ATI Technologies 9800XT - 100-505076 FireGL 256MB DDR SDRAM AGP 8x Graphics Card, RADEON 9800XT User Manual

RADEON

™

User’s Guide

P/N 137-40594-10

9800XT

Copyright © 2004, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

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subject to change without notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in the diagrams.

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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,
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software, or other products and documentation provided herein.

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further notice to a product or system described herein to improve
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non-infringement.

Product Notice

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ii

Table of Contents

Disclaimer.....................................................................................................ii

Product Notice........................................................................................ii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Features At A Glance .................................................................................. 2

ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite ........................................................ 3

Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience...................................... 3

Direct 3D and OpenGL .......................................................................... 3

HYDRAVISION™ ................................................................................ 4

Multiple Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Connecting Your Monitor(s) ...................................................................... 5

Display Configurations................................................................................ 6

CATALYST Software Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

ATI Displays Tab......................................................................................... 7

Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays ................................................ 8

Enabling Extended Desktop Mode......................................................... 8

Dynamic Display Reassignment ............................................................ 8

Virtually Repositioning Your Displays.................................................. 9

Ratiometric Expansion ......................................................................... 10

ATI Color Tab ........................................................................................... 11

Color Hotkeys Settings......................................................................... 14

ATI Options Tab........................................................................................ 15

ATI Overlay Tab ....................................................................................... 17

Video Overlay ...................................................................................... 17

Clone Mode Settings ............................................................................ 19

3D® Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Direct 3D and OpenGL Settings............................................................... 20

SMARTSHADER EFFECTS ................................................................... 23

Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings .......................................................... 24

OpenGL® Compatibility Settings............................................................ 25

Using TV Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

View your PC’s display on a TV .............................................................. 27

Connecting to a TV or a VCR .................................................................. 28

Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled .................................... 29

To Enable/Disable The TV Display.......................................................... 30

Using and Adjusting TV Out................................................................ 30

How TV Display Cannot Be Used ....................................................... 30

iii

Using a Monitor vs. Using the TV Display.......................................... 31

Reducing Edge Distortion ......................................................................... 33

Changing Display Configurations............................................................ 34

Using Games and Applications................................................................. 34

NTSC/PAL Support for RADEON 9800XT ........................................... 35

VPU Recover .............................................................................................. 36

OVERDRIVE™. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

SMARTGART™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Set AGP Settings .................................................................................. 38

Fast Write ............................................................................................. 38

Retest All.............................................................................................. 39

iv

Introduction

The RADEON™ 9800XT graphics accelerator delivers
unsurpassed 3D graphics performance.

• Powered by the RADEON 9800XT Visual Processing
Unit (VPU).

• Third generation to support the latest Microsoft®
DirectX® 9.0 and OpenGL features.

• Cinematic experience with a new level of quality and
consistency.

• Third generation 8-pixel pipeline architecture.

• Supports for AGP 8X specification.

1

• 256-bit DDR memory interface.

• Support Direct 3D® and OpenGL® applications.

• High resolution in 3D up to 2048x1536.

• Flat panel support.

• Supports TV-Out to connect your PC to your TV or
VCR.

2

Features At A Glance

The RADEON 9800XT includes:

• CINEMATIC RENDERING:
With its highly programmable cinematic shader
engines, the RADEON 9800XT visual processors are
designed to bring the most detailed worlds to life with
motion picture effects.

• UNSURPASSED 3D PERFORMANCE:
Eight parallel rendering pipelines, 256-bit memory
interface, blazing fast clock speeds, and AGP 8X
support come together to deliver incredible
performance at the highest resolutions and detail
settings for the most demanding next generation 3D
titles, scenes and environments.

• Virtual Perfection:
Experience unparalleled 3D visual realism. Combining
SMOOTHVISION™ 2.1 and SMARTSHADER™

2.1, the RADEON 9800XT enables smooth, sharp,
hyper-realistic interactive imagery.

• QUALITY VIDEO PLAYBACK:
Revolutionary VIDEOSHADER™ and
FULLSTREAM™ technologies provide the cleanest
video playback available on a PC.

