ATI Technologies X850 - Radeon Xt Platinum Edition 256 Mb Agp User manual

Radeon® X850 Series
User’s Guide
P/N 137-40814-10

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Copyright © 2005, ATI Technologies Inc. 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
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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
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provided herein.
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infringement.
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Apparatus Claims of U.S. PatentNos. 4,631,603, 4,577,216, 4,819,098, and 4,907,093 licensed for
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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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1
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements 1
External Connectors. 1
Using Multiple Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Connecting Your Monitors 3
Display Configurations 4
Catalyst™ Control Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the Start Menu 7
Other Quick Launch Access Points 8
Video 10
Display Options 10
Color 11
GPU Recover 11
TV Properties 11
Hotkeys Manager 12
Profiles Manager 13
Preferences 13
Help 13
Using TV Display and Capture Features . . . . . . . 15
Using TV Out 15
Viewing Your PC’s Display on a TV 15
Connecting to a TV or VCR 15
Using a Monitor vs. Using TV Display 17
Viewing Text on a TV 17
Using A TV As The Only Display 17
Using Games and Applications 17
Connecting to HDTV 18
Using Your ATI HDTV Video Cable 19
Capturing Video 19
Connecting your media device for video capture 20
Setting the Windows® Volume Control 21

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Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Uninstalling Old Graphics Card Software 23
Windows® New Hardware Found 23
Installing the CATALYST™ Software Suite 24
Solution Selector 25
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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CHAPTER 1:
Introduction
System Requirements
External Connectors.
• 2 DVI-I outputs.
• S-Video output.
Hardware • Intel® Pentium® 4/III; Celeron II™.
• 128 MB of system memory; 256 MB or more for best
performance.
• Motherboard with free PCI Express® slot and correct
PCIe™ chipset driver. Note: The [ProductName]
requires a free expansion slot next to the PCI
Express® slot.
• CD-ROM drive (for installation software).
• PCI Express® compatible system with a specialized
12v graphics card power connector. 350 watt or greater
power supply recommended. Consult your computer
system manual to ensure the power supply is designed
to accommodate a high-end graphics card with a peak
dissipation above 75 watts.
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

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CHAPTER 2:
Using Multiple Displays
Connecting Your Monitors
Your Radeon® X850 Series provides hardware support for two 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® X850 Series Card
XDVI Monitor Connector.
YVGA 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
Note: If you use multiple monitors, the Radeon® X850 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.
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® X850 Series card.
Display Configurations
Your Radeon® X850 Series graphics card provides dual display
functionality and TV Out. The following table lists the different ways you
can connect displays to your card.
ZDVI-I-to-VGA Adapter.
[DVI-I Backplate Connection. To connect a flat panel, plug the
monitors DVI-I connector into the DVI-I connection.
Display
Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments
Single DFP
display DVI-I connector DFP - digital flat panel display.
Single CRT
display DVI-I connector with DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter
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 HDTV
display S-Video Out to HDTV (YPrPb)
cable
HDTV - High Definition Television
Connections and Adapters for the Radeon® X850 Series Card

Display Configurations 5
DFP display +
TV DVI-I connector + S-Video out
CRT display +
TV DVI-I-to-VGA adapter + S-Video
Out
UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION
if the CRT display is attached to the
DVI-I connector via the DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter.
CRT display +
HDTV DVI-I-to-VGA adapter + S-Video
Out to HDTV
(YPrPb) cable
DFP display +
HDTV DVI-I connector + S-Video Out to
HDTV (YPrPb)
cable
CRT display +
DFP display DVI-I-to-VGA adapter + DVI-I
connector
CRT display +
CRT display DVI-I-to-VGA adapter + DVI-I-to-
VGA adapter
The DVI-I connector can support a
CRT display using the DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter
DFP display +
DFP display +
TV
DVI-I connector +
DVI-I connector +
S-Video Out
The TV display will “clone” the image
of one of the other two displays
DFP display +
DFP display +
HDTV
DVI-I connector +
DVI-I connector +
S-Video Out to
HDTV (YPrPb)
cable
CRT display +
DFP display +
HDTV
DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter + DVI-I
connector + S-
VideoOut toHDTV
(YPrPb) cable
CRT display +
CRT display +
TV
DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter + DVI-I-to-
VGA adapter + S-
Video Out
UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION
Display
Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments

