340.96, xrandr-1.5.0 and native only resolution

I want to change the resolution of my laptop screen, but xrandr only shows built-in screens native resolution.

$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 3360 x 1050, maximum 8192 x 8192
VGA-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
LVDS-0 connected primary 1680x1050+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 331mm x 207mm
   1680x1050     59.88*+
HDMI-0 connected 1680x1050+1680+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 470mm x 300mm
   1680x1050     59.88 +  59.95* 
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00  
   800x600       75.00    72.19    60.32    56.25  
   640x480       75.00    72.81    59.94

I’ve tried poking around and only found this https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/525287/non-native-resolutions-not-available-in-3xx-drivers-on-8700m-gt/ but that still doesn’t tell me how to change my monitors resolution.

If anything it’s weird that my built-in shows only native resolution but the hdmi external monitor offers wide variety as expected. This also causes problems in some games where I can’t change resolution to anything from native one.

Adding a newmode also doesn’t work:

$ cvt 1280 800
# 1280x800 59.81 Hz (CVT 1.02MA) hsync: 49.70 kHz; pclk: 83.50 MHz
Modeline "1280x800_60.00"   83.50  1280 1352 1480 1680  800 803 809 831 -hsync +vsync
$ xrandr --newmode "1280x800_60.00"   83.50  1280 1352 1480 1680  800 803 809 831 -hsync +vsync
$ xrandr --addmode LVDS-0 1280x800_60.00
X Error of failed request:  BadMatch (invalid parameter attributes)
  Major opcode of failed request:  140 (RANDR)
  Minor opcode of failed request:  18 (RRAddOutputMode)
  Serial number of failed request:  29
  Current serial number in output stream:  30


How do I enable more resolutions?

$ uname -roms 
Linux 4.4.3-1-ARCH x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ lspci -k | grep -A 2 -E "(VGA|3D)"
08:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation G94M [GeForce 9800M GS] (rev a1)
        Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. [MSI] Device 7220
        Kernel driver in use: nvidia
$ xrandr -v
xrandr program version       1.5.0
Server reports RandR version 1.5
$ pacman -Qi nvidia-340xx | grep Version
Version         : 340.96-6

Thanks

This is because the native resolution is the only one that your internal panel supports, while your HDMI monitor supports a variety of different modes. Note that unlike other modesetting interfaces, RandR 1.2 provides control over the actual physical mode timings being sent to the monitor, so only supported timings are listed.

If you want to scale from a different resolution to your panel’s native mode, you can use xrandr’s --scale-from option, or use the drop-down list of scaled modes or the advanced settings option in the nvidia-settings control panel.

This is because the native resolution is the only one that your internal panel supports

This feels hard to believe (unless I’m missing something) because I distinctly remember using other resolutions on different OSes (be it distro like Ubuntu or something like Windows). (as I said, I may be. missing something).

The point is that when I scale the resolution from nvidia-settings, it doesn’t help in some games which still think I’m using 1680 and render them fully in that resolution, not only resulting in lower performance, but mainly they just cut that viewport making things only worse.

What you’re probably missing is that LCDs only ever have one resolution. Everything else is scaled to that one resolution.

Even your external HDMI display has only one resolution - that it lists several different resolutions in its EDID doesn’t change that. It just means that the display will natively accept those other resolutions and scale them internally.

When non-nvidia drivers list several resolutions in xrandr, they basically lie. They do so for the convenience of the user - instead of requiring the user to do gymnastics with various scaling options, these non-nvidia drivers lie about available resolutions and perform the scaling gymnastics themselves. Nvidia chooses not to go down that route.

Gusar
the problem is the display ; this beast has no intelligence to interact with OS . it is may be the time to have selflearning display .

Ok, it’s something I didn’t realize. I know that displays have native resolution, and I didn’t realize that while my external monitor may report multiple resolutions and then do the rescaling internally, my internal reports only a single one.

But the problem is still there. How do I get different resolution options to show up in game settings. The only game that is able to do it right now (that I’m familiar with) is CS:GO. Talos and Spec Ops only see the native resolution and don’t offer setting any other.