• FLEXIBLE DISPLAY CONFIGURATIONS:
Enhance your work environment with multiple
displays, TV-output support, and high resolutions.

3

ATI’s

CATALYST™

Software Suite

Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience

ATI’s CATALYST Software Suite provides multiple
display functionality, and the advanced graphic features,
such as SMARTSHADER 2.1, for the ultimate 3D
gaming experience. For help installing the CATALYST
Software Suite, refer to the Getting Started Guide.

The CATALYST Software Suite installs the ATI display
tabs. These tabs are accessed through the Windows®
Display Control Panel, through the Advanced... button
located on the Settings tab. For a detailed explanation of
each ATI tab, refer to the sectionCATALYST Software

Suite on page 7.

Direct 3D and OpenGL

The CATALYST Software Suite also supports the latest
versions of Direct 3D and OpenGL. Many new 3D game
titles, and the latest versions of older titles, will virtually
come to life as they utilize their advanced Direct 3D or
OpenGL features. Gamers can fine-tune these settings
for the ultimate experience in 3D image quality or 3D
gaming performance.

ATI’s Direct 3D and OpenGL
the Windows® Display Control Panel, through the
Advanced... button located on the Settings tab.

For a detailed explanation of the Direct 3D and OpenGL
tabs, refer to 3D® Control Panel on page 20, and

OpenGL® Control Panel on page 29.

tabs are available through

4

HYDRAVISION™

In addition to the multiple display functionality available
with ATI’s CATALYST Software Suite, you can also
use HYDRAVISION for advanced multi-monitor
management. For more information on
HYDRAVISION, please refer to the HYDRAVISION
User’s Guide PDF located on your ATI Installation CD.

Multiple Displays

Connecting Your Monitor(s)

Your RADEON 9800XT provides hardware support for
one DVI-I monitor or two VGA monitors using the
supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter. A TV can also be used
to expand your desktop by using the S-Video out.

Plug the monitor cable into your card (if you are
running multiple monitors, connect their cables to the
appropriate connectors), then turn on the PC and
monitor(s).

5

To connect a flat panel directly to your card, use the
DVI-I connector. To connect a VGA monitor to the DVI­I connector, plug the supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter
into the DVI-I connector, then plug your monitor cable
into the adapter, as shown below.

STANDARD VGA

MONITOR CONNECTOR

VGA

CONNECTOR

S-VIDEO OUT

DVI-I

CONNECTOR

FROM

MONITOR

When you use multiple monitors with your card, one
monitor will always be Primary. Any additional
monitor(s) will be designated as Secondary.

DVI-I-TO-VGA

ADAPTER

VGA

CONNECTOR

FROM

MONITOR

Display Configurations

Your RADEON 9800XT graphics accelerator card
provides dual display functionality and TV Out. The
following table lists the different ways you can connect
displays to your card.

6

Display
Configuration

One CRT
display

One DFP
display

One TV S-Video out

CRT display + TVVGA connector +

DFP display + TVDVI-I connector +

CRT display +
DFP display

Connector(s) Used Comments

VGA connector OR DVI­I connector with DVI-I­to-VGA adapter

DVI-I connector DFP - digital flat panel display

S-Video out

S-Video out

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector

CRT- cathode ray tube
analog display

The S-Video out can also
support a composite
connection via the S-Video­to-Composite adapter

Unsupported configuration if
the CRT display is attached
to the DVI-I connector via the
DVI-I-to-VGA adapter

CRT display +
CRT display

CRT display +
DFP display +
TV

CRT display +
CRT display +
TV

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector with DVI-I-to­VGA adapter

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector + S-Video out

UNSUPPORTED
CONFIGURATION

The DVI-I connector can
support a CRT display using
the DVI-I-to-VGA adapter

The TV display will “clone”
the image of one of the other
two displays.

CATALYST Software
Suite

The following section provides an explanation of each
ATI tab added to the Display Properties after installing
the Catalyst Software Suite.

Features presented in the following pages may

i

ATI Displays Tab

not be supported in all operating systems
and/or may appear differently.

