GTX 480 + TH2Go + W7, fixing resolution problems

[Alan_A 1,650]

Have just spent a couple of intensive days revamping my system - did a Windows 7 Home Premium in-place upgrade, then replaced my EVGA GTX 280 SSC with an EVGA GTX 480 SC, then cleaned NVidia drivers with Driver Sweeper 2.10 and loaded the NVidia 197.41's (the latest for GTX 480 under W7).For whatever reason, I didn't have the crashing problems that PingPong reported here, but I did hit a wall when it came to setting screen resolutions on my Triplehead2Go Digital. Although I had no problems getting to 1680 x 1024 on a single monitor, resolution on three monitors was an issue. The new NVidia drivers seem to set a hard resolution limit at 3840 x 1024, which is pretty coarse and isn't widescreen. The best widescreen I was able to achieve via Matrox Powerdesk was 3 x 1360 x 768 (or 4080 x 768), which was even coarser.I found the solution in this thread on the widescreen gaming forum. Using the instructions in the first post, and after a lot of trial and error, I was able to get to 5040 x 1024 (the equivalent of 3 x 1680 x 1024).What the instructions do is give you a way to force the higher resolution into the NVidia driver by slightly altering the screen refresh frequency. Once you've accomplished that, you stick with that resolution, which Powerdesk reads as a single-screen resolution - but it renders it across all three monitors. You don't set a three-screen resolution in Powerdesk.A few lessons if you're in the same situation and want to try this yourself:1. Follow the instructions in the post TO THE LETTER. In my first few rounds, I completely overlooked the settings for polarity. I was sometimes able to get my resoluton tests accepted, but they wouldn't stick. Once I set the polarities correctly, things were fine.2. When the instructions suggest that you try different vertical refresh rates, do exactly that. The number that worked for me was 59.25 Mhz. That number isn't mentioned by any of the other posters in the thread, but it's in the range and for me, it was the one that took. YMMV.3. The modification to the Powerdesk DeviceInfo.ini needs to be done fresh every time you get a new resolution accepted in the NVidia control panel (no need to touch it until the resolution passes the NVidia test). Make a copy of the original DeviceInfo.ini and put it in a separate folder. Then, after you've set the resolution in NVidia control panel, FIRST copy the original DeviceInfo.sys into the Powerdesk folder, THEN enter the edits. Note that this applies only if you're trying and testing different resolutions. I had to work through this several times to get it right. If you get it right the first time, there's no need to keep copying and pasting the original DeviceInfo.sys back into the folder. Of course, it's always a good idea to keep a copy of the original file before you start modifying it.4. As I mentioned above, remember that what you're doing forcing a higher resolution into the NVidia driver, then fooling Matrox Powerdesk into accepting it. Don't make my early mistake by assuming that you then need to set the new resolution in PowerDesk. It won't be there. Powerdesk will still limit you to 3 x 1360 x 768. So once you've got the resolution running in NVidia control panel, DON'T CHANGE THE RESOLUTION IN POWERDESK. The only thing you can (and should) do in Powerdesk is use the bezel management, if you're so inclined. But, as the instructions suggest, the Powerdesk resolution should stay at 1 x 1680 x 1024. Again, you're telling Powerdesk you've got a single monitor - you DON'T tell it you've got three monitors. If you do, it'll get confused.You can use this approach to set other resolutions that are beyond the scope of the NVidia drivers as delivered. The thread includes instructions for 4320 x 900 (3 x 1440 x 900). There's no single required resolution. The only requirement is that you lower the listed refresh rate below 60 Mhz (to something in the 59-59.999 Mhz range) so that the NVidia driver accepts the resolution. You're not actually changing the refresh rate of the monitor - just the way the driver recognizes it.Finally, remember that this is a trial-and-error process. Strange things can and do happen. At several points, I managed to force higher resolutions that weren't the ones I wanted. Somehow I'd gotten something wrong in the settings and the driver gave me a better (but not perfect) solution.Speaking of better but not perfect - there are still some issues. The main one is that aircraft thumbnails in the Free Flight screen are now cut horizontally into five segments, which are distributed from right to left across all three monitors. I'm sure there's a workaround for that but I haven't had a chance to figure it out yet. It's not a deal breaker for me - it makes the thumbnails hard to figure out but it doesn't affect in-game peformance - which, thanks to the GTX 480, seems pretty stellar.I hope this helps you out if you're up against the same set of issues. It'd be nice if NVidia would fix the drivers so we wouldn't have to go through this, and I look forward to the day when I can get rid of this hack solution and just run the Triplehead normally. But until then, this might work for you - give it a try.Alan

