ATI Z1-128p, X1-256P User Manual

FireGL™ X1-256p FireGL™

Z1-128p

User’s Guide

P/N: 137-50004-30

ATI and all ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, performance and specifications are subject to change without notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in the diagrams.

FireGL, FIRE GL, HYDRAVISION – ATI Technologies Inc.; Athlon – Advanced Micro Devices. Inc.; Fire Wire – Apple Computer Inc.; Direct3D, Windows 2000, Windows XP – Microsoft Corp.; IEEE – The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc.; AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), Celeron, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III – Intel Corporation; VGA – International Business Machines Corp.; OpenGL - Silicon Graphics Inc.; VESA – Video Electronics Standards Association. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated, which may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

Disclaimer

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, ATI Technologies Inc. assumes no liability with respect to the operation or use of ATI hardware, software or other products and documentation described herein, for any act or omission of ATI concerning such products or this documentation, for any interruption of service, loss or interruption of business, loss of anticipatory profits, or for punitive, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of the 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 document relates, ATI disclaims all express or implied warranties regarding such products, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.

Documentation updates

ATI is constantly improving its product and associated documentation. To maximize the value of your ATI product, you should ensure that you have the latest documentation. ATI’s documentation contains helpful installation/configuration tips and other valuable feature information.

Getting Started............................................................... 1

Using this Guide ............................................................................................ 2

Viewing the User's Guide Online...........................................................3

Do you Need a Printout of the Online User's Guide?............................. 3

FireGL Card Features ........................................................................... 4

System Requirements and Tools ................................................................... 6

Quick Installation ..........................................................................................7

Installation Steps .................................................................................... 7

Installing the Hardware and Software ......................... 8

Installing the Hardware ................................................................................. 8

Preparing your Computer ....................................................................... 9

Installing the Card ................................................................................ 13

Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation...................... 18

Installing the Software................................................................................. 22

Before you Start: Information, Tips, and Hints....................................23

Software Installation for Windows 2000 and Windows XP ................ 24

Using Your FireGL Card.............................................. 26

Using Two Monitors.................................................................................... 28

Using the DualScreen Tab .................................................................. 29

Operating Stereo Glasses............................................................................. 30

Changing the Video Settings....................................................................... 30

How to Switch to the Display Properties?............................................ 30

Setting Resolution, Color Depth and Refresh Rate............................. 31

Adjusting the Monitor Display............................................................. 33

Using Application Profiles and Advanced Functions.................................. 36

Configuring Application Profiles......................................................... 36

Setting Advanced Functions................................................................. 39

Getting Started

Your ATI FireGL card is an advanced workstation 3D graphics accelerator based on a high-bandwidth, parallel pipeline geometry and rendering architecture. The card delivers workstation-class performance to designers, engineers and animators, running the leading OpenGL and DirectX applications

Features of your FireGL workstation graphics accelerator:

• Real-time photo-realistic rendering and animation

• Stable and reliable software support for Windows® and Linux® platforms

• Optimized support for the leading workstation applications

• SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 technology for creating complex visual effects

• SMOOTHVISION™ 2.0 technology for advanced full-scene anti-aliasing

IN THIS CHAPTER...

■ Using this Guide on page 2

■ FireGL Card Features on page 4

■ System Requirements and Tools on

page 6

■ Quick Installation on page 7

2 Getting Started

Using this Guide

For your convenience, this online User's Guide comes in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need the latest Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® software available from

www.adobe.com.

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.

Since this guide was designed to be used online and printed, the quality of some images on screen or in print may be affected.

The organization of this guide is as follows:

Installing the Hardware and Software on page 8 provides

instructions for installing your FireGL card, loading the driver and connecting video output devices to your card.

Using Your FireGL Card on page 26 explains how you can

take advantage of the advanced features of your FireGL card.

Reference on page 41 provides troubleshooting tips and

regulatory compliance information for your card.

HYDRAVISION™ User’s Guide provides information on

using HYDRAVISION, a multi-monitor and desktop management utility to control multiple display desktops.

Getting Started 3

Viewing the User's Guide Online

You can easily read the User's Guide online - important hypertext links, such as Table of Contents entries, World Wide Web, and E-mail 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. Displaying the provided bookmark and thumbnail views may help you with the orientation and navigation in the User's Guide. Some E-mail or Web addresses inside this manual may be active as well. Go directly to a Web, FTP site, or E-mail program simply by clicking on an active link.

