------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matrox Video Driver for Windows NT 4.0 Matrox PowerDesk Version: 4.54.031 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------x This files contains instructions for getting started with the Windows NT video driver for the Matrox G-Series video adapters. For detailed instructions using the PowerDesk utility, refer to the on-line Matrox help. PowerDesk controls virtual desktop, hardware panning and zooming, monitor selections, and more. This product includes: - Display Driver - Matrox PowerDesk for Windows NT 4.0 The driver supports the following Matrox video adapters. Up to five adapters can be installed at one time. -Millennium G450 AGP video adapter -Millennium G450 PCI video adapter -Millennium G400 AGP video adapter -Millennium G200 AGP video adapter -Millennium G200 PCI video adapter -Productiva G100 MMS (Multi-Monitor Series) PCI video adapter Product Files ------------- MGA64.INF Driver installation file for Windows NT Setup MGA64.SYS Matrox miniport driver MGA64.DLL Matrox display driver G200ICD.DLL Matrox G200 Installable Client Driver G400ICD.DLL Matrox G400 Installable CLient Driver READMENT.TXT This file REGISTRY.MVA Registry services applications PD_CTRL.MVA Registry services applications PD_DNAV.MVA Matrox Desktop Navigator application PD_MON.MVA Matrox Monitor property sheet PD_MONF.MVA Matrox monitor file and database PD_QDSK.MVA Matrox QuickDesk application PD_SET.MVA Matrox Settings property sheet ???_MON.MV? Resource file for Matrox Monitor ???_CTRL.MV? Resource file for Registry services applications ???_DNAV.MV? Resource file for Matrox Desktop Navigator application ???_QDSK.MV? Resource file for Matrox QuickDesk application ???_SET.MV? Resource file for Matrox Settings property sheet ???_DOC.MV? Documentation and readme files SETUP.EXE Installation application for driver and Matrox PowerDesk INST_???.DLL Resource file for SETUP.EXE SETUP.INI INI file for Installation application MGA.INI INI file for PowerDesk | UNATTEND.TXT Instructions for unattended install where '???' stands for supported language identifiers (e.g., ENG). The entire contents of this document should be read because information in this file may not appear in printed documentation or on-line help. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INSTALLING THE MATROX DRIVER AND THE POWERDESK UTILITY A) Running Setup B) Standard Driver Installation 2. CHANGING THE MONITOR SELECTION OR DISPLAY REFRESH RATE WITH POWERDESK 3. CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS WITH POWERDESK 4. REMOVING THE MATROX VIDEO DEVICE DRIVER AND POWERDESK 5. REGISTRY SETTINGS (For Advanced Users Only!) 6. HARDWARE ACCELERATED 3D 7. NOTES, PROBLEMS, AND LIMITATIONS 8. HELP AND SOFTWARE UPGRADES 9. SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS, COLOR DEPTHS, AND REFRESH RATES ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INSTALLING THE MATROX DRIVER AND THE POWERDESK UTILITY ------------------------------------------------------------------ A) Running Setup ---------------- Refer to your Owner's Manual to install your Matrox video adapter in your system. If you are installing multiple Matrox video adapters in your system, your system BIOS must disable all VGA-enabled cards it finds after the first one. When Windows NT starts, the miniport driver will find all cards and enable them for use. THIS IS GUARANTEED ONLY IF YOUR SYSTEM BIOS IS FULLY PCI-COMPLIANT. IF YOUR SYSTEM BIOS IS NOT FULLY PCI-COMPLIANT, MULTIPLE MATROX CARDS MAY NOT WORK. Multiple-card installations are similar to single-card installations. The system will automatically assign separate addresses to each Matrox video card, allowing the driver to issue commands to each card. In a multiple-card configuration, all cards must be either Millennium G400 AGP, Millennium G200 AGP, Millennium G200 PCI, or G100 Productiva multi-head PCI video adapters, and all cards must run with the same resolution and pixel depth (number of colors). The VGA-enabled card will drive the top left monitor. NOTE: Before installing the Matrox video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is running on your computer until the Matrox driver installation is is complete! Installing the Matrox driver and PowerDesk is a simple, one step procedure. Simply run the file 'SETUP.EXE' on driver diskette 1 or from the harddrive directory where the driver files are stored. 1. Start Windows NT 4.0 in VGA mode: When the "Please select the operating system to start..." message is displayed, select WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION VERSION 4.00 [VGA MODE]. 2. Start the Windows NT Explorer, or open a Command Prompt window. 3. Run SETUP from the directory on your local harddrive, network drive, or CDROM that contains the Matrox video driver. For example, if your CDROM is drive D: and the driver is located in a directory called MATROX, then you would type: D:\MATROX\SETUP. If you're not sure exactly where the driver is, use the BROWSE option on the RUN... window to locate the Matrox SETUP program. 