User manual TYAN TACHYON G9000

Tachyon G9000 Series Graphic Card User's Guide Revision 1.0 Copyright Notice The material in this document is the intellectual property of TYAN. While we take every care in the preparation of this document, we cannot guarantee the correctness of all the content. Our products undergo continual improvement and we reserve the right to make changes without notice. Trademarks All trademarks used in this manual are the property of their respective owners. VGA is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks belong to respective owners. All rights reserved. i Important Safety Precautions Always read and follow these basic safety precautions carefully when handling any piece of electronic component. 1. Keep this User's Guide for future reference. 2. Keep this equipment away from humidity. 3. Lay this equipment on a stable, flat surface before setting it up. 4. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection; hence they protect the equipment from overheating. 5. Make sure the voltage of the power source and adjust properly 110/220V before connecting the equipment to the power inlet. 6. Place the power cord in a way that people are unlikely to step on it. Do not place anything on the power cord. 7. Always Unplug the Power Cord before inserting any add-on card or module. 8. All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted. 9. Never pour any liquid into the opening that could damage the equipment or cause an electrical shock. 10. If any of the following situations arise, get the equipment checked by a service personnel: The power cord or plug is damaged Liquid has penetrated into the equipment The equipment has been exposed to moisture The equipment has not functioned properly or in accordance with the User's Guide The equipment was dropped and damaged The equipment has obvious signs of breakage 11. DO NOT LEAVE THE EQUIPMENT IN AN UNCONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT WITH A STORAGE TEMPERATURE OF 600 C (1400F) OR ABOVE. IT MAY DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT. FCC Information This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on. The user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: · Reorient the receiving antenna. · Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. · Connecting the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. · Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference and, (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Notice to user: Changes or modifications to this product not approved by the party responsible for FCC compliance could void your authority to operate this equipment. In order for an installation of this product to maintain compliance with the limits for a Class B device, shielded cables must be used for the connection of any devices external to this product. ii Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction...........................................................................................1 Overview ................................................................................................................. 1 Item Checklist......................................................................................................... 1 Specifications......................................................................................................... 2 System Requirement ............................................................................................. 2 Features .................................................................................................................. 3 Tachyon G9000 series ..................................................................................................... 3 CATALYSTTM Software Suite................................................................................. 3 Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience............................................................... 3 Direct 3D® and OpenGL® ............................................................................................... 4 HYDRAVISIONTM.......................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software .................................................5 Installing Hardware ................................................................................................ 6 To install your card.......................................................................................................... 6 Windows® "New Hardware Found" ...................................................................... 9 To identify new hardware in Windows® 98, Windows® Me, Windows® 2000 or Windows®XP .................................................................................................................. 9 Installing the ATI Driver for Windows® 98/Windows® Me/Windows® 2000/ Windows® XP.................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 3 Multiple Displays(optional) ................................................................ 11 Connecting Your Monitor(s)................................................................................ 11 Display Configurations ........................................................................................ 