Does Radeon 9600 DVI support UXGA 1600x1200?

[DaveR]

I've got a Sapphire Atlantis (Radeon 9600) card. I'm thinking of buying a Samsung 213T LCD monitor, which requires single-channel DVI UXGA (that is, 1600 x 1200) in order to connect digitally. I don't want to buy this display if I have to fall back to an analog connection. I understand that many video cards don't drive DVI beyond 1280 x 1024. The specs for the Atlantis looks promising: Somewhere I read "Integrated 165 MHz TMDS transmitter (DVI 1.0 compliant)"; elsewhere I found this general claim:

"A single TMDS link supports resolutions and timings using a video clock rate of 25-165 MHz. This is sufficient bandwidth to support:

SXGA resolution (1280 x 1024) with 85-Hz refresh rate
UXGA resolution (1600 x 1200) with 60-Hz refresh rate"

...which would indicate the bandwidth is there. Or is it? For some reason, nobody posts the official DVI limitations of the video cards on their tech specs. I'd like to get the official word!

 

[Ris3n_Da3mon]

this link
<A HREF="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1370500,00.asp" target="_new">http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1370500,00.asp</A>
should answer you question.

it was originally posted by TGGA in this thread
<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=376363#376363" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=376363#376363</A>

 

[DaveR]

Wow, that's helpful, thanks! I see the article generally notes adequate bandwidth for all the reviewed ATI stuff. It covers the Radeon 9600 Pro but not specifically the non-Pro; would it seem likely that the DVI spec of the non-Pro (which is what I have) is equivalent? I know the non-Pro has a slower clock for the GPU and memory, but what about the DVI transmitter?

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Yeah it should be ok, even as a non-pro. I suspect it is very similar in board/component layout except for the VPU and Memory. But I could be wrong of course, it just makes more sense that way IMO.

The thing is that you will be at the outter limit, but it should be just fine. I've actually looked at that Samsung monitor at FutureShop BestBuy here in Canada, pretty sweet (nice rotate feature for full page presentation).

But I think the review shows that really it can vary alot with OEM partners. So you never know.

Regardless of the cards performance, make sure you have GOOD return/repair policy before you buy such a nice/expensive monitor. Dead pixels may be an issue too. With a good return policy you can give it a test run and then return it if it doesn't meet your needs.

Better safe than sorry IMO. But that IS a sweet monitor. I LOVE Samsungs, I have used a 171M (with pip TV tuner and video in) and it was the sharpest monitor I've seen. I'm interested in the Samsung, but really I prefer faster pixel refresh, so I'm going to wait a bit for at least the Mitsubishi LCDs to make more of a showing in N.Am. I also like the SHARP and BENQ monitors at their high end.


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[DaveR]

Yeah, the monitor looks wonderful, and my biggest hesitation (aside from the high price) is how soon and how much the price might drop. This functionality look cheap by historical standards, but it will look expensive down the road. I wonder whether that will be a couple months or a couple years.

I've been a fan of digital video (that is, DVI) for a long time. I like the concept of the monitor displaying *exactly* what the PC specifies. Of course, CRTs have improved a lot also. I used to hate all color CRTs because of the inherent analog/RGB smear and eye strain. But the digital/analog quality gap has narrowed. Perhaps my quest for digital perfection has outlived its usefulness. But I'll enjoy it if I don't go broke.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I would recommend a combination. A really big CRT (relatively cheap) and then a GODD LCD. The level of quality of each dependant on your needs. I like the combination of both.

CRT will give you a good representation of what you may see on TV, which is important to me for editing my videos and such. I like using LCDs but mainly for tool bars and text, since I haven't had one with the DVI yet, the 171M was VGA DB-15 connector plus S-video, composite and coax cable.

I personally enjoy having both, and I think that if you get a good CRT (like the P260 I have here at work) then you get pretty close picture quality.


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