[vyper883 20]

Have just spent a couple of intensive days revamping my system - did a Windows 7 Home Premium in-place upgrade, then replaced my EVGA GTX 280 SSC with an EVGA GTX 480 SC, then cleaned NVidia drivers with Driver Sweeper 2.10 and loaded the NVidia 197.41's (the latest for GTX 480 under W7).For whatever reason, I didn't have the crashing problems that PingPong reported here, but I did hit a wall when it came to setting screen resolutions on my Triplehead2Go Digital. Although I had no problems getting to 1680 x 1024 on a single monitor, resolution on three monitors was an issue. The new NVidia drivers seem to set a hard resolution limit at 3840 x 1024, which is pretty coarse and isn't widescreen. The best widescreen I was able to achieve via Matrox Powerdesk was 3 x 1360 x 768 (or 4080 x 768), which was even coarser.I found the solution in this thread on the widescreen gaming forum. Using the instructions in the first post, and after a lot of trial and error, I was able to get to 5040 x 1024 (the equivalent of 3 x 1680 x 1024).What the instructions do is give you a way to force the higher resolution into the NVidia driver by slightly altering the screen refresh frequency. Once you've accomplished that, you stick with that resolution, which Powerdesk reads as a single-screen resolution - but it renders it across all three monitors. You don't set a three-screen resolution in Powerdesk.A few lessons if you're in the same situation and want to try this yourself:1. Follow the instructions in the post TO THE LETTER. In my first few rounds, I completely overlooked the settings for polarity. I was sometimes able to get my resoluton tests accepted, but they wouldn't stick. Once I set the polarities correctly, things were fine.2. When the instructions suggest that you try different vertical refresh rates, do exactly that. The number that worked for me was 59.25 Mhz. That number isn't mentioned by any of the other posters in the thread, but it's in the range and for me, it was the one that took. YMMV.3. The modification to the Powerdesk DeviceInfo.ini needs to be done fresh every time you get a new resolution accepted in the NVidia control panel (no need to touch it until the resolution passes the NVidia test). Make a copy of the original DeviceInfo.ini and put it in a separate folder. Then, after you've set the resolution in NVidia control panel, FIRST copy the original DeviceInfo.sys into the Powerdesk folder, THEN enter the edits. Note that this applies only if you're trying and testing different resolutions. I had to work through this several times to get it right. If you get it right the first time, there's no need to keep copying and pasting the original DeviceInfo.sys back into the folder. Of course, it's always a good idea to keep a copy of the original file before you start modifying it.4. As I mentioned above, remember that what you're doing forcing a higher resolution into the NVidia driver, then fooling Matrox Powerdesk into accepting it. Don't make my early mistake by assuming that you then need to set the new resolution in PowerDesk. It won't be there. Powerdesk will still limit you to 3 x 1360 x 768. So once you've got the resolution running in NVidia control panel, DON'T CHANGE THE RESOLUTION IN POWERDESK. The only thing you can (and should) do in Powerdesk is use the bezel management, if you're so inclined. But, as the instructions suggest, the Powerdesk resolution should stay at 1 x 1680 x 1024. Again, you're telling Powerdesk you've got a single monitor - you DON'T tell it you've got three monitors. If you do, it'll get confused.You can use this approach to set other resolutions that are beyond the scope of the NVidia drivers as delivered. The thread includes instructions for 4320 x 900 (3 x 1440 x 900). There's no single required resolution. The only requirement is that you lower the listed refresh rate below 60 Mhz (to something in the 59-59.999 Mhz range) so that the NVidia driver accepts the resolution. You're not actually changing the refresh rate of the monitor - just the way the driver recognizes it.Finally, remember that this is a trial-and-error process. Strange things can and do happen. At several points, I managed to force higher resolutions that weren't the ones I wanted. Somehow I'd gotten something wrong in the settings and the driver gave me a better (but not perfect) solution.Speaking of better but not perfect - there are still some issues. The main one is that aircraft thumbnails in the Free Flight screen are now cut horizontally into five segments, which are distributed from right to left across all three monitors. I'm sure there's a workaround for that but I haven't had a chance to figure it out yet. It's not a deal breaker for me - it makes the thumbnails hard to figure out but it doesn't affect in-game peformance - which, thanks to the GTX 480, seems pretty stellar.I hope this helps you out if you're up against the same set of issues. It'd be nice if NVidia would fix the drivers so we wouldn't have to go through this, and I look forward to the day when I can get rid of this hack solution and just run the Triplehead normally. But until then, this might work for you - give it a try.Alan

