HOW-TO: Fix Your Monitor Refresh Rate

[Samuel]

This How-to is for people who want to change the refresh rate and/or resolution for their monitor

**i have only tried this on nvidia cards

**use this info at your own risk, i will take no responsibility for damaged hardware

First we want to get the modeline for our desired resolution and refresh rate, to do this we head to www.sh.nu/nvidia/gtf.php

At the top of the page is a table, input the settings you want into it, for example, i want to run my monitor @ 1280x1024 85refresh rate, so i enter into the first box marked X: 1280 in the second box marked y: i enter 1024 and the 3rd box i enter 85 (my desired refresh rate)

then i click the Generate modeline button and the output is as follows:
# 1280x1024 @ 85.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 91.38 kHz; pclk: 159.36 MHz
Modeline "1280x1024_85.00" 159.36 1280 1376 1512 1744 1024 1025 1028 1075 -HSync +Vsync

open a new terminal and type the following:
sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf_backup
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

in the xorg.conf document find:

Section "Monitor"

and at the bottom of this section copy and paste the modeline you got from the website you visited, mine looks like this:

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
Modeline "1280x1024_85.00" 159.36 1280 1376 1512 1744 1024 1025 1028 1075 -HSync +Vsync
EndSection

now save the file and restart x by pressing ctrl alt and backspace

if it takes you to a command prompt just log in and type startx

your monitor should now be running at your chosen settings

note: this is my first how-to so i would appreciate any feedback on it from you experts, i am still a linux newb but this is a small problem i managed to figure out and hope it can help others like the community has helped me.

[Synt4x_3rr0r]

Thanx for this Howto!!
I already fixed this "problem" on my monitor though, but it was hard to find the correct vertsync and that for my monitor.

But in the future I will use this howto if i need it, and i probably will.

[llama]

if you have a Dell 2005FPW with the nvidia drivers that is refusing to work at 1680x1050 try this modeline:

ModeLine "1680x1050" 119.0 1680 1728 1760 1840 1050 1053 1059 1080

works great for me.

[CDX74]

hmm, doesn't seem to do anything to mine...

[Veloci]

I found a very simple method to change the resolution. All you need to do is open up the Terminal, and enter:
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Then, find the section that says:

"Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "NVIDIA Corporation NV18 [GeForce4 MX 440 AGP 8x]"
Monitor "LJD 7VlrSB"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

.. And edit the one that says " Depth 24" I am assuming that's 24-bit colour depth. I just put in my resolution "1152x864" and saved the modifications. After I rebooted, it allowed me to select the resolution in the Resolution box. Hopefully this will help people who cannot get the above method working.

[Marcos.Rufino]

Thank you Samuel. Great howto!

[Arathorn]

Hi Veloci.

About your method, when I type sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf in the terminal I get this error:

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_mdi_set_state: assertion `GEDIT_IS_MDI (mdi) ' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_prefs_manager_get_int: assertion `gedit_pref s_manager->gconf_client != NULL' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_prefs_manager_get_bool: assertion `gedit_pre fs_manager->gconf_client != NULL' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_prefs_manager_get_bool: assertion `gedit_pre fs_manager->gconf_client != NULL' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_prefs_manager_get_int: assertion `gedit_pref s_manager->gconf_client != NULL' failed

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid uninstantiatable type `glong' in cast to `GObject'

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: instance of invalid non-instantiatable ty pe `glong'

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_object: assertion `G_TY PE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid uninstantiatable type `glong' in cast to `BonoboMDI'

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: bonobo_mdi_add_child: assertion `BONOBO_IS_MDI (md i)' failed

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid uninstantiatable type `glong' in cast to `BonoboMDI'

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: bonobo_mdi_get_active_window: assertion `BONOBO_IS _MDI (mdi)' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_utils_set_status: assertion `BONOBO_IS_WINDO W (win)' failed

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid uninstantiatable type `glong' in cast to `BonoboMDI'

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: bonobo_mdi_get_active_window: assertion `BONOBO_IS _MDI (mdi)' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: bonobo_window_flash: assertion `win != NULL' faile d

(gedit:8068): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid uninstantiatable type `glong' in cast to `BonoboMDI'

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: bonobo_mdi_add_views: assertion `BONOBO_IS_MDI (md i)' failed

** (gedit:8068): CRITICAL **: gedit_mdi_set_state: assertion `GEDIT_IS_MDI (mdi) ' failed

What is wrong?
I have an ATI card but the /xorg.conf file does have the passage you mention.
I'm a Windows user just trying Linux, so please try to keep things simple. ;)

[Samuel]

Glad this has helped for you who have been able to use it.

Veloci your right for changing resolution but this is to fix your refresh rate

I wish i could help you guys having problems with this but im still a linux newb myself

[phend-one]

Doesn't seem to work for me...

Anyone know if the old way of editing the HorizSync and VertRefresh work?

[wolfchri]

It is close to comical that we need an how-to in the year 2005 in order to change the screen refresh rate. As much as I like Ubuntu, that is definitely a missing feature, especially since Ubuntu aims for contries in Africa etc. that do not have the latest LCD screens but old CRTs without plug and play capabilities.

A tool to choose a monitor/screen/screen type is definitely needed, such as SaX or in the Mandriva Control Center. Why not just port one of these tools (I think, there is even one in the Debian installer) to Ubuntu - I am sure that would not be too difficult.