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<A HREF="VideoModes.html"><EM>XFree86 Video Timings HOWTO</EM></A>
 <b>:</b> <EM>Memory Requirements</EM><BR>
<b>Previous:</b> <A HREF="VideoModes6.html"><EM>Tradeoffs in Configuring your System</EM></A><BR>
<b>Next:</b> <A HREF="VideoModes8.html"><EM>Computing Frame Sizes</EM></A>


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  <H2><A NAME="11"></A>7. Memory Requirements<A NAME="sizes"></A></H2>

<p>Available frame-buffer RAM may limit the resolution you can achieve on color or
gray-scale displays.  It probably isn't a factor on displays that have only two
colors, white and black with no shades of gray in between. </p>
<p>For 256-color displays, a byte of video memory is required for each visible
dot to be shown.  This byte contains the information that determines what mix
of red, green, and blue is generated for its dot.  To get the amount of memory
required, multiply the number of visible dots per line by the number of
visible lines.  For a display with a resolution of 800x600, this would be 800
x 600 = 480,000, which is the number of visible dots on the display.  This is
also, at one byte per dot, the number of bytes of video memory that are
necessary on your adapter card. </p>
<p>Thus, your memory requirement will typically be (HR * VR)/1024 Kbytes of VRAM,
rounded up.  If you have more memory than strictly required, you'll have extra
for virtual-screen panning. </p>
<p>However, if you only have 512K on board, then you can't use this
resolution.  Even if you have a good monitor, without enough video
RAM, you can't take advantage of your monitor's potential.  On the
other hand, if your SVGA has one meg, but your monitor can display at
most 800x600, then high resolution is beyond your reach anyway (see
<A HREF="VideoModes12.html#inter">Using Interlaced Modes</A> for a possible
remedy).</p>
<p>Don't worry if you have more memory than required; XFree86 will make
use of it by allowing you to scroll your viewable area (see the
Xconfig file documentation on the virtual screen size parameter).
Remember also that a card with 512K bytes of memory really doesn't
have 512,000 bytes installed, it has 512 x 1024 = 524,288 bytes. </p>
<p>If you're running SGCS X (now called X/Inside) using an S3 card, and
are willing to live with 16 colors (4 bits per pixel), you can set
depth 4 in Xconfig and effectively double the resolution your card can
handle.  S3 cards, for example, normally do 1024x768x256.  You can
make them do 1280x1024x16 with depth 4. </p>

 <HR NOSHADE>
<A HREF="VideoModes.html"><EM>XFree86 Video Timings HOWTO</EM></A>
 <b>:</b> <EM>Memory Requirements</EM><BR>
<b>Previous:</b> <A HREF="VideoModes6.html"><EM>Tradeoffs in Configuring your System</EM></A><BR>
<b>Next:</b> <A HREF="VideoModes8.html"><EM>Computing Frame Sizes</EM></A>



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