RADEON™ X600 User’s Guide P/N 137-40384-10 ATI
ii Copyright © 2004, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and 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 diagrams.
iii L IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS • Read Instructions - All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the product is operated. • Retain Instructions - The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. • Heed Warnings - All warnings on the product and the operating instructions should be adhered to.
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v Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 RADEON™ X600 Features Graphic Features External Connections 1 1 1 Using Multiple Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Connecting Your Monitors Display Configurations 3 5 ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite . . . . . . . . . . . .
vi Using and Adjusting TV Display Features 38 How TV Display Cannot Be Used 38 Using a Monitor vs.
RADEON™ X600 Features 1 CHAPTER 1: Introduction RADEON™ X600 Features Graphic Features • Four parallel rendering pipelines. • SMARTSHADER™ 2.1 • Full hardware-based support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0/9.1 programmable vertex and pixel shaders in hardware. • Shadow volume rendering acceleration. • Complete feature-set support for OpenGL® 1.5 and 2.0 extensions. • SMOOTHVISION™ 2.1 • Full-scene anti-aliasing method that smooths uneven edges and improves blurred images.
2 RADEON™ X600 Features • S-Video output or Video In/Video Out (VIVO) connection.
3 CHAPTER 2: Using Multiple Displays [Following content object needs to be changed (or added to) since the DVII-VGA adapter is presumably not included - KSR] Connecting Your Monitors Your RADEON™ X600 provides hardware support for one DVI-I monitor or two VGA monitors using the supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter. It also provides TV output via a S-Video Out or Composite Out connector. Connections and Adapters for the RADEON™ X600 Card X Standard VGA Monitor Connector.
4 Connections and Adapters for the RADEON™ X600 Card Y DVI-I-to-VGA Adapter. Z DVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection. Note: If you use multiple monitors, the RADEON™ X600 card must be the primary graphics card. Normally, the system BIOS determines which graphics card will be the primary. X DVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection.
Display Configurations 5 3 Power on your monitors first, and then restart your computer so that Windows® can detect the new hardware settings. 4 When the New Hardware Found Wizard appears, at the appropriate prompt insert the ATI Installation CD to load the drivers for your RADEON™ X600 card. To set up a multi-monitor display (optional) 1 From the Start menu click Control Panel, then Display. Click the Settings tab to access the basic multi-monitor configuration settings.
6 Display Configurations Display Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments Single TV S-Video Out The S-Video out can also support a composite connection via the SVideo-to-Composite adapter. CRT display + TV VGA connector + S-Video Out UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION if the CRT display is attached to the DVI-I connector via the DVI-I-to-VGA adapter.
Introduction 7 CHAPTER 3: ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite Introduction This chapter describes using the advanced multiple-monitor and 3D graphics features in ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite. Features Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite provides multiple-display functionality, and its advanced graphic features, such as SMARTSHADER™ HD, provide the ultimate 3D gaming experience. The CATALYST™ Software Suite also supports the latest versions of Direct 3D® and OpenGL®.
8 ATI Displays Tab To access the Display Properties dialog, right-click on the desktop or navigate through Windows® Control Panel, which is located in the Start menu. Windows® Display Properties Settings Tab ATI Displays Tab The ATI Displays tab provides control over multiple-monitor features. Here you can enable/disable display devices and swap the assignment of Primary and Secondary displays.
ATI Displays Tab 9 ATI Displays Tab ATI Displays Tab Scheme Displays the drop-down list of available display-device configurations that have previously been created. New configurations can be entered here and then saved using the Save button. Hotkey Associates a hotkey with a scheme. To input the hotkey, highlight the field and press the appropriate key combination on your keyboard. Save button Saves display-device configuration schemes. Delete button Deletes display-device configuration schemes.
10 ATI Color Tab To enable or disable a display If the enable/disable button is green, it indicates the device is enabled. If it is red, it indicates the device is disabled. If the button is greyed out, the device is not an option. For example, if there is only one monitor connected, all buttons will be grey. 1 Click the enable/disable button want to enable/disable. 2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.
ATI Color Tab 11 ATI Color Tab: Desktop Settings
12 ATI Color Tab ATI Color Tab: Full Screen 3D Settings ATI Color Tab Desktop radio button Select Desktop to configure your desktop color settings. Full Screen 3D radio button 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. Profiles for Indicates whether the profiles in the drop-down list are for your Desktop or a Full Screen 3D environment.