As far as the aircraft thumbnail glitch, it has to do with AA. If you disabe AA in either the Nvidia control panel, OR Nhanser this goes away. But who wants to run FSX TH2GO without AA? It's horrible! But that's what you get when you combine WIN 7 64, TH2GO, AND FSX. Are you getting the black screens as well? I went back to XP 64 and those problem dissappeared, HOWEVER, The fermi Nvidia driver causes a system exception error when you try to run FSX in XP. This is becoming a widespread problem, that does NOT occur in WIN 7. I removed my 480 for the time being, and running my 285 until the issue is resolved.TRIPLEHEAD:Scroll to the bottom where it says "5040x1050 ISSUES AND THE WORKAROUND" and follow my instructions. He failed to add some extra info. Follow my extra tips and it will work right off the bat:http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=31531

[Alan_A 1,650]

As far as the aircraft thumbnail glitch, it has to do with AA. If you disabe AA in either the Nvidia control panel, OR Nhanser this goes away. But who wants to run FSX TH2GO without AA? It's horrible! But that's what you get when you combine WIN 7 64, TH2GO, AND FSX. Are you getting the black screens as well? I went back to XP 64 and those problem dissappeared, HOWEVER, The fermi Nvidia driver causes a system exception error when you try to run FSX in XP. This is becoming a widespread problem, that does NOT occur in WIN 7. I removed my 480 for the time being, and running my 285 until the issue is resolved.TRIPLEHEAD:Scroll to the bottom where it says "5040x1050 ISSUES AND THE WORKAROUND" and follow my instructions. He failed to add some extra info. Follow my extra tips and it will work right off the bat:http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=31531

That's a great post - I wish I'd seen it before I started working out the fix. The Matrox dialog box ("has detected a change in resolution - would you like to save?") is exactly where I went wrong. I stumbled onto the right way to do it after a lot of failed attempts. This would have been much faster.I haven't had the black screens yet - haven't had any spikes, either. Fingers crossed. I ran it last night in heavy weather via ASE with nearly all sliders maxxed and it held up, but the flight was brief, so I can't say for sure I'm out of the woods yet.The only problem I've had other than the preview picture is that in windowed mode, moving a window leaves a trail behind and the window becomes unreadable. But that's not a big problem because I fly in full screen mode. It only became an issue when I was trying to set up EZdok, but I managed to get through that in spite of making a mess of my screen. Everything resolved as soon as I went back to full screen.Nice to know about the AA issue but I agree with you - I'm not giving up on AA for the sake ot the previews. Happy to live with another FSX weirdness for the sake of better overall results.At some future point it'd be fun if NVidia and/or Matrox could solve this, though I have to say I'm a little reluctant now to change drivers since I've got everything tuned. However, with the help of your post I could always get things restored much faster than the initial setup took. So thanks for that.Now back to stress-testing the system...Alan

[vyper883 20]

