Using X31 with widescreen external monitor, 1600 x 1050 res

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dc_slim · #1 Post by **dc_slim** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:53 am

Does anyone know if this can be done? I'd like to get a Dell 20" widescreen monitor to use with my X31 and T40p. It has a 1600x1050 native resolution. I did a search and found some posts about using X40/41s this way, but nothing about the X3x machines.

Any suggestions? Has anyone made this work?

dc_slim · #2 Post by **dc_slim** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:53 am

Okay, I've learned that my sole option is to use the Omega drivers for the ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 chipset in my X31, which may or may not work. (www.omegadrivers.net) Which leads me to consider another option: since I have a Dock II (the big one), can I stick a relatively new video card in the half-height PCI slot and use it to drive the external monitor? This seems like it would work, but has anyone actually tried it?

#3 Post by **gator** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 11:19 am

I don't think you need omega drivers ... you can run it at that resolution with regular drivers, but at 16 bit color.

dc_slim · #4 Post by **dc_slim** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 11:39 am

Really? Have you done this?

superlyduper · #5 Post by **superlyduper** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:11 pm

i have x31 and 1680x1024 monitor, works perfectly stock drivers

rek · #6 Post by **rek** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:40 am

My X31 ran one of these monitors (Dell 20" widescreen) at 1680x1050 without any trouble. I didn't even need any special driver software, the standard IBM ones did the job just fine.

I guess two important things to do are to a/ make sure your BIOS and driver versions are relatively recent, and b/ use the INF file for the monitor (mine happened to update with Windows Update).

dc_slim · #7 Post by **dc_slim** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:10 am

Thanks. I appreciate the advice. Calling Dell to order one this morning.

zacha81 · #8 Post by **zacha81** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:16 am

if you don't have the resolution you may use powerstrip to add it. btw the x31 has a mobility m6 chip NOT a radeon 7500, if it HAD a radeon 7500 i would own one because this would enable the laptop to use DVI but so there is currently no x series thinkpad with DVI capabilities ... very disgusting.

dc_slim · #9 Post by **dc_slim** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:58 am

A powerstrip? Clarify, please. I'm not sure what you're referring to.

#10 Post by **tomh009** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:59 pm

gator wrote:I don't think you need omega drivers ... you can run it at that resolution with regular drivers, but at 16 bit color.

Hmmm? My X31 doesn't support any wide-screen resolutions ...

#11 Post by **gator** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:34 pm

Thats strange, I ran a 19" dell widescreen at school at WSXGA+ even last week, but at 16 bit color ...

zacha81 · #12 Post by **zacha81** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:32 am

hi!

with powerstrip (http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm) you will be able to ajust much more graphics driver's options than with the graphics driver itself. E.g. you can add custom resolutions and refresh rates that will be selectable in the windows control panel later on.

regards

btw i don't see the point where the x31 would not be able to show 32 bit color at wsxga+ (1680x1050x4 ~ 7 million bytes)

dc_slim · #13 Post by **dc_slim** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:25 am

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'd never heard of Powerstrip before, but I may check it out if needed. FYI, I ordered a 20" Dell widescreen display yesterday while they had a free shipping promotion. It should arrive early next week. I'll be sure to let everyone know what I find out.

fudgy · #14 Post by **fudgy** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:32 am

Once you plug it in, windows will load the drivers and voila! it will work. I used my x31 to feed to a 1366 x 768 32" lcd and it was just dandy.

zacha81 · #15 Post by **zacha81** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:18 pm

powerstrip is an essential tool if you try to set up something like a media center and you want correct native resolution displaying of your image at the right refresh rate (you don't have this problem that dramatically in the US as you have ~ 60Hz with NTSC but here we have PAL and PAL has 50 Hz- a thing that most graphics drivers do not offer natively... but anyway good luck .. with or without powerstrip

epbrown · #16 Post by **epbrown** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:36 pm

tomh009 wrote:
gator wrote:I don't think you need omega drivers ... you can run it at that resolution with regular drivers, but at 16 bit color.
Hmmm? My X31 doesn't support any wide-screen resolutions ...

Ditto - I installed an Acer AL1916W last night (on sale at Staples for $150 this week) and my X30 refuses to offer any options over 1280x1024 (default is 1440x900). I've got the right drivers, but the widescreen option doesn't show at all.

dc_slim · #17 Post by **dc_slim** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:54 pm

Not a good sign. Fed Ex seems to have misplaced my Dell monitor somewhere in shipping, so I haven't tried it with my X31 yet. Will report as soon as I do.

dc_slim · #18 Post by **dc_slim** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:09 pm

Got the 20" Dell widescreen today. No dice. Windows won't display the 1600 x 1050 resolution. Drat!

epbrown · #19 Post by **epbrown** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:47 pm

I downloaded the Omega drivers referenced in another thread (see, some people run searches!) and also no dice. Sole symptom is my laptop ran slower until I uninstalled them.

dc_slim · #20 Post by **dc_slim** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:52 pm

I think I've figured out the deal. It looks like the IBM Presentation Director program will allow a 1680 x 1050 display to run, provided that it is used alone (i.e., the X31's display has to be turned off). I haven't tried this yet, but I've been fooling around with Presentation Director, and it will allow for such a profile to be used. I'll try it tomorrow and will report back.

#21 Post by **gator** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:51 pm

dc_slim wrote:I think I've figured out the deal. It looks like the IBM Presentation Director program will allow a 1680 x 1050 display to run, provided that it is used alone

That is indeed the case. I forgot to mentiin this in my earlier post. X31 will run at 1680*1050 at 16 bit color with its display turned off ... 32 bit is not available.

epbrown · #22 Post by **epbrown** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:52 am

Well, I solved my bit. I posted to the Thinkpad mailing list and someone pointed me to updated drivers for the Intel graphics chip that has widescreen options. I'm back in business!

dc_slim · #23 Post by **dc_slim** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:20 am

Epbrown, so you're using that monitor at the 1440x900 resolution? How do you like it. The Dell I ordered is nice, but it's huge . . . really more screen than I need. I'm wondering if a 1440x900 might be a better call.

epbrown · #24 Post by **epbrown** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:03 pm

Nope, I still didn't get 1440x990 out of it;the new drivers let it use other widescreen settings, so it's at 1280x768 currently and gives the option of higher resolutions, but not that exact one. Annoyingly, at some point in all my fiddling I know I saw it as an option, but I can't recall how I did it.

I'm happy enough. This my first external display - I've never owned a desktop - so even now I'm seeing the net through a larger display than I ever have, at a higher resolution than I ever have.

dc_slim · #25 Post by **dc_slim** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:20 pm

Did you go into presentation director and try to create a profile that only uses the external display? If you do that, you may be able to create a profile for a 1440 x 900 resolution.

I'm wondering if you can do it -- I don't see the option on mine, but maybe that's simply because windows is only seeing the Dell 1680 x 1050 display. If I could use a 1440 x 900, I might be tempted . . . this 20" monitor is quite a bit bigger than I really need.

zacha81 · #26 Post by **zacha81** » Mon May 07, 2007 4:30 am

simply use powerstrip and generate a new custom resolution. will help.

Using X31 with widescreen external monitor, 1600 x 1050 res

Using X31 with widescreen external monitor, 1600 x 1050 res

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