitor, or if it is an “X
default” timing.
Table 2-9 lists the default monitor resolutions available when the monitor does not provide EDID
information via DDC. For very old monitors, the EDID information is not available via DDC. In
such cases, you must select only those resolutions that the monitor supports. For more information
on supported resolutions, see the documentation that comes with your monitor.
Table 2-9 Supported Monitor Options
Recommended usageFrequency (Hz)Resolution (HxV)
Flat panel601024x768
751024x768
Output devices 27