4. The setup program first asks you which language you want to use, then to choose between a "Typical" or "Custom" installation. With a "Typical" installation, the setup program installs all Matrox PowerDesk utilities in the default "\Program Files\MGA NT PowerDesk" folder. We recommend you use "Typical". 5. After PowerDesk is installed, the setup program automatically changes the NT display driver, then prompts you to restart your computer for all changes to take effect. | You can customize the installation process by editing the "mga.ini" | file. For example, you can change the default installation path, default | driver performance switches, default schemes, and so on. For details, see | the UNATTEND.TXT file. - More Information For more information on settings, refresh rates etc., see the on-line help for PowerDesk. B) Standard Driver Installation ------------------------------- You can also use the standard Windows NT procedure to install the driver (without the Matrox PowerDesk). The general procedure is the following: 1. Start Windows NT 4.0 in VGA mode: When the "Please select the operating system to start..." message is displayed, select WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION VERSION 4.00 [VGA MODE]. 2. After Windows NT 4.0 has finished starting, click on the START button, select SETTINGS, and then click on CONTROL PANEL. 3. Double-click on the DISPLAY icon. The 'Display Properties' window appears. Note: You can also display the 'Display Properties' window by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. 4. Click on the SETTINGS tab. 5. Click on the DISPLAY TYPE button. The 'Display Type' window appears. 6. Under 'Adapter Type', click on the CHANGE button. 7. In the 'Change Display' window, click on the HAVE DISK button. 8. Enter the correct path on your local hard drive, network drive, or CDROM that contains the Matrox video driver and press OK. For example, if your CDROM is drive D: and the driver is located in a directory called MATROX, then you would type: D:\MATROX. If you're not sure exactly where the driver is, use the BROWSE option. 9. From the list of displayed Matrox devices, select the model of your display adapter and then click on the OK button. 10. In the 'Third-party Drivers' window, click on the YES button to proceed. o If a message appears stating the driver is already installed on the system, and asks if you want to use the current or new drivers, be sure to select the NEW button. 11. When the message "The drivers were successfully installed" is displayed, click "OK". 12. In the 'Display Type' window, click on the CLOSE button. 13. In the 'Display Properties' window, click on the CLOSE or APPLY button. 14. When the 'System Settings Change' window appears with a message asking if you want to restart your computer, click on YES. Make sure there is no disk in your floppy disk drive. NOTE: The first time NT 4.0 is restarted after the Matrox video driver has been installed, an 'Invalid Display Settings' message box will appear stating that 'A new graphics driver has been installed'. Press OK on the message box and OK on the Display Properties window and the system is ready to use. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. CHANGING THE MONITOR SELECTION OR DISPLAY REFRESH RATE WITH POWERDESK ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section gives a quick overview on how to change your monitor settings. For more detailed information on settings, refresh rates etc., see the on-line help for PowerDesk. To change the monitor refresh rate: 1. Start Windows NT 4.0. 2. With the left mouse button, click on the monitor icon in the corner of the Windows NT 4.0 taskbar and select 'Matrox Display Properties'. 3. Click on the MONITOR tab. 4. If your monitor supports DDC (Plug and Play) and you want the driver to automatically decode the monitor's DDC information when NT 4.0 is booted, click on the 'Plug-and-Play (DDC) monitor' box. 5. If your monitor does not support DDC or you want to override the DDC information provided by the monitor: A) Select a new monitor by clicking the MATROX MONITOR button and the approriate monitor manufacturer and model. OR B) Click on the VESA SETTINGS button to use the Settings tab to select the refresh rates. 6. Click on the OK or APPLY button. 7. When prompted, click on the OK button to test the new monitor setting. If the test screen appears garbled or unreadable, your monitor does not support the current setting. Press ESC and select the correct monitor. 8. If the test screen appeared OK, press YES to keep the current monitor setting. Then press OK to close the Matrox Display Properties. Repeat steps 4 - 8 above for each additional monitor if you are running with multiple monitors and Matrox video adapters. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS WITH POWERDESK ------------------------------------------------------------------ This section gives a quick overview on how to change your video settings. For more detailed information on settings, refresh rates etc., see the | WordPad file "online.doc". This file is included on the Matrox disk, and | installed in your \Program Files\MGA NT PowerDesk\ folder. To change the video settings: 1. With the left mouse button, click on the monitor icon in the corner of the Windows NT 4.0 taskbar and select Matrox Display Properties. 