I may understand the point of view of nvidia who believes that it should be up the application to do the rescaling, not the driver, but right now the users are stuck between rock and a hard place when it comes to games that don’t think of doing it themselves.

I need a way to delegate the rescaling to the nvidia driver and report multiple resolutions to the games.

This trouble only in 340.96?

Please can you fix this?

For example on Ubuntu 16.04 in ioquake3 with NVIDIA 340.96 drivers always force to use native desktop resolution in game when full screen. Impossible to set lower resolution.

In NVIDIA setting you can scale resolution, but this cause another huge troubles and bugs. For example ioquake3 work only on windowed mode and windowed mode cause another trouble - brightness problem. Also if if resolution scaled - desktop panel not adapted for it.

Excuse me, but this looks like blst ! I have the same problem with an old iiyama 19" CRT, and those clearly do NOT have a single native resolution; and because of that I’m unable to reach the resolution I want. (I want to put it side by side with a 1920x1080 screen and I’m limited to 864 lines 60Hz, while this screen can easily up to 1200 lines and I used to configure it with “nouveau” on 1080 lines 85Hz, and in fact it worked quite well (except for the instability) until I installed the nvidia proprietary driver.

The fact that they do not have the same height is a real pain in the neck and causes many problems. And I’m not rich enough to replace all my old CRTs with 1080 lines flat panels

The point is that my use of this function of xrandr (1.5) worked perfectly well with the open source “nouveau” display driver, and stopped working when I installer de nvidia proprietary display driver (because I seems confirmed that “nouveau” causes random computer freezes).

In xorg.conf use

Option "ModeDebug" "true"

to see why those other modes are rejected.
If you think that’s a driver bug and your monitor can display it, use overrides.

Option "ModeValidation" "<options>"

Where is a semicolon separated list from the list at
http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/304.43/README/xconfigoptions.html
Some handy ones are e.g. AllowNonEdidModes or NoExtendedGpuCapabilitiesCheck
But you should first read and understand what they’re for.
Edit: semicolon instead comma

Is this really going to solve the problem with xrandr which returns this strange error message with nvidia proprietary driver and not with “nouveau” driver ? The problem is not only that those modes are rejected, but that the command itself is rejected

By the way, more and more configuration do not have a xorg.conf file, but a xorg.conf.d directory, with nearly no options inside, because everything gets autodetected, and it’s a pain to find out how to configure this without ruining the autodetection features. I dont want to be forced to reconfigure everything each time I add or remove one monitor. I just want to be able to use THAT old monitor with its right capability, and let the system continue to manage all the rest by itself.

I’m not sure what you mean. That BadMatch error in response to a RRAddOutputMode request is how the X server tells the client (xrandr) that that mode isn’t going to work. I’m not sure why nouveau would let you use that mode when your panel doesn’t support it. That seems like a bug.

The various xorg.conf options are there in case you really need to override the mode validation behavior of the driver. It’s only needed in very unusual circumstances, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to require an xorg.conf be present to set them.

I’m not sure what your old CRT is reporting in its EDID. generix’s suggestion would tell you what modes the driver is considering and why they’re being rejected.

Well… Isn’t there something very wrong in calling “a bug”, a feature which works and does the job when the “correct one” doesn’t ? :-D

About the unusual circumstances, the point is that it worked with “Nouveau” (If “Nouveau” wasn’t causing occasional computer freeze). I might try xorg.conf if it can help the nvidia driver to allow my own values as “nouveau” does. But I don’t know in this era of minimal xorg.conf, what I should put in it to have just those flags and nothing else (I want to continue to create the modes with xrandr, like I did with “Nouveau”). I have made xorg.conf files 20 years ago, when you had to put everything in it, but I feel completely lost facing those empty files. How should I configure those flags to keep it minimal ?

Just run nvidia-xconfig to generate a minimal working xorg.conf. Then you just have to add the line

Option "ModeDebug" "true"

to the screen section. Restart X or reboot, then run nvidia-bug-report.sh and attach output file to your post or simply post your Xorg.0.log from /var/log.

