SGI: Hardware

Ne1 had any luck getting an LCD to work with this beast?

Spidy wrote: Ne1 had any luck getting an LCD to work with this beast?

When I had an MXE, it worked flawlessly with my 19" Samsung 940N LCD monitor with a 13W3 to HD15 adapter.

Spidy wrote: Ne1 had any luck getting an LCD to work with this beast?

I've used an SI, SE, MXI, and MXE <and a V10/V12> successfully with a Dell 1800FP <1280x1024x60> using a 13W3>HD15 adapter.

Ditto on the Samsung. I've got a 740BX and a 204B, a 17" and 20", both are SOG and both work perfectly with Octane graphics. VPro or MGRAS.

The Octane I just got today is hooked to my Dell 2001FP through an adapter cable

I think the consensus is yes then!!... I think all you have to look out for is the Sync On Green capability of the display. Most of the entry level cheap displays don't support it, but any half decent one should.. I use Viewsonic VP series displays no problem, or LG L2000C which is the same as the SGI monitor just without the premium badge....

tjsgifan wrote: I think all you have to look out for is the Sync On Green capability of the display.

Sort of. Depending on the 13W3 to HD15 adapter you have, you may not need a SOG capable display. You will need at least a SOG tolerant display. Octanes and most other later SGIs do put out separate H/V sync signals on the 13W3 pins, enabling these to be routed to conventional HD15 input displays. However, the SOG signal is still in the green channel, so your display needs to filter this out - several displays seem to do this, or better KVMs (I guess any of them that puts a label like "Computer 1" on the display as you switch). So, if you have a 13W3 adapter which routes/outputs the H/V sync signals, all you need is a SOG tolerant display. Unfortunately, this capability is not advertised. I think most newer displays should work, but some people seem to have issues. The key is to have the adapter which enables this. These adapters tend to be more expensive. You can check with an ohmmeter - 13W3 pins 4 & 5 should route to HD15 pins 13 & 14 respectively, I think. There are cheap Sun adapters which do not route the H/V sync signals from SGIs - these will require a SOG capable monitor. If you are sure you have a SOG monitor and the adapter doesn't work, break off all the other pins in the 13W3 connection except for the 3 big coax connections - something else is being routed wrong and messing things up, but all you need are the RGB channels for a SOG system to work.

To Octane2 users, I have questions that I need to resolve before I make payment for SGI Octane2 R12000, Dual 360Mhz in ebay. This Octane2 has VPro V6. I need to ask you: do you guys have any experience or work-arounds for using Dell 19" LCD monitor, especially the model name E193FPb (b/black) connecting to this Octane2 V6??? I will be using it for Alias 11 and Maya 6.5., so I do not want to have "glitches" (whatever that means).

According to Dell E193FP specs, it supports 1280x1024 x 75 hz native resolution, and automatically syncs. The horizontal scan rate ranges from 30 to 82 Khz. The Vertical scan rate ranges from 56 - 76 Hz. BUT, however, I am concern because I read in the SGI Octane2 tech pub manual (pdf) which stated:

(copy/paste from manual page 239, or PDF page 265): " For VPro graphics, a 1280 x 1024 display resolution is only possible using the Sony G1 21” or 24” monitors at a vertical refresh rate of 96Hz. If you have another monitor, you
cannot run 1280 x 1024 resolution at any vertical refresh rate...."

But I thought much of the discussion of refresh rate does not apply to LCD monitors... So do you think I should use > xsetmon 1280x1024_60 to make it work with this Dell E193fp lcd monitor? (i already have 13w3-to-HD15 adapter).

If not, how about the Dell Ultrasharp 20.1" model name E2007FP?? I heard it can work with 1600x1200 on the V6... please confirm. Nice to see you guys supporting the SGI machines for few more years to come! Thanks for support!


@mstepansky - I deleted two of the three identical posts you made on this subject - please refrain from cross-posting. recondas/forum moderator

mstepansky wrote: This Octane2 has VPro V6. I need to ask you: do you guys have any experience or work-arounds for using Dell 19" LCD monitor, especially the model name E193FPb (b/black) connecting to this Octane2 V6???

Just went thru a similar situation another thread. That case involved a different 19" Dell TFT monitor - even though the EDID modeline for 1280x1024@60Hz came in *just* below the unuseable-on-a-V6-or-V8 pixel clock range, that particular monitor still suffered the same display 'glitches' you mentioned. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16727696 You could try something similar, but based on that experience I don't hold out much hope.

mstepansky wrote: According to Dell E193FP specs, it supports 1280x1024 x 75 hz native resolution, and automatically syncs. The horizontal scan rate ranges from 30 to 82 Khz. The Vertical scan rate ranges from 56 - 76 Hz. BUT, however, I am concern because I read in the SGI Octane2 tech pub manual (pdf) which stated: [code](copy/paste from manual page 239, or PDF page 265): " For VPro graphics, a 1280 x 1024 display resolution is only possible using the Sony G1 21” or 24” monitors at a vertical refresh rate of 96Hz. If you have another monitor, you
cannot run 1280 x 1024 resolution at any vertical refresh rate...."

Unfortunately, unless you're willing to accept some of the display glitches you mention, that advice still holds true. The 1280x1024@75Hz your monitor supports falls even further into the pixel clock range your V6 cannot use.

mstepansky wrote: If not, how about the Dell Ultrasharp 20.1" model name E2007FP?? I heard it can work with 1600x1200 on the V6... please confirm.

Regardless of refresh rate, there aren't any 1600x1200 resolutions in the listed for the V6: http://www.nekochan.net/wiki/VPro#V6.2F ... ock_Issues

mstepansky wrote: Nice to see you guys supporting the SGI machines for few more years to come! Thanks for support!

Thanks - you're welcome to join us.