Nvidia + Matrox TripleHead2Go with resolution 5040x1050!

[JaXXoN]

Hi!

Just for the sake of completeness, here's a summary of Modelines for the most
commonly used display resolutions for TripleHead2Go:

Dual Head Modes

2x 1680x1050:  ModeLine "3360x1050" 238.00 3360 3424 3488 3680 1050 1053 1061 1080 +HSync +VSync
2x 1600x1200:  ModeLine "3200x1200" 281.40 3200 3264 3456 3752 1200 1201 1206 1250 +HSync +VSync
2x 1920x1080:  ModeLine "3840x1080" 277.00 3840 3904 3968 4160 1080 1083 1092 1111 +HSync +VSync
2x 1920x1200:  ModeLine "3840x1200" 308.00 3840 3904 3968 4160 1200 1203 1213 1235 +HSync +VSync

Triple Head Modes

3x 1280x1024:  ModeLine "3840x1024" 254.31 3840 3856 3872 3976 1024 1025 1032 1066 +HSync +VSync
3x 1360x768:   ModeLine "4080x768"  200.38 4080 4104 4136 4200  768  771  779  795 +HSync +VSync
3x 1440x900:   ModeLine "4320x900"  320.10 4320 4400 4688 5712  900  903  915  934 +HSync +VSync
3x 1680x1050:  ModeLine "5040x1050" 326.66 5040 5104 5168 5376 1050 1053 1057 1066 +HSync +VSync

In combination with nvidia twinview, you can mix those Modelines to form
even higher resolutions (as discussed earlier in this thread), i.e. you could have
a 4x 1920x1200@60Hz quad head setup by connecting two LCD to the first
DVI-D output of a video card via one TH2G and two more LCDs to the second
DVI-D output via another TH2G. Don't forget to use the options "UseEDID" "False",
"ExactModeTimingsDVI" "True" and to provide "HorizSync"/"VertRefresh" as
shown in the sample xorg.conf files above.

Please note that resolutions exceeding 8192 pixel (i.e. 6x 1680x1050 = 10080x1050)
require a recent Quadro card (however, because of lack of material, i couldn't tried that
out, yet).

However, please note that Matrox neither officially supports Linux for TH2G
nor two TH2Gs connected to the same PC at the same time. Also, for some LCDs,
it is necessary to tweak the modelines for proper operation (please check posting
#24 in this thread). So i certainly can't guarantee that such setups will work for you!

regards

Bernhard

[JaXXoN]

Hi!

Just to keep those curious in the loop: i finally got my monitor stands (self-build
by my brother for 60 Euros material cost) and since Acer was unable to repair
the dead on arrival LCD within four weeks, i decided to purchase a new one.

So here's the result:

Working on six displays is awesome, but i can't fully recommend it for gaming:
at least for ut2004 at full screen the crosshair would be "between" two LCDs
which is pretty unplayable. Since there is no way to displace the crosshair you
can only "displace" the screen in order to get the crosshair into a playable
position. For x-plane, the bar in middle is less of a problem and with six
displays you can now read the instruments much better.

Attached are some pics of my 5040x2100 single video card dual TH2G setup

regards

Bernhard

[portwolf]

Hey, I'm actually trying to get 5040x1050 working with those exact monitors only through WINDOWS... it doesnt want to work.
I'm wondering if you managed to get it working by creating a custom resolution with unique timing settings or something?

Any ideas?

[JaXXoN]

Originally Posted by portwolf

Hey, I'm actually trying to get 5040x1050 working with those exact monitors only through WINDOWS... it doesnt want to work.

Can you please be a little bit more specific what "it doesn't want to work" means? :-)

As mentioned in posting #22 in this thread, for me the symptom was that the Acer displays
only recognized 1680x1024 (check with on-screen-display) so that the lower 26 lines have
been missing and the 1024 visible lines have been stretched to the 1050 native lines
of the LCD, causing ugly moire patterns. The situation was the same, on Linux and with
Windows when using the default timings. Especially for windows, the taskbar was not
within the visible range - very annoying! Is this what you are observing, too?

If true, then you may give the Nvidia control panel on windows a try to adjust the
vertical blanking time. For details on how to get to the timings setting dialog,
please follow the instruction in this posting:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/show...10&postcount=6

I used this to retrieve the timing information on Windows so that i could create
the appropriate modelines for Linux (however, not fully functional on Linux until
increasing the vertical blanking time). If i remember correctly, there have been
up/down buttons so that you could indeed modify the values (but i didn't tried
that out).

What i needed to do to get my Acer LCD working was to change the vertical blanking
timing from 1066 to 1073. Additionally, i increased the pixel clock from 326.66MHz to
328.80MHz in order to compensate the frame rate reduction caused by
increasing the vertical timing (at least, there should be 57Hz, right?).

The hard drive with the Windows installation is somewhere in a drawer right now
and it would take me some time to setup everything, again. So can you please
try that out and report the results?

regards

Bernhard

[portwolf]

Thanks for your help so far... I think our problems slightly differ. My monitors recognize 1680x1050 at least when set on single mode, without using the TH2GO. They work fine... ect but that's at 60hz. When i go to setup 5040x1050 via the TripleHead2go... it requires 57hz... this is some constraint of the actual TH2go unit. I'm pretty sure my monitors don't like the 57 hz... My nVidia control panel is slightly different (i believe) from the one explained in that post you sent me to... but I am able to go and create custom resolutions and even mess with advanced specs like timings ect. At one point 5040x1050 was included in this custom resolution screen, i'm not sure how to get it back. (I had to remove the drivers at one point because the Matrox Software attempted to put my monitors in 5040x1050 display mode and the monitors would just read "Signal Not Supported" no matter what i did) so now that setting is gone, i could just as easily create a custom resolution similar to how you did with modeline, and use the Matrox again... I'm just not sure exactly what to use for settings.

