ATI Technologies Radeon X300 Series User manual

ATI
RADEON™ X300 Series
User’s Guide
P/N 137-40723-10

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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
trademarksoftheir respectiveowners.Features,performanceand specificationsaresubjecttochange
without notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in diagrams.
Reproductionofthismanual,orpartsthereof,in anyform,withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofATI
Technologies Inc. is strictly prohibited.
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,
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herein.
ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes without further notice toa 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 non-
infringement.
Macrovision
Apparatus Claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 4,631,603, 4,577,216, 4,819,098, and 4,907,093 licensed for
limited viewing uses only.
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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.
•Compatibility - This option card is for use only with IBM AT or
compatible UL Listed personal computers that have Installation
Instructions detailing user installation of card cage accessories.
•Grounding - For continued protection against risk of electric shock
and fire, this accessory should be installed only in products equipped
with a three-wire grounding plug, a plug having a third (grounding)
pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a
safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet,
contact your electrician to replace the obsolete outlet. Do not defeat
the safety purpose of the grounding-type plug.
•Secure Attachment
- All card securement pins shall be completely
tightened as to provide continuous bonding between the option card
and the PC chassis.
•Lightning - For added protection for this product during a lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of
time, unplug it from the wall outlet, and disconnect the antenna or
cable system. This will prevent damage to the product due to
lightning and power-line surges.
•Power Lines - An outside antenna system should not be located in
the vicinity of overhead power lines or other light or power circuits, or
where it can fall into such power lines or circuits.
•Antenna Installation - When installing an outside antenna system,
extreme care should be taken to keep from touching such power lines
or circuits, as contact with them may be fatal.

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Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
RADEON™ X300 Series Features 1
Graphic Features 1
External Connections 1
Using Displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connecting Your Monitors 3
Display Configurations 4
ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Introduction 5
Features 5
Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming 5
HYDRAVISION™ 5
Accessing the CATALYST™ Software Suite 5
ATI Displays Tab 6
ATI Color Tab 8
Hotkeys 12
Color Hotkeys Settings 13
ATI Options Tab 15
Options Details Tab 16
ATI Rotation Tab 17
Rotation HotKeys 19
ATI Overlay Tab 20
Video Overlay 20
Clone Mode Settings 21
ATI 3D Tab 23
Custom Properties Dialog 25
Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings 28
OpenGL® Compatibility Settings 29
ATI VPU Recover Tab 30
Using TV Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using TV Out 33
View your PC’s display on a TV 33
Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled 35
Using SCART Connectors for European TVs 35
How To Enable/Disable The TV Display 36

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Using and Adjusting TV Display Features 36
How TV Display Cannot Be Used 36
Using a Monitor vs. Using TV Display 36
Adjusting Monitor Display 36
Viewing Text on a TV 37
Reducing Edge Distortion 37
Using TV Display Alone 38
Using Games and Applications 38
Select your TV broadcast format 38
Adjust your TV screen size 39
Adjust your TV screen position 40
Adjust the composite sharpness of your TV display 40
Adjust the S-Video sharpness of your TV display 41
Adjust the composite dot crawl on your TV Display 41
Adjust the chroma flicker removal setting on your TV Display (if
available) 42
Adjust the luma flicker removal setting on your TV Display 42
Reset the advanced settings on your TV Display(if available) 43
Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
FCC Compliance Information 45
Industry Canada Compliance Statement 45
CE Compliance Information 46
L’Information de conformité de la CE 46
CE-Konformitätserklärung 46
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

RADEON™ X300 Series Features 1
CHAPTER 3:
Introduction
RADEON™ X300 Series Features
Graphic Features
• Four parallel rendering pipelines.
• SMARTSHADER™
• 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™
• Full-scene anti-aliasing method that smooths uneven edges and
improves blurred images.
• 2x/4x/6x Anti-aliasing modes with aloss-less compression up to a
ratio of 6:1 at all resolutions.
• 2x/4x//8x/16x Anisotropic Filtering modes with up to 128-tap
texture filtering.
• HYPER Z™
• Ensures optimal hardware performance by discarding irrelevant
object data that is not visible to the user.
• Conserves video memory bandwidth.
• Loss-less Z-buffer compression
• Z Cache optimized for real-time shadow rendering.
• VIDEOSHADER™
• Seamlessly integrates pixel shaders with video in real time.
• All format DTV/HDTV decoding.
• Adaptive Per-Pixel- De-interlacing and Frame Rate Conversion.
External Connections
• 15-pin D-shell (female) VGA output.
• DVI-I output.

2 RADEON™ X300 Series Features
• S-Video output or Video In/Video Out (VIVO) connection.

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CHAPTER 4:
Using Displays
Connecting Your Monitors
Your RADEON™ X300 Series provides hardware support for one VGA
monitor as well as TV output via a S-Video Out or Composite Out
connector.
Note: If you use multiple monitors, the RADEON™ X300 Series
card must be the primary graphics card. Normally, the system BIOS
determines which graphics card will be the primary.
Connections and Adapters for the RADEON™ X300 Series Card
X
Standard VGA Monitor Connector. To connect a VGA monitor
to the DVI-I connector, plug the supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter
into the DVI-I connector, then plug your monitor cable into the
adapter.

