Need help improving visual quality

[aschueler]

Currently I am running KDE.

I have truetype fonts installed, but many items appear fuzzy/slightly out of focus, even the truetype fonts.

I have an LCD whose native resolution is 1280x1024. I used fglrx (kinda like xfree86, but for radeon drivers) to configure the display. I plugged in the appropriate frequencies listed in the manual that came with my monitor, and the display fits perfectly with 1280 x 1024 resolution. I suspect some of the visual problems may be from its refresh rate, which is SUPPOSED to be 60Hz. However, X windows says it is running at 75 Hz. The monitor can handle this, but I believe it would look better if I could change the refresh rate to 60 Hz while leaving the rest the same.

Any idea how to do this?

Thanks

[Dolda2000]

First, try it out by running "xrandr -r 60". That will set the refresh rate to 60 Hz for the current X session, but it will not be saved. It's good for trying it out, though.

[aschueler]

I got this in reply:

X Error of failed request: BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation)
Major opcode of failed request: 157 (RANDR)
Minor opcode of failed request: 2 (RRSetScreenConfig)
Value in failed request: 0x3c
Serial number of failed request: 12
Current serial number in output stream: 12


Interesting, eh?

[aschueler]

An amusing addendum:

Although I DID have truetype fonts on my system, when I updated my video driver the newer XF86Config-4 file didn't have the path in it. I found this by thumbing through it trying to find a place that I could change it.

Things look a lot better now, but still....fuzzy I guess you could say.

[Dolda2000]

What output do you get if you run only xrandr, without args?

[aschueler]

aschueler@linux:~> xrandr
SZ: Pixels Physical Refresh
*0 1280 x 1024 ( 342mm x 271mm ) *75
1 1152 x 864 ( 342mm x 271mm ) 75
2 1024 x 768 ( 342mm x 271mm ) 75
3 832 x 624 ( 342mm x 271mm ) 74
4 800 x 600 ( 342mm x 271mm ) 72
5 640 x 480 ( 342mm x 271mm ) 75
Current rotation - normal
Current reflection - none
Rotations possible - normal
Reflections possible - none

[Dolda2000]

It seems that XFree86 is only configured to give you 75 Hz. Can you post the Monitor section from /etc/X11/XF86Config?

[aschueler]

do you want xf86config or xf86config-4?

[Dolda2000]

I thought modern distros had abandoned XF86Config-4. Oh anyway, if you have XF86Config-4, then that's the one that is authoritative, so post from it.

[aschueler]

Sorry to frustrate you my friend

XF86Config-4 was made by fglrx, which I need to run for my radeon driver.

Here is the monitor section, although I could have sworn I posted it last night (hmmm....musta not hit submit)
# ************************************************** ********************
# Monitor section
# ************************************************** ********************

# Any number of monitor sections may be present

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
HorizSync 31.5-81.1
VertRefresh 56-75
Option "DPMS"

# === mode lines based on GTF ===
# VGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "640x480@100" 43.163 640 680 744 848 480 481 484 509 +hsync +vsync
# SVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "800x600@100" 68.179 800 848 936 1072 600 601 604 636 +hsync +vsync
# XVGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1024x768@100" 113.309 1024 1096 1208 1392 768 769 772 814 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@60" 81.642 1152 1216 1336 1520 864 865 868 895 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@85" 119.651 1152 1224 1352 1552 864 865 868 907 +hsync +vsync
# 1152x864 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1152x864@100" 143.472 1152 1232 1360 1568 864 865 868 915 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@75" 129.859 1280 1368 1504 1728 960 961 964 1002 +hsync +vsync
# 1280x960 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x960@100" 178.992 1280 1376 1520 1760 960 961 964 1017 +hsync +vsync
# SXGA @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1280x1024@100" 190.960 1280 1376 1520 1760 1024 1025 1028 1085 +hsync +vsync
# SPEA GDM-1950 (60Hz,64kHz,110MHz,-,-): 1280x1024 @ V-freq: 60.00 Hz, H-freq: 63.73 KHz
# Modeline "GDM-1950" 109.62 1280 1336 1472 1720 1024 1024 1026 1062 -hsync -vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 133.142 1600 1704 1872 2144 1000 1001 1004 1035 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 169.128 1600 1704 1880 2160 1000 1001 1004 1044 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 194.202 1600 1712 1888 2176 1000 1001 1004 1050 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1000 @ 100Hz
# Modeline "1600x1000" 232.133 1600 1720 1896 2192 1000 1001 1004 1059 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 136.385 1600 1704 1872 2144 1024 1027 1030 1060 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 174.416 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1025 1028 1069 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 76Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 170.450 1600 1632 1792 2096 1024 1027 1030 1070 +hsync +vsync
# 1600x1024 @ 85Hz
# Modeline "1600x1024" 198.832 1600 1712 1888 2176 1024 1027 1030 1075 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 172.798 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -hsync -vsync
# 1920x1080 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1080" 211.436 1920 2056 2264 2608 1080 1081 1084 1126 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 193.156 1920 2048 2256 2592 1200 1201 1203 1242 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x1200 @ 75Hz
# Modeline "1920x1200" 246.590 1920 2064 2272 2624 1200 1201 1203 1253 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 2048x1536 @ 60
# Modeline "2048x1536" 266.952 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 +hsync +vsync
# 1400x1050 @ 60Hz M9 Laptop mode
# ModeLine "1400x1050" 122.000 1400 1488 1640 1880 1050 1052 1064 1082 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 25Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@25" 124.620 1920 1928 1980 2048 2400 2401 2403 2434 +hsync +vsync
# 1920x2400 @ 30Hz for IBM T221, VS VP2290 and compatible display devices
# Modeline "1920x2400@30" 149.250 1920 1928 1982 2044 2400 2402 2404 2434 +hsync +vsync

EndSection

Is it my imagination or is every last line commented out?

Thanks your help as usual.