7

The ATI Displays tab provides multiple monitor
features. Here you can enable/disable display devices
and swap the assignment of Primary and Secondary
displays.

Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays

8

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button.
3 Click the ATI Displays tab.
4 Click the enable/disable button for the display

device you want to enable/disable.

5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Enabling Extended Desktop Mode

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click the Settings tab.
3 Click the monitor icon for the display onto which you

want to extend your desktop.

4 Click Ye s to enable the selected display.
5 Checkmark the Extend my Windows desktop onto

this monitor check box (Windows® may automatically
place it there).

6 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Dynamic Display Reassignment

You can change the assignment of your Primary and
Secondary display on the fly, without rebooting.

However, before you can change the assignment of the
Primary display, at least one Secondary display must
be enabled, and Extended Desktop mode must be
enabled.

To enable a Secondary display see Enabling/Disabling

Secondary Displays on page 8.

To enable Extended Desktop Mode see Enabling

Extended Desktop Mode on page 8.

9

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button.
3 Click the ATI Displays tab.

The ATI Displays tab shows you the display(s) that are
active. The Primary display has the button depressed.
To change the display assignment, click the Primary
display’s button or click the button of the other
display device.

In Windows® 2000 clicking the button will reassign
the Primary and Secondary monitors. Clicking the
button creates a clone or mirror image of the Primary
display onto the Secondary display. Clicking the
button extends your desktop to a Secondary display
located to the right of the Primary display. Clicking the

button extends your desktop to a Secondary display

located below the Primary display.

4 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Virtually Repositioning Your Displays

1 On the Settings tab, click and drag the appropriate

monitor icon to the desired position. For example, the
secondary display can be dragged to the left of the
primary display, allowing it to be virtually on the left,
as shown.

2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

10

Ratiometric Expansion

Your RADEON 9800XT offers ratiometric expansion
(or digital panel scaling as it is commonly known). This
expands a low resolution image to fill a higher resolution
panel. However, ratiometric expansion is only available
on the Primary display. Therefore, if a flat panel display
(FPD) is set as Secondary, the Extended Desktop mode
is disabled and the resolution is less than the FPD’s
native resolution. This causes the FPD to default to
center mode.

ATI Color Tab

The ATI Color Properties page allows you to
configure Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast color
settings for both your desktop and full screen 3D
environments. You can also save settings to a color
Profile for easy recall later. In addition, you can
assign unique hotkey combinations that allow you to
adjust Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast color
settings within your full screen 3D applications.

To create a new profile, simply adjust the sliders to
the desired settings, type in a profile name, and click
Save. You can easily create and manage multiple
color profiles, both for your desktop and full screen
3D environments.

11

To restore the settings for a Desktop profile, simply
select the profile name from the drop-down list box,
and click Apply or OK.

To restore the settings for a Full Screen 3D profile,
select the profile name from the drop-down list box,
then start your 3D application in full screen mode.
Depending on the 3D application, you may need to
load your selected profile using assigned hotkeys,
once your 3D application is running (refer to the
Notes).

To assign hotkeys for adjusting the color settings
within your full screen 3D applications, select the
Full Screen 3D radio button, then click the Hotkeys
button to access the Hotkeys dialog.

NOTE: Some 3D applications load their own Color
settings when they first start, not the Color page
settings. You can change the color settings once the
3D application is running, using the assigned
hotkeys. The easiest way is to select a Full Screen 3D
profile name from the drop-down list box and click
OK, start your 3D application in full screen mode,
then load the selected profile using the hotkeys
assigned to the “Load Current Profile” action (on the
Hotkeys dialog). This will change the settings within
your 3D application environment.

12

NOTE: Some 3D applications can switch easily
between full screen mode and windowed mode, and
do not load their own Color settings. In windowed
mode, you can make slider adjustments or select a
different profile, then switch back to full screen
mode to see the effect immediately.

NOTE: When assigning hotkeys, you need to be
especially careful that the assigned keys do not
conflict with a 3D application's function keys, or
hotkeys assigned by other applications. The ATI
Color page only checks for duplicates within the
Color page itself (you can only assign one hotkey
combination per action).

