IBM IntelliStation A Pro 6224, User Manual

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Using video features
Your computer has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) graphics adapter that
renders 2D or 3D image quality and uses a standard video protocol for displaying
text and graphic images. The adapter supports a variety of video modes
(combinations of resolution, refresh rate, and color that are defined by a video
standard for displaying text or graphics).
Video device drivers
To use the full capabilities of the graphics adapter in your computer, some operating
systems and application programs require custom video device drivers. These
device drivers provide greater speed, higher resolution, more available colors, and
flicker-free images.
Device drivers for the graphics adapter and a readme file with instructions for
installing the device drivers are provided on the Device Drivers CD that comes with
your computer and in the c:\ibmtools\drivers directory on the hard disk. Use the
device-driver installation instructions if you need to reinstall the device drivers or if
you need information about obtaining and installing updated device drivers. For
more information about installing device drivers, see “Recovering or installing device
drivers” on page 95.
Changing monitor settings
To get the best possible image on your screen and to reduce flicker, you might
need to reset the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor. You can view and
change monitor settings through the operating system using the instructions in the
readme files on the Device Drivers CD or in the c:\ibmtools\drivers\ directory on the
hard disk. See your operating-system documentation for more information about
monitor settings.
Attention: Before changing monitor settings, review the documentation that
comes with your monitor. Using a resolution or refresh rate that the monitor does
not support might cause the screen to become unreadable and could damage the
monitor. The information that comes with your monitor usually includes resolution
and screen refresh rates that the monitor supports. If you need additional
information, contact the manufacturer of the monitor.
If you are using a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, set the monitor for the highest
noninterlaced refresh rate that it supports. If the monitor complies with the Video
Electronics Standards Association (VESA) display data channel (DDC) standard, it
probably is already set to the highest refresh rate that the monitor and video
controller support. If you are not sure whether your monitor is DDC-compliant, see
the documentation that comes with the monitor.
If you are using a flat-panel monitor, the refresh rate does not have to be set to the
highest noninterlaced refresh rate that the monitor supports. Flat-panel monitors
produce flicker-free images even when they are operating at a minimum 60 Hz
noninterlaced rate.
If you have a dual-monitor video adapter, see the video adapter device-driver
readme file and documentation for more information about enabling dual monitors.
Chapter 2. Operating the computer
15