I've included a screenshot of the resolution and timing settings (on a single display of 1680x1050) bare in mind this has 60hz and works fine.


But maybe you could give me some hints on how to use this screen to create a working custom resolution with 57hz, for 5040x1050 since you seem to be an expert on these things

[JaXXoN]

Originally Posted by portwolf

My monitors recognize 1680x1050 at least when set on single mode, without using the TH2GO. They work fine... ect but that's at 60hz.

I would expect that the LCDs are working fine when being directly connecting
to the video card :-)

Originally Posted by portwolf

When i go to setup 5040x1050 via the TripleHead2go... it requires 57hz... this is some constraint of the actual TH2go unit.

Right, this is due to the bandwidth limitation of the DVI output.

Originally Posted by portwolf

I'm pretty sure my monitors don't like the 57 hz...

BTW.: when i had the problem with my displays, i contacted Acer support.
The official statement from them was that "the native resolution of this Acer
display is 1680x1050 at 60Hz". One could imply that 57Hz are not supported.
however, EDID reports 56-76Hz, so it *should* work.

Originally Posted by portwolf

At one point 5040x1050 was included in this custom resolution screen, i'm not sure how to get it back. (I had to remove the drivers at one point because the Matrox Software attempted to put my monitors in 5040x1050 display mode and the monitors would just read "Signal Not Supported" no matter what i did) so now that setting is gone, i could just as easily create a custom resolution similar to how you did with modeline, and use the Matrox again... I'm just not sure exactly what to use for settings.

This is what i did on Windows to get the initial setup - maybe that helps:

1.) Installed WindowsXP (a version including SP2)
2). Installed the Nvidia driver (181.20_geforce_winxp_32bit_international_whql.exe )
3.) Installed the latest Matrox GXM tools (vxp2k_gxm_2_04_00_011_whql.exe)
4.) Executed the GXM Wizard and selected the 5040x1050 mode.

This brought me to the 5040x1050 setup where the 26 lines where missing.

Can you please re-installing the driver and the matrox tool to reproduce this
result? From there, it should be possible to adjust the vertical timing setting.

Originally Posted by portwolf

But maybe you could give me some hints on how to use this screen to create a working custom resolution with 57hz, for 5040x1050 since you seem to be an expert on these things

As mentioned, my hard driver with windows on it is currently not operational.
Please let me know if you strictly can't get it working, then i will look into it.

regards

Bernhard

[portwolf]

Im not sure our problems are the same... I am unable to get any display when i create a 5040x1050 view... it just starts saying signal not supported

and since the Matrox Software, doesn't give a 15 second trial period like windows does, then im stuck with no vision, until i reboot in safe mode, remove the nvidia drivers and start over.


It's a hell cycle.


PS im using Vista x64

Im going to try to get a screen shot of the 5040x1050 resolution.


Thanks and stay tuned.,

[JaXXoN]

Originally Posted by portwolf

Im not sure our problems are the same... I am unable to get any display when i create a 5040x1050 view... it just starts saying signal not supported

You may try it out if it works on Linux - just to make sure that the timing given
above basically works.

Originally Posted by portwolf

and since the Matrox Software, doesn't give a 15 second trial period like windows does, then im stuck with no vision, until i reboot in safe mode, remove the nvidia drivers and start over.

I can very well imagine that's pretty annoying :-)

Originally Posted by portwolf

PS im using Vista x64

That may make a difference - i only tried it on XP. Maybe the Matrox
configuration software comes with a different default timing than the
XP variant?

I suggest borrowing some displays that work fine with the TH2G.
You can then hopefully make the timing adjustment with the nvidia
control panel and switch to your displays when finished. Not quite a
perfect solution, because in case Windows looses its display information
for some reason then you have to repeat this procedure.
I guess a single display would be sufficient for this testing, but then you
would always need to figure out on which output a certain application
windows is currently displayed on (reconnecting the LCD to that output
on the TH2G).

BTW.: In case the displays are brand new, then you may try to ask
the dealer to take them back because they are not working as expected ...
Unfortunately, Matrox doesn't provide a compatibility list which displays
are working fine. There are obviously 1680x1050 displays that just work
OOTB with the default timing (i.e. please check xianthax's post #22 in this
thread. My old Benq 2091 are basically also working fine, but have
a 1600x1200 native resolution).

regards

Bernhard

[portwolf]

If i manage to get the 5040x1050 custom res with the timing settings and get a similar screenshot do you think you might have some advice as to what to try on the various settings?

[portwolf]

So i managed to get the custom resolution back in there... all i have to do is stop the matrox software before it attempts to put the system into that resolution.

Really all it's doing is creating these custom resolutions... so maybe with your expertise I could tweak this one in a way so that its suitable for these monitors...


I've included image.

[JaXXoN]

Originally Posted by portwolf

So i managed to get the custom resolution back in there

Perfect. It should be sufficient to set the value for "Vertical total" from 1068
to 1073. All other timing values are identical to what i have except the pixel clock:
i have 328.80MHz where your setup shows only 273.45MHz - that's pretty low!
Even in your current setup, it should be 5376*1068*57 = 327.26MHz!
Looks like that there is yet another problem ...

regards

Bernhard

[portwolf]

looks like im screwed... theres no way to edit the pixel clock...

linux > windows as usual

I guess it's time for new ... new monitors.

Unfortunately i have been preparing for this system for a while so i bought these monitors over 3 months ago, and no longer have the boxes :-(