11 Chapter 4 CATALYSTTM Software Suite .............................................................13 ATI Displays Tab .................................................................................................. 13 Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional) ...................................................... 13 Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional) ............................................................... 14 Dynamic Display Reassignment (optional)................................................................... 14 Virtually Repositioning Your Displays (optional) ......................................................... 15 ATI Color Tab........................................................................................................ 16 ATI Options Tab ................................................................................................... 18 ATI Overlay Tab.................................................................................................... 19 Video Overlay ............................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 5 Direct 3D® Control Panel ...................................................................21 D3D Settings......................................................................................................... 21 SMOOTH VISION Properties................................................................................ 23 Anisotropic Filtering Properties ......................................................................... 24 iii Chapter 6 OpenGL® Control Panel .....................................................................25 Optimization Preference ...................................................................................... 25 OpenGL settings .................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 7 Using TV Out .......................................................................................27 View your PC's display on a TV ................................................................................... 27 Connecting to a TV or a VCR .............................................................................. 27 Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled .............................................................. 28 Using SCART Connectors for European TVs............................................................... 29 How To Enable/Disable The TV Display...................................................................... 29 Using and Adjusting TV Out......................................................................................... 30 How TV Display Cannot Be Used ................................................................................ 30 Using a Monitor vs. Using the TV Display ................................................................... 30 Adjusting Monitor Display............................................................................................ 30 Viewing Text on a TV ................................................................................................... 31 Reducing Edge Distortion ............................................................................................. 31 Changing Display Configurations ................................................................................. 32 Using Games and Applications ..................................................................................... 32 Appendix 1 --- Troubleshooting Tips ................................................................33 Appendix 2 --- Acronyms ...................................................................................34 iv Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction Overview The Tachyon G9000 series graphic accelerators deliver ground breaking 3D graphics performance. Designed and built by TYAN Computer Corp. Powered by the RADEONTM 9000 series of Visual Processing Units (VPU). Awesome 3D gaming performance. Support for OpenGL® applications. Support for Direct 3D® applications. High resolution in 3D up to 2048x1536. Best performance for today's and tomorrow's applications. Supports TV-out to connect your PC to your TV or VCR. Item Checklist Check that your package is complete. If you discover damaged or missing items, contact your retailer. Tachyon Graphic Card Tachyon Graphic Card User's Guide Driver CD with WinDVD player Three cables support S-Video and TV-Output DVI to D-Sub adaptor (Optional) http://www.tyan.com 1 Specifications ATI RADEONTM 9000 Pro - 128-bit Visual Processing Unit (VPU); 275 MHz Engine/275 MHz Memory clock speed. ATI RADEONTM 9000 - 128-bit Visual Processing Unit (VPU); 250 MHz Engine/200 MHz Memory clock speed 64MB of DDR memory Supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 @ 85Hz SMARTSHADERTM advanced shader technology, SMOOTHVISIONTM flexible anti-aliasing, CHARISMA ENGINETM II geometry engine, PIXEL TAPESTRYTM II rendering engine, VIDEO IMMERSIONTM II digital video features, and more Optimized for DirectXTM 8/8.1 and OpenGL 1.3 Dual independent 400MHz DACs VGA, DVI and S-Video connectors; S-Video supports NTSC and PAL AGP 4X/2X/1X compatible System Requirement Pentium®4/III/II, CeleronTM, AMD K6/ Athlon® or compatible with AGP 2X, or AGP 2X/4X bus slot 128MB system