ATI Technologies X3-256 - 100-505096 FireGL 256MB AGP 4x/8x Dual DVI Graphics... User manual

ATI
FireGLTM X3-256
User’s Guide
P/N 137-50048-20

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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
trademarks of their respective owners. Features, performance and specifications are subject 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 of anticipatory
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 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.
Documentation Updates
ATI is constantly improving its product and associated documentation. To maximize the value of your
ATI product, you should ensure that you have the latest documentation. ATI’s documentation contains
helpful installation/configuration tips and other valuable feature information.

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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
Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements 2
Before You Begin 2
Record Your Serial and Part Numbers 2
Update Your AGP Chipset Drivers 3
Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers 4
Installing Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Quick Installation 7
Detailed Installation 7
Installing the Card 9
Connecting Display Devices 10
Installing Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
HYDRAVISION™ Multi-monitor Management 15
Installing Drivers and Software in Windows® 15
Software Installation Prerequisites 15
Monitor Configuration 17
Reinstalling Drivers 18
Display Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
ATI Displays Tab 19
Dynamic Display Reassignment 21
ATI Color Tab 21
Hotkeys 24
ATI Options Tab 26
ATI Configuration Tab 27
ATI Advanced Settings Tab 29
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Troubleshooting 33
General Problems 34
Customer Care 36
Disclaimer 37
Warranty Information 38
Hardware Warranty Service Statement 38
Warranty Service 38

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Limitations 39
Getting Additional Accessories 39
Compliance Information 39
FCC Compliance Information 40
Industry Canada Compliance Statement 40
CE Compliance Information 40
Informations de conformité de la CE 41
Electrical Safety 41
VCCI Class B ITE Compliance Information 41
MIC Certification Information 41
BSMI Certification Information 42

1
CHAPTER 1:
Getting Started
Your ATI FireGL™ card is an advanced workstation 3D graphics card
based on a high-bandwidth, parallel pipeline geometry and rendering
architecture. The card delivers workstation-class performance to designers,
engineers, and animators, and runs the latest OpenGL® and Microsoft®
DirectX® applications.
Features of your FireGL™ workstation graphics card:
• Real-time photo-realistic rendering and animation.
• Stable and reliable software support for Windows® and Linux®
platforms.
• Optimized and certified for professional workstation applications.
• SMARTSHADER™ technology for creating complex visual
effects.
• SMOOTHVISION™ technology for advanced full-scene anti-
aliasing.

2 System Requirements
System Requirements
Before You Begin
Before you begin installing your FireGL™ product, please do the
following.
Record Your Serial and Part Numbers
The serial number and 102 part number on the graphics card are required
for registration. They are located on a sticker on the back of the card.
Write these numbers down before installing your new ATI product.
Hardware • Intel® Pentium® 4/Xeon®; AMD Athlon® 64/K7/XP or
compatible.
• 128 MB of system memory; 256 MB or more for best
performance.
• Motherboard with free AGP 8X/4X slot and correct
chipset driver.
• CD-ROM drive (required for installation software).
• 350 watt or greater power supply (recommended).
Operating
System
• Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 1 (or higher).
• Windows® XP Home or Pro with Service Pack 1 (or
higher).
• Linux® XFree86 4.X.0.
Monitor • High-resolution MultiSync or multi-frequency monitors
or other VGA monitors.
• Digital flat-panel (DFP) displays or digital CRT
displays.

Before You Begin 3
Update Your AGP Chipset Drivers
Your new ATI FireGL™ card uses the AGP bus, and so it requires not only
display drivers, but also drivers that enable AGP functionality for the
motherboard chipset.
To ensure a successful installation of your new ATI graphics card, you
must make sure that your have installed the latest AGP chipset drivers
before replacing your current graphics card.
How to determine the motherboard chipset on your system
1Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu and select System; in
Windows® XP’s Category View, System can be found under
Performance and Maintenance.
2In the System Properties dialog, select the Hardware tab.
3Select Device Manager.
4From the Device Manager tree view, expand the System Devices
branch.
5Scroll through the list of system devices until you find a listing for the
AGP controller.
These drivers may be referred to using any of the following names:
• AGP Driver
• AGP Miniport
Serial and Part Numbers
XSerial number (S/N)
Y102 part number (P/N)

4 Before You Begin
• AGP VXD Driver
• Chipset Driver
• GART Driver
• VGART
Often you will see the name of a motherboard chipset in connection
with these terms. For example:
• ALi GART Driver
• AMD AGP Miniport
• Intel VGART
• VIA AGP Driver
The chipset manufacturer’s name will appear as part of the device
name.
Once you have determined the chipset manufacturer for your motherboard,
obtain and then install the latest AGP drivers from that manufacturer’s Web
site.
For your convenience, here is a list of common motherboard
manufacturers:
Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers
To ensure the successful installation of your new FireGL™ card, you must
uninstall the drivers for the existing graphics card before removing it from
your computer.
L
WARNING - Installing the wrong AGP chipset drivers may prevent
you from successfully launching Windows®. Make sure that the
drivers you install are designed to function correctly with your
motherboard. If you are uncertain, please consult with your
motherboard manufacturer for advice.
VIA Technologies www.viaarena.com
Acer Laboratories (ALI) www.ali.com.tw
Silicon Integrated Systems
(SIS)
www.sis.com
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) www.amd.com
Intel Technologies support.intel.com
General Motherboard/chipset
information
www.motherboards.org

Before You Begin 5
To uninstall previous drivers
With your current graphics card still in your computer:
1Close all applications that are currently running.
2Navigate to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs.
3Select your current graphics card drivers and select Add/Remove.
The wizard will help you remove your current display drivers.
Note: If the previously installed graphics card has any additional
software installed, it should also be removed at this point.
4Restart your system after the drivers have been removed.

