30 inch screen on T60 with X1300 graphics card: impossible?

[ashirus]

My Thinkpad T60 (2613-CTO) has a Ati Radeon Mobility X1300 video card and I'm trying to use it to drive a 30 inch HP screen (a HP LP3065).

From browsing these forums I discovered I needed at least the Advanced Mini Dock to provide dual-link DVI output to drive this beast so I've got that but I can only drive it at half its real resolution 1280x800 intead of 2560x1600. This screen only provides full resolution or exactly half - there's no scaling.

Can I get this video card to display at the full 2560x1600 resolution?

I've tried disabling the main laptop LCD so it could provide some oomph to the external 30" HP one but Windows and the ATI Catalyst Control Ctr refuse to list the full-res mode. Is it there anything I can do? I prefer not buying a Advanced Dock and fitting a desktop PCI-E video card - too expensive. I would very possibly consider a motherboard upgrade (=video card upgrade) if it was the only way to go and not too expensive and would definitely work.

Here are the spec of the Ati Mobility X1300 (note its the mobility edition, not the PCI-E one):
Driver version: 7.01.01.646
Identity: ATI Display controller
Memory clock: 319.50 MHz
Engine clock: 391.50 MHz
IRQ - (n/a)
PCIe version - 1.00a
PCIe link rate - x16
Display driver - atiumdag atiumdva atiumd64 atiumd6a atitmm64 4
DirectX driver - atiumdag.dll, v.7.14.10.0503

It has only 64 dedicated RAM but apparently it can grab some off the system RAM (3GB) when it needs to.

Anyone have any ideas?
Ash

[sjthinkpader]

I had a SXGA+ T60 running XP that use extended desktop with a 1680x1050 monitor. Best is to use DVI with a dock. Then XP will pick up the resolution automatically.

[ashirus]

I had a SXGA+ T60 running XP that use extended desktop with a 1680x1050 monitor. Best is to use DVI with a dock. Then XP will pick up the resolution automatically.

I have a Advanced Mini Dock with Dual-DVI output but it seems the Radeon Mobility X1300 isn't powerfull enough. You have to remember that 1680x1050 + 1400x1050 (if that's your laptop resolution) is still about 2Megapixels combined resolution whereas 2560x1600 is far more - it's 4Megapixels to display!

Since no-one seems to know, can anyone advise what my options are now: What can I upgrade my motherboard to so that it would work? The options appear for my T60 appear to be:
- ATI Radeon Mobility X1400 with 128MB VRAM
- ATI Radeon Mobility X1600 with 128MB VRAM
- ATI Radeon Mobility X1700 with 128MB VRAM

I can pick up a replacement mobo with the X1400 (as opposed to the X1300 which I have at the moment) for not much $$$. Will that run 2560x1600 on a 30 inch TFT though?

(I've browsed through the forums but there is no-one yet absolutely confirming that it will.)

thanks,
Ash

[sjthinkpader]

At 3 bytes per pixel, 4 mega pixels only takes 12MB of VRAM. Even my old A31p can display 1600x1200 + 1600x1200 with only 32MB.

[ashirus]

I had a SXGA+ T60 running XP that use extended desktop with a 1680x1050 monitor.

Thanks for that info.

I note from your signature that the T60 you owned had a Radeon Mobility X1400 so perhaps that's how you were getting that resolution? Either way, my T60 with its X1300 (via dual-DVI) certainly isn't allowing the full resolution.

Best is to use DVI with a dock.

As stated in my earlier posts, I am using the screen through a Dual-DVI link via the Advanced Mini Dock (which I bought for that exact reason).

Then XP will pick up the resolution automatically.

The resolution doesn't go up to 2560x1600 so what am I doing wrong if you believe it should display that resolution? I've got the latest drivers (I believe - check my first post above) and its running Vista (not XP).

Interestingly, if I uncheck the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" (in Display Settings -> Monitor) it shows a slightly higher maximum resolution of 1920x1080 which presumably is the maximum the X1300 can push. Unfortuantly, this particular monitor only supports exactly 1280 or 2560 horizontal so setting it to 1920 means it displays nothing

It looks like I've going to have to upgrade my mobo to one that has a X1400. Hopefully I won't break my T60 in the process.

thanks,
Ash

[sjthinkpader]

Right click on the desktop and check what type of monitor the system picked up. It seems your system did not recognize the monitor's EDID info. Then try installing the monitor driver.

[pianowizard]

ashirus, did you see this thread on the CNET forum:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6637_102-0. ... dID=329770

The conclusion from this thread seems to be that the 64MB X1300 doesn't support dual-link DVI.

[ashirus]

ashirus, did you see this thread on the CNET forum:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6637_102-0. ... dID=329770

The conclusion from this thread seems to be that the 64MB X1300 doesn't support dual-link DVI.

Hmm, that's a very interesting link thanks.

However, I don't quite trust his maths at the end as my card is clearly capable of doing more than he said. (It can at least do 1280x800 on Dual Link DVI whilst doing 1400x1050 on the main display). I'm interested to know what the true formula is for working out max output of a particular card.

I've laregly given up on my existing X1300 but I'd like to know if I pay for a board with a X1400 whether that will be enough.

--
Ash