[Openchrome-users] Problem with Ubuntu 7.10 and K8M890

[Xavier Bachelot]

Joseph Shraibman wrote:
> I recently had to install a new motherboard.  The graphics worked fine 
> with the old one (a via, but I'm not sure which one) but did not with the 
> new one.  Ubuntu refused to use the via driver and would only use the 
> vesa driver at a max resolution of 800x600.  I downloaded the openchrome 
> drivers and installed them, and was able to start gdm with them.  The 
> problem is that at any resolution above 1280x800 I get horrible 
> flickering (and at 1280x800 the bottom of my screen is getting cut off). 
> My monitor is a SyncMaster 712n.  I selected this from the 
> graphical video configure tool, and this was put in my xorg.conf:
> 
> Section "Monitor"
>          Identifier      "SyncMaster"
>          Vendorname      "Samsung"
>          Modelname       "Samsung SyncMaster 711N/712N"
>          Horizsync       30-81
>          Vertrefresh     56-85
>    modeline  "640x480 at 60" 25.2 640 656 752 800 480 490 492 525 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "640x480 at 72" 31.5 640 664 704 832 480 489 491 520 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "640x480 at 75" 31.5 640 656 720 840 480 481 484 500 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "640x480 at 85" 36.0 640 696 752 832 480 481 484 509 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "800x600 at 56" 36.0 800 824 896 1024 600 601 603 625 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "800x600 at 72" 50.0 800 856 976 1040 600 637 643 666 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "800x600 at 75" 49.5 800 816 896 1056 600 601 604 625 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "800x600 at 85" 56.3 800 832 896 1048 600 601 604 631 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "800x600 at 60" 40.0 800 840 968 1056 600 601 605 628 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "832x624 at 75" 57.284 832 864 928 1152 624 625 628 667 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 85" 94.5 1024 1072 1168 1376 768 769 772 808 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 75" 78.8 1024 1040 1136 1312 768 769 772 800 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 70" 75.0 1024 1048 1184 1328 768 771 777 806 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 60" 65.0 1024 1048 1184 1344 768 771 777 806 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "1152x864 at 75" 108.0 1152 1216 1344 1600 864 865 868 900 +hsync 
> +vsync
>   modeline  "1024x768 at 75" 78.8 1024 1040 1136 1312 768 769 772 800 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 70" 75.0 1024 1048 1184 1328 768 771 777 806 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "1024x768 at 60" 65.0 1024 1048 1184 1344 768 771 777 806 -vsync 
> -hsync
>    modeline  "1152x864 at 75" 108.0 1152 1216 1344 1600 864 865 868 900 +hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "1280x1024 at 75" 135.0 1280 1296 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 
> +hsync +vsync
>    modeline  "1280x960 at 60" 102.1 1280 1360 1496 1712 960 961 964 994 -hsync 
> +vsync
>    modeline  "1280x1024 at 60" 108.0 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 
> +hsync +vsync
>    modeline  "1280x960 at 75" 129.86 1280 1368 1504 1728 960 961 964 1002 
> -hsync +vsync
>    modeline  "1400x1050 at 60" 122.61 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1051 1054 1087 
> -hsync +vsync
>    modeline  "1600x1200 at 65" 175.5 1600 1664 1856 2160 1200 1201 1204 1250 
> +hsync +vsync
>    modeline  "1600x1200 at 60" 162.0 1600 1664 1856 2160 1200 1201 1204 1250 
> +hsync +vsync
>          Gamma   1.0
> EndSection
> 
> I downloaded the manual from 
> http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=us&CttFileID=167561&CDCttType=UM&ModelType=C&ModelName=712N&VPath=UM/200504/20050413231145750_BN59-00420J-04Eng.pdf 
> (see page 60) but I'm not sure how I translate what is in there to my 
> xorg.conf.  I 
> changed the Vertrefresh to  56-75 and commented out the modelines above 
> @60 (since the manual says 60mhz is prefered ) but it still doesn't work.
> 
> http://www.tupari.net/unichrome/2007-nov-28/xorg.conf.20011231190431 is 
> the xorg.conf from my previous motherboard.
> http://www.tupari.net/unichrome/2007-nov-28/xorg.conf~ is the xorg.conf 
> after the section for the SyncMaster 712n was added but before I changed 
> it.  xorg.conf in that directory is the current one I am using, and 
> Xorg.0.log is the current xorg log using that as my config file.
> 

Remove all the modelines and Horizsync Vertrefresh from the monitor 
section, they are probably unneeded as the monitor is probably 
advertising its modelines and hsync/vsync range thru DDC.

I would rewrite the monitor section like that :
Section "Monitor"
     Identifier      "SyncMaster"
     Option          "DPMS"
EndSection

Then just add the wanted resolutions to the screen section :

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Device		"Generic Video Card"
	Monitor		"SyncMaster"
	Defaultdepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth	24
		Modes		"1600x1200" "1400x1050" "1280x1024"
	EndSubSection
EndSection



grrr, and after going thru all the files and all, I actually read the 
display manual. The optimal resolution is 1280x1024 so no wonder 
anything else is blurry... The recommendation above still apply though, 
but don't expect any miracle, TFT are made to work at only one 
resolution, anything else is doomed to be sub-par.
Oh, and you'll have to generate modelines for all the modes that are not 
advertised thru DDC (use the 'cvt' tool).

Xavier