6 Before You Begin

Quick Installation 7
CHAPTER 2:
Installing Hardware
This chapter will guide you through the physical installation of your
FireGL™ card.
Quick Installation
Experienced users and system administrators can follow these brief
instructions for installing the FireGL™ card in the shortest possible time.
To perform a quick installation
1Uninstall the drivers and software for your old graphics card if you
have not already done so.
Note: If you are using a motherboard containing an on-board
graphics solution and do not intend to use it as part of a multiple
monitor display, disable it.
2Shut down and disconnect your computer system.
3Remove any previously installed card.
4Install your new FireGL™ card.
5Reassemble and connect your computer system.
6Install the FireGL™ drivers and configuration software from the ATI
Installation CD-ROM by doing one of the following:
• Run through the automatic ATISETUP utility; or
•Start > Run > X:\ATISETUP.EXE (where Xis the drive letter of
your CD-ROM drive).
Detailed Installation
The following instructions will take you step by step through the
installation of your new FireGL™.

8 Detailed Installation
FireGL™ Power Connections Diagram
XFireGL™Graphics Card
YPower Supply
ZHard Drive
[Power Cable Connector
\4-Pin Power Connection
]Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Graphics Card
^Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Hard Drive
_Power Extension Cable: Power Connector to Power Supply
`Hard Drive
aPower Connector to Hard Drive

Detailed Installation 9
Installing the Card
1Turn off the computer, monitor, and other peripheral devices.
2Unplug the computer’s power cord and disconnect all cables from the
back of your computer.
3Remove the computer cover.
If necessary, consult your computer’s manual for help in removing the
cover.
4Unscrew or unfasten and remove any existing graphics card from
your computer.
Note: If your computer has an on-board graphics capability, you may
need to disable it on the motherboard. For more information, see your
computer documentation.
5Locate the appropriate slot and, if necessary, remove the metal back-
plate cover.
6Align your ATI graphics card with the slot and press it in firmly until
the card is fully seated.
7Remove the power cable from the hard drive power connector.
8Connect the power extension cable to the 4-pin power connection on
the graphics card.
9Connect the power extension cable to the power supply .
10 Connect the power extension cable to the hard drive.
11 Screw in or fasten the graphics card securely. Make sure the cables
are not interfering with anything inside the computer (for example, a
cooling fan) and replace the computer cover.
12 Reconnect any cables you have disconnected and plug in the
computer’s power cord.
LWARNING - Wait approximately 20 seconds after unplugging the
power cord before disconnecting a peripheral or removing a
component from the motherboard to avoid possible damage to the
motherboard.
LWARNING - Remember to discharge your body’s static electricity by
touching the power supply or the metal surface of the computer
chassis.

10 Detailed Installation
Note: Before turning your computer on again, connect the
appropriate display devices.
Connecting Display Devices
The following connections are available:
Your FireGL™ card can connect one or two monitors, either DFP/digital
CRT or analog VGA, as well as a stereographics device.
You will need to use an adapter to connect analog VGA devices to the
DVI-I connections.
FireGL™ Baseplate
XDVI-I Connection
YStereographics Connection
ZDVI-I Connection

Detailed Installation 11
Make sure all cables are securely connected before turning on your system.
Display Configurations
Your FireGL™ graphics card provides dual display functionality as well as
quad-buffered stereographics. The following table lists the different ways
you can connect displays to your card.
Using a VGA-to-DVI-I Adaptor
XVGA Monitor Connector
YVGA-to-DVI-I Adaptor
ZDVI-I Connection
Display
Configuration
Connector(s)
Used
Comments
Single DFP
display
DVI-I connector DFP - digital flat panel display.
Single CRT
display
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter
CRT- cathode ray tube analog display.
The DVI-I connection can support a
CRT display using the VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter.
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
Quad-buffered
stereographics
A monitor must be connected for
quad-buffered stereographics to
function.

12 Detailed Installation
DFP display +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
DVI-I connector +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
CRT display +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
DFP display +
DFP display
DVI-I connector +
DVI-I connector
CRT display +
DFP display
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
DVI-I connector
CRT display +
CRT display
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter
DFP display +
DFP display +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
DVI-I connector +
DVI-I connector +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
UNSUPPORTED - Quad-buffered
stereographics will not function
correctly if two monitors are enabled.
Disable one monitor before using
stereographics.
CRT display +
DFP display +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
DVI-I connector +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
UNSUPPORTED - Quad-buffered
stereographics will not function
correctly if two monitors are enabled.
Disable one monitor before using
stereographics.
CRT display +
CRT display +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
device
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
VGA connector
with VGA-to-DVI-I
adapter +
Quad-buffered
stereographics
UNSUPPORTED - Quad-buffered
stereographics will not function
correctly if two monitors are enabled.
Disable one monitor before using
stereographics.
Display
Configuration
Connector(s)
Used
Comments

Detailed Installation 13
Turning on the System
If you have properly installed your graphics card, operating system
messages will appear once the boot procedure is finished.
Your monitor will be running in a basic video mode. Higher refresh rates
are not available at this stage of the installation. Once you have installed the
FireGL™ drivers and software, you can use the Display Properties control
panel to adjust the video settings and configure multiple monitors.
LWARNING - Turn on your monitor before you turn on your
computer. Failure to do so could damage your monitor.

14 Detailed Installation