GIGABYTE GV-RX387512H, GV-RX387512HP Owner's Manual

GV-RX387512H

Radeon

User's Manual

Rev. 101

12MD-RX3875H-101R

HD 3870 Graphics Accelerator

in any form without the expressed, written permission of GBT.

Trademarks

Third-party brands and names are the properties of their respective owners.

Notice

Please do not remove any labels on this graphics card. Doing so may void the warranty of this card.

Due to rapid change in technology, some of the specifications might be out of date before publication of this this manual.

The author a ssumes no responsib ility for any errors o r omissions that may appear in this docum ent nor does the au thor

make a commitment to update the information contained herein.

Macrovision corporation product notice:

This product incorpora tes copyright protection technolog y that is protected by U.S. pat ents and other intellectual prope rty

rights. Use of this cop yright protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision, and is inte nded for home and other

limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized b y Macrovision. Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited.

Dec. 20, 2007

GV-RX387512H

VGA Card

Dec. 20, 2007

GV-RX387512H

VGA Card

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 ................................................................................................... 11

3.1. Windows® XP Driver and Utilities Installation ................................................................ 11

3.1.1. Operating System Requirements ...............................................................................11

3.1.2. DirectX Installation ........................................................................................................ 12

3.1.3. Driver Installation ......................................................................................................... 13

3.1.4. Taskbar Icon ................................................................................................................. 15

3.1.5. Display Properties Pages ........................................................................................... 17

4. Troubleshooting Tips................................................................................................ 35

5. Appendix ................................................................................................................. 36

Resolutions and Color Depth Tables (In Windows XP) ........................................................ 36

Regulatory Statements ................................................................................................. 37

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1. Introduction

1.1. Features

• Powered by ATI HD RadeonTM 3870 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

• Supports PCI Express 2.0

• Integrated with 512 MB GDDR3 memory

• Supports DirectX 10.1

• Supports CrossFire

• Supports AV / S-Video / TV-Out and HDTV output

• Supports 2 Dual-Link DVI-I connectors

• Supports 2 D-Sub connectors (by adapters)

• Supports HDTV output (by adapter)

• Supports HDMI connector (by adapter)

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)

- A power supply that provides at least 400-watt. The power supply should be with a known brand and certified to conform to safety regulations. (For the list of certified power supplies, go to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedpsu.)

• Operating System

- Windows

• CrossFire

Vista

XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

XP Professional x64 Edition

Configuration

If you are planning on using this graphics card as part of a CrossFire system, the following is required:

- A CrossFire certified motherboard with two PCI Express x16 slots and correct chipset driver

- Two GV-RX387512H

- A power supply that provides at least 450-watt to ensure the power supply is designed to accommodate a high-end graphics card with a peak dissipation above 100-watt. The power supply should be with a known brand and certified to conform to safety regulations. (For the list of certified power supplies, go to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedpsu.)

- Two CrossFire bridge interconnect cables

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2.1. Board Layout

CrossFire Connector

DVI-I Connector 1

TV-Out

DVI-I Connector 2

2. Hardware Installation

HDTV

NTSC / PAL TV Projector

Digital LCD Monitor

Analog LCD Monitor Analog Monitor

HDMI TV

DVI Output

Pb/AV Output

S-Video Output

D-Sub

Output

DVI-I to HDMI Adapter

DVI-I to D-Sub

Adapter

DVI-I

Connector 1

TV-Out

DVI-I

Connector 2

- 5 - Hardware Installation

The entire Radeon HD 3800 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 16.

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.

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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 screws to fasten the card in place, and replace the computer cover.

After installation, remember to connect the power cable to your graphics card, or the system will not boot. Do not touch the card when it's operating to prevent system instability.

Step 3. This graphics card provides two DVI-I digital connectors. You can connect a monitor that supports DVI-I function or use the DVI-I to D-Sub adapter to connect a 15-pin D-Sub monitor. Or use the DVI-I to HDMI adapter to connect an HDMI monitor. (Note: Only the DVI-I Connector 2 supports the DVI-I to HDMI adapter.)

Connect a flat panel

To TV / VCR To Flat Panel Display

Connect a D-Sub monitor via DVI-I to D-Sub adapter

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.

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GIGABYTE Video Adapter

AV Out

S-Video Out

Connect to the TV-Out port on the graphics card.

(1) Connecting HDTV Connect your HDTV cables to the video adapter according to the corresponding color. (Y= Green, Pr= Red, Pb= Blue)

(2) Connecting S-Video If your TV has a S-Video connection, connect the S-Video cable from your TV to the S-Video Out port on the adapter.

HDTV Component (Y+Pr+Pb)

(3) Connecting AV Output If your TV has a Composite video connection, you can connect the RCA cable from your TV to the AV Out port on the adapter.

- 9 - Hardware Installation

How to enable the ATI CrossFireTM technology?

Step 1: Install two CrossFire graphics cards of the same chipset on a CrossFire-supported motherboard and connect the graphics cards via two CrossFire bridge interconnect cables (Figure 1). Then users can enable the CrossFire technology through the graphics card driver.

Two CrossFire bridge

interconnect cables.

Figure 1

Step 2: After installing graphics card driver in operating system, access the ATI Catalyst Control Center (please refer to Page 15). From the ATI Catalyst Control Center, enter the CrossFire menu and assure to select the Enable CrossFire check box (Figure 2).

Two CrossFire graphics cards of the same type.

(Example: GV-RX195P256D-RH)

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

Figure 3

Figure 2

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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.)

- 11 - Software Installation

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.

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