17 inch Video Card Compatibility - Page 2

Yeah, thank you anyway, any input is appreciated.
I'm currently d/l Ubuntu 9 to see how it'll go.
FYI, I tried Powerstrip and ATI Tray Tool and higher resolution are available, but it only enhances the desktop view space; it doesn't change the dot pitch.
Catalyst Control Center says under the Notebook Panel Properties tab, under Panel Information : "Maximum reported resolution : 1280x800 60Hz"

I already miss my 7950GTX alot, and not because of its gaming capabilities *sigh*

Let me share with all of you it may concern my experience with my X300 downgrade into my Inspiron 9400 :

First of all, the card "works", meaning that there are a few shortcomings and issues :

- I had to mod my laptop (remove a screw base fromn the mobo, and grind the right fan so that the heatpipe will fit)
- Under Windows XP, you will have to use the old 9300 2005 driver from Dell's website OR a modded Catalyst driver
- Under Windows XP, whichever driver I try, my LCD screen native resolution (1440x900) is not supported. I am limited to 1280x800. I googled A LOT and found no fix.
- Under Windows 7, after installing the ATI driver from Windows Update, I get the same resolution limitation.
- Under Windows XP using DVI, my external monitor (see my sig) is detected but doesn't display anything. No problem in VGA though at 1920x1200. However, I had to tweak the ATI's CCC Colour correction Brightness and Contrast to make it decent, otherwise the image was blasted.
- Under Ubuntu 8 (Hardy), the card works fine at native resolution with Linux generic driver, but has the same resolution limitation with ATI driver. I am confident I will find a fix for this though.
- Under Ubuntu 9, the card doesn't seem to be supported. My screen went black after bootup procedure and according to my research, the old X300 is not supported.
- Under Windows and Ubuntu 8, the card works fine when playing HD video - I tried Youtube and Xvid - and for everyday's office use.

All in all, the X300 is the cheapest available solution (I paid around 75 shipping included in Dec. 2009) for people like me who have an Inspiron 9400 with a dead GPU. However be aware of those limitations and/or hassles.

If anybody else has a hint on any of those issues, or anything else to add please feel free to share.

Indeed good for future reference.

I think I found the reason why I can't get my WXGA (1440x900) to work.
According to this link from Dell, it is simply not a supported resolution: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/specs.htm

Surprisingly, WXGA is not supported by the X1400 either: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...7/en/specs.htm

My assumption would be those card would fit the WUXGA well when Dell sold them, but people choosing a WXGA screen like me were directed toward other GPUs.

Is there anybody here who uses an X300 or X1400 at native 1440x900?

On the other hand, the limitation is without any doubt driver related. Linux proved it to me, boasting a beautiful 1440x900 with its generic driver before I tried the ATI driver. So there is something inside the ATI driver library that prevents my card to display in 1440x900. I wonder if such things can be modded in drivers.

Try a mod ATI driver like Omega.

cheers ...

I tried Omega's from 2002 to 2008 (the year he ended his project).
I tried a couple others.
Same result. They tweak quality and performance, but resolution detection seems to be binded to the deep core of ATI's drivers.
I'm gonna give a try to DNA's from Guru3D and N2O's from some Russian site.

What about multires?

cheers ...

I tried multires, and Powerstrip, and some others.
If I choose 1440x900, it just enhances the desktop workplace.
I even tried with Powerstrip creating my own .INF for my monitor (wich is currently shown as "Default display"), forcing the limits, but it yielded the same result.

The real issue is something is telling CCC that my laptop's LCD is limited to 1280x800.

Thanks by the way for caring and proposing things.

What about just removing CCC and using only the driver? You'd need to really clean out all previous driver files (DLLs) before installing the new ones. Driver Sweeper is a good app to use for this, and free.

Oh, we just love to input ... another way for us all to learn.

cheers ...

Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's see if CCC is the bottleneck.

its the third time my Dell 9400's nvidia 7900GS card fried! So i understand that the X300 is a workable replacement but with some limitations. What about the X600?

They are very rare on Ebay. I haven't seen one for the couple months I've been watching as a matter of fact.

Here's an update. Because of the above-mentioned irritants, and because of the fact STALKER Call of Pripyat is now out, I decided to buy a FX 2500M.
Now here's my thousand bucks question: say that I overclocked the FX2500M to something like 600/700 for 50 hours of gameplay, how much am I shortening my GPU's lifespan?

It should not shorten GPU lifespan when you overclock it, as long as you keep a watchful eye in the temp. Heat kills electronic parts, not pushing its envelop.

cheers ...

Thank you for the input. I know there are numerous threads about this matter, therefore I'll keep it short.
What is a reasonable temp threshold? I used to monitor my former 7950GTX, getting 86c peaks, and it's now dead. My FX2500M gives me 79c peaks for the time being at stock clocks.
Or is it the average temp which prevails?

"safe" GPU temp under load for me is about 80C - plus or minus 2 to push it. It varies depending on the cards though.

cheers ...

Higher Temp = more thermal shock stress = more cracking of solder joints = dead card. If you could run your card at 45C and keep it there always it would probably work forever.

There's quite a few on ebay now.


By the way, is zzpulp around and working on the m6300 yet :P? anyone heard from him on any forum / thread?