That's a great post - I wish I'd seen it before I started working out the fix. The Matrox dialog box ("has detected a change in resolution - would you like to save?") is exactly where I went wrong. I stumbled onto the right way to do it after a lot of failed attempts. This would have been much faster.I haven't had the black screens yet - haven't had any spikes, either. Fingers crossed. I ran it last night in heavy weather via ASE with nearly all sliders maxxed and it held up, but the flight was brief, so I can't say for sure I'm out of the woods yet.The only problem I've had other than the preview picture is that in windowed mode, moving a window leaves a trail behind and the window becomes unreadable. But that's not a big problem because I fly in full screen mode. It only became an issue when I was trying to set up EZdok, but I managed to get through that in spite of making a mess of my screen. Everything resolved as soon as I went back to full screen.Nice to know about the AA issue but I agree with you - I'm not giving up on AA for the sake ot the previews. Happy to live with another FSX weirdness for the sake of better overall results.At some future point it'd be fun if NVidia and/or Matrox could solve this, though I have to say I'm a little reluctant now to change drivers since I've got everything tuned. However, with the help of your post I could always get things restored much faster than the initial setup took. So thanks for that.Now back to stress-testing the system...Alan

Alan :) I love Win 7. I really do. But when it comes to FSX, XP 64 just Works. That's why I have a dual OS. I can keep with the times, and fly FSX problem-free. When they release SP1 for win 7 I'll give it a go again. Don't worry about changing drivers in the future. With this method it will ALWAYS work, on every driver. I think the key is in the deviceInfo.ini file, meaning that any subsequent driver will allow the 5040X1050, just by using the Matrox powerdesk wizard. And if for some reason it doesn't, use the same method and it will work every time. You only have to change the DeviceInfo.ini file ONCE, and you never have to do it again. In case you were wondering about the custom settings (front porch pixels, sync width pixels, total pixels ect) they are the EXACT settings that the Powerdesk would use, so it IS a true resolution. The only thing that the Powerdesk CANNOT do is account for the refresh rate,(only chooses 57Hz or 60Hz) on certain Nvidia drivers, and that's why we use the custom res alternative, in the Nvidia control panel with a refresh rate of 59.xxxHz. So if you want to change drivers Go for it Alan.

[Alan_A 1,650]

Alan :) I love Win 7. I really do. But when it comes to FSX, XP 64 just Works. That's why I have a dual OS. I can keep with the times, and fly FSX problem-free. When they release SP1 for win 7 I'll give it a go again. Don't worry about changing drivers in the future. With this method it will ALWAYS work, on every driver. I think the key is in the deviceInfo.ini file, meaning that any subsequent driver will allow the 5040X1050, just by using the Matrox powerdesk wizard. And if for some reason it doesn't, use the same method and it will work every time. You only have to change the DeviceInfo.ini file ONCE, and you never have to do it again. In case you were wondering about the custom settings (front porch pixels, sync width pixels, total pixels ect) they are the EXACT settings that the Powerdesk would use, so it IS a true resolution. The only thing that the Powerdesk CANNOT do is account for the refresh rate,(only chooses 57Hz or 60Hz) on certain Nvidia drivers, and that's why we use the custom res alternative, in the Nvidia control panel with a refresh rate of 59.xxxHz. So if you want to change drivers Go for it Alan.

That's good to know. I'd gotten the impression - I guess from my own missteps - that DeviceInfo.ini would have to be changed every time you load a new driver or change a resolution. If that's not the case, then life gets much easier.As you can probably tell, I'm of two minds about big system changes - I'm mostly conservative, but once a year or so I break down and do some kind of major reworking. A year ago, I built the system, tuned it and overclocked it. Then I got reluctant and sat on it for a year. Then, this week, on impulse, I decided it was time to upgrade the OS and change video cards, all at once. Therefore my weekend grappling with the Triplehead. Now that it's set up, I think I'll settle down again... at least 'til a better driver comes along...

[Alan_A 1,650]

Just an update re: the black screens - I got them in large numbers when trying to run Darrington (in FTX PNW) under the BP=0 tweak (UsePools=0, to be exact about it). Worst results were when also using the Shader 3.0 mod, which led to texture chaos - flashing and shifting textures and lockups. Once I'd pulled both tweaks, the crashes and distortions went away. I'm still getting excellent frame rates and smoothness with Bufferpools at the default setting. I lose a few frames in heavy cloud cover compared to BP=0, but to me it's worth the price since apparently my system can't cope with the Bufferpools tweak. But other than that, no new problems to report. I still haven't done a long flight, so we'll have to see if the card holds up in that situation.Alan