memory Installation software requires CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive DVD playback requires DVD drive Sound Card supported by Windows® with available line input. Interactive Program Guide requires internet connection Remote control receiver requires available USB port AGP 2X/4X slot Windows®98/SE, Windows®Me, Windows®2000, Windows®XP VGA, supporting minimum 640x480 resolution. A Plug-and-Play monitor that supports VESA's Display Channel specifications (DDC1 or DDC2b) is required to take advantage of the DDC1/DDC2b features. The DVI-I interface on Tachyon G9000 series cards can be used to attach a DVI display or an analog VGA monitor, using the supplied DVI-I-to-VGA adapter. HYDRAVISIONTM technology supports DVI or CRT monitor and television. Computer System Expansion Slot Operating System Monitor 2 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 1 Introduction Features Tachyon G9000 series The Tachyon G9000 series card provides high performance acceleration for today's demanding 3D graphic applications. Its main features are: VIDEO IMMERSIONTM II which provides industry-leading DVD playback and digital TV decode capability CHARISMA ENGINETM II which is the main VPU, providing the necessary power to accelerate today's 3D games and applications SMARTSHADERTM technology which can realistically create the visual properties of any material, like glass, metal, wood, and produce 3D depth by rendering the object's shadows SMOOTHVISIONTM which provides users with various degrees of jagged edge removal from 3D images, allowing users to configure their own high quality or high performance gaming experience PIXEL TAPESTRYTM II which provides even greater 3D rendering power Dual monitor support (optional) TV output support Digital flat panel support (optional) CATALYSTTM Software Suite Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience ATI's CATALYSTTM Software Suite provides multiple display functionality, and the advanced graphic features, such as SMARTSHADERTM, for the ultimate 3D gaming experience. For help on installing the CATALYSTTM Software Suite, refer to the Installing the hardware and software. http://www.tyan.com 3 The CATALYSTTM Software Suite installs the ATI display tabs. These tabs are accessed through the Windows® Display Control Panel, through the Advanced... button located on the Settings tab. For a detailed explanation of each ATI tab, refer to CATALYSTTM Software Suite on page 13. Direct 3D® and OpenGL® The CATALYSTTM Software Suite also supports the latest versions of Direct 3D® and OpenGL®. Many new 3D game titles, and the latest versions of older titles, will virtually come to life as they utilize their advanced Direct 3D® or OpenGL® features. Gamers can tweak their settings for the ultimate experience in 3D image quality or 3D gaming performance. ATI's Direct 3D® and OpenGL® tabs are available through the Windows® Display Control Panel, through the Advanced... button located on the Settings tab. For a detailed explanation of the Direct 3D® and OpenGL® tabs, refer to Direct 3D® Control Panel on page 21, and OpenGL® Control Panel on page 25 HYDRAVISIONTM In addition to the multiple display functionality available with ATI's CATALYSTTM Software Suite, you can also use HYDRAVISIONTM for advanced multimonitor management. 4 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software Installing your card consists of three, easy steps. Placing the card in your computer Installing ATI's enhanced display drivers Attaching input and output cables and optional TV, VDR, camcorder, etc. This chapter explains how to place the card in your computer, how to install the software, and how to connect the input and output cables. BEFORE installing your Card... Turn off the power to your system, and discharge your body's static electric charge by touching a grounded surface -- for example, the metal surface of the power supply ­- before performing any hardware procedure. The manufacturer assumes no liability for any damage, caused directly or indirectly, by improper installation of any components by unauthorized service personnel. If you do not feel comfortable performing the installation, consult a qualified computer technician. Damage to system components, the accelerator card, and injury to yourself may result if power is applied during installation. Uninstalling your current video card and driver Before you install your Tachyon G9000 series card, it is important that you remove the current video card and its driver. You can remove most video card drivers form Windows® via an uninstall utility provided by the card's manufacturer---typically, this is an entry in the Programs menu. If no manufacturer-provided uninstall utility is provided, you can remove the driver by selecting it from the Add/Remove Programs menu in the Windows® control Panel. When the graphics card driver has been removed, the system should reboot. http://www.tyan.com 5 Check the Display Properties page in Windows® to ensure that the driver has been removed and the system is running the "Standard PCI Graphics Adapter"(VGA) driver. If it is not, use the Change option in the Advanced menu of the Display Properties page to change the driver. 