Thinkpads Forum

This is only my first post, but I want to commend everyone on putting together such a great resource for ThinkPad users!

I recently purchased a Gateway FHD2400 24" widescreen LCD monitor with a native resolution of 1920x1200 @ 60Hz. I am trying to power this monitor using a T60P with the ATI Mobility FireGL v5250 display adapter connected to a Mini Dock.

Now I am trying to figure out what is required to power this monitor? I have tried updating to the most current drivers (from both ATI and IBM/Lenovo). I have tried playing with each and every configuration setting. I have even tried using lower resolutions (i.e. 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, etc), but nothing seems to work.

Thank you in advance for any/all assistance.

I'm using a similar setup as yours and did not have any problems with the setup, using Windows XP and both the external monitor and the Thinkpad screen at the same time.

(Assuming your monitor is correctly connected to your Thinkpad/mini dock (i.e., either VGA or DVI cable) and you are using Windows XP),

have you tried the following:
- right click on your desktop
- select properties
- go to the "settings" tab
- in the upper half of the window you should see something that resembles your two monitors (one numbered "1" (your Thinkpad LCD, the other "2" (your external monitor). The latter somewhat grayed out).
- left-click on the one with number "2".
- choose "1920 by 1200 pixels" as the screen resolution and "highest" as color quality
- check "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" to use it in addition to your thinkpad screen
- Click on "Apply"


Alternatively, you could use the Presentation Director to set you two screens.

I tried your method again for good measure, but the results were the same. Are you using a ThinkPad T60P with the ATI Mobility FireGL v5250 display adapter connected to a Mini Dock? If so, what driver are you using for the display adapter?

I think the issues I am having are driver related because I can get a picture to display on the monitor, but it has some periodic horizontal distortion and/or flickering. In fact, when using the default Windows VGA driver the picture is perfectly fine (i.e. no distortion or flickering), but it is limited to a resolution of 800x600.

Well, my T60p actually has the ATI Mobility FireGL v5200. That's a difference to your setup but I'd be surprised if it really mattered (unless it's a hardware issue). In the office I use a mini dock (DVI) to connect to a WUXGA monitor; at home I connect directly to another WUXGA monitor (via VGA). As far as the driver is concerned, this is what the ATI Catalyst control center says:

Driver Packaging Version 8.442.3-080103a1-057754C-Lenovo
Provider ATI Technologies Inc.
2D Driver Version 6.14.10.6755
Direct3D Version 6.14.10.0549
OpenGL Version 6.14.10.7169
Catalyst® Control Center Version 2008.0103.1233.22319

Are you using VGA (smaller) or DVI (bigger) video connector? You have DVI only if your dock is Advanced Mini Dock.
If you are using VGA, how long cable are you using? Is it of a good quality? For resolution so high, DVI is preferred, you'll always have _some_ (though possibly very little) interference in VGA connection.

I am using the VGA cable that was provided with the monitor... I believe it is around 4' long.

The type of interferance I am having coincides with the installation of a display adapter driver. When using the default Windows driver and any available resolution (i.e. 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, or 1600x1200) the picture is phenomenal. Unfortunatley, the performance is terrible using this configuration otherwise I would just use this driver. As soon as I install a driver (i.e. ATI, Lenovo, etc) I get distortion and/or flickering at all resolutions.

It seems to me like the display adapter is capable of 1920x1200, but there is no driver support... Can anyone confirm that a T60P with the ATI Mobility FireGL v5250 display adapter connected to a Mini Dock via VGA is actually capable of 1920x1200?

Thanks.

The answer is YES... Turns out that I needed to update to the most recent BIOS to fix the issues I was having.

Thank you for the comments posted earlier.