I still think you’re barking up the wrong tree here. Do you really want / need to send custom timings to the panel, or do you just want a smaller resolution desktop scaled to the panel’s native resolution?

Well… a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor is NOT a flat panel, and as I mentionned above, There is NO such think as a “native resolution” on a CRT.
I need to set my own timings because the mode I want to use (1440x1080) is not amongst the factory settings - I want to put it side by side with (and have the same height as) my 1920x1080 other monitor).

Here under is what xrandr return in verbose mode. As you can see there is no edid block for my CRT. This monitor do not support recent EDID format and I even doubt the VGA connector supports it, because I don’t see more when I connect it to my flat pannel. By the way, my CRT monitor is working with DDC2B).

The problem is that the nvidia driver is guessing and is guessing wrongly (first af all, it’s forcing nearly all modes in 60Hz refresh rate, which on a CRT is awfully flickering. This is why “nouveau” is right, because it just doesn’t try to guess wrong information. This Monitor can support natively un to 1920x1440 85Hz and the limitations imposed by the nvidia driver are awfull…

Ps : Thanks Generix. I don’t believe the mode debug flag will help me much because I believe I understand the design flaw which causes this problem, but may be I might be able to do something with the modevalidation options.

$ xrandr --verbose
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 4432 x 1080, maximum 16384 x 16384
VGA-0 connected primary 1152x864+0+0 (0x282) normal (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
	Identifier: 0x27e
	Timestamp:  64007
	Subpixel:   unknown
	Gamma:      1.0:1.0:1.0
	Brightness: 1.0
	Clones:    
	CRTC:       0
	CRTCs:      1 0 2 3
	Transform:  1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
	           filter: 
	CscMatrix: 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 
	BorderDimensions: 4 
		supported: 4
	Border: 0 0 0 0 
		range: (0, 65535)
	SignalFormat: VGA 
		supported: VGA
	ConnectorType: VGA 
	ConnectorNumber: 2 
	_ConnectorLocation: 2 
  1024x768 (0x27f) 65.000MHz -HSync -VSync +preferred
        h: width  1024 start 1048 end 1184 total 1344 skew    0 clock  48.36KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  777 total  806           clock  60.00Hz
  1360x768 (0x280) 72.000MHz +HSync -VSync
        h: width  1360 start 1408 end 1440 total 1520 skew    0 clock  47.37KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  781 total  790           clock  59.96Hz
  1360x768 (0x281) 84.750MHz -HSync +VSync
        h: width  1360 start 1432 end 1568 total 1776 skew    0 clock  47.72KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  781 total  798           clock  59.80Hz
  1152x864 (0x282) 81.620MHz -HSync +VSync *current
        h: width  1152 start 1216 end 1336 total 1520 skew    0 clock  53.70KHz
        v: height  864 start  865 end  868 total  895           clock  60.00Hz
  800x600 (0x283) 50.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width   800 start  856 end  976 total 1040 skew    0 clock  48.08KHz
        v: height  600 start  637 end  643 total  666           clock  72.19Hz
  800x600 (0x284) 40.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width   800 start  840 end  968 total 1056 skew    0 clock  37.88KHz
        v: height  600 start  601 end  605 total  628           clock  60.32Hz
  800x600 (0x285) 36.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width   800 start  824 end  896 total 1024 skew    0 clock  35.16KHz
        v: height  600 start  601 end  603 total  625           clock  56.25Hz
  680x384 (0x286) 36.000MHz +HSync -VSync DoubleScan
        h: width   680 start  704 end  720 total  760 skew    0 clock  47.37KHz
        v: height  384 start  385 end  390 total  395           clock  59.96Hz
  680x384 (0x287) 42.375MHz -HSync +VSync DoubleScan
        h: width   680 start  716 end  784 total  888 skew    0 clock  47.72KHz
        v: height  384 start  385 end  390 total  399           clock  59.80Hz
  640x480 (0x288) 25.175MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  656 end  752 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  480 start  490 end  492 total  525           clock  59.94Hz
  512x384 (0x289) 32.500MHz -HSync -VSync DoubleScan
        h: width   512 start  524 end  592 total  672 skew    0 clock  48.36KHz
        v: height  384 start  385 end  388 total  403           clock  60.00Hz
  400x300 (0x28a) 25.000MHz +HSync +VSync DoubleScan
        h: width   400 start  428 end  488 total  520 skew    0 clock  48.08KHz
        v: height  300 start  318 end  321 total  333           clock  72.19Hz
  320x240 (0x28b) 12.587MHz -HSync -VSync DoubleScan
        h: width   320 start  328 end  376 total  400 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  240 start  245 end  246 total  262           clock  60.05Hz
DVI-D-0 connected 1920x1080+1152+0 (0x28d) normal (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 886mm x 498mm
	Identifier: 0x28c
	Timestamp:  64007
	Subpixel:   unknown
	Gamma:      1.0:1.0:1.0
	Brightness: 1.0
	Clones:    
	CRTC:       1
	CRTCs:      1 0 2 3
	Transform:  1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
	           filter: 