6 Display Configurations
CRT display +
CRT display +
HDTV
DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter + DVI-I-to-
VGA adapter + S-
VideoOut toHDTV
(YPrPb) cable
UNSUPPORTED CONFIGURATION
Display
Configuration Connector(s) Used Comments

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CHAPTER 3:
Catalyst™ Control Center
The Catalyst™ Control Center is a graphical representation of the display
features of the installed ATI hardware and software. Use the Catalyst™
Control Center to fine-tune your graphic settings, enable or disable
connected display devices, and change the orientation of your desktop.
Many of the features show you a preview of the changes before they are
applied.
The Catalyst™ Control Center offers you two views of the software:
Standard view is a simplified view that includes wizards to get the
inexperience user up and running. The Advance view allows the advanced
user to access and configure the complete feature set of the software.
The Catalyst™ Control Center can be customized for easy access to the
features you use most.
Use the Catalyst™ Control Center to access a comprehensive online help
system, or connect to the ATI Web site.
Catalyst™ Control Center can be launched from one of the following
access points:
• Windows Start Menu
• Windows System Tray
• Predefined Hotkeys
• Desktop Shortcuts
• Via an ATI MMC Application
Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the Start
Menu
From the windows task bar, click the Start button:
• For Windows XP, point to All Programs>ATI Catalyst™
Control Center .
• For Windows 2000, point to Programs>ATI Catalyst™
Control Center .

8
Other Quick Launch Access Points
To launch Catalyst™ Control Center from MMC
You can also access the Catalyst™ Control Center while an ATI multi-
media application, like TV Player, is running. Simply click the Catalyst™
Control Center icon in the multi-media application’s control panel, if
available.
Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using Hot Keys
You can press a predefined key (like F7) or combination of keys (like
Ctrl+A). You can define your hot key by using the Hotkey Manager.
Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the Desktop
Shortcut
When you first installed Catalyst™ Control Center the setup wizard
provided you with the option of placing a shortcut on the desktop. If you
selected this option, simply double-click the Catalyst™ Control Center
desktop shortcut.
Launching Catalyst™ Control Center Using the System Tray
Right-click the ATI icon in the Windows® System Tray and select
Catalyst™ Control Center from the popup menu.
The Displays Manager is the central location for configuring your display
devices and arranging your desktop. Use the Displays Manager to quickly

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change your display setup, arrange your desktop in a multi-monitor
environment, and enable TV Out.
Displays Manager appears in both Standard and Advanced Views. Use the
Standard View wizard to help you configure your display preferences.
Experienced users who prefer to manually configure their desktop setting
should use the Advanced View.
Standard View
Advanced View

10 Video
Use 3D to adjust features found in 3D applications, such as graphic-design,
CAD programs and games.
3D is available in the simplified standard view and advanced view. Use
standard view to adjust the overall performance and quality of your graphic
application. Use the advanced view to individually configure the following
settings:
• Standard Settings
• Anti-aliasing
• Anisotropic Filtering
• Catalyst™ A.I.
• Mipmap Detail Level
•TruForm™
• SmartShader™
•API-Specific
Video
Use the Video aspect to use preconfigured profiles that best match your
viewing environment. Switch to the Advanced view to manually adjust
video overlay and choose a preferred viewing mode, such as Widescreen or
Fullscreen modes.
• Select Video in either Standard or Advanced View.
Display Options
The Display Options gives you additional control to optimize performance
of OpenGL® and Direct 3D® applications.
Use 3D Refresh Rate Override to set a refresh rate of your choice when a
full-screen application or game has a default refresh rate that is lower than
optimal.
Choose one of the Display Detection Options to prevent screen flicker
when detecting a display.
If you are using an older TV or one that has non-standard inputs that may
not be automatically detected, use Force TV Detection. Such a TV, once
detected, will appear in the Displays Manager aspect and can be configured