2 Click Start Settings Control Panel Add/Remove Programs, and remove all existing ATI software, such as ATI Display Driver, ATI DVD Player, ATI HW DVD Player, ATI Video Player. When the graphics card driver has been removed from Windows®, you can shut down your computer and install your Tachyon G9000 series card. 1 Installing Hardware Now that you have prepared your computer, you are ready to install your card. If you are not sure whether your card is PCI or AGP, compare the bottom edge of your card with the following illustration: To install your card 1. Power off the computer and monitor, then disconnect the display cable from the back of your computer. 2. Remove the computer cover. If necessary, consult your computer's 6 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software manual for help in removing the cover. Remember to discharge your body's static electricity by touching the metal surface of the computer chassis. 3. Remove any existing graphics card from your computer. If the old graphics card sticks, rock it gently from end to end. Remember to save the screw. Or, if your computer has any on-board graphics capability, you may need to disable it on the motherboard. For more information, see your computer documentation. 4. Locate the AGP slot. If necessary, remove the metal cover from this slot; then align your Tachyon Graphic Card with the AGP slot, and press it in firmly until the card is fully seated. Grasp the Tachyon G9000 series card by the top edge and carefully seat it into the correct slot. Ensure that the metal contacts are completely pushed into the slot. http://www.tyan.com 7 5. Replace the screw to fasten the card in place, and replace the computer cover. 6. Plug the display cable into your card; then turn on the computer and monitor. If your Tachyon Graphic Card came with a DVI connector, you can connect a flat panel display to the appropriate connector Make sure all cables are securely connected. You are now ready to proceed with the installation of the driver. 8 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software Windows® "New Hardware Found" New hardware will be detected after you restart your computer. To finish setting up your hardware click Yes when prompted to restart. To identify new hardware in Windows® 98, Windows® Me, Windows® 2000 or Windows®XP 1. Windows may launch the "Update Device Driver Wizard" to install the ® Standard VGA Driver. If it does, follow the step-by-step instructions below to allow Windows® to correctly identify your new hardware. If the Wizard does not appear, proceed directly to Installing the ATI Driver for Windows® 98/Windows® Me/Winddows®2000/Windows® XP. 2. Click Next 3. Click Finish. You are now ready to install the ATI driver. Proceed to Installing the ATI Driver for Windows® 98/Windows® Me/Windows® 2000/Windows® XP, and follow the step-by-step instructions to complete the installation. Installing the ATI Driver for Windows® 98/Windows® Me/Windows® 2000/ Windows® XP With Windows® 98, Windows® Me, Windows®2000, or Windows® XP running on your computer, you need to install the driver to take advantage of the higher performance, resolutions, and special graphic features of the Tachyon G9000 series card. To ensure you install the latest driver, use the Driver CD that shipped with your Tachyon G9000 series card. To install DirectX Install Microsoft DirectX 8.1(or later) to enable 3D hardware acceleration support for Windows98/98SE or Windows ME to achieve better 3D performance. http://www.tyan.com 9 Note: For software MPEG support in Winindows98/98SE or Windows ME, you must install DirectX first. 1. Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive. If Windows® runs the CD automatically, proceed to step5. 2. Click Start Run. 3. Type the following: D:\TyanSoft.exe (If D is not your CD-ROM drive, substitute D with the correct drive letter.) 4. Click OK 5. Click on Install Softwares. 6. Click on Install DirectX, then the installation Winzard begins 7. Click Yes to make sure you should install the DirectX 8. Click Yes to the license agreement. 9. Click OK to restart your computer To install the driver 1. Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive. If Windows® runs the CD automatically, proceed to step5. 2. Click Start Run. 3. Type the following: D:\TyanSoft.exe (If D is not your CD-ROM drive, substitute D with the correct drive letter.) 4. Click OK 5. Click on Install Softwares. 6. Click on Install Graphics Drivers. 7. Choose the right product you want to install driver(such as Tachyon 8. 9. 10. 11. G9000) Choose the right platform which you are using, then the Installation Winzard begins. Click Next. Click Yes to the license agreement. Follow the Wizard's on-screen instructions to complete the installation. The Express installation option is recommended. The multimedia components will automatically be installed, along with the ATI driver, by selecting this option. 