ATI Color Tab for Full Screen 3DATI Color Tab for the Desktop

Desktop radio
button

Full Screen 3D
radio button

Profiles for:

Select Desktop to configure your desktop color
settings.

Select Full Screen 3D to configure the color settings for
your 3D application. Note that the configured settings
will only be apparent within a full screen 3D application
environment.

Indicates whether the profile in current use is for your
Desktop or a Full Screen 3D environment.

Profiles drop­down list

Save button

13

Lists all of the Desktop or Full Screen 3D profiles that
you have saved. Selecting a profile from the list loads
those custom color settings for either your Desktop or
your full screen 3D application (depending on the state
of the radio buttons). To create a new profile, simply
type in a name and click Save.

Saves your current color settings to a Desktop or Full
Screen 3D profile, using the name you specified in the
list box. To restore these settings later, simply select the
Profile name from the list and click Apply or OK.

Delete button

All Colors
checkbox

Red Green
Blue radio
buttons

Gamma slider

Brightness
slider

Contrast
slider

Deletes the profile that is selected in the Profiles list
box.

All Colors adjusts the Gamma, Brightness or Contrast
for Red, Green, and Blue simultaneously. Note that any
individual color settings made are lost if All Colors is
selected, and the color settings revert back to the
previous All Colors settings.

Adjusts the Gamma, Brightness or Contrast only for
the selected color component (Red, Green, or Blue).
Note that any individual color settings made are lost if
you select All Colors again.

Increases or decreases the gamma correction of your
Desktop or full screen 3D application. Changing the
gamma alters the curvature of the color curve.

Increases or decreases the color brightness of your
Desktop or full screen 3D application. Changing the
brightness adjusts the vertical position of the color
curve.

Increases or decreases the color contrast of your
Desktop or full screen 3D application. Changing the
contrast adjusts the slope of the color curve.

Reset buttons

Color preview
box

Restores the individual slider setting to its default value,
then click Apply or OK.

The color image indicates visually how the Gamma,
Brightness and Contrast sliders affect the final color
settings of your display device. In Desktop mode,
clicking on this with your mouse pointer will change the
image.

Hotkeys
button

14

Opens the Color Hotkeys Settings dialog. There you
can assign hotkeys for adjusting your color settings
within a full screen 3D application environment. To
activate this button, you must select the Full Screen 3D
radio button.

Defaults
button

Restores all of the color settings to the default values,
then click Apply or OK.

Color Hotkeys Settings

Modifier key

Hotkey

Hotkey action

Assigned
hotkeys

Modifier key can be any combination of Alt, Ctrl, or
Shift. Note that the Shift key will be used in conjunction
with either the Ctrl or the Alt key.

Hotkey can be any key listed. To avoid conflicts, be
aware of any hotkeys or keyboard controls that may
already be assigned to your applications and 3D games.

Specify an action that the assigned hotkeys will control
within a full screen 3D application environment. You can
only assign one hotkey combination to each action.

Lists the assigned hotkeys, and which action each
hotkey combination controls.

Add button Adds a hotkey combination to the assigned list.

15

Remove
button

Disable
hotkeys
checkbox

Removes a hotkey combination from the assigned list.

Disables all hotkeys. To disable a single hotkey
combination, remove it from the assigned list.

ATI Options Tab

The ATI Options tab provides detailed driver
information and access to the card’s specifications. You
can also enable or disable the ATI taskbar icon.

Version Information

Details button

16

ATI Options Tab

Shows the Catalyst version number, 2D
version number and the driver build
information.

Gives access to the Details tab which lists the
card’s hardware details and driver
information.

Reactivate all
warning messages

Enable ATI taskbar
icon application

Show ATI icon on
taskbar

Disable quick
resolution feature

Reduce DVI
frequency on high­resolution

Alternate DVI
operational mode

Reactivates any disabled graphics warning
messages.

Enables/disables the ATI taskbar
applications and removes the ATI icon from
your system tray.

Removes/replaces the ATI icon from the
system tray without disabling the ATI icon
applications.