4 Display Configurations
To connect your monitor
1 Power off your computer and monitor.
2 Plug the monitor cable into the appropriate connector.
3 Power on your monitor 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™ X300 Series card.
Display Configurations
Your RADEON™ X300 Series graphics card provides single display
functionality and TV Out. The following table lists the different ways you
can connect displays to your card.
Display
Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments
Single CRT
display VGA connector CRT- cathode ray tube analog display.
Single TV S-Video Out The S-Video out can also support a
composite connection via the S-
Video-to-Composite adapter.
Single TV Composite Out
CRT display +
TV VGA connector + S-Video Out
CRT display +
TV VGA connector + Composite Out

Introduction 5
CHAPTER 5:
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™ , provide the ultimate 3D gaming experience.
The CATALYST™ Software Suite also supports the latest versions of
Direct 3D® and OpenGL®. Many 3D game titles will virtually come to life
through the advanced Direct 3D® or OpenGL® features. Gamers can fine-
tune these settings for the ultimate experience in 3D image quality or 3D
gaming performance.
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.
Accessing the CATALYST™ Software Suite
The CATALYST™ Software Suite installs the ATI display tabs into the
Windows® Display Properties dialog. They are accessed through the
Advanced button located on the Settings 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.

6 ATI Displays 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.
Windows® Display Properties Settings Tab

ATI Displays Tab 7
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.
Display buttons Enables or disables a display device; they also indicate
whether a device is enabled or disabled.
Troubleshoot
button Opens a Troubleshoot dialog to assist with possible display problems.

8 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 for the display device you
want to enable/disable.
2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.
Note: Due to power restrictions, you can normally only have two
devices active at the same time; for example, two monitors or a
monitor and a TV.
To save a display-device scheme
Display-device selections can be saved as a scheme for quick recall.
1 Click the enable/disable button for the display devices you
want to have active.
2 Type a name into the Scheme drop-down list field.
3 Click Save to save the scheme.
ATI Color Tab
The ATI Color tab 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.
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.

ATI Color Tab 9
ATI Color Tab: Desktop Settings

10 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.
Profiles drop-
down list 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 the relevant environment. To
create a new profile, simply type in a name and click Save.

ATI Color Tab 11
To create a Desktop or Full Screen 3D profile
1 Choose either the Desktop or Full Screen 3D radio button, as
desired.
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. Note that any individual
color settings in effect are lost if All Colors is selected; the
color settings revert back to the last-known All Colors
settings.
Red, Green, and
Blue radio
buttons
Selects the active color component (Red, Green, or Blue)
whose values will be adjusted by the Gamma, Brightness,
and Contrast sliders. Note that any individual color settings
made are lost if you subsequently select All Colors.
Gamma slider Increases or decreases the gamma correction of your
Desktop or full screen 3D application. Changing the
gamma alters the curvature of the color curve.
Brightness slider 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.
Contrast slide 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 Restores an individual slider setting to its default value.
Click Apply or OK to save.
Color preview
box 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 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.
Click Apply or OK to save.
ATI Color Tab

12 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.
2 Select the profile name from the drop-down list box.
3 Click Apply or OK.
4 Start your 3D application in full-screen mode.
Hotkeys
Some 3D applications automatically load their own color settings rather
than those set through the ATI Color tab. To use custom settings, you can
preconfigure hotkey combinations to either adjust the individual color
properties or apply profiles you have created, once the 3D application is
running.
To access the Color Hotkeys Settings dialog
1 Select the Full Screen 3D radio button.
2 Click the Hotkeys button to access the Color Hotkeys Settings
dialog.
Note: For the steps used to assign hot keys, refer to the Color
Hotkeys Settings section.
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. Once inside the 3D application, use the hotkeys to
trigger the profile.

ATI Color Tab 13
Some 3D applications allow you to switch easily between full-screen mode
andwindowed mode,anddo not loadtheir own colorsettings.Inwindowed
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.If you want to force
the application to use your custom settings, you can preconfigure hotkey
combinations to either adjust the individual color properties or apply
profiles you have created from within the 3D application. This control is
accomplished through the Color Hotkeys Settings dialog of the Color
properties tab.
Color Hotkeys Settings Dialog
Color Hotkey Settings
Modifier key In combination with the Hotkey, specifies the hotkey
combination that triggers an action. The Modifier key can
be any combination of Alt, Ctrl, or Shift. Note that the Shift
key is never used alone.

14 ATI Color Tab
To assign color settings hotkeys for full screen 3D
applications
1 Select a modifier key from the Modifier Key list.
2 Select a hotkey from the Hotkey list.
3 Select the action you want from the Hotkey Action list.
4 Click Add to create the hotkey combination. This combination will
appear in the Assigned Hotkeys text box. Only one hotkey
combination can be assigned to each action; if you assign a new
combination for an action, it will overwrite an existing one.
Note: When assigning hotkeys, be careful that the key combinations
you choose do not conflict with those of other applications in which
you might want to use them. The ATI Color properties page only
checks for duplications within the Color page itself, insofar as it
allows a hotkey combination to be assigned only once.
To remove assigned hotkeys
1 Select a hotkey combination from the Assigned Hotkey text box.
2 Click Remove.
Note: Assigning a new combination to an action with an existing
combination will overwrite the existing one.
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.
Assigned
hotkeys Lists the assigned hotkey combinations and the actions that each one controls.
Add button Adds a hotkey combination to the assigned list.
Remove button Removes a hotkey combination from the assigned list.
Disable hotkeys
checkbox Disables all hotkeys. To disable a single hotkey combination, remove it from the assigned list.
Color Hotkey Settings