ATI Color Tab 13 ATI Color Tab Save button 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 Deletes the profile that is selected in the Profiles list box. All Colors checkbox Adjusts the Gamma, Brightness or Contrast for Red, Green, and Blue simultaneously.
14 ATI Color Tab 2 Adjust the Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast sliders to the desired settings, either individually or using the All Colors checkbox. 3 Type a profile name in the Profile list box. 4 Click Save. To apply the settings for a specific Desktop profile 1 Choose the Desktop radio button. 2 Select the profile name from the drop-down list box. 3 Click Apply or OK. To apply the settings for a Full Screen 3D profile 1 Choose the Full Screen 3D radio button.
ATI Color Tab 15 Some 3D applications allow you to 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 on the Color tab, then switch back to full-screen mode to see the effects immediately. Color Hotkeys Settings Some full screen 3D applications automatically load their own color settings rather than those set through the ATI Color tab.
16 ATI Color Tab Color Hotkey Settings Hotkey In combination with the Modifier key, specifies the hotkey combination that triggers an action. 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. Hotkey action Specifies the action that the assigned hotkey combinations will control within a full screen 3D application environment. You can only assign one hotkey combination to each action.
ATI Options Tab 17 To disable hotkeys (so that you do not accidentally activate them, for example), click the Disable Hotkeys checkbox. If you plan to use hotkeys, make sure this box is unchecked. The easiest way to apply your own color settings from within a full screen 3D application is to create a Full Screen 3D profile and save it, assign hotkeys for the “Load Current Profile” action through the Hotkeys dialog, make sure that the profile you prefer is selected from the drop-down list box, and click OK.
18 ATI Options Tab ATI Options Tab Version Information Shows the Catalyst version number, 2D version number, and the driver build information. Details button Gives access to the Details tab, which lists the card’s hardware details and driver information. Reactivate all warning messages Reactivates any disabled graphics warning messages. Enable ATI taskbar icon application Enables/disables the ATI taskbar applications and removes the ATI icon from your system tray.
ATI Options Tab 19 ATI Options Details Tab ATI Rotation Tab Use the Rotation tab to rotate the image on your display up to 180 degrees. This feature is useful when using a flat panel display that can be physically rotated to different positions.
20 ATI Options Tab ATI Rotation Tab ATI Rotation Tab Rotation buttons Rotates the display by the preset amount. Configure Hotkeys dropdown list Lists the rotation actions with which you can associate a hotkey. Hotkey field Associates a hotkey with a rotation. To input the hotkey, click on the field and press the appropriate key combination on your keyboard. Save button Saves a hotkey setting. Defaults Restores the default hotkey settings.
ATI Options Tab 21 To rotate a single display 1 Select one of the four rotation settings by clicking the appropriate button. 2 Optionally, check the Mouse Track Rotation checkbox to have the mouse pointer match the display image. 3 Click OK or Apply. To rotate multiple displays 1 Select the Settings tab in the Windows® Display Properties dialog. 2 Select the display to which you want to apply the rotation. 3 Click the Advanced button and select the Rotation tab.
22 ATI Overlay Tab 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.
ATI Overlay Tab 23 ATI Overlay Tab Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the video image. Contrast Adjusts the contrast in the video image. Saturation Adjusts the vividness of the color. Sliding it all the way to the left removes all color and produces a black and white picture. Hue Adjusts the pureness or tint of the red, green, and blue components of the color. Gamma Adjusts the overall intensity of the video image. Clone mode options Accesses Clone Mode overlay settings.
24 ATI Overlay Tab Clone Mode Options tab Clone Mode Options Standard Video content is displayed on your Primary display only. Theater Mode 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. Same on all Video content is displayed on your Primary and Secondary display in exactly the same manner.
ATI 3D Tab 25 Clone Mode Options Full Screen Video 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. 4:3 (Standard TV) 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).
26 ATI 3D Tab ATI 3D Tab 3D Settings for radio buttons Selects either Direct 3D® or OpenGL® as the format to be altered in the workspace. Performance/Quality slider 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.
