ATI Technologies Radeon X550 Series User manual

Radeon ® X550
Series
User’s Guide
P/N 137-40892-10

ii
Copyright © 2005, ATI TechnologiesInc. All rights reserved.
ATI, the ATI logo, 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
registeredtrademarksoftheirrespective owners.Features,performanceandspecificationsaresubject
to change without notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in diagrams.
Reproduction of this manual, or parts thereof, in any form, without the express written permission of
ATI 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 ofanticipatory
profits, or for punitive,incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of the ATI hardware, software, or other products and documentation provided
herein.
ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes without further notice to a productor 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
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owners. Use of this copyright protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision Corporation,
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iii
LIMPORTANT 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
System Requirements 1
External Connections 1
Using Multiple Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connecting Your Monitors 3
Display Configurations 5
ATI’s CATALYST™ Software Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Introduction 7
Features 7
Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming 7
HydraVision™ 7
Accessing the Catalyst™ Software Suite 7
ATI Displays Tab 8
Dynamic Display Reassignment 10
ATI Color Tab 11
Color Hotkeys Settings 14
ATI Options 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 and Capture Features. . . . . . . 33
Using TV Out 33
Viewing Your PC’s Display on a TV 33
Connecting to a TV 33
Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled 34
Using and Adjusting TV Display Features 35
TV Display Hardware Restrictions 35
Using a Monitor vs. Using TV Display 35

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Adjusting Monitor Display 35
Viewing Text on a TV 36
Reducing Edge Distortion 36
Using a TV as the Only Display 36
Using Games and Applications 36
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Uninstall Old Graphics Card Software 37
Windows® New Hardware Found 37
Installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite 38
Solution Selector 39
Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
FCC Compliance Information 41
Industry Canada Compliance Statement 41
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

1
CHAPTER 1:
Introduction
System Requirements
External Connections
• 15-pin D-shell (female) VGA output.
• DVI-I output.
• S-Video output.
Hardware • Intel® Pentium® 4.
• 128 MB of system memory; 256 MB or more for best
performance.
• Motherboard with free PCI Express® slot and correct
PCIe™ chipset-driver.
• CD-ROM drive (for installation software).
• 350 watt or greater power supply recommended.
Operating
System • Windows® XP (Home or Pro).
• Windows® 2000
Monitor • High-resolution MultiSync or multi-frequency monitors
or any other type of VGA monitor.
• Digital flat-panel (DFP) displays or digital CRT display.

2

3
CHAPTER 2:
Using Multiple Displays
Connecting Your Monitors
Your Radeon ® X550 Series 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 ® X550 Series Card
XStandard 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.
YDVI-I-to-VGA Adapter.

4
Note: If you use multiple monitors, the Radeon ® X550 Series card
must be the primary graphics card. Normally, the system BIOS
determines which graphics card will be the primary.
To connect your monitors
1Power off your computer and monitors.
2Plug the monitor cables into their appropriate connectors.
ZDVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the
monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection.
XDVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the
monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection.
YDVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the
monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection.
Connections and Adapters for the Radeon ® X550 Series Card

Display Configurations 5
3Power on your monitors first, and then restart your computer so that
Windows® can detect the new hardware settings.
4When the New Hardware Found Wizard appears, at the appropriate
prompt insert the ATI Installation CD to load the drivers for your
Radeon ® X550 Series card.
To set up a multi-monitor display
1From the Start menu click Control Panel, then Display. Click the
Settings tab to access the basic multi-monitor configuration settings.
Note: ATI software provides many additional configuration features
that can be accessed by clicking the Advanced button from the
Display Properties > Settings tab.
2Select the Monitor icon identified by the number 2.
3Click Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor.
4Set the Screen Resolution and Color Quality as appropriate for the
second monitor. Click Apply or OK to apply these new values.
• Refer to your Windows® online help and documentation for
further information on using the Settings tab.
Note: When you use multiple monitors with your card, one monitor
will always be Primary. Any additional monitors will be designated
as Secondary.
Display Configurations
Your Radeon ® X550 Series graphics card provides dual 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 VGAconnectorOR DVI-I connector
with DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter
CRT- cathode ray tube analog
display.
Single DFP
display DVI-I connector DFP - digital flat panel display.

6 Display Configurations
Single TV S-Video Out The S-Video out can also support a
composite connection via the S-
Video-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.
DFP display +
TV DVI-I connector + S-Video out
CRT display +
DFP display VGA connector + DVI-I connector
CRT display +
CRT display VGA connector + DVI-I connector
with DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter
The DVI-I connector can support a
CRT display using the DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter
CRT display +
DFP display +
TV
VGA connector +
DVI-I connector +
S-Video Out
The TV display will “clone” the image
of one of the other two displays
CRT display +
CRT display +
TV
VGA connector +
DVI-I connector
with DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter + S-Video
Out
UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION
Display
Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments

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™, 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.

8 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 9
.
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
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.

10 ATI Displays Tab
device is not an option. For example, if there is only one monitor
connected, all buttons will be grey.
1Click the enable/disable button for the display device you
want to enable/disable.
2Click 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.
1Click the enable/disable button for the display devices you
want to have active.
2Type a name into the Scheme drop-down list field.
3Click Save to save the scheme.
Dynamic Display Reassignment
You can change the assignment of your Primary and Secondary display on
the fly, without rebooting.
Note: Before you can change the assignment of the Primary display,
at least one Secondary display and the Extended Desktop mode must
be enabled. Extended Desktop mode is enabled through the
Windows® Display Property dialog, under Settings. For more
information, consult your Windows® documentation.
To assign your Primary monitor
1Click the buttons to assign the Primary monitor:
For Windows® XP
• 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.
For Windows® 2000

ATI Color Tab 11
• 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.
2Click OK or Apply to save the changes.
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: 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.
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.
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.

ATI Color Tab 13
To create a Desktop or Full Screen 3D profile
1Choose either the Desktop or Full Screen 3D radio button, as
desired.
2Adjust the Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast sliders to the desired
settings, either individually or using the All Colors checkbox.
3Type a profile name in the Profile list box.
4Click Save.
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

14 ATI Color Tab
Color Hotkeys Settings
Some full screen 3D applications automatically load their own color
settings rather than those set through the ATI Color tab. Ifyou 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.
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.