2. Click on the SETTINGS tab. 3. Select the desired resolution, color depth, and screen configuration. 4. Click on the OK or APPLY button. 5. When prompted, click on the OK button to test the new resolution, color depth, and screen configuration. If the test screen appears garbled or unreadable, your monitor does not support the current setting. Press ESC and select a different resolution. 6. If the test screen appeared OK, press YES to keep the current setting. Then press OK to close the Matrox Display Properties. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. REMOVING THE MATROX VIDEO DEVICE DRIVER AND POWERDESK ------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTE: Before removing the Matrox video driver and PowerDesk, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is running on your computer until the Matrox driver installation is is complete! To remove the Matrox video driver and the PowerDesk utility: 1. After Windows NT 4.0 has finished starting, click on the START button, select SETTINGS, and then click on CONTROL PANEL. 2. Double-click on the DISPLAY icon. The 'Display Properties' window appears. Note: You can also display the 'Display Properties' window by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. 3. Click on the SETTINGS tab. 4. Click on the DISPLAY TYPE button. The 'Display Type' window appears. 5. Under 'Adapter Type', click on the CHANGE button. 6. In the 'Change Display' window, select '(Standard display types)' under 'Manufacturers:' and 'VGA compatible display adapter' under 'Display:'. 7. Click on the OK button. 8. Insert the NT 4.0 installation CD ROM if prompted. 9. When the message "The drivers were successfully installed" is displayed, click on the OK button. 10. In the 'Display Type' window, click on the CLOSE button. 11. In the 'Display Properties' window, click on the CLOSE button. 12. When the 'System Settings Change' window appears with a message asking if you want to restart your computer, click on NO. 13. Click on the START button on the NT taskbar and select PROGRAMS, MATROX POWERDESK NT, and MATROX POWERDESK NT UNINSTALL. 14. Select 'Complete Uninstallation' and press OK. 15. Follow the instructions to remove the PowerDesk. The system will automatically reboot once the PowerDesk uninstall is finished. NOTE: The first time NT 4.0 is restarted after the Matrox video driver has been removed, an 'Invalid Display Settings' message box will appear stating that 'A new graphics driver has been installed'. Press OK on the message box and OK on the Display Properties window and the system is ready to use. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. REGISTRY SETTINGS (For Advanced Users Only!) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Information held in the Windows NT registry can have a direct effect on the whole system. INTRODUCING INCORRECT VALUES CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND MAY MAKE IT NECESSARY TO REINSTALL WINDOWS NT. The changes outlined below should have effects limited to the Matrox drivers. However, if you accidentally modify values that make your system unusable, please note that it is often possible to undo the damage by using the 'Last Known Good Configuration' option at boot time. It is also possible to save a copy of your registry settings prior to any modification. The configuration of the Matrox Windows NT driver and of Matrox PowerDesk is saved in the registry. The most important parameters can be modified through the Matrox PowerDesk, but others can be accessed only through the Registry Editor. Most users will find that the default values are best for their system. However, specific problems will be solved through these switches. The values are: User.AllIntegerLines When set to 1, some lines (for example, in a CAD drawing) are drawn faster. However, with some programs, some pixels may not be redrawn properly when this acceleration is used. If you see this problem, try setting this value to 0. You can change this value to 0 by double-clicking the "flineoff.reg" file, or to 1 by double-clicking the "flineon.reg" file. These files are installed in your "\Program Files\MGA NT PowerDesk" folder. The default value is 1. User.AlternateLines when set to 1, allows lines defined by integer coordinates to be drawn using the faster AUTOLINE opcode of the drawing engine. The convention used to determine which pixels contribute to a given line is slightly different in AUTOLINE and in Windows NT. Setting AlternateLines to 1 trades off compliance with the Windows NT conventions for performance. A value of 0 will enforce compliance. Lines defined by non-integer endpoint coordinates are not affected by this setting. The default value of User.AlternateLines is 0. User.CenterDialogs has no effect on Windows NT 4.0. The default value of User.CenterDialogs is 0. User.ComplexBlt when set to 1, allows the hardware to accelerate some complex raster operations (ROPs) by executing a sequence of simple ROPs (ORing, ANDing, etc...). A value of 0 will result in complex ROPs being performed in software. The