10 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 3 Multiple Displays(optional) Chapter 3 Multiple Displays(optional) Connecting Your Monitor(s) The Tachyon G9000 series card provides hardware support for one VGA monitor and one flat panel monitor, or two VGA monitors using a DVI-I-to-VGA adapter. It also provides TV Output via an S-Video out and an S-Video-to-Composite out connector. Plug the monitor cable into your card (if you are running multiple monitors, connect their cables to the appropriate connectors), then turn on the PC and monitor(s). To connect a flat panel directly to your card, use the DVI-I connector. To connect a VGA monitor to the DVI-I connector, plug a DVI-I-to-VGA adapter into the DVI-I connector, then plug your monitor cable into the adapter. When you use multiple monitors with your card, one monitor will always be Primary. Any additional monitor(s) will be designated as Secondary. Display Configurations The following table lists the different ways you can connect displays to your card. Display Configuration One CRT display One DFP display One TV Connector(s) Used Comments VGA connector OR DVI-I CRT- cathode ray tube analog connector with DVI-I-todisplay VGA adapter DVI-I connector TV Output DFP - digital flat panel display Cards with S-Video out also support Composite out via an S-Video-to-Composite adapter. http://www.tyan.com 11 Cards with Composite out DO NOT support connection to TVs with S-Video Input. VGA connector + TV Output DVI-I connector + TV Output Unsupported configuration if the CRT display is attached to the DVI-I connector via a DVI-I-toVGA adapter CRT display + TV DFP display + TV CRT display + DFP VGA connector + DVI-I display connector VGA connector + DVI-I The DVI-I connector can CRT display + CRT connector with DVI-I-to- support a CRT display using a display VGA adapter DVI-I-to-VGA adapter CRT display + DFP VGA connector + DVI-I display + TV connector + TV Output CRT display + CRT UNSUPPORTED display + TV CONFIGURATION The TV display will "clone" the image of one of the other two displays. 12 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 4 CATALYSTTM Software Suite Chapter 4 CATALYSTTM Software Suite The following section provides an explanation of each ATI tab available after installing the CATALYSTTM Software Suite. i Features presented in the following pages may not be supported in all operating systems and/or may appear differently. ATI Displays Tab The ATI Displays tab provides the multi monitor features. Here you can enable /disable display devices and swap the assignment of Primary and Secondary displays. Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional) 1. Access the Windows Control Panel. Double-click Display. ® http://www.tyan.com 13 2. Click on the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button. 3. Click on the ATI Displays tab. 4. Click the enable/disable button for the display device you want to enable/disable. 5. Click OK or Apply to save the changes. Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional) 1. Access the Windows Control Panel. Double click Display. 2. Click on the Settings tab. 3. Click the monitor icon for the display onto which you want to extend your ® desktop. 4. Click Yes to enable the selected display. 5. Checkmark the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box (Windows® may automatically place it there). 6. Click OK or Apply to save the changes. Dynamic Display Reassignment (optional) You can change the assignment of your Primary and Secondary display on the fly, without rebooting. However, before you can change the assignment of the Primary display, at least one Secondary display must be enabled, and Extended Desktop mode must be enabled. To enable a Secondary display, refer to the section Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional). To enable Extended Desktop Mode, refer to the section Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional). 1. Access the Windows® Control Panel. Double click Display. 2. Click on the Settings tab and then the Advanced... button. 3. Click on the ATI Displays tab Windows® XP, Windows® Me, Windows® 98SE 14 Tachyon G9000 Series Chapter 4 CATALYSTTM Software Suite The ATI Displays tab shows you the display(s) that are active. The Primary button depressed. To change the display assignment, you display has the button or you can click the can click the Primary display's button of the other display device. Windows® 2000 and Windows® NT4.0 Clicking on the monitors. button will reassign the Primary and Secondary Clicking on the button creates a clone or mirror image of the Primary display onto the Secondary display. 4. Click OK or Apply to save the changes. Virtually Repositioning Your Displays (optional) 1. On the Settings tab, click and drag the appropriate monitor icon to the desired position. For example, the secondary display can be dragged to the left of the primary display, allowing it to be virtually on the left, as shown below. 2. Click OK or Apply to save the changes. http://www.tyan.com 15 Ratiometric Expansion The Tachyon G9000 series card offers ratiometric expansion (or digital panel scaling as it is commonly known). This expands a low-resolution image to fill a higher resolution panel. However, ratiometric expansion is only available on the Primary display. Therefore, if a flat panel display (FPD) is set as Secondary, the Extended Desktop mode is disabled and the resolution is less than the FPD's native resolution. This causes the FPD to default to center mode. ATI Color Tab The ATI Color tab is used to adjust the color settings. You can change the red, green and blue display colors. Desktop brightness and Game Gamma (brightness) can also be changed. 16 Tachyon G9000 Series