# Question about LCD monitors/DVI

## Akaihiryuu

I'm using a Radeon 7500...this card has (in addition to the VGA) a DVI-I output.  I'm wondering how good the support in X is for digital displays.  I'm planning on getting an LCD monitor, and I want one that has a direct digital (DVI-D) input.  Does anyone have any experience running under Linux with these type of displays?  Most LCD monitors also have analog VGA inputs, but using the digital connection if it's available produces much higher quality.

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## slais-sysweb

So long as the card is supported there should not be a problem. Remember that the display probably needs to be driven at 60Hz for optimum performance (ie setting it higher wont improve trhings)

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## Akaihiryuu

Okay, thanks.  I don't have a monitor that can support the DVI connection yet, I'm still using an ancient decrypt CRT, hehe, but the card works fine.  Amusingly enough, my card has better support in Linux than it does in Win98.   :Wink: 

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## slais-sysweb

Before you get a monitor it is probably worth checking for Xfree support. If the monitor is in the Xfree setup database it makes it much easier to get the correct setting.

But that applies wether you have DVI or analogue connections. It really is onlt a hardware connection so the software driver side will be the same.

I have a Dell monitor and a Matroc card with both D-Sub and DVI connectors and appart from the picture quality there is no difference if I swap connections. Having both is useful in other ways: I can use the monitor with two PC connected and swap screens as required.

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## TheFueley

I have an IBM T84H from like 3 years ago, and i had also bought a PNY Nvidia GeForce 3 card with both analog and digital outs. Well anyway, i could never get it to work in X, the install is fine, but as soon as i would boot up, the whole thing would go crazy, and eventually init would kill X from respawning too fast in like 2 mins or so. Playing around with XF86Config didn't do much good. Took the box to AKLUG meetings and still no good getting to work with the gurus there. So eventually, I gave up and put it back on analog out from the card. Voila! it worked like a charm . this was like 3 yrs ago, so im sure someone's been able to make it work somewhere.  Sorry, bout my "no luck" story.

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## drb

Check to be sure the XFree86 driver will work with your video card in DVI mode. I have a Matrox G550 and it requires binary drivers from Matrox for DVI to work. The XFree86 drivers will only work with the analog output.

As a side note, Matrox has a problem with DVI mode that will intermittently pause the display for 1 to 2 minutes during a video mode change. Matrox does not seem to want to spend any time fixing their drivers. I would not recommend a Matrox card for DVI applications.

Wanted: Video card with completely open source drivers that fully and correctly support all of the functions of the card. Must be capable of DVI output of 1280x1024 in 24/32 bpp colour at minimum 60Hz refresh rate, S-Video output, AGP 4 or 8, and have passive cooling. A video processor fast enough for casual gaming would be nice. Anyone know of such a card?

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## Akaihiryuu

Okay, thanks for all the info.  Has anyone tested DVI on a Radeon card under XFree?  I'm using a Radeon 7500...had zero problems with 3D support, everything worked perfectly the first time.  ATI doesn't provide binary drivers for this one, they only provide binary drivers for the 8500 and better.

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## Forge

I've used my Dell 2000FPs on a Radeon 7500 PCI with the X drivers, a 9800 Pro with the ATI drivers, and on a 5900 Ultra with the Nvidia binary drivers. In all cases, DVI-D Just Works.

It's no different from DB15, AFAICT, from a support perspective. As I understand it, pretty much anything that has a DVI port should have no problem using it in X, assuming X supports the graphics card itself.

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