Onboard GF4mx graphics 'fuzzy' on LCD

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

Until yesterday I was a new, but enthusiastic Shuttle user. I decided on a
box with onboard graphics purely for a quiet, easy solution to basic daily
desktop needs rather than gaming. But when I finally swapped over my old
system for the new shuttle box, and used it with my LCD monitor for the
first time, I was really disappointed by the "fuzzy" image. On a CRT
monitor it seemed fine.

I tried new drivers, tweaking the monitor settings, changing refresh
rates, tweaking the Nvidia settings, squinting, losing cleartype fonts,
sitting at a different angle, and going to bed in the hope it'd look
better after some rest.

But it didn't. It was 'acceptable', possibly. But compared to the image
from an ATI card in my other box it was totally unacceptable. So I've just
dug the vid card off the other box and am now -- thankfully -- looking at
a lovely sharp image again.

Anyone else had any similar experiences with the onboard graphics? I
really wanted to leave the Shuttle with as little heat-generating kit in
it as possible, but my eyes are more important than my ears. So it looks
like I'm stuck with the 9800se cluttering up the airflow and making a bit
more noise now the case is back on restricting airflow to the fan. Mind
you, I can probably underclock it with ATItool to reduce heat, so that'll
help cooling.

Andrew McP

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

Andrew MacPherson wrote:
>
> ...I'm stuck with the 9800se cluttering up the airflow and making a bit
> more noise now the case is back on restricting airflow to the fan. Mind
> you, I can probably underclock it with ATItool to reduce heat, so that'll
> help cooling.
>

Get hold of an older graphics card with no fan.
I put an ATI Rage 128 in mine. The board itself
is tiny, two chips, no fan.


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[Stephen]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 06:11 +0100 (BST), andrew.mcp@dsl.pipex.com
(Andrew MacPherson) had a flock of green cheek conures squawk out:

>
>Until yesterday I was a new, but enthusiastic Shuttle user. I decided on a
>box with onboard graphics purely for a quiet, easy solution to basic daily
>desktop needs rather than gaming. But when I finally swapped over my old
>system for the new shuttle box, and used it with my LCD monitor for the
>first time, I was really disappointed by the "fuzzy" image. On a CRT
>monitor it seemed fine.
>
>I tried new drivers, tweaking the monitor settings, changing refresh
>rates, tweaking the Nvidia settings, squinting, losing cleartype fonts,
>sitting at a different angle, and going to bed in the hope it'd look
>better after some rest.
>
>But it didn't. It was 'acceptable', possibly. But compared to the image
>from an ATI card in my other box it was totally unacceptable. So I've just
>dug the vid card off the other box and am now -- thankfully -- looking at
>a lovely sharp image again.
>
>Anyone else had any similar experiences with the onboard graphics? I
>really wanted to leave the Shuttle with as little heat-generating kit in
>it as possible, but my eyes are more important than my ears. So it looks
>like I'm stuck with the 9800se cluttering up the airflow and making a bit
>more noise now the case is back on restricting airflow to the fan. Mind
>you, I can probably underclock it with ATItool to reduce heat, so that'll
>help cooling.
>
>Andrew McP

An LCD will look fuzzy when compared to a CRT and will be worse at any
resolution other than the native resolution of the LCD.

Stephen


--

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

In article <vQT1e.28039$US.6405@news.ono.com>, openglMY@SOCKSartlum.com
(fungus) wrote:

> Get hold of an older graphics card with no fan

In the medium term I can sort something fanless out, I was just wondering
whether -- with lots of Shuttles out there -- the onboard chipset had a
generally lousy reputation that I'd managed to miss when researching the
purchase.

My instinct was that I'm missing something obvious. Maybe the only obvious
thing is that the GF4MX chipset is as awful for 2d as it's always been for
3d?

Andrew McP

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

In article <60ag41t7n8oa53lk4njsiurv1i7buoski2@4ax.com>,
stephen2002{NOSPAM}@lurker.homeip.net (Stephen) wrote:

> An LCD will look fuzzy when compared to a CRT and will be worse
> at any resolution other than the native resolution of the LCD.

I may be a little dim at times, but I'm not *that* dim It was an
entirely level playing field. Same monitor lead, same (native) resolution.
Thanks for the input though.

Andrew McP

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

Andrew MacPherson wrote:
> (fungus) wrote:
>
>>Get hold of an older graphics card with no fan
>
> In the medium term I can sort something fanless out, I was just wondering
> whether -- with lots of Shuttles out there -- the onboard chipset had a
> generally lousy reputation that I'd managed to miss when researching the
> purchase.
>

My image looked fine to me, I only added the
graphics card because it made the thing run
20% faster (my Shuttle has a SiS 651 chipset
with shared graphics memory).

> My instinct was that I'm missing something obvious. Maybe the only obvious
> thing is that the GF4MX chipset is as awful for 2d as it's always been for
> 3d?
>

The thing which makes a picture fuzzy is the
circuitry between the GPU and the cable, ie.
the DAC and all the analogue stuff, ie. if
the picture's fuzzy it's Shuttle's fault and
not NVIDIA's.



--
<\___/>
/ O O \
\_____/ FTB. For email, remove my socks.

Governments, like diapers, should be changed often,
and for the same reason.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

Andrew MacPherson wrote:
> In article <60ag41t7n8oa53lk4njsiurv1i7buoski2@4ax.com>,
> stephen2002{NOSPAM}@lurker.homeip.net (Stephen) wrote:
>
>
>>An LCD will look fuzzy when compared to a CRT and will be worse
>>at any resolution other than the native resolution of the LCD.
>
>
> I may be a little dim at times, but I'm not *that* dim It was an
> entirely level playing field. Same monitor lead, same (native) resolution.
> Thanks for the input though.
>
> Andrew McP
>

Are you using DVI?


Evert

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.shuttle (More info?)

In article <t4iqh2-88p.ln1@witelcom.com>, evert@witelcom.net (Evert
Meulie) wrote:

> Are you using DVI?

Interesting point. The 9800se doesn't have a VGA output, but I use its DVI
to VGA converter rather than a DVI lead (one has never quite made it onto
my shopping list, mainly because I was very happy with the image). I
suppose it's possible the signal is coming from a "cleaner" source thanks
to the DVI output, but you'd think the converter would spoil any initial
advantage.

As the onboard graphics doesn't have DVI output (though the two VGA
outputs were a selling point to me originally) it's hard to level the
playing field and check.

Andrew McP