complex ROPs are performed directly on the display through a succession of simple ROPs. Artifacts (flashing) in the target display area may become visible when an intermediate result in video RAM is displayed on a given refresh cycle, to be replaced by the final image on the next cycle. The default value of User.ComplexBlt is 1. User.DeviceBitmaps when set to 1, allows use of off-screen memory for caching bitmaps. This will allow the hardware to accelerate drawing to bitmaps. A value of 0 disables bitmap caching, allowing the CPU to draw onto all bitmaps. Bitmap caching is internally disabled when a desktop requiring more than one card is in use, regardless of the registry setting. The default value of User.DeviceBitmaps is 1. User.EnableUSWC when set to 1, allows direct frame buffer access to use the Write Combining feature of the Pentium Pro processor. Setting this value to 0 may result in slightly lower performance. The default value of User.EnableUSWC is 1. User.Filtering When set to 1, the display quality of some video files is improved when they're scaled up. The default value is 1. User.MgaInfoFile when set to 1, allows use of the Matrox PowerDesk to control refresh rates. A value of 0 will allow all available refresh rates to be listed. The default value of User.MgaInfoFile is 1. User.SynchronizeDac when set to 1, will require the driver to wait for a vertical sync before programming the ramdac with a new pointer shape or a new palette. If you notice stray pixels flashing around the pointer, setting this flag to 1 might fix the problem. Setting it to 0 will result in slightly better performance. The default value of User.SynchronizeDac is 0. User.UseBusMastering When set to 1, the driver uses bus mastering for 2D display operations. This improves performance on fast Pentium computers (faster than 166 MHz). When set to 0, this feature is disabled. The default value is 1. Mga.EnableMix When set to 1, different models of Matrox graphics cards can be used for multi-display mode. (The model of each Matrox graphics card installed in your computer must be supported by the display driver. Matrox display drivers don't necessarily support all models of Matrox graphics cards.) When set to 0, all Matrox graphics cards in your computer must be the same model. The default value is 1. User.SynchronizeEngine (This parameter is now obsolete.) Modifying keys and values in the registry is done through the Registry Editor. The Registry Editor can be invoked in the following way: - Use Start/Run..., or open a Command Prompt window, and type 'regedt32'. Alternately, from the Windows NT Explorer, go to SystemRoot\system32 and double-click on Regedt32. The Registry Editor will come up. To examine or to modify the values that govern the behavior of the Matrox driver: 1. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window. 2. Travel down to the key named: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\mga64\Device0. You will find the values in the right window pane. To modify any of them: 1. Double-click on the selected value. 2. In the DWORD Editor, change the value to '0' or '1'. The new value will take effect the next time you reboot. PowerDesk settings are kept under the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MGACtrl and its subkeys. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. HARDWARE ACCELERATED 3D ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Mini-Client Driver (MCD), which is part of the Matrox display driver, allows for hardware-accelerated 3D, with a few restrictions: - Currently no acceleration is available when multiple cards are in use. - The MCD does not support 8bpp (256 colors) and 24bpp (16777216 colors) modes. The 15bpp (32K colors), 16bpp (64K colors), and 32bpp (True Color) modes are the ones that can be hardware- accelerated. - Limitations to the available resolutions are to be expected. All 3D modes require extra memory to handle double buffering and/or Z buffering, and this memory is no longer available for display. See the section 'Supported Resolutions, Color Depths, and Refresh Rates' for more information. The 3D driver can be configured through Matrox PowerDesk or through two registry switches: User3D.3DEnable When set to 1, 3D (OpenGL) display operations are accelerated. When set to 0, all types of Matrox 3D acceleration are disabled. User3D.DoubleBuffer (This parameter is now obsolete.) User3D.TextureMapping When set to 1 (and when "User3D.3DEnable" is set to 1), the driver uses Matrox hardware to accelerate texture mapping for 3D (OpenGL) programs. When set to 0, texture mapping is done through software. User3D.UseBusMastering When set to 1 (and when "User3D.3DEnable" is set to 1), the driver uses bus mastering to accelerate 3D (OpenGL) programs. This improves performance on systems that support bus mastering. When set to 0, this feature is disabled. The default value is 1. User3D.ZBuffer (This parameter is now obsolete.) The default value for the User3D switches is 1. Setting all values to 0 effectively disables the hardware-accelerated 3D. The recommended way of modifying them is through the Performance tab of Matrox PowerDesk rather than through the Registry Editor. The back- and Z-buffers can be allocated on a per-window basis. This makes the availability of 3D-acceleration difficult to ascertain, since it would be possible to get 3D-acceleration for a small window even when offscreen memory is scarce, while a request for full-screen buffers would fail even when relatively large areas of offscreen memory are available. