Widescreen Gaming Forum

http://forums.entechtaiwan.com/viewtopic.php?p=25372#25372

Apparently EnTech tell us we dont need TH2G at all, we just need to connect 3 monitors to any (ATI in this case) card and you just "get" a 5040x1050 display in Windows.... :roll:

Am I totally missing something here! :shock:


EDIT
Entech have actually been really helpful, see below. Title updated.

You're not missing anything, but I'd recommend giving them a screenshot of the display properties in which 1 contiguous 5040-wide screen is visible and one screenshot showing 3 separate 1680-wide screens. That'll ram the point home.

Just,well, LOLz :roll:

Lol, looks like their tune has changed a bit. Will see if I can get any good of Powerstrip + ATI drivers.

Oooh, that would be promising if PowerStrip let you bypass the 5040x1050 ATI limit :D.

Well, some progress, I get get the option to select 5040x1050 in both Windows and Display Panel when using the outermost DVI port using Cat8.10 drivers on a HD4870.

Unfortunately, even when exactly replicating the settings from the nVidia Powerstrip 5040 entry, I get a very badly corrupted (nearly impossible to read) image. Its also stretched and part of the desktop is off of the righthand screen.

Im starting to suspect there is something wrong with ATIs dual link DVI port implementation!

Just to add, Im still in communication with Entech, in fairness to them they seem to have a good plan to get this working and in the total absence of Matrox they are our best bet.

8 emails later from Entech, running out of timings to try, but big kudos to Ashley@Entech for taking so much time to help a customer. There are a couple of other companies directly involved here that could take note.

Musings so far:

- I can get it to display the same corrupted image at 60hz (344.494 pclk), so high and low refresh isnt helping, but presume 319.750 pixel clock is the sweet spot it wants
- I even tested the "nVidia Matrox"settings down to 50Hz on the Dell 2208 and 51Hz on the Zalman, it would appear these monitors are very tolerant of frequency's (they displayed the same corrupted image at those extremes.)
- Very sensitive to horizontal timings, it wont display anything it if above *or* below 5376 total horizontal ("active pixels" in nVidia language). This is made up of Resolution + Front/Back Porch + Sync Width.
- Some minor play in Vert timings, will go little over and above 1068 total however Vert Sync Width less than 4 doesnt work at all


Here is what the corruption looks like, missing pixels and stretched horizontally and off the edge of the right screen, this is an ATI 4870 at 5040x1050:



Questions:

- How does the TH2G actually work out where to cut the images its presented horizontally?
- Why does only one DVI port on ATI cards work when both are meant to be Dual Link DVIs?
- Is there something simply broken in ATIs DVI/TMDS implementation?
- It there something else "in" the nVidia drivers thats not in the ATI drivers/Powerstrip
- Was there ever any real info on why the ATI range are not doing ultra high-res output... technically all this should be working, especially with the aid of a tool like Powerstrip picking up up the major slack in ATIs drivers?

Hiya! My first post!

So, using Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 X64, the 9.2 Catalyst Drivers, and an unregistered copy of Powerstrip, I've managed to successfully get 5040x1050 resolution desktop within windows.

Oh yeah, on an ATI HD4870X2

Disabled Aero, although...quite honestly, could give a flip about that! :)

Still working on getting it up and working with games, because when I change to that high resolution I get some nasty horizontal scan lines, I'm sure it has to do with my timings that I have set (I'm a n00b when it comes to this, really). But in 2D desktop mode it works great!

Current Timings:

5040
Horizontal
Refresh 61
Front Porch 112
Sync Width 112
Back Porch 112

1050
Vertical
Refresh 57
Front Porch 4
Sync Width 4
Back Porch 10

Anyone more knowledgeable have a better idea as to what my timings should be? :)

My Rig:

Q8200 @ 2.83 GHz
4 GB DDR2 @ 801 MHz
2x 250GB 7200.10 Seagate Raid 0
Sapphire HD4870X2

3x Dell 2009W 20" LCDs @ 5040x1050
1x Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD @ 1920x1200

Hey good news. Try the settings in this post maybe, the OP is the man when it comes to custom res..even if this is with NV: http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14961

Hmm, thanks for the tip!

It seems like it will take some tweaking still, as it's fine in OS however it still seems to be having some issues when I switch to games...

I'll fool around with it tomorrow when I'm...sober. :o

Best just go online gamin, something simple like BF, TF2, CoD or whatever... great fun while non compos mentis!

Photos of your 3 monitors running in 5040x1050 under ATI cards please? + Settings? Thanks :).

How does the ATI card handle 3 monitors? don't they only have two DVI ports.

Did anyone get this working??

Over at Entechs forums it seems like the one guy got it working, and he was even kind enough to post a small tutorial.
http://forums.entechtaiwan.com/index.php?topic=6694.15

Im just wondering if anyone else got it to run? im waiting confirmation to buy a Triple Head 2 Go

Just went over and read that tutorial.. Sadly he says any X2 card wont work. Doesn't say he has actually tested it just says it will bug out. Unfortunately it is currently what I am using, and stepping down to a single 4870 would not help the performance much..

Still tempted to try it with my X2! But considering the money involved... ouch. Anyone else got access to and X2 they could test it with?

I also have an x2, and im dying to know, i have been holding on for a long time now.

Any info is appreciated.

Lol, one of my former crusades back with a vengence. Nice to see some serious progress was made thanks to ATIs (way overdue) update. Pity I dont have the ATI card myself anymore or Id be all over this.

You best bet for support is to post on the Entech board thread and try get more from this mysterious Flabado person, he certainly has more info than any casual bystander should.

Yep decided to do just that.. Hopefully something positive will come about from all this. But only time will tell now..