Gigabyte GV-RX345256H User Manual

GV -RX345256H

Radeon

User's Manual

Rev. 101 12MD-RX3452H-101R

HD 3450 Graphics Accelerator

© 2008 GIGABYTE TEC HNOLOG Y CO., LTD Copyright by GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. ("GBT") . No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the express ed, writt en permissio n of GBT.

Trademarks

Third-party br ands a nd names are t he proper ties of th eir res pecti ve own ers.

Notice

Please do not remove any label s on t his g raphics c ar d. Doin g so may v oid t he wa rranty of this c ard . Due to rapid change in techn olog y, some of the spe cific ation s might be out of da te be fore publ icat ion of t his thi s manual . The author assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions that may appear in this document nor does the author make a commitment to upd ate th e info rmatio n co ntained herei n.

Macrovision corporation product notice:

This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights. Use of this copyright protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision. Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited.

Jan. 31, 2008

GV-RX345256H

VGA Card

Jan. 31, 2008

VGA Card

GV-RX345256H

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 4

1.1. Features .........................................................................................................................4

1.2. Minimum System Requirements ....................................................................................4

2. Hardware Installation.................................................................................................. 5

2.1. Board Layout ................................................................................................................. 5

2.2. Hardware Installation......................................................................................................7

3. Software Installation.................................................................................................. 10

3.1. Windows® XP Driver and Utilities Installation ............................................................... 1 0

3.1.1. Operating System Requirements .............................................................................. 10

3.1.2. DirectX Installation.........................................................................................................11

3.1.3. Driver Installation .........................................................................................................12

3.1.4. Utilities Installation........................................................................................................ 14

3.1.5. Taskbar Icons ............................................................................................................... 15

3.1.6. Display Properties Pages ........................................................................................... 20

4. Troubleshooting Tips................................................................................................ 37

5. Appendix ................................................................................................................. 38

Resolutions and Color Depth T ables (In Windows XP)........................................................ 38

Regulatory Statements ................................................................................................. 39

- 3 -

1. Introduction

1.1. Features

• Powered by ATI RadeonTM HD 3450 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

• Supports PCI Express 2.0

• Integrated with 256 MB GDDR2 memory

• Supports DirectX 10.1

• Supports CrossFire

• Supports AV output

• Supports 1 Dual-Link DVI-I connectors

• Supports 1 D-Sub connector

• Supports HDMI connector (by adapter, optional)

1.2. Minimum System Requirements

• Hardware

- Intel

Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon

- 512 MB of system memory; 1 GB or more for best performance

- Optical drive for software installation (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive)

• Operating System

- Windows

Vista

XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

XP Professional x64 Edition

- 4 -GV-RX345256H Graphics Accelerator

2.1. Board Layout

D-Sub monitor Connector (15-pin)

2. Hardware Installation

RCA

DVI-I Connector

Analog LCD Monitor Analog CRT Monitor

NTSC / PAL TV Projector

Digital LCD Monitor

Analog LCD Monitor Analog CRT Monitor

HDMI TV

D-Sub Output

DVI Output

AV Output

D-Sub Output

D-Sub monitor Connector (15-pin)

RCA

DVI-I Connector

DVI-I to D-Sub Adapter

DVI-I to HDMI Adapter

- 5 - Hardware Installation

The entire Radeon HD 3450 series support HDMI output which can handle both audio and video signals. However, audio output from the onboard audio controller or the external sound card will be disabled when HDMI output is activated. If no need for HDMI output function, set the onboard audio controller or the external sound card to be the default Sound Playback device to obtain audio output from your system. For more details, refer to page 19.

Expansion cards contain very delicate Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. To protect them against damage from static electricity, you should follow some precautions whenever you work on your computer.

1. Turn off your computer and unplug power supply.

2. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. If you do not have one, touch both of your hands to a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case.

3. Place components on a grounded antistatic pad or on the bag that came with the components whenever the components are separated from the system.

The card contains sensitive electric components, which can be easily damaged by static electricity, so the card should be left in its original packing until it is installed. Unpacking and installation should be done on a grounded anti-static mat. The operator should be wearing an anti-static wristband, grounded at the same point as the anti-static mat. Inspect the card carton for obvious damage. Shipping and handling may cause damage to your card. Be sure there are no shipping and handling damages on the card before proceeding.

DO NOT APPLY POWER TO YOUR SYSTEM IF THE GRAPHICS CARD IS DAMAGED.