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. NOTES, PROBLEMS, AND LIMITATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1) Systems Using More Than One PCI Bus ----------------------------------- It is possible that a switch to a full-screen Command Prompt, or any change of mode, will result in a blue-screen crash if a card is installed on a PCI bus other than bus 0. The problem is under investigation. Moving the card to a different PCI slot is a possible workaround. There are systems where Windows NT reports conflicts between adapters installed beyond the PCI bridge. In this case, the Matrox miniport driver cannot access its own card. If your system appears unable to find the card, try moving it to a different PCI slot. Service Pack 4 should address many of these problems. 2) DirectDraw on Virtual Desktops ------------------------------ Some DirectDraw applications cannot currently handle virtual desktops. It is recommanded that DirectDraw applications be run from normal desktops. 3) Corruption Using the 3D-Maze Screen Saver ----------------------------------------- This problem appears only after installing the Service Pack 2 for Windows NT 4.0. The problem is apparently fixed by the Service Pack 3. 4) Running Winstone 97 ------------------- The CenterPOPUP feature should be disabled (which is the default setting) when running the Winstone 97 benchmark. Some tests may time-out when CenterPOPUP is enabled. 5) Limitation with Multiple Graphics Cards --------------------------------------- Windows NT 4.0 supports a maximum of about 280 different display modes (combinations of resolution, color palette and refresh rate settings). You may encounter this limit if you have more than one Matrox graphics card installed in your computer. If the Matrox "VESA settings" option button is selected when there are multiple Matrox cards in your computer, you're even more likely to encounter the Windows NT 4.0 limit in the number of display modes. This is because the "VESA settings" option supports several different refresh rates for each display resolution and color palette setting. Because of the limitation in the number of display modes, the 15-bit color palette setting is not available when multiple graphics cards are installed and the "VESA settings" option is selected. If you have more than one Matrox graphics card in your computer, we recommend you not use the "VESA settings" option. Note that changing your refresh rate through the Microsoft "Display Properties" dialog box activates the "VESA settings" option. 6) Display settings for Plug-and-Play monitors ------------------------------------------- For each resolution, Plug-and-Play (DDC) monitors report to your computer the refresh rates they're capable of. At high resolution and color palette settings, your Matrox graphics card may not support the high refresh rates supported by some monitors. For example, at a 1600 x 1200 resolution with a 24- or 32-bit color palette setting, your monitor may report that it's capable of an 85 Hz refresh rate. However, at this display setting, your graphics card may only be capable of a 75 Hz refresh rate. When the refresh rate reported by your monitor can't be supported, the Matrox display driver uses the next highest VESA refresh rate supported by your graphics card. This is indicated by the text "(VESA)" in the "Refresh frequency" box in the "Matrox Display Properties" dialog box. If the Matrox display driver uses a refresh rate different from the capability reported by your Plug-and-Play monitor, the screen image on your monitor may need to be resized or repositioned. 7) 3D Studio MAX 1.2 ----------------- If you have problems running 3D Studio Max 1.2 using the Matrox HEIDI driver, try disabling the "Use bus mastering (OpenGL)" check box under "3D settings". To access this check box, click "Start" -> "Programs"-> "Matrox PowerDesk" -> "Matrox Display Properties" -> "Performance". 8) 3D Studio MAX 2.0 ----------------- Switching between HEIDI software emulation and OpenGL acceleration while 3D Studio Max 2.0 is running, may cause the viewports to flicker while playing animations. This problem may also happen if display settings (resolution or color palette) are changed while 3D Studio Max is running. If you experience these problems, try closing 3D Studio Max, changing your display settings (resolution or color palette), and then restarting 3D Studio MAX. 9) Secondary Display Controller Option ----------------------------------- Certain models of Matrox graphics cards support a secondary display controller. With one of these graphics cards, you can use more than one computer display at a time. A secondary display controller can be enabled or disabled in Matrox PowerDesk software. If a secondary display controller is enabled, note the following limitations with the secondary display (the main display works normally): - The second monitor output is limited to a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 and only supports 16 and 32bpp. For analog displays, the maximum pixel clock is 136MHz which equates to 1280x1024 at 75Hz refresh rate. - The "Colorific" program isn't supported. - The mouse pointer is drawn entirely by the software. As a result, the mouse pointer may flicker or disappear while it's in an area of the display that's being redrawn quickly (for example, a video window). - The Matrox zoom feature is unavailable. 