Quick resolution feature is accessible by left­clicking the ATI icon in the system tray.
Checking this option disables this feature.

Resolves display corruption or no image at
high resolutions (for example 1280x1024
@75Hz) using a digital DVI display. (This
setting has no effect when using a DVI-to­VGA adapter.)

Use this option if you are experiencing
display corruption on your DVI flat panel.

ATI Overlay Tab

The ATI Overlay tab allows you to configure the
brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and gamma
properties of your video overlay.

Video Overlay

Video overlay allows for the viewing of streaming video
on your PC. However, there is only one video overlay,
which is only available on the Primary display. The
video overlay controls are automatically activated during
playback of any video file type that supports overlay
adjustments.

17

ATI Overlay Tab

18

Brightness

Contrast

Saturation

Hue

Gamma

Clone mode
options

Defaults
button

Theater Mode

Adjusts the brightness of the video image.

Adjusts the contrast in the video image.

Adjusts the vividness of the color. Sliding it all the
way to the left removes all color and produces a
black and white picture.

Adjusts the pureness or tint of the red, green and
blue components of the color.

Adjusts the overall intensity of the video image.

Accesses Clone Mode overlay settings.These
settings only apply to video content when viewed
in dual-controller Clone mode.

Resets the Overlay settings to default values.

Displays video playback in full screen on a
secondary monitor, if available and enabled.

Clone Mode Settings

Clone Mode Options

19

Standard

Theater Mode

Same on all

Theater Mode
Settings

Same as
source video

Video content is displayed on your Primary display

only.

Video content is displayed on your Primary and
Secondary displays. Video content is displayed on
your Secondary display(s) is always in full screen
mode. Note: your computer must be set for 16-bit
color depth or higher to use this mode.

Video content is displayed on your Primary and
Secondary display in exactly the same manner.
For example, all displays will show video output in
full screen mode.

These settings are available when Theater Mode
is selected.

The aspect ratio of the source video is maintained
for full screen display. Note: that this option may
result in black bars on either the horizontal or
vertical sides of the video display.

Full Screen
Video

4:3 (Standard
TV)

16:9
(Widescreen)

The source video is scaled so that your display is
showing full screen. Note: if the source video
contains horizontal black bars, as do some DVD
movies, the full screen video will also contain black
bars.

Select this option if the aspect ratio of the display
device showing full screen video has the standard
4:3 aspect ratio (standard TVs and monitors).

Select this option if the aspect ratio of the display
device is showing full screen video has a 16:9
aspect ratio (widescreen HDTVs).

20

3D® Control Panel

This tab allows you to fine-tune settings for Direct 3D®
and OpenGL® applications.

Direct 3D and OpenGL Settings

3D Settings tab allows you to select either Direct 3D® or
OpenGL®, displays existing settings, and create unique
application profiles.

21

3D Settings
for...

Performance/
Quality slider

Use Custom
Settings
checkbox

Current
Settings:

Profiles for:

Select either Direct 3D® or OpenGL®.

Controls the overall performance/image quality of
your graphic application. Moving the slider to the
left will maximize application performance, while
moving the slider to the right will maximize image
quality.

When Custom Settings is checked, the
Performance/Quality slider is disabled. Click the
Custom button to open the Custom Dialog. Using
Custom Settings is recommended for advanced
users only.

Shows the current settings for either Direct 3D® or
OpenGL

®

, whichever is selected.

Save a unique profile of the custom settings you
have selected. Once you have completed making
your custom settings click OK in the Custom
Settings dialog. Enter a name in Current Profile
and click Save.

Saved profiles are selected from the Current
Profile drop-down window.

Compatibility
Settings
button

Defaults

To delete a profile, select it from the Current
Profile drop-down window and press the Delete
button.

Accesses advanced settings that may solve
compatibility issues for a few specific Direct 3D
or OpenGL

®

applications, whichever is selected.

Resets to the dialog’s default values.

®

22

SMOOTH
VISION 2.1

Anti-Aliasing
slider

Anisotropic
Filtering
checkbox

SmoothVision (Anti-Aliasing) improves image
quality by removing jagged edges from 3D
images, resulting in smoother, more natural­looking objects. Selecting Application
Preference will result in high quality images, with
a negligible reduction in the application’s
performance.