ATI 3D Tab 27 Custom Properties Dialog Custom Properties Dialog Custom Properties Dialog: OpenGL® or Direct 3D® SMOOTHVISION™ HD Anti-Aliasing slider SMOOTHVISION™ (Anti-Aliasing) improves image quality by removing jagged edges from 3D images, resulting in smoother, more natural-looking objects. AntiAliasing 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.
28 ATI 3D Tab Custom Properties Dialog: OpenGL® or Direct 3D® SMOOTHVISION™ HD Anisotropic Filtering slider Anisotropic filtering uses a texture filtering technique that blends multiple texture samples together. 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.
ATI 3D Tab 29 Custom Properties Dialog: SMARTSHADER™ Effects SMARTSHADER™ Effects drop-down list SMARTSHADER™ applies preset pixel effects on OpenGL® or Direct 3D® applications. Choose the desired effect and click OK. Defaults button Restores the default settings.
30 Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings Dialog Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings Support DXT texture formats 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.
Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings 31 OpenGL® Compatibility Settings OpenGL® Compatibility Settings Dialog OpenGL® Compatibility Settings Force Z-buffer depth Explicitly set the Z-Buffer depth. Most applications will work best when Disabled is selected Triple Buffering 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.
32 ATI VPU Recover Tab ATI VPU Recover Tab Hardware crashes may occur when a hardware device and the corresponding software device driver are no longer able to communicate with each other. VPU Recover enables the ATI display driver to detect when the graphics card is no longer able to respond to display driver commands. When this situation arises, the display driver will reset the graphics card.
ATI VPU Recover Tab 33 ATI VPU Recover Tab Prepare an Error Report checkbox When VPU Recover is activated a dialog will prompt you to submit an automatically generated error report to ATI. This error report will help ATI to determine the cause of the problem and help create more stable drivers. To disable this feature, deselect the Prepare an Error Report checkbox.
34 ATI VPU Recover Tab
Using TV Out 35 CHAPTER 4: Using TV Display and Capture Features Using TV Out View your PC’s display on a TV The RADEON™ X600 has TV Out capability. You can attach your 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.
36 View your PC’s display on a TV RADEON X600 Series: S-Video Cable OR RADEON X600 Series: S-Video-to-composite Adapter Cable Composite Cable Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled The TV screen may become scrambled during the initial Windows® logo display. This distortion is only a temporary effect, and your screen will be restored within a few seconds. During start up, your RADEON™ X600 will go through a sequence of mode settings, during which your TV display will remain blank.
Using SCART Connectors for European TVs 37 4 Click the enable button 5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes. or disable button accordingly.
38 How To Enable/Disable The TV Display How To Enable/Disable The TV Display 1 Access the Windows® Control Panel. Double-click Display. 2 Click on the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button. 3 Click on the ATI Displays tab. Click on the TV button. 4 Click the enable/disable button. 5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.
How TV Display Cannot Be Used 39 Viewing Text on a TV A TV is designed primarily to show moving images. The large dot pitch of a TV will yield poor quality static images. The small text sizes commonly used for PC desktops can appear blurred or unclear on a TV. You can compensate for this degradation by using larger fonts. Switching to a larger display font 1 Access the Display Properties dialog by right-clicking on the desktop or navigating through Windows® Control Panel.
40 How TV Display Cannot Be Used Increasing the contrast of a TV display 1 Access the Display Properties dialog by right-clicking on the desktop or navigating through Windows® Control Panel. 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.
How TV Display Cannot Be Used 41 7 Click the Format tab. 8 In the Format box, select a country (for example, Germany) from the list. 9 Select the Format (for example, PAL). 10 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have made and exit to the Displays page. 11 Click Close. 12 If prompted, click Yes to restart your computer. Adjust your TV screen size 1 Click Start, point to Control Panel. 2 If your Control Panel is in Category View: Select Appearance and Themes, then click Display icon.
42 How TV Display Cannot Be Used Place a check here to expand your television display to the outermost edges of the television screen, leaving no black border around the edges. Note: This will disable your controls for Screen Position and Screen Size. Adjust your TV screen position 1 Click Start, point to Control Panel. 2 If your Control Panel is in Category View: Select Appearance and Themes, then click Display icon. If your Control Panel is in Classic View: Double-click Display.