	CscMatrix: 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 
	EDID: 
		00ffffffffffff004dd9022c01010101
		01150103805932780a0dc9a057479827
		12484c21080081800101010101010101
		010101010101023a801871382d40582c
		450076f23100001e011d007251d01e20
		6e28550076f23100001e000000fc0053
		4f4e592054560a2020202020000000fd
		00303e0e460f000a2020202020200109
		02033bf0531f101405130420223c3e12
		16030711150206012609070715075083
		01000074030c001000b82d2fd00a0140
		007f203070809076e200fb023a80d072
		382d40102c458076f23100001e011d00
		bc52d01e20b828554076f23100001e01
		1d80d0721c1620102c258076f2310000
		9e000000000000000000000000000065
	BorderDimensions: 4 
		supported: 4
	Border: 0 0 0 0 
		range: (0, 65535)
	SignalFormat: TMDS 
		supported: TMDS
	ConnectorType: DVI-D 
	ConnectorNumber: 0 
	_ConnectorLocation: 0 
  1920x1080 (0x28d) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync *current +preferred
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  67.50KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  60.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x28e) 148.350MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  67.43KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  59.94Hz
  1920x1080 (0x28f) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew    0 clock  56.25KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  50.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x290) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  33.72KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  29.97Hz
  1920x1080 (0x291) 74.160MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2558 end 2602 total 2750 skew    0 clock  26.97KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  23.97Hz
  1920x1080 (0x292) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync Interlace
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  33.72KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1094 total 1124           clock  60.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x293) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync Interlace
        h: width  1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew    0 clock  28.12KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1094 total 1124           clock  50.04Hz
  1280x1024 (0x294) 108.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1328 end 1440 total 1688 skew    0 clock  63.98KHz
        v: height 1024 start 1025 end 1028 total 1066           clock  60.02Hz
  1280x720 (0x295) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew    0 clock  45.00KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  60.00Hz
  1280x720 (0x296) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew    0 clock  44.96KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  59.94Hz
  1280x720 (0x297) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1720 end 1760 total 1980 skew    0 clock  37.50KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  50.00Hz
  1280x720 (0x298) 74.180MHz -HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 3040 end 3080 total 3300 skew    0 clock  22.48KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  29.97Hz
  1280x720 (0x299) 59.330MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 3040 end 3080 total 3300 skew    0 clock  17.98KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  23.97Hz
  1024x768 (0x27f) 65.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width  1024 start 1048 end 1184 total 1344 skew    0 clock  48.36KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  777 total  806           clock  60.00Hz
  800x600 (0x284) 40.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width   800 start  840 end  968 total 1056 skew    0 clock  37.88KHz
        v: height  600 start  601 end  605 total  628           clock  60.32Hz
  720x576 (0x29a) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   720 start  732 end  796 total  864 skew    0 clock  31.25KHz
        v: height  576 start  581 end  586 total  625           clock  50.00Hz
  720x480 (0x29b) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   720 start  736 end  798 total  858 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  480 start  489 end  495 total  525           clock  59.94Hz
  640x480 (0x288) 25.175MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  656 end  752 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  480 start  490 end  492 total  525           clock  59.94Hz
  640x480 (0x29c) 25.170MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  656 end  752 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.46KHz
        v: height  480 start  490 end  492 total  525           clock  59.93Hz
HDMI-0 connected 1360x768+3072+312 (0x29e) normal (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 1600mm x 900mm
	Identifier: 0x29d
	Timestamp:  64007
	Subpixel:   unknown
	Gamma:      1.0:1.0:1.0
	Brightness: 1.0
	Clones:    
	CRTC:       2
	CRTCs:      1 0 2 3
	Transform:  1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
	            0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
	           filter: 
	CscMatrix: 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 0 0 0 65536 0 
	EDID: 
		00ffffffffffff001e6d010001010101
		0117010380a05a780aee91a3544c9926
		0f5054a1080031404540614071400101
		010101010101662150b051001b304070
		360040846300001e6419004041002630