Anti-Aliasing can be applied using different
sample patterns and sample points such as 2X or
4X. Moving this slider to the right increases
sampling to provide the most realistic 3D image.

Anisotropic filtering uses a texture filtering
technique that blends multiple texture samples
together. Selecting Application Preference will
result in high quality textures, with a negligible
reduction in the application’s performance.

Anisotropic
Filtering slider

Texture
Preference
slider

Mipmap Detail
Level slider

23

The number of samples taken when anisotropic
filtering is performed can vary. By moving this
slider to the right, as the number of samples taken
increases, the quality of the final image increases
significantly. 16X provides extremely detailed,
crisp-looking images as a result of the largest
number of texture samples possible.

Choose between high quality or high performance
textures for your application. Moving the slider to
the right delivers the highest quality experience.
Moving the slider to the left emphasizes a high
performance solution while still providing good
visuals.

Choose the texture quality of the mipmaps the
application will use. Mipmaps are a collection of
different sized textures of the same image. As the
user moves closer to a 3D object the image quality
should increase, requiring a higher quality texture
of the same image. The base mipmap is the
highest quality texture, and all subsequent
mipmaps are smaller sized textures of the same
image. Moving the slider to the right selects a
higher quality base mipmap, delivering the highest
quality application experience. Moving the slider to
the left selects a lower quality mipmap, delivering
the highest application performance.

Wait for
Vertical Sync

Wait for vertical sync will lower the frame rate of
full screen games but reduce the image tearing
that can occur with the higher frame rate.
Selecting Application Preference allows the
application to decide whether or not it should
display its frames at the refresh rate of the
monitor. Selecting Always Off allows the
application to run at its highest possible frame
rate, regardless of the monitor’s refresh rate which
is typically less than the frame rate at which the
application will run.

24

TRUFORM

TRUFORM uses High Order Surface geometry to
generate more detailed and realistic terrain and
character models for applications that support this
technology. Select Application Preference to
enable TRUFORM. Select Always Off to disable
TRUFORM.

Defaults

Resets to the dialog’s default values.

SMARTSHADER EFFECTS

Apply preset pixel shader effects to any Direct 3D® and
OpenGL® applications.

25

Direct 3D

®

Compatibility Settings

Support DXT
texture
formats

Alternate pixel
center

Defaults
button

There are a few applications that can only support
a limited number of texture formats. By selecting
Disabled, the driver will not support DXT texture
formats, thus reducing the number of texture
formats supported.

May eliminate problems with some Direct 3D®
games which display vertical and horizontal lines
around textures, or text that appears incorrect.
However, this setting should only be used if you
are experiencing the symptoms mentioned, as it
may cause problems with other games.

Resets to the dialog’s default values.

26

OpenGL

®

Compatibility Settings

Force Z-buffer
depth

Triple
Buffering

OpenGL®
hardware
acceleration

Defaults
button

Explicitly set the Z-Buffer depth. Most applications
will work best when Disabled is selected

Improves the frame rate of games when Wait for
Vertical Sync is enabled in Custom Settings.
Enabling Triple Buffering may decrease
application performance as there will be less
frame-buffer memory available. If there is
insufficient memory available to support this
feature it will be automatically disabled. It is
recommended that this feature remain disabled.

This feature should only be disabled if you are
experiencing serious rendering problems.
Disabling this feature will significantly decrease
OpenGL

Resets to the dialog’s default values.

®

performance.

Using TV Out

View your PC’s display on a TV

Your RADEON 9800XT has TV Out capability. You
can attach your graphics card to a TV and monitor at the
same time. Or you can connect it to your VCR and
record your monitor’s display.

TV display is ideal for playing games, giving
presentations, watching movies, and browsing the
Internet. The following tips will help you get the most
out of your TV Out feature.

27

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
for European Customers

Some PC monitors in Europe cannot be used
simultaneously with TV display. When you enable TV
display in Europe, the refresh rate for the monitor
and TV is set to 50Hz. Some monitors may not
support this refresh rate

• Please check the documentation supplied with your
monitor to see if your monitor supports a refresh rate
of 50Hz.

