Many thanks for this detailed reply, my monitor is a 20" sgi crt.  i 
prefer sgi we use them at work in drug design they give good 3d.  I have 
the hr and vs rates, where do I put these.Also, is the monitor name 
needed verbatim.  Finally, is there a tool for setting up my initial 
monitor type and card?  Since I'm apprehensive of my setup.
Gavin



Duncan wrote:

>DR GM SEDDON posted <437F0FBC.6010908@...>, excerpted below, 
>on Sat, 19 Nov 2005 11:42:52 +0000:
>
>  
>
>>Hi I'm trying to configure my display.  I have successfully created a 
>>xorg.conf file that works.  However, I have tried to optimise my display 
>>as recommended in the manual.  From 'lspci' my graphics card is 
>>unknown.  It is an ATI radeon but I entered unknown.  I have tried 
>>'Screen0' and 'default screen'.  When I startx I get  'unknown monitor 
>>type' in the log.  Can anyone advise?
>>Gavin
>>    
>>
>
>That's xorg trying to scan the DCC info from the monitor (as most modern
>monitors should provide) and failing to get it.  It's not complaining
>about your graphics card (altho it's possible if it's using the wrong
>driver that it won't be able to get the monitor info due to that), but
>that your monitor isn't returning any info for xorg to use to set itself
>up.
>
>The below info is for analog video cards and monitors.  I'm not sure how
>digital ones, lcd and the like, may differ, except that I know their
>resolutions are typically lower for their size, they sell by displayed
>size, not tube side, so a 19" CRT is usually about the same viewable size
>as an 18" LCD (tho the LCD is lower max resolution), and they are more
>expensive but not nearly as heavy or bulky!  Oh, LCDs also tend to come in
>widescreen ratios far more frequently than CRTs!
>
>The good thing (within context) about LCDs is that they are newer
>technology, so often a newer product, meaning it's  easier to find specs
>for them.  If it's a laptop, look for the laptop specs, and you'll get the
>video card info at the same time!
>
>Since xfree86-4 and now with xorg, setting up monitors is generally pretty
>easy, even if it can't get the info automatically, because xorg has
>default resolution and timing modes that it will use, given the basics.
>
>man xorg.conf, take a look at the monitor section, then google your
>monitor (if necessary) and get the necessary specs.  I've done this with
>more than half dozen used monitors that needless to say I had no manuals
>for, thus no from the factory specs.  They are generally fairly easy to
>find, once you feed google the make and model number of your monitor.
>
>The numbers you will need:
>
>Horizontal sync, normally in KHz.  Here's the numbers from one of mine,
>from xorg.conf, to give you an idea of the range.  (Don't just use mine,
>if it's wrong and you let the monitor go for long, it can burn it out!) 
>High resolutions will use near the top end.  The bottom end isn't used
>much any more, unless you like to use xorg's ctrl-alt-numplus and numminus
>sequences to zoom, as I often do, and want to get close to the min
>resolution as well.
>
>    HorizSync 30-110
>
>Vertical refresh, normally in Hz.  High resolutions will use lower numbers
>here.  The high end is the one not so often used any more.  Note however
>that most folks can't stand refresh rates below 60, and many need 75 or
>better to be comfortable.  Of course, that means you can't drive it to as
>high a pixel-count resolution.  Here, I can tolerate 60 Hz with dark
>backgrounds and light text/foregrounds, so mostly dark.  With a white
>screen background, I need higher refresh rates, 68-75.  Again, here's mine
>to give you an idea, but don't just use mine.
>
>    VertRefresh 50-180
>
>Those will go in the Monitor section.  You can use xorg's autosetup (there
>are several choices for tools to try) to generate a basic xorg.conf, then
>create or change the Monitor section as necessary.
>
>Two option but useful numbers for the same section, if you can find them. 
>Dotclock, usually in MHz (maximum typically runs ~230-ish with a decent
>monitor), and DisplaySize in x and y mm.  xorg usually does fine without
>the former if you can't find it, by using the numbers above.  The latter
>is only used to ensure semi-normal font sizes, otherwise various versions
>may change the default font size, if they can't find it and you didn't set
>it, rather drastically, for the same settings in your X environment. 
>Thus, it's not vital, but it's nice to have, and usually pretty easy to
>find, tho you might have to do a bit of inch/mm conversion (25.4mm/inch).
>
>The other  place your monitor numbers come into play is in the Display
>subsection of the Screen section, in the  Modes listing.  This is just  a
>listing of the main and any additional pixel resolutions you may desire
>(that xorg agrees are possible given the settings for video card and
>monitor).  If your numbers are good enough, and your screen large enough,
>2048x1536 is the highest practical resolution available  (assuming the
>standard 4x3 ratio) -- but only on 20" and larger monitors or it's
>overkill.  1600x1200 is, however, often the rated maximum for the 19-22"
>monitor size, and more comfortable for many, particularly as it allows a
>higher refresh rate.  (Monitors rated for 75 Hz refresh at their rated
>maximum, however, can generally do 60 Hz at higher resolutions, if your
>eyes can stand it, of course.)  For a 19" monitor, 1280x920 resolution
>(4x3 ratio) or 1280x1024, altho that gives you rectangular pixels.  For a
>17" monitor, 1280x1024 is high end, 1024x768 is standard.  15" do 1024x768
>and 800x600.  Old and small monitors will generally do 640x480, 800x600 if
>you are lucky and can tolerate the lower refresh.
>
>Here's one of my screen mode line entries, listing all the resolutions I
>run (22" monitor, the highest normally resolution normally, lower ones for
>zoom, using the zoom keys mentioned above, DisplaySize is 400x300mm, so at
>that resolution, my pixels are a full mm square!).  Most folks probably
>don't have  half that many resolutions (plus many won't want to run
>2048x1536 at the refresh possible on their monitor, even if they can, so
>that and the 1792 resolution won't be so common).  Note that the 640x480
>resolution is square pixels, the 640x400 isn't, but I have a game that
>runs that, so...  That one is also a custom modeline, as well, as it's not
>one that xorg has preconfigured.
>
>Modes "2048x1536" "1792x1344" "1600x1200" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "640x400" "512x384" "400x300" "320x240"
>
>It should be easy to find the maximum resolution for your monitor, as
>that's one of the selling features, so even hits that don't list anything
>else often list that.
>
>  
>

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