52 MA XIMUMPC OCTOBER 2005
how (^2) IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
GETTING STARTED
ATI offers two types of control-panel software: the newb-friendly
#ataLYst #ontroL #enter (which requires Microsoft’s .NET frame-
work) and the more conventional Catalyst driver. In a nod toward
user friendliness, the #ontroL #enter defaults to hiding its tools
within an elaborate user interface. We prefer the more transparent
Catalyst driver, so that’s what we’ll use here. Download both and
see which one you prefer, but you absolutely must uninstall one
before installing the other.
Right-click your Windows desktop, and then click Properties from
the pop-up menu, then the Settings tab in the Display Properties
window, and then the Advanced button. Next, click the Options tab
and compare the Catalyst version displayed here to the latest version
available on ATI’s website, to ensure you’re running the latest version.
2 ATI CATALYST
We favor the straightfor-
ward Properties window
over ATI’s newb-friendly
Catalyst Control Center ,
which hides nearly all of
the driver’s most important
functions by default.
CREATING APPLICATION PROFILES
Click the 3D tab and you can define custom profiles for each game you
play. The first step is to click the radio button to choose between creat-
ing a profile for either a Direct3D or an OpenGL app. Using the slider on
this tab, you can adjust global settings (displayed in the box beneath
the slider) to obtain all-out performance at the expense of image quality,
optimal visual quality at the expense of performance, or a happy bal-
ance. Advanced users, however, will tweak individual settings by plac-
ing a checkmark next to “Use custom settings” and then clicking the
Custom button to open the Direct3D (or OpenGL) Properties window.
By default, Catalyst allows applications to control settings such as
antialiasing and anisotropic filtering, but you can easily override these
choices within this window—simply remove the checkmarks next to
Application Preference. Boosting these settings will improve image
quality, but reduce performance. Click the Default button to return the
settings to factory spec.
Once you’ve customized your Catalyst settings, save the profile by
typing a unique name in the Custom Profile box, and clicking the Save
button. You can create a different profile for each game or application, if
you’d like; but because the driver defaults to the profile that was active
when you shut down your PC, you’ll need to change the profile each
time you switch programs.
ATI’s driver pro-
vides tools to create
custom profiles for
games and other 3D
applications.
DISPLAY CONFIGURATIONS
The Catalyst Display tab shows
each monitor that Windows has
detected. To designate a moni-
tor as your primary display, click
the “1” button in its box. Click the
Monitor title bar and Catalyst will
open a second Properties window
with additional options. The DDC
Information box in this window
shows the maximum resolution
and refresh rate that the monitor
supports. The monitor sends this
information to the videocard over
the Display Data Channel.
You can set up a variety of
display configurations for different
situations and save them using
the Schemes tool. Assign a hot
key to each scheme and you can
switch to it in a moment’s notice.
This panel is of particular interest to
anyone with more than one display
connected to a Radeon videocard.
OTHER CONTROLS
WMV Acceleration will accelerate the playback of
Windows Media Video (WMV) files in 7inDows MeDia
0LaYer (you must be using Catalyst version 5.6 or
higher). In addition to placing a checkmark next to this
item, however, you’ll also need to install the Windows
DRM (digital rights management) update anD the
Windows Media Player Hotfix, which you can download
from Microsoft’s website. Searching for these updates
on Microsoft’s website will drive you nuts, so just point
your browser to ATI.com and search on the phrase
“Windows Media Player Hotfix.” You’ll find both detailed
instructions on how to implement this feature and links
to the downloadable files on Microsoft’s site.
If you’re having problems with display corruption (or
no display at all) at high resolutions on your LCD moni-
tor, a checkmark next to “Reduce DVI frequency on
high-resolution” will resolve the problem. If you’re using
a DVI-to-VGA adapter, however, this setting will have no
effect. A checkmark next to “Alternate DVI operational
mode” will also help with display-corruption problems
on an LCD monitor.
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