		18880306408463000018000000fd003a
		3e1e5310000a202020202020000000fc
		004c472054560a2020202020202001a3
		020322f14e101f049305140302122021
		2215012615075009570767030c002000
		801e011d8018711c1620582c2500a05a
		0000009e011d007251d01e206e285500
		20c23100001e8c0ad08a20e02d10103e
		9600a05a00000018023a801871382d40
		582c4500a05a0000001e000000000000
		0000000000000000000000000000004b
	BorderDimensions: 4 
		supported: 4
	Border: 0 0 0 0 
		range: (0, 65535)
	SignalFormat: TMDS 
		supported: TMDS
	ConnectorType: HDMI 
	ConnectorNumber: 1 
	_ConnectorLocation: 1 
  1360x768 (0x29e) 85.500MHz +HSync +VSync *current +preferred
        h: width  1360 start 1424 end 1536 total 1792 skew    0 clock  47.71KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  777 total  795           clock  60.02Hz
  1920x1080 (0x28d) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  67.50KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  60.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x28e) 148.350MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  67.43KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  59.94Hz
  1920x1080 (0x28f) 148.500MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew    0 clock  56.25KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  50.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x290) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  33.72KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  29.97Hz
  1920x1080 (0x29f) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew    0 clock  28.12KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  25.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x291) 74.160MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1920 start 2558 end 2602 total 2750 skew    0 clock  26.97KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1089 total 1125           clock  23.97Hz
  1920x1080 (0x2a0) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync Interlace
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  33.75KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1094 total 1124           clock  60.05Hz
  1920x1080 (0x292) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync Interlace
        h: width  1920 start 2008 end 2052 total 2200 skew    0 clock  33.72KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1094 total 1124           clock  60.00Hz
  1920x1080 (0x293) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync Interlace
        h: width  1920 start 2448 end 2492 total 2640 skew    0 clock  28.12KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1084 end 1094 total 1124           clock  50.04Hz
  1280x720 (0x295) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew    0 clock  45.00KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  60.00Hz
  1280x720 (0x296) 74.180MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1390 end 1430 total 1650 skew    0 clock  44.96KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  59.94Hz
  1280x720 (0x297) 74.250MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width  1280 start 1720 end 1760 total 1980 skew    0 clock  37.50KHz
        v: height  720 start  725 end  730 total  750           clock  50.00Hz
  1152x864 (0x282) 81.620MHz -HSync +VSync
        h: width  1152 start 1216 end 1336 total 1520 skew    0 clock  53.70KHz
        v: height  864 start  865 end  868 total  895           clock  60.00Hz
  1024x768 (0x27f) 65.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width  1024 start 1048 end 1184 total 1344 skew    0 clock  48.36KHz
        v: height  768 start  771 end  777 total  806           clock  60.00Hz
  800x600 (0x284) 40.000MHz +HSync +VSync
        h: width   800 start  840 end  968 total 1056 skew    0 clock  37.88KHz
        v: height  600 start  601 end  605 total  628           clock  60.32Hz
  720x576 (0x29a) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   720 start  732 end  796 total  864 skew    0 clock  31.25KHz
        v: height  576 start  581 end  586 total  625           clock  50.00Hz
  720x480 (0x29b) 27.000MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   720 start  736 end  798 total  858 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  480 start  489 end  495 total  525           clock  59.94Hz
  640x480 (0x2a1) 25.180MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  648 end  744 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.48KHz
        v: height  480 start  482 end  484 total  525           clock  59.95Hz
  640x480 (0x288) 25.175MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  656 end  752 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.47KHz
        v: height  480 start  490 end  492 total  525           clock  59.94Hz
  640x480 (0x29c) 25.170MHz -HSync -VSync
        h: width   640 start  656 end  752 total  800 skew    0 clock  31.46KHz
        v: height  480 start  490 end  492 total  525           clock  59.93Hz
  1440x1080_85.00 (0x2b8) 190.000MHz -HSync +VSync
        h: width  1440 start 1552 end 1704 total 1968 skew    0 clock  96.54KHz
        v: height 1080 start 1083 end 1087 total 1137           clock  84.91Hz
  1360x1020_85.00 (0x2b9) 167.750MHz -HSync +VSync
        h: width  1360 start 1456 end 1600 total 1840 skew    0 clock  91.17KHz
        v: height 1020 start 1023 end 1027 total 1074           clock  84.89Hz

