Problems with Intel's i830 Graphics Chipset

Support knowledgebase (wessels_i830)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Versions up to (including) 8.0
XFree86: Version 4.2.0

Symptom

Your mainboard or laptop is equipped with an Intel 830 or 845 graphics chipset and you cannot configure a color depth higher than 256 colors (8 bit) with high resolutions.

Cause

The output of


hwinfo --framebuffer 

shows that only an 8-bit color depth can be displayed with resolutions above 640x480. The reason is that the graphics chipset is detected with a 832 kb memory. Since the graphics chip runs memory-sharing with the RAM, it is not possible to assign more memory to the chipset.

The output of the root command hwinfo --framebuffer looks like this for an i830 graphics chipset:


02: None 00.0: 11001 VESA Framebuffer
  [Created at bios.299]
  Unique ID: rdCR.Z+CliNWHWlA
  Hardware Class: framebuffer
  Model: "Almador Graphics Chip Accelerated 
	  VGA BIOS Almador Graphics Controller"
  Vendor: "Intel Corporation"
  Device: "Almador Graphics Controller"
  SubVendor: "Almador Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS"
  SubDevice: 0000 "?"
  Revision: "Hardware Version 0.0"
  Memory Size: 0 MB + 832 kB
  Memory Range: 0xe0000000-0xe00cffff (rw)
  Mode 0x0301: 640x480 (+640), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0303: 800x600 (+800), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0305: 1024x768 (+1024), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0311: 640x480 (+1280), 16 bits

or like this for Intel i845G mainboard chipsets:


02: None 00.0: 11001 VESA Framebuffer
  [Created at bios.299]
  Unique ID: rdCR.AcZfX19URwA
  Hardware Class: framebuffer
  Model: "Brookdale-G Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS Brookdale-G
  Graphics Controller"
  Vendor: "Intel Corporation"
  Device: "Brookdale-G Graphics Controller"
  SubVendor: "Brookdale-G Graphics Chip Accelerated VGA BIOS"
  SubDevice: 0000 "?"
  Revision: "Hardware Version 0.0"
  Memory Size: 0 MB + 832 kB
  Memory Range: 0xe8000000-0xe80cffff (rw)
  Mode 0x0301: 640x480 (+640), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0303: 800x600 (+800), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0305: 1024x768 (+1024), 8 bits
  Mode 0x0311: 640x480 (+1280), 16 bits

Solution

Unfortunately, a solution for this problem has not been found yet. Refer to your laptop or mainboard manufacturer to find out if a BIOS update that could solve this problem is already available. Please note that a BIOS update may cause some problems and that you perform the update at your own risk!


See also:
o X Server Configuration with SaX2

Keywords: I830, GRAPHICS, INTEL, X, SAX2, I845

SDB-wessels_i830, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 13. Sep 2002
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 13. Sep 2002 by ip (sdb_gen 1.40.0)