This manual might be displayed with slightly-reduced magnification in your Reader. If you experience any difficulty reading certain files online, use the Reader's Zoom To feature from the Vie w menu and increase the magnification to about 150%. To view details of some screenshot images you may need to increase magnification.

Do you Need a Printout of the Online User's Guide?

You can also print this User's Guide to access it off-line. The manual then will look like any standard document with a table of contents and page numbers.

For printing the User's Guide, a print resolution of 600 dpi or higher is recommended.

4 Getting Started

FireGL Card Features

FireGL X1-256p pictured

FireGL VPU

FireGL X1-256p FGL 9700 256 MB 8

FireGL Z1-128p FGL 9500 128 MB 4

VPU: Visual Processing Unit

Video Memory

Rendering Pipelines

• Video memory: DDR SDRAM

- unified frame buffer, Z-buffer, texture storage

- 128-bit floating point precision frame buffer for

photo-realistic renderings.

- 256-bit memory interface for fast 3D graphics

• Pixel pipeline architecture provides enhanced rendering power.

Getting Started 5

• Supports AGP 3.0 standard (AGP 4X/8X), providing a two way high-speed interface between the graphics subsystem and the workstation

• OpenGL 1.3 with 1.4 extensions DirectX® 9.0 functionality in OpenGL®

• Full DirectX® 9.0 support

• DDC1/2b/2b+ monitor support on all operating system platforms

• Support for two analog or digital monitors High resolutions up to 2048 x 1536, 32-bit Independent resolutions and refresh rates for any two connected monitors

9.1 Mpixel, 3840 x 240single-display support

• Quad buffer stereo support

• Application-specific display profile utilities for optimal performance

• Intel Pentium® 4 Streaming SIMD and AMD Athlon 3Dnow!™ support for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Linux operating systems.

For more detailed information on features and

performance please refer to the section Technical

Details on page 46.

6 Getting Started

System Requirements and Tools

Computer system

Operating system

Service Pack Information for Windows2000

Tools • A screwdriver to remove and reinstall the PC

Monitor • High-resolution MultiSync or multi-frequency

• Intel® Pentium® 3, Pentium® 4, Xeon® AMD® Athlon® XP/MP/Opteron or compatible

• 128 MB of system memory 256 MB or more for best performance

• Motherboard with free AGP Pro slot and correct AGP chipset-driver Note: The bracket of the FireGL™ card also covers the expansion slot next to the AGP Pro slot.

• CD-ROM drive

• Windows®2000 with Service Pack 1 (or higher)

•Windows®XP

• Linux XFree86 4.X.0

You must be running Windows 2000, updated with Service Pack 1 (or higher) prior to installing the FireGL drivers.

Service Packs are available from Microsoft's web page, www.microsoft.com.

cover screws and card mounting screws. See your PC manual for specific requirements.

• ATI INSTALLATION CD-ROM for your FireGL card

monitors or other VGA monitors.

• Digital flat-panel (DFP) displays or digital CRT displays

Quick Installation

• Brief instructions on how to get to work with the FireGL card 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 Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.

Installation Steps

1 Un-install the drivers and software for your old graphics

card.

2 Disable any on-board graphics solution on the

motherboard.

3 Shut down and disconnect your computer system.

4 Remove the installed (AGP or PCI) VGA card.

5 Install the new FireGL card.

Getting Started 7

6 Reassemble and connect your computer system.

7 Install the FireGL drivers and configuration software from

the ATI INSTALLATION CD-ROM:

- automatic ATISETUP utility or

- Start > Run > X:\ATISETUP.EXE where X is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive

CHAPTER 2

Installing the Hardware and Software

IN THIS CHAPTER...

■ Installing the Hardware on

page 8

■ Installing the Software on

page 22

Installing the Hardware

The hardware installation includes the following steps:

• Preparing your Computer

• Installing the Card

• Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation

Installing the Hardware and Software 9

Preparing your Computer

Information Before you Start

Do This First! Install the latest AGP chipset driver for your

motherboard.

• Each motherboard requires the installation of a custom-built virtual GART (AGP) driver. This chipset driver is required by your FireGL card to function correctly with your motherboard.

• You must install the correct AGP chipset driver before installing the FireGL card in your system.

• Contact your supplier or motherboard/chipset manufacturer to obtain and install the latest AGP chipset driver for your motherboard.

An incorrect or missing chipset driver can result in AGP memory not being detected or a black screen after Windows® starts.