If your monitor does not support 50 Hz (or if you
are not sure), then turn off your monitor before
turning on your PC when using your TV as a
display.

For information on disabling TV display, see To

Enable/Disable The TV Display on page 30

and could be damaged.

.

Connecting to a TV or a VCR

To connect your RADEON 9800XT card to a TV or a
VCR, use an S-Video cable. However, most TVs (and
VCRs) have a Composite video input, in which case you
can use the supplied S-Video-to-Composite video
adapter. If your TV has cable input only, you can connect
your graphics card to your TV through your VCR or an
RF modulator (available in most electronics stores).

Connecting Your S-Video Out to a TV or VCR

1 Turn off your PC and your TV (or VCR).
2 Ensure your card was installed correctly as per the

Getting Started Guide.

28

3 Determine if your TV (or VCR) has a S-Video or

Composite video connection.

4 Looking at the back of your PC, locate your S-Video

Out. Using a S-Video cable or the supplied adapter
cable, attach one end of the cable to your graphics card
and the other to your TV (or VCR). Refer to the
illustration for further help.

5 Turn on your TV (or VCR) then your PC.

TV or VCR

NOTE: Newer TVs may have
the Video Input on the front
panel

S-Video Out

S-Video In

OR

Composite In

S-Video Cable

S-Video-to-Composite Adapter

OR

29

PC

Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled

The TV screen may become scrambled during the initial
Windows® logo display. This is only a temporary effect
and your screen will be restored within a few seconds.

During start up, your RADEON 9800XT will go through
a sequence of mode settings, during which your TV
display will remain blank. This process takes only a few
seconds and helps program the TV display.

To Enable/Disable The TV Display

30

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button.
3 Click the ATI Displays tab. Click the TV button.
4 Click the enable/disable button.
5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Using and Adjusting TV Out

For information about how to use TV display, right click
the ATI taskbar icon, point to Help, then point to AT I
Television Display.

How TV Display Cannot Be Used

A TV cannot be left connected to the graphics card if two
analog monitors are connected to your RADEON
9800XT card, even if the TV is off and not enabled in the
software.

An analog monitor connected to the DVI-I connector
cannot be left connected to your RADEON 9800XT card
when TV out is enabled. In both cases, your RADEON
9800XT will become overloaded, resulting in a dim
image on all devices.

Using a Monitor vs. Using the TV Display

Using your TV for your PC’s display is ideal for playing
games, giving presentations, watching movies, and
browsing the Internet. However, the display on your
monitor may change or looked squashed. This 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.

31

Adjusting Monitor Display

The size of the display on your monitor may be smaller
and not perfectly centered when you have TV display
enabled. These effects are caused by the changes
required to provide a proper display on the TV.

Use the controls available on the Adjustments tab on the

Monitor Properties page (accessible by clicking on the
Monitor button on the ATI Displays tab) to adjust the

display on your monitor only. Click on the TV button to
adjust the TV display only.

Viewing Text on a TV

A TV is designed primarily to show moving, rather than
static, images. The large dot pitch of a TV (which is fine
for moving video) will yield poor quality static images
such as text.

The small text sizes commonly used for PC desktops can
appear blurred or unclear on a TV. You can compensate
for this by using larger fonts.

To Use Larger Display Fonts

32

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-click

Display.

2 For Windows

®

XP, click the Appearance tab. For

Windows® Me, Windows® 2000, click the Settings
tab, the Advanced... button, then the General tab.

3 In the Font Size box, select the size you want your

displayed fonts to be.

4 Click Apply. If prompted, click Ye s to restart your PC.

Reducing Edge Distortion

When using a TV for your PC’s display, you may see
some edge distortion on the left and right side of your TV
screen. This effect depends on your TV and the PC
application you are running.

To reduce edge distortion, you can increase the TV
display’s horizontal size.

To Increase the Horizontal Size

33

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the Advanced...

button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.
4 Click on the TV button.
5 Click the Adjustments tab.
6 In the Screen Size section, click on the plus (+) button

beside the horizontal arrowheads to increase the
horizontal size of the TV display.

