PC Video FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about PC Video Hardware
This FAQ was compiled and written by Michael Scott with numerous contributions by others, most notably Ralph Valentino who does a great job of keeping up the main csiph FAQ, Sam Goldwasser who has developed and now maintains the majority of diagnostic and repair FAQs for sci.electronics and sci.electronics.repair, Bill Nott of Compaq Computer Corporation and Dylan Rhodes of Hercules Computer Technology. Acknowledgments are listed at end of this FAQ.
01 What does the csiph.video FAQ cover?- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 01 What does the csiph.video FAQ cover?
- 02 Can I use two video cards in the same system?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 02 Can I use two video cards in the same system?
- 03 How can I hook more than one monitor to my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 03 How can I hook more than one monitor to my video card?
- 04 Can I use my TV as a monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 04 Can I use my TV as a monitor?
- 05 Can I use my CGA/EGA/VGA monitor as a TV?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 05 Can I use my CGA/EGA/VGA monitor as a TV?
- 06 What kinds of monitors are available?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 06 What kinds of monitors are available?
- 07 What types of flat-panel displays are available?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 07 What types of flat-panel displays are available?
- 08 What do those monitor specifications mean?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 08 What do those monitor specifications mean?
- 09 What should I consider when buying a monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 09 What should I consider when buying a monitor?
- 10 What pixel addressabilities are best for my monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 10 What pixel addressabilities are best for my monitor?
- 11 What is a shadow mask?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 11 What is a shadow mask?
- 12 Why does my monitor have 1/2/3 faint horizontal lines on it?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 12 Why does my monitor have 1/2/3 faint horizontal lines on it?
- 13 What's the difference between fixed frequency andmultisynchronous monitors?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 13 What's the difference between fixed frequency andmultisynchronous monitors?
- 14 How can I get a fixed frequency (RGB) monitor to work on my PC?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 14 How can I get a fixed frequency (RGB) monitor to work on my PC?
- 15 What is a low emission monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 15 What is a low emission monitor?
- 16 What does DPMS mean?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 16 What does DPMS mean?
- 17 How can I maximize the life of my monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 17 How can I maximize the life of my monitor?
- 18 Is it important to use a screen saver?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 18 Is it important to use a screen saver?
- 19 Should I be concerned about monitor emissions?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 19 Should I be concerned about monitor emissions?
- 20 How do I calculate the minimum bandwidth required for a monitor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 20 How do I calculate the minimum bandwidth required for a monitor?
- 21 How do I calculate how much VRAM/DRAM I need?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 21 How do I calculate how much VRAM/DRAM I need?
- 22 What is the difference between VRAM and DRAM? (or, Should I buy a VRAM or DRAM based video card?)
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 22 What is the difference between VRAM and DRAM? (or, Should I buy a VRAM or DRAM based video card?)
- 23 What types of video RAM are available (or coming soon)?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 23 What types of video RAM are available (or coming soon)?
- 24 What is the EEPROM, EPROM, PROM on my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 24 What is the EEPROM, EPROM, PROM on my video card?
- 25 How does colour depth (bit planes) relate to the number of colours?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 25 How does colour depth (bit planes) relate to the number of colours?
- 26 What are true color and high color?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 26 What are true color and high color?
- 27 Can I use a 64/128+ bit card in on an ISA/EISA/VLB/PCI bus?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 27 Can I use a 64/128+ bit card in on an ISA/EISA/VLB/PCI bus?
- 28 Will my video speed up enormously with a VLB/PCI upgrade?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 28 Will my video speed up enormously with a VLB/PCI upgrade?
- 29 How can an 8/16/32/64/128+ bit video card work on my 16/32/64 bit system?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 29 How can an 8/16/32/64/128+ bit video card work on my 16/32/64 bit system?
- 30 How does memory interleaving work to increase the speed of a video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 30 How does memory interleaving work to increase the speed of a video card?
- 31 Should I get 1 MB or 2 MB of video memory?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 31 Should I get 1 MB or 2 MB of video memory?
- 32 How does a video accelerator work, and will one help me?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 32 How does a video accelerator work, and will one help me?
- 33 What does a video codec do?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 33 What does a video codec do?
- 34 How does a 3D graphics accelerator work?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 34 How does a 3D graphics accelerator work?
- 35 Which video card is best for DOS/Windows/X11/OS/2?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 35 Which video card is best for DOS/Windows/X11/OS/2?
- 36 Is my card supported under Windows 95, OS/2, Linux-XFree86, etc?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 36 Is my card supported under Windows 95, OS/2, Linux-XFree86, etc?
- 37 Which video benchmark is the best?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 37 Which video benchmark is the best?
- 38 Should I have BIOS shadowing on?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 38 Should I have BIOS shadowing on?
- 39 Should I use a Universal VESA driver? (i.e. UNIVBE)
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 39 Should I use a Universal VESA driver? (i.e. UNIVBE)
- 40 I have problems with my display card - how do I fix them?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 40 I have problems with my display card - how do I fix them?
- 41 Why are some of my Windows 3.1 icons black? (Extremely low memory, some icons may not be drawn)?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 41 Why are some of my Windows 3.1 icons black? (Extremely low memory, some icons may not be drawn)?
- 42 I have problems with my monitor - how can I fix it?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 42 I have problems with my monitor - how can I fix it?
