Can you use 10 bit RAMDAC cards under X?

From: Ron Howes (howes001_at_tc.umn.edu)
Date: 03/30/05

  • Next message: Dances With Crows: "Re: Can you use 10 bit RAMDAC cards under X?" 
    Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:09:55 -0600

    First, my apologies if these questions have already been asked and
    answered elsewhere, but some Googling doesn't seem to have turned up
    exactly the answers I need. I have been using Linux for several years
    now, but I am not an X guru.

    I am considering using Linux to build a good quality 2D graphic system,
    and I need help on what color depth can be achieved with X. I am not a
    gamer, so 3D performance is not an issue for me.

      I know there are video cards that support 10 bit RAMDAC technology for
    high resolution graphics, like the ATI Radeon 9250 series, and the
    Matrox Millennium P650. 10 bits implies 30 bits for color depth, which
    implies 32 BPP for running these under X.

      However, I have not been able to completely verify if X can support
    actual 30 bit color graphics when in 32BPP. Some of what I have seen
    seems to imply that 32BPP actually defaults to a real 24BPP color depth,
    or 8 bits per color channel.

    So, the first question is, can X support an actual 30 bit color depth
    for such video cards when in 32BPP mode?

    If the answer to the above is yes, then the second question is, what is
    a good choice for a 2D video card with 10 bit RAMDAC technology? The ATI
    or Matrox mentioned above? What with driver issues, is one of these
    better than the other? Or, is there another video card chip set out
    there that provides 10 bit RAMDAC technology that is better? Again, 3D
    performance is not a requirement for me, unless it comes with such a
    card anyway :-)

    Any help is greatly appreciated . . .

    Ron Howes

  • Next message: Dances With Crows: "Re: Can you use 10 bit RAMDAC cards under X?"

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