GTX 260M not capable of >85Hz?

asked this question in the gaming forum and got no response: how is that the GTX 260M cannot be set to display at a higher refresh rate than 85Hz?

I have a CRT monitor connected via DVI-to-VGA. Any attempt at creating a custom display resolution for the CRT in the NVIDIA control panel simply caps the refresh rate at 85Hz.

Attempting to "List all modes" in Windows' advanced display settings only has modes with 75Hz and 85Hz, what gives?

Is this a card limitation or an oversight in the drivers?

 

For the sake of thouroughness, have you checked to make sure the CRT can support higher than 85hz at the resolution you are seeking. You didn't explicitly state that the monitor could so I thought it worth mentioning.

Edit: What resolution are you trying to run? I suppose it's possible you are being limited by the 260M's RAMDAC. I'm not sure if mobile cards use a 400mhz RAMDAC or not. If so, then that isn't the problem.

 

most definitely, it's the CRT I use for my desktop, it can handle up to 160Hz.

How would I find out at what speed the RAMDAC is running? it's not reported in the control panel, display settings, or GPU-Z, but a quick search on google seems to hint that it is indeed 400mhz... so this would indicate it's not a card limitation but rather a problem with the drivers?

 

Nah, a 400 MHz RAMDAC won't be able to handle > 85 Hz at decent resolutions. It's a HW thing.

 

Sure it can. My CRT hooks up to my GTX 280m and does 120hz @ without a problem. Thats @ 1600x1200 though.

 

Not really sure how to check, perhaps EnTech's Powerstrip. People have stopped caring about RAMDAC's speed once it became pretty standardized.
I have my doubts that the RAMDAC is the limiting factor.
What resolution are you trying to use?

 

I've tried them all: from 800x600 to the laptops native 1680, to the CRT's max 1800x1400. All settings are listed as 75Hz, 85Hz, or both. It's frustrating that even the so-called "custom" resolution will not let you surpass 85Hz (even in "manual" mode).

emike09, are you using 186.xx on your 280? If so can you please tell us the steps you performed to get it to refresh greater than 85Hz?

 

I am using 186. No steps. I just works.

 

At some point I imagine you had to create a custom resolution though right? Did you do it like so:
NVIDIA control panel -> Manage custom resolutions -> Create...: entered 1600, 1200, 120Hz, 32bpp
and everything worked fine? Are you connected via VGA adapter or DVI?

I wonder if the problem is with how the CRT is detected, could it be that the monitor's specs/info are not being transmitted properly over the wire when converting from VGA to DVI?

On the other hand, if it's a card limitation, can anyone with a GTX 260M confirm (or deny) this (i.e. have you been able to push greater than 85Hz with your card?)

 

No, I used the Windows resolution setting. Didn't use the nVidia Control Panel at all. Its a VGA monitor. So DVI-VGA adapter.

 

Just tried it again, this time by-passing the NVIDIA control panel and using Windows' Display Setting: same deal; except Windows' doesn't even give the option of switching refresh rates.

The only resolutions I have available are 75Hz or 85Hz, and looks like I can rule out the EIDC problem since it's detecting the display specs as expected (it knows it's a Dell P1130). so is it a hardware limitation after all? (would be fairly disappointing given what the 260M is capable of...).

Here's what it looks like for me:

 

I wonder if the problem is the DVI-VGA adapter. A quick web search reveals that the HP Displayport to VGA adapter has a max refresh of 85 Hz. While I realize that you're using a DVI to VGA adapter instead of the one I mentioned, I wonder if it's subject to the same limitation.

 

I was thinking that too, but emike is also using a DVI-VGA adapter... unless it's my specific one.

 

It might be. Have you tried looking up your adapter model's technical specs to see if it might have that sort of limitation?

 

The only specs available are of the engineering type:
http://www.foxconn.com/NWInG/products/dvi.asp (CQHC000V-A01)
datasheet

Has no one ever attempted a GTX 260M to CRT hook up?? If I could just find out if it works for someone, I'd know it isn't a card problem, but as it stands now, if it is the card, it seems a fairly disappointing limitation...