Color 11
as required. However, some features that rely on automatic detection, such
as extended desktop, will not be supported.
• Select Display Options in the Catalyst™ Control Center
Advanced View.
Color
Use the Color aspect to adjust the color settings for your desktop and full-
screen games. The Preview effects area shows your changes to gamma,
brightness, and contrast in real time.
• Select Color in Advanced View.
GPU Recover
GPU Recover is a tool capable of detecting the rare situation when the
graphics processor is no longer able to respond to display driver
commands. When this occurs, GPU Recover attempts to reset the graphics
processor so that you are able to continue using your computer without
interruption or loss of data.
• Select GPU Recover in Advanced View.
Use the yMonitor Properties page to configure your Display Data Channel
(DDC) monitor’s attributes, to display information about the connected
monitor, and adjust the output display’s position and size.
To access Monitor Properties
• Select Monitor Properties in Advanced View.
TV Properties
If your graphics card has support for TV Out use the TV Properties to
configure your TV settings.
The TV Properties is comprised of:
• Image Quality
• Color
• Adjustments
•Formats

12 Hotkeys Manager
Use Image Quality to adjust the contrast, saturation, and flicker of your
screen.
Use Color to adjust Hue, Saturation, and Temperature.
Note: This feature is supported by specific high-end ATI graphics
cards only.
Use Screen Adjustment to set the video mode, enable overscan, and change
the position and size of the screen.
Use Formats to determine how the TV signal is to be detected.
Use the Digital Panel Properties to configure the DVI settings and Image
Scaling to improve image quality without impacting performance. Use
HDTV Support to add EDID information to the Force button of the
Displays Manager.
Hotkeys Manager
The Hotkeys Manager allows you to create shortcut key combinations to
quickly perform tasks such as changing a graphics setting or opening an
application. A hot key is a combination of one or more modifier keys, such
as Ctrl, Alt, or Shift, and any letter from the alphabet.
Use ATI Overdrive 3 to maximize the performance of the graphics
processing unit (GPU) on your graphics card. An on-chip thermal sensor
constantly monitors the temperature of the GPU allowing the maximum
clock speed to be maintained while avoiding overheating. If the GPU gets
too hot, ATI Overdrive 3 will automatically decrease the clock speed until
a safe temperature is reached. ATI Overdrive 3 will never reduce the
graphics processor speed below the default clock speed.
Use the Automated clock configuration utility to obtain the ATI
recommended ATI Overdrive 3speeds for thegraphics processor clock and
video memory clock. Alternatively, manually set these speeds to meet your
specific requirements. Finally, ATI Overdrive 3 can be configured to run
when the computer is booted or only when running 3D applications.
• If your computer cannot restart after setting a higher clock speed,
press and hold the SHIFT key during system start-up until you
hear three beeps. Once your computer has full booted, disable
Enable new clock settings at logon.

Profiles Manager 13
Profiles Manager
Use profiles to create customized environments for your desktop, video,
and 3D applications. Define and save your own personal video settings that
can be quickly activated manually, through a hot key, or by file association.
Note: A profile applies to a specific graphics card. If there is more
than one graphics card installed in your computer, you need to select
the appropriate card before creating, loading, or activating a profile.
Preferences
Use the Preferences page to restore factory defaults, change skins, or
enable\disable the System Tray icon.
The CATALYST™ Control Center Preferences page contains the
following options:
• Hide Tooltips
•AlwaysonTop
• Enable System Tray menu
• Restore factory defaults
• Show Toolbar Text
• Select a Language
• Select a Skin
Help
Use the Catalyst™ Control Center Help feature to access the
comprehensive online help system, generate a Problem Report, and get the
installed version information.

14 Help