Is my GPU too old to support dual-link DVI?

[GrandPixel]

I do not have the option to select my display's native resolution of 2560 x 1600. The highest and recommended resolution according to my OS is 1280 x 800. I am running Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit. The display adapter is currently a 256MB ATI Radeon X800 GTO2 (same as X850 XT PE) with one DVI and one HD15 VGA connector. I am running the display on the DVI connector with a dual-link cable. I also have a 1600 x 1200 display on the VGA connector.

ATI does not officially support Windows 7 - they say to "try" the Vista driver, which crashes at the beginning of the installer, so I am using the driver provided by Windows 7 which is recognized as X800.

The total resolution is 3760 x 1600. At 32-bit color, it should require less than 23 MB video memory (3760 x 1600 x 32 / 8bits/byte / 1024bytes/kb / 1024 kb/mb). Even with double buffering etc, 256MB should be enough outside of gaming, so I don't think that is the problem.

Perhaps my video card will not support the dual-link output. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[blanketyblank]

It's definitely time to upgrade that video card especially since you upgraded to the latest OS. I don't see why you'd spend $200 on a new OS with a $1000 monitor and not spend at least $50 on a new video card. If it's AGP that makes things a lot more difficult, but you can find newer AGP cards for under $50 or go to a cheap i3 system.

 

[GrandPixel]

The video card is PCI-E. I got student discount on the OS and got the monitor used for much less than retail. And I am running a Q9550 and looking for a good used video card, but since I very recently acquired the monitor, I would like to use it with my X800 GTO2 in the meantime.

 

[blanketyblank]

Well I think you are out of luck. Here's the product description of the x850 which you said was equivalent.
http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx850/radeonx850series/index.html
Max resolution is 2048 x 1536.

 

[GrandPixel]

okay, thank you. i am off to search for a new video card. i kind of wish I would have went with x58 platform to support nvidia sli

 

[PCTC2]

okay, thank you. i am off to search for a new video card. i kind of wish I would have went with x58 platform to support nvidia sli

Just pick up a decent single card. Since you survived with an x800, you shouldn't need SLI for anything, and multi-monitor SLI isn't like Eyefinity. It shuts off the second monitor during full-screen gaming. You could wait for Fermi or just pick up a Radeon HD 5000 series card.