How TV Display Cannot Be Used 43 7 Click the Advanced tab. 8 In the Composite Sharpness box, select a value from the list. 9 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have made. Note: Composite Sharpness is not available if your TV is connected via an S-Video input. Note: If your TV has both Composite and S-Video connectors, use S-Video (since if provides a sharper image than composite). If you connect both Composite and S-Video at the same time, only the SVideo signal will be available.
44 How TV Display Cannot Be Used 5 Click the Displays tab. 6 Click the TV button. Your TV must be enabled before you can change its display properties. 7 Click the Advanced tab. 8 In the Composite Dot Crawl box, select a value from the list. 9 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have made. Note: The Standard setting is recommended for viewing dynamic/ moving images, such as those experienced during video playback.
How TV Display Cannot Be Used 45 Select Appearance and Themes, then click Display icon. If your Control Panel is in Classic View: Double-click Display. 3 Click the Advanced button. 4 Click the Displays tab. 5 Click the TV button. Your TV must be enabled before you can change its display properties. 6 Click the Advanced tab. 7 Drag the Luma Flicker Removal slider to adjust the luma flicker removal setting on your TV display. The Maximum setting is recommended.
46 Connect to a TV, VCR, or Camcorder for video capturing Connect to a TV, VCR, or Camcorder for video capturing Some versions of the RADEON™ X600 have video capturing capabilities from your camcorder, VCR, or TV. Use your favorite video editing application to add effects, make edits, or stream your video on the internet. Connect a TV, camcorder, or VCR to your RADEON™ X600 graphics card, as shown.
Capturing video using Windows® Movie Maker 47 4 Click the Line-In volume control checkbox, then click OK. If the Mute checkbox is checked, click it to cancel muting. If the volume icon is not in your Taskbar, do the following: • Click Start, then click Control Panel. • Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices. • In the Volume tab, check Place volume icon in the taskbar.
48 Capturing video using Windows® Movie Maker
49 Compliance Information FCC Compliance Information This [ProductFamily] product complies with FCC Rules part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
50 CE Compliance Information EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Amendments 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, for Class B Digital Device. EN 55022:1998/CISPR 22:1997, - Class B - Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Disturbance Characteristics of Information Technology Equipment. EN55024:1998/CISPR 22:1997, - Information Technology Equipment - Immunity Characteristics - Limits and Methods of Measurement. Low Voltage Directive for TV-Tuner-Equipped products 73/23/EEC - The Low Voltage Directive.
51 Index Numerics 3D 10 custom settings 26 performance 26 profiles 26 quality 26 3D applications settings 15 A adjusting 22 overlays application profiles creating 25 ATI Overlay tab 22 ATI taskbar applications disabling 17, 18 enabling 17, 18 B brightness 13, 14 10 22 color settings video overlay C card specification information Catalyst version number 18 Clone Mode overlay settings settings 23 23 clone mode primary display 23 secondary displays 23 color hotkeys 13 profiles 12 color cont
52 color preview contrast 10 desktop 12 gamma 10 Hotkeys 14 profiles 12 13 Compliance information Low Voltage Directive for TV-tuner-equipped products 13, 14 color settings 10 TV display 39 video overlay 22 contrast custom settings 3D 26 D desktop 12 color settings display corruption DVI 18 high resolution 18 displays Hotkey 9 primary 8 scheme 9 secondary 8 dot pitch 39 driver information 17 DVI operational mode 18 DXT texture formats 30 E external connectors 1 F full screen 3D, 3D full screen
53 H horizontal size TV display 39 Hotkeys color settings 14 hue video overlay 22 M multiple displays rotate 21 O Options tab 17 overlay adjustments overlay settings Clone Mode 22 23 P performance 3D 26 8 23 primary display clone mode profiles 3D 26 color 12 color settings 12 Q quality 3D 26 R resetting graphics card rotate multiple displays 21 single display 21 Rotation HotKeys S saturation video overlay 21 22 secondary display 8 secondary displays clone mode 23 settings 3D applica
54 Overlay 22 Theater Mode 23 Triple Buffering 31 TV display 39, 40 contrast 39 games 40 horizontal size 39 V VGA 23 Video overlay definition 22 video overlay 22 brightness 22 contrast 22 gamma 22 hue 22 saturation 22 Volume control 46 VPU Recover 32 W Windows volume control Z Z-Buffer depth explicitly setting 31 46