10) Matrox TV Output Option ----------------------- Certain models of Matrox graphics cards support TV output. With TV output support, you can view or record your computer display with a TV or video recorder connected to your graphics card. Recommendation -------------- While playing games using TV output, we recommend you use a 640 x 480 display resolution. This is because the resolution capabilities of TVs are lower than most computer monitors. If you use a higher display resolution (800 x 600 or 1024 x 768), the display on your TV may not look as sharp as the display of your computer monitor. That is, some of the extra detail may be harder to see on your TV. For Matrox G100/G200 cards with TV output support, Matrox default advanced TV output settings are good for viewing most computer graphics (for example, computer games or your Windows desktop) on most TVs. Based on broadcast standards, there are advanced TV output settings that are better suited for viewing full-screen video (for example, from a video file). These settings are: NTSC Brightness : 180 Contrast : 234 Saturation : 137 Hue : 0 PAL Brightness : 167 Contrast : 255 Saturation : 138 Hue : 0 Note: For ideal settings, you may also need to adjust the settings on your TV. The default brightness, contrast, saturation and hue settings on most consumer video devices are higher than broadcast standards. These settings are usually OK for viewing video but may not look OK with computer graphics. This is why Matrox default TV output settings are lower than what's ideal for video. For more information on how to adjust settings on your TV, see your TV manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. HELP AND SOFTWARE UPGRADES ------------------------------------------------------------------ Video driver updates can be obtained from IBM at the following web location: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/files/html (do a search on "drivers") For technical problems, contact the IBM HelpDesk at 1-800-772-2227 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS, COLOR DEPTHS, AND REFRESH RATES ------------------------------------------------------------------ The resolutions and refresh rates supported by the Matrox driver are dependent on the video adapter installed in the system and the monitor that is selected. To display the resolutions that are supported and the maximum vertical refresh rate for the monitor currently seleced, refer to the "Monitor" tab located under the Matrox Display Properties. Access Matrox display property sheets through the "Matrox Display Properties" dialog box. To open this dialog box, click "Matrox QuickDesk" (the monitor icon on the Windows taskbar) -> "Matrox Display Properties". The maximum color depth for each resolution is dependent on many factors. The factors affecting the maximum color depth are the display resolution, the total amount of video memory installed and the 3D features that are turned on. Enabling the 3D features consumes some of the video memory and therefore reduces the maximum amount of colors. Shown below is a summary of the color depths supported with various features turned on for 16MB of video memory installed on the Matrox adapter. MAXIMUM COLOR DEPTHS +==========+==========+==========+==========+ |Resolution|2D bpp |3D bpp: |3D bpp: | | (Pixels) |(SB, no-Z)| DB, 16-Z | DB, 32-Z | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |640x480 | | | | |800x600 | | 16, | 16, | |1024x768 | All | 32 | 32 | |1152x864 | | | | |1280x1024 | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |1600x1024 | All | 16, 32** | 16, 32** | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |1600x1200 | All | 16, 32** | 16, 32** | |1920x1034 | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |1600x1280 | 8, 16, | 16, 32** | 16, 32** | |1920x1080 | 24, 32* | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |1920x1200 | 8, 16 | 16, 32** | 16**, | |1800x1440 | 24*, 32* | | 32** | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |1792x1344 | All* | 16, 32** | 16**, | |1856x1392 | | | 32** | |1920x1440 | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+ |2048x1536 | All* | 16, 32** | 16** | | | | | | +==========+==========+==========+==========+ * Only on G400/G450 ** Only on G400/G450 with 32 MB bpp = bits per pixel 3D Features: -8=256 colors -SB = single buffering -16=65536 colors -DB = double buffer -24=16,777,216 colors -no-DB = no double buffering -32=16,777,216 colors -16-Z = 16 bit Z buffer +8 bit alpha channel -32-Z = 32 bit Z buffer for 3D