7 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have made.

You can also reduce edge distortion by increasing the
TV’s contrast.

To Increase the TV Contrast

34

1 Access the Windows

Display.

®

Control Panel. Double-click

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the Advanced...

button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.
4 Click on the TV button.
5 Drag the Contrast slider to the right to increase the

contrast.

6 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have made.

Changing Display Configurations

If you move your PC to a place where you are using TV
display only, make sure that you have the TV display
feature enabled.

You can set your display resolution as high as 1024x768.
However, higher resolutions will result in a virtual
desktop. If a TV is your only display device and a higher
mode is selected, the display on your TV will disappear.

Using Games and Applications

Some older games and applications may program your
RADEON 9800XT directly, to run under a specific
display mode. This may cause your TV display to turn
off automatically or become scrambled (the PC monitor
will not be affected). Your TV display will be restored
once you exit the game or if you restart your PC.

NTSC/PAL Support for RADEON 9800XT

The RADEON 9800XT can support both NTSC and
PAL TV standards. The default setting is NTSC. To
change to PAL requires configuring a switch on the
video graphics accelerator card. For complete
information on changing this switch see the Getting
Started Guide that came with your RADEON 9800XT
video card.

35

36

VPU Recover

VPU Recover allows the ATI display driver to reset the
graphics accelerator should it stop responding to
commands from the display driver. VPU Recover will be
able, in most cases, to reset the graphics accelerator
without requiring a system restart.

To enable VPU Recover:

1 Open Advanced Display Properties.

2 Select VPU Recover tab.

3 Select Enable VPU Recover.

VPU Recover also generators an error report which is
sent to ATI Technologies when the computer is next
connected to the internet. Should you wish to disable this
feature, remove the check mark from Prepare an error

report...

37

OVERDRIVE™

OVERDRIVE™ maximizes the performance of the VPU
by dynamically increasing its speed to its optimal level.
An on-chip thermal sensor constantly monitors the
temperature of the VPU allowing for maximum clock
speed to be always maintained while avoiding
overheating.

To enable OVERDRIVE:

1 Open Advanced Display Properties.
2 Select OVERDRIVE tab.
3 Select Enable OVERDRIVE.

Graphic Processor Status shows the current
temperature and speed, in MHz, of the graphics
accelerator.

38

SMARTGART™

SMARTGART is a suite of testing and diagnostics tools
that perform a variety of bus tests to determine the
optimal settings for your ATI graphics accelerator
installed in your computer.

SMARTGART automatically configures your graphics
device to the optimal settings. SMARTGART does not
actually disable any AGP functionality in your
computer’s hardware. It simply instructs the ATI
CATALYST driver not to use a specific AGP function if
that specific AGP function hasn’t passed the
SMARTGART diagnostics test.

Changing the AGP settings could result in
system instability.

Set AGP Settings

Experienced users can manually change the AGP speed.
You will need to reboot your computer for this change to
take effect.

The possible AGP speed is dependent on the
motherboard chipset and design. Your computer’s
available AGP speeds are shown in the SMARTGART
dialog.

Fast Write

Fast Write allows the CPU to transfer data directly to the
graphics accelerator.

By default, this feature is set to ON providing your
motherboard’s chipset supports Fast Writes.

39

Some motherboard specifications may claim chipset
support for Fast Writes but may not be compatible with
many different graphics accelerators.

This setting is disabled for many computers because the
motherboard is not capable of supporting this feature.

Retest All

Click this button to retest all graphic bus capabilities. All
tests and diagnostics are initiated immediately following
a system restart.

Any settings that have previously been set to Off will be
turned on, providing the test passes.

Problems can arise if the user enables a
secondary graphics accelerator (in a multiple
monitor environment) after the operating
system has loaded. The problem exists
because the secondary graphics card is

i

enabled after the SMARTGART diagnostic test
have been run. To ensure system stability you
should restart the computer after the
secondary graphics accelerator is enabled so
that both graphics accelerators can be tested
with SMARTGART.