Xorg, refresh rates, modelines

[GenuineAdvantage]

I can't seem to find a way to raise the monitor refresh rate in x server. I am trying to make it so the max refresh rates are 120Hz in 640x480 and 1024x768. and 85Hz at 1280x960 (and pretty much any above that). These are the max for each detected by windows for this monitor and they work. The monitor can handle it, 120Hz is the max up to 768 vertical. But I don't know if and how this can be done in x server running linux. I tried some modelines settings in xorg according to some instructions, but they didn't work too well. In fact 640x480@120 became available, but it wasn't the same as in windows. I can even tell because the center settings I had set in windows were not saved to the monitor and it just didn't seem right in the xserver version. Seems kind of complicated to me, though I've heard of people pulling it off to play Quake 3 a while back.

Let me just clear up what I've done so far since the beginning so I don't get the obvious, which I've already done. At the start I had only 60Hz and only 3 resolutions avaiable. When I ran the monitor detection ddcprobe and grep monitorrange, I put the appropriate settings in xorg. Since then I get 85Hz tops, which is good but the monitor can go up to 120Hz. Which also matches well with scrolling designed for 60Hz in the first place.

Any ideas?

[Refalm]

xorgcfg?

Also, next time, tell us what distribution you're using, and what videocard.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

And what drivers ... some drivers (experimental ATI Linux drivers) don't support the refresh rates that you might get with Window$.

[GenuineAdvantage]

Sorry I was out of it. Yes, xorg.conf. The drivers are the official nVidia drivers 7667. The card is a Geforce 4 MX which even has TV OUT and is enabled. So I would be really surprised if the driver didn't support 120Hz properly, but I don't know it's possible. The distro I use, right now I'm in Ubuntu even if I multi boot others, and their setups for it was basically the same. But for the sake of argument let's stick with Ubuntu (5.10).

[WMD]

http://xtiming.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/xtiming.pl

Try that out.

[GenuineAdvantage]

That's exactly where I went in trying that stuff I said before, but:

Ok, scratch this, I've learned the unfortunate fact that that 120Hz rate on windows was actually interlaced. So it was really only 60 fps. I'm just assuming X doesn't give you interlaced modes? Either way it's not that great of a monitor after all! Anyone recommend a true 120Hz monitor?

Edit: scratch the X part, it does do interlaced

Modeline "1024x768@120i"    64.56  1024 1056 1296 1328    768  783  791  807 interlace

Edit: Looks like I spoke too soon, that's not the same and it's all screwed up. I have no idea what's going on, if it's true 120Hz in windows or what. Oh well

[Refalm]

Never screw with interlace modes when you don't know exactly what you're doing (I don't know shit about it either).

Also, I don't think GeForce 4 MX or most CRT monitors supports 1024x768 at 120 Hz. If you could in Windows, it was fake.
I think with the right drivers and running xorgcfg, you can get 75 Hz.

[GenuineAdvantage]

The videocard itself can go 200 and beyond. I don't remember the number. If it really can't, then the nvidia's windows driver is seriously flawed. I'm doubting that much if they're on the list. And this monitor, I looked it up and from what I've read it can go up to 120 except at the higher resolutions. Otherwise, the info was false and windows was fake, but I will check that next time with those overclocking softwares which I forget the name at the moment. Are those fake? Either way, I'm about to give up on getting it down on here. I'm already at 85Hz so as far as the desktop, I can't see a difference going higher. But for games I hear it matters. But since we're talking about linux, what games? Old Quake 3 hardly's seems worth the effort now.

But still another reason I wanted 120Hz is because for running things like emulators it matches better. And as far as I can tell, vsync in OpenGL syncs itself to your virtual resolution, not your current one. If you know what I mean, if not it hardly matters. Speaking of that, if someone knows tricks to change this appearent behavior, let me know.

[Aloone_Jonez]

I thin k Refalm is right, the monitor is normally the problem, I don't see any point in setting the refresh rate to anything higher than 85Hz and 75Hz is normally high enough to avoid flicker even if your eyes have a fast response time. Seriously though I think you should consider getting a TFT screen that way you won't see any flicker regardless of the refresh rate.

[WMD]

Mine can go to 100Hz at 1024x768, 85Hz at 1280x960.  Nothing can do 120 at a decent res.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

75 - 85 Hz is a decent frequency ... anything below 60 Hz is almost guarranteed to flicker ... 120 Hz ... that's a bit high.

[solemnwarning]

1152x864@75Hz here

[GenuineAdvantage]

Well tried it back there again, powerstrip says it is running at 120Hz 1024x768 - what that proves I'm not sure of, but I think it's supposed to give you the real info if windows controls were lying.

Btw, like I said, only for games. A fast framerate allegedly gives you an edge in fast paced action. I know the eye isn't strained once you get up to 85 just staring at a desktop.

[mobrien_12]

I think the ultrafast monitor refresh thing in games is bull.        

And you WILL kill your monitor prematurely running it at very high vertical refresh rates.  It doesn't matter if the monitor can do it or not.  You are wearing it out.

The best thing to do for your monitor settings in Linux is to get the horizontal and vertical sync ranges and hand enter them in the config file.  You can usually find these from the manufacturers website, your manuals, or Google.

IF you want to force a higher refresh rate, raise the lower end limit on the vertical sync range.  I usually LOWERED my upper limit so it wouldn't go up to 85 Hz...

[GenuineAdvantage]

Yea... I've read more on it and eventhough it can go up to 120,  only up to 85Hz is on the manufacturer's specs. I already had  the sync ranges down, so maybe X server follows standards, and maybe the driver on windows likes to cook monitors. Both OSes detected the name of the monitor. But either way screw it, I set VertRefresh to plain 60 and see no big difference even running at 1280x960. Like this, emulators run smoothly at 60Hz in any resolution and simple 2d scrolling in OpenGL vsyncs properly. I could always switch it back if it bothers me. I just wish these resolution/refreshrate changes were handled better by X, like windows does it. I hope one day X can do it. Yet I don't think it's been developed that way so far because not many need *nix to do that. Oh well.

btw, one more thing/question. I admit I use the gdm logon screen. Is there a way to make it so this, the whole thing starts up at a desired desktop resolution/rate. It's a little annoying to start up at the highest resolution and have it switch to yours everytime you log in.