How to determine what motherboard chipset is present on your system

• Right-click My Computer and select Properties.

• Click the Hardware tab and select Device Manager.

• Scroll to the bottom of the device list. Select System devices.

• Scroll through the list of System devices until you find a listing for the AGP controller.

• The chipset manufacturer’s name will appear as the device name.

10 Installing the Hardware and Software

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) before performing any hardware procedure.

The manufacturer assumes no liability for any damage, caused directly or indirectly, by improper installation of any components by unauthorized service personnel. If you do not feel comfortable performing the installation, consult a qualified computer technician.

Damage to system components, the accelerator card, and injury to yourself may result if power is applied during installation.

What do you need to use your FireGL card?

System Requirements and Tools

• Motherboard with free AGP Pro slot Note: The bracket of the FireGL™ card also covers the expansion slot next to the AGP Pro slot.

• Correct AGP GART chipset driver installed for your motherboard.

• 128 MB of system memory 256 MB or more for best performance

• System interrupt (IRQ) which is free. This may have to be reserved in the computer's BIOS. For help with this subject, refer to the manual for your mainboard

• Intel® Pentium® 3, Pentium® 4, Xeon®; AMD® Athlon® XP/MP, or compatible

• Supported operating system

- Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 1 (or higher)

- Windows® XP

- Linux XFree86 4.X.0

• A screwdriver to remove and reinstall the PC cover screws and card mounting screws. See your PC manual for specific requirements.

• ATI INSTALLATION CD-ROM for your FireGL card.

Installing the Hardware and Software 11

What monitors do you need?

Where are the drivers?

Are you planning a multi-monitor system?

Your FireGL card is configured to be combined with digital flat-panel (DFP) displays and digital CRT displays. Note: Your DFP monitor must have a data cable with digital-only DVI plug (DVI-D) - but not with integrated analog/digital DVI plug (DVI-I). Check with your monitor's documentation.

You can also connect the FireGL card to highresolution MultiSync or multi-frequency monitors or other VGA monitors.

Notes: (1) You need a Plug-and-Play monitor that

supports VESA's Display Channel specifications (DDC1 or DDC2) to take advantage of the DDC1/DDC2b+ features (2) You can use the full power of the graphics card only if your monitor supports the horizontal (kHz) and vertical (Hz) refresh rates as required by the graphics card. Refer to your monitor's documentation for recommended refresh rates

• Windows 2000 and Windows XP drivers are provided on the ATI INSTALLATION CD-ROM.

• Linux drivers and installation instructions are available for downloading from www.ati.com/support.

• You may connect two monitors to the FireGL™ card.

• If DDC support is available, the respective resolution and refresh rate for each monitor is automatically detected.

• The following multi-monitor and Desktop Management utilities are provided:

- HYDRAVISION™

- DualScreen

12 Installing the Hardware and Software

Replacing an existing graphics card

Replacing integrated graphics

Illustrations

Before you install your FireGL card, we recommend that you first uninstall the driver for your current graphics card.

Please refer to the manual or contact your motherboard manufacturer to determine how to disable your on-board graphics.

The illustrations provided in this section are for instructional use only; the card shown may look different than the one you purchased.

Note the serial number and the part number of your FireGL card before installing it in your computer. You need these numbers for the product warranty registration. You will find the numbers on the product label on the back of your FireGL card.

Installing the Card

To install your graphics accelerator card, follow these steps:

Installing the Hardware and Software 13

Switch off your computer and all external options (monitor, printer, and others). Then disconnect all cables

from the back of your computer. Unplug all power cables from the electrical source.

Note: If you are disconnecting a peripheral from the computer or are removing a component from the system board, wait 10 - 20 seconds after disconnecting the computer from the electrical outlet before disconnecting the peripheral or removing the component to avoid possible damage to the system board. To verify that all power has been disconnected from the system, make sure that the standby power light-emitting diode (LED) on the system board has gone out.

14 Installing the Hardware and Software

Remove the computer cover. If necessary, consult your

computer system manual about removing the cover.

Remember to discharge your body's static electricity by touching the power supply or the metal surface of the computer chassis.

1 Power Supply.

Installing the Hardware and Software 15

Remove any existing graphics card from your computer.

• Unscrew the screw attached to your existing graphics card. Then pull the card straight out.

• If the old graphics card sticks rock it gently from end to end. Remember to save the screw.

• If your computer has any on-board graphics capability, you may need to disable it on the motherboard. Refer to your computer's manual for more information.

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