- 43 Are there known conflicts with my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 43 Are there known conflicts with my video card?
- 43 Ghosts, shadows, or streaks in picture adjacent to vertical edges
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 43 Ghosts, shadows, or streaks in picture adjacent to vertical edges
- 44 Some examples of common termination problems
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 44 Some examples of common termination problems
- 44 What are MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA adapters?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 44 What are MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA adapters?
- 45 Brightness Adjustment
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 45 Brightness Adjustment
- 45 What monitors will work with my MDA/Hercules/CGA/EGA card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 45 What monitors will work with my MDA/Hercules/CGA/EGA card?
- 46 Focus Problems
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 46 Focus Problems
- 46 What is VGA, and how does it work?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 46 What is VGA, and how does it work?
- 47 Smoking Monitor
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 47 Smoking Monitor
- 47 What is the pinout for a standard VGA/PGA/EGA/CGA connector?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 47 What is the pinout for a standard VGA/PGA/EGA/CGA connector?
- 48 Tubes for all Nations
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 48 Tubes for all Nations
- 48 What are VGA/SVGA/UVGA/8514/a/XGA?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 48 What are VGA/SVGA/UVGA/8514/a/XGA?
- 49 Magnetic Fields and Degaussing
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 49 Magnetic Fields and Degaussing
- 49 What is VESA SVGA?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 49 What is VESA SVGA?
- 50 Degaussing (demagnetizing) a CRT:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 50 Degaussing (demagnetizing) a CRT:
- 50 What should I consider in buying a video capture card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 50 What should I consider in buying a video capture card?
- 51 How Often to Degauss:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 51 How Often to Degauss:
- 51 What type of camera do I need for video capture?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 51 What type of camera do I need for video capture?
- 52 Focus Adjustment:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 52 Focus Adjustment:
- 52 I want to add an MPEG card to my system. How does it work?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 52 I want to add an MPEG card to my system. How does it work?
- 53 Interference from Electrical Wiring:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 53 Interference from Electrical Wiring:
- 53 What is the feature connector on my video card for?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 53 What is the feature connector on my video card for?
- 54 Interference from other Equipment:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 54 Interference from other Equipment:
- 54 What is DCI?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 54 What is DCI?
- 55 Contour Lines on High Resolution Monitors:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 55 Contour Lines on High Resolution Monitors:
- 55 How do I contact my video card/monitor vendor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 55 How do I contact my video card/monitor vendor?
- 56 I need new drivers. Is there an Internet ftp/web site for my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 56 I need new drivers. Is there an Internet ftp/web site for my video card?
- 56 Monitor Reliability with SVGA:
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 56 Monitor Reliability with SVGA:
- 57 CRT Replacement - Probably not worth it:k
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 57 CRT Replacement - Probably not worth it:k
- 57 References and Acknowledgments
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 57 References and Acknowledgments
- 58 Glossary Of Terms For The Video FAQ
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 58 Glossary Of Terms For The Video FAQ
- 58 Monitor Drift?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 58 Monitor Drift?
- 59 Are there known conflicts with my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 59 Are there known conflicts with my video card?
- 59 Glossary Terms
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 59 Glossary Terms
- 60 Popular Video Chipsets
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 60 Popular Video Chipsets
- 60 What are MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA adapters?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 60 What are MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA adapters?
- 61 Circuit for Converting from VGA to Fixed-Freq. RGB
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 61 Circuit for Converting from VGA to Fixed-Freq. RGB
- 61 What monitors will work with my MDA/Hercules/CGA/EGA card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 61 What monitors will work with my MDA/Hercules/CGA/EGA card?
- 62 What is VGA, and how does it work?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 62 What is VGA, and how does it work?
- 63 What is the pinout for a standard VGA/PGA/EGA/CGA connector?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 63 What is the pinout for a standard VGA/PGA/EGA/CGA connector?
- 64 What are VGA/SVGA/UVGA/8514/a/XGA?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 64 What are VGA/SVGA/UVGA/8514/a/XGA?
- 65 What is VESA SVGA?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 65 What is VESA SVGA?
- 66 What should I consider in buying a video capture card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 66 What should I consider in buying a video capture card?
- 67 What type of camera do I need for video capture?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 67 What type of camera do I need for video capture?
- 68 I want to add an MPEG card to my system. How does it work?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 68 I want to add an MPEG card to my system. How does it work?
- 69 What is the feature connector on my video card for?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 69 What is the feature connector on my video card for?
- 70 What is DCI?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 70 What is DCI?
- 71 How do I contact my video card/monitor vendor?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 71 How do I contact my video card/monitor vendor?
- 72 I need new drivers. Is there an Internet ftp/web site for my video card?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 72 I need new drivers. Is there an Internet ftp/web site for my video card?
- 73 References and Acknowledgments
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 73 References and Acknowledgments
- 74 Glossary Of Terms For The Video FAQ
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 74 Glossary Of Terms For The Video FAQ
- 75 Glossary Terms
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 75 Glossary Terms
- 76 Popular Video Chipsets
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 76 Popular Video Chipsets
- 77 Circuit for Converting from VGA to Fixed-Freq. RGB
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video FAQ: 77 Circuit for Converting from VGA to Fixed-Freq. RGB
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