Generix, I don’t know what to do with that…

$nvidia-xconfig -t

WARNING: Unable to locate/open X configuration file.

Unable to locate/open XConfig file.

nvidia-xconfig -t
just prints out your current xorg.conf. Since you don’t have one the output ‘not found’ is correct. Use (as root)

nvidia-xconfig --mode-debug

to generate one. The mode debug option is not there to help you but it helps nvidia to find bugs in their monitor/mode detection since that option dumps the complete monitor detection data to xorg logs. If you want bugs to be fixed you have to provide debug logs. That’s the case with nvidia-drivers as with any other piece of software.

Well… I wanted to check first what it was going to do, because I’d seen that it was going to write directly in my config files and I didn’t want nvidia-xconfig to make silent changes to my configuration and then not be able to reverse the changes if it’s was not ok. But that’s ok : In the mean time, I’ve found that I can use the -o switch to save xorg.conf localy and check it first.

By the way I’m not yet ready to restart X since this machine is busy (yet for 2 days) in a 10TB copy that I wouldn’t want to interrupt, but I’m already a bit concerned that the produced xorg.conf contains one and only monitor section, while I have three intalled. I doubt this is going to work smoothly. I don’t really know how this monitor configuration is stored when you don’t have a xorg.conf file, but as far as I understand it, having a monitor section will overide it, won’t it ? This is precisely what I wanted to avoid by using xrandr instead of xorg.conf (I tried it at the very beginning, but I have an an xorg.conf.d directory, and I never managed to make it work. - The xrandr approach was the only one that worked - with “Nouveau”.)

Ok, Problem solved on my side, by using nvidia-xconfig -o ./xorg.conf (thanks generix), and adding my monitor frequency ranges. Now I believe it’s not a bug but a feature (i.e. a design flaw) - to be forced to go back to xorg.conf when the tendancy is to have it disappear. It’s a bit absurd to block xrandr to stereotypical values when you received no EDID info at all. It make life complicated for the user, and it seems more logical to assume that if people still use some OLD CRTs, it should be because, those are really good monitors.

If you want I can provide some logs of then problem, but I’m not really sure it’s of use if the driver does what the designers expected it to do.

This is utterly frustarating… I managed to have it work, and just putting a D-Link KVM switch on the cable made it all crumble, because this KVM switch sends fake EDID information which contradicts my xorg.conf…
I tried to use

Option         "UseEdidFreqs" "FALSE"

but it doesn’t seem to work at all (I haven’t seen any effect). Then I tried

Option "UseEDID" "FALSE"

and that works, but It seems there is no way to have is work only for my CRT monitor. Which means that both my other monitors are now unknwon - and since I don’t have the exact timings they would return in the EDID block, at least one complains that the video signal is not supported… X-(.

By the way, I wonder : Is there a way to tell xorg.conf, that my monitor is 4/3, 16/9 or 16/10, and that I only want to be proposed resolutions with the right aspect ratio ?