UPDATE: 2005 FPW with Ti4200 DVI

[Patt]

I'm getting nothing when I try to plug my new monitor into my Ti4200's DVI port. Screen just comes up blank, with the mouse, but does not display WindowsXP. Has anyone else had problems like this?

It works fine with the VGA connection.

Many thanks for suggestions

 

[akugami]

First and foremost, try a different DVI cable. It's very possible you have a bad one.

Have you tried another monitor through the DVI port of your card? If it comes up blank then your video card is the problem. If no spare monitor that's DVI capable are lying around, how about a different video card with DVI. If the monitor works with that different video card then again, it's the Ti4200 that's the problem. If the 2005FPW doesn't work even with another video card then it's likely the DVI port on your LCD that's bad.

 

[Patt]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to track down a DVI cable tomorrow to see if I can test it out.

 

[Melted Rabbit]

First off, try a new DVI cable and if that doesn't work the following may be your problems.

Basically every Ti4200 is probably incompatable with that display. The problems you probably have are twofold.

The first problem is that the native resolution of the Dell 2005FPW is 1680x1050 and the Ti4200 probably does not support that resolution. When you run it off of the VGA port, the resolution the panel runs at may be some other nonnative resolution like 1280x1024 and the screen stretches to support that size.

The second problem is that the digital DVI output circuitry and the on-chip DVI hardware is of poor quality on even the reference board for the Ti4200. AFAIK most Ti4200 cards do not use the reference board design and DVI output circuitry on these cards is almost assurably worse on these boards. Then there is the poor design of DVI controller on the chip of the Geforce 4000 series.

Since you are you are probably experiencing both of these problems and if you cannot or do not wish to return your panel the only workaround is to buy a new video card. If you wanted to buy a new graphics card, I would buy a mid to high range AGP video card like a Radeon X850Pro or a Geforce 6800GT. However you would have to get a card that would be based off of their reference designs. Almost every 6800GT and X850Pro would be based on their respective reference designs and would have DVI ouput that would support the panel and would support the resolution of 1680x1050.

If you want more info, reply to this forum, I will subscribe to it.

EDIT: fixed some typos

 

[Patt]

For whatever reason, I can't have the DVI-D plugged in at the same time as the VGA (different comp). I rebooted with just the DVI-D as a last resort this morning and WinXP recognized the different connection. Before it was alway trying to force VGA.

Anyway, the card does support the 1680x1050 resolution, happily enough, and although I have to crank down the settings, I can play Call of Duty 2 respectabily on a lower resolution widescreen mode.

Regardless, I do appreciate the help, and the suggestions. I am looking at updating to at least a 6600 GT, and possibly even a 6800 of some flavor or another eventually, but I think I have to wait until Christmas, or when I can find a good sale on one up here in Canada.

:beer: for the help