In order to ensure that your graphics card can work correctly, please use official GIGABYTE BIOS only. Using non-official GIGABYTE BIOS might

cause problem(s) on the graphics card.

- 6 -GV-RX345256H Graphics Accelerator

2.2. Hardware Installation

Now that you have prepared your computer, you are ready to install your graphics card.

To remove the existing graphics card:

Step 1. Power off the computer and monitor, then disconnect the display cable from the back of your computer.

Step 2. Remove the computer cover. If necessary, consult your computer's manual for help in removing the cover.

Step 3. Remove any existing graphics card from your computer.

To install your new graphics card:

Step 1. Locate the PCI Express x16 slot. If necessary, remove the metal cover from this slot; then align your graphics card with the PCI Express x16 slot, and press it in firmly until the card is fully seated.

* Please make sure that the gold edge connector of the graphics card is securely inserted.

- 7 - Hardware Installation

Step 2. Replace the screw to fasten the card in place, and replace the computer cover.

Step 3. Plug the display cable into your card; then turn on the computer and monitor. If your graphics card came with a DVI-I connector, you can connect a flat panel display to the appropriate connector, as shown below. Or use the DVI-I-to-HDMI adapter to connect an HDMI monitor.

T o Flat Panel Display To D-Sub MonitorTo TV/VCR

Connect a HDMI monitor via DVI-I to HDMI adapter

You are now ready to proceed with the installation of the graphics card driver. Please refer to next chapter for detailed instructions.

- 8 -GV-RX345256H Graphics Accelerator

How to enable the ATI CrossFireTM technology:

After installing two CrossFire graphics cards of the same chipset (Figure 1) on a CrossFire-supported motherboard, users can enable the CrossFire technology simply through the graphics card driver .

Two CrossFire graphics cards of the same type. (Example: GV-RX16P128P-RH)

Figure 1

Step 1: After installing graphics card driver in operating system, access the Catalyst Control Center (please refer to Page 18). From the Catalyst Control Center, enter the CrossFire menu and assure to select the Enable CrossFire checkbox (Figure 2).

Step 2: When the next confirmation dialog box appears (Figure 3), click Yes to complete the CrossFire configurations.

Figure 3

Figure 2

(Note): Only Windows® XP operating system supports CrossFire mode. Please do not enable CrossFire

in Windows® 2000.

- 9 - Hardware Installation

3. Software Installation

In this manual, we assume that your CD-ROM drive letter to be Drive D: The installation of Windows Vista/XP drivers is very simple. When you insert the driver CD into your CD-ROM drive, you can see the autorun window (if it does not show up, run "D:\setup.exe"). Then you can follow the instructions to setup your graphics card driver. (Please follow the subsection "3.1.3 Driver Installation" to install the driver for your graphics card.)

3.1. Windows® XP Driver and Utilities Installation

3.1.1. Operating System Requirements

Notice the following guidelines before installing the drivers:

1. First make sure your system has installed DirectX 9 or later version.

2. Make sure your system has installed the appropriate motherboard drivers (for the motherboard drivers, please contact the motherboard manufacturer.)

- 10 -GV-RX345256H Graphics Accelerator

3.1.2. DirectX Installation

Install Microsoft DirectX to enable 3D hardware acceleration support for Windows Vista/XP to achieve better 3D performance.

For software MPEG support in Windows Vista/XP, you must install DirectX first. Users who run Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or above do not need to install DirectX separately.

Step 1. When the autorun window shows up, click the Install DirectX 9 item.

Step 2. Choose I accept the agreement and click the Next button.

The system is installing the components. Step 4. Click Finish to restart computer.

Step 3. Click the Next button.

Then the DirectX 9 installation is completed.

- 11 - Software Installation

3.1.3. Driver Installation

A. New Hardware Found

When the graphics card is inserted into your computer for the first time, the operating system will detect the graphics card automatically and display a New Hardware Found message. The following are stepby-step installation instructions.

Step 1: Found New Hardware Wizard: Video Controller (VGA Compatible)

Click the Next button to install the driver. (Insert the driver CD-ROM that came with your graphics card.)

Or click the Cancel button to install the driver from the autorun window.

Step 2: Found New Hardware Wizard: Searching and Installing

The wizard will search for the driver and install it automatically.

Step 3: Found New Hardware Wizard: Finish

Click the Finish button to finish the installation.

- 12 -GV-RX345256H Graphics Accelerator

+ 28 hidden pages