[Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS 32-bit] Several SiS 661GX / 761GX (Real256E graphics) issues
Submitted by myp..@..il.com
Assigned to Xorg Project Team
Description
Hi,
I will like to report that SiS 661GX's integrated graphics (Real256E graphics) has number of issues (bugs) under Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 32-bit.
- Ubuntu logo doesn't get displayed until the last moment, and it is at a low screen resolution
In a typical system, during boot, Ubuntu displays its graphical logo with red dots flashing on the screen. In a SiS 661GX-based system, the screen will have a dark purple background pretty much throughout the boot up, and Ubuntu graphical logo will not get displayed until just right before the login screen gets displayed.
- The graphics starts out in interlaced mode if I use Gateway EV700 CRT monitor with it
I often use this computer (see System Configuration 1) with Gateway EV700 CRT monitor. Unfortunately, Ubuntu will choose interlaced mode for the screen (87 Hz Interlaced). Since Ubuntu 12.04 doesn't have a direct way to alter the screen refresh rate from its control panel like menu, the screen quality will be quite poor. Since the monitor itself it capable of 1024 X 768 @ 75 Hz Non-Interlaced, shouldn't this behavior (starting out in interlaced mode) be considered a bug?
- Mouse cursor disappears if there is rendering happening underneath it
I don't know if the SiS x.org display device driver uses hardware cursor feature of SiS graphics (I am assuming that SiS graphics supports hardware cursor.), but I notice that it disappears when there is some rendering happening underneath it. Particularly noticable in Firefox. I didn't observe this with NVIDIA or ATI Technologies graphics so I assume this is a bug.
- Screen horizontal and/or vertical frequency goes nuts during restart or shut down
When I try to restart or shut down this computer, the monitor's horizontal and/or vertical frequency goes out of range. I don't know which one goes out of range, and I have no way of knowing this. I will say that this is potentially dangerous since it can damage a monitor, although if I am correct, most monitors have ways to detect this kind of condition, and will display a warning message to prevent damage to the monitor. Regardless, it is not a desirable condition, and I believe this should be considered a bug.
Overall, these issues mentioned here didn't exist in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS 32-bit. All of them appeared in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 32-bit. Regarding this SiS Real256E integrated graphics, I have another mainboard called ECS 761GX-M754 (SiS 761GX/964 chipset). The integrated graphics inside SiS 761GX is identical to SiS 661GX. SiS 761GX also exhibits issues similar to what was described here.
System Configuration 1:
- Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz
- 800 MHz FSB
- 130 nm device (Northwood)
- Hyperthreading enabled
- ASUS P4S8X-MX mainboard
- SiS 661GX northbridge
- SiS 964 southbridge
- BIOS Revision 0808 (last release)
- 1 GB DDR SDRAM
- SiS Real256E integrated graphics
- Using 16MB for graphics
- Hitachi IC35L060AVV207-0 60GB PATA hard drive
- Hitachi-LG Data Storage GCC-4481B PATA CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
- USB multi-card reader
- USB keyboard
- USB mouse
- Gateway EV700 CRT monitor
System Configuration 2:
- AMD Sempron 2800+
- ECS 761GX-M754 mainboard
- SiS 761GX Northbridge
- SiS 964 Southbridge
- BIOS Version 070227
- 1 GB DDR SDRAM
- SiS Real256E integrated graphics
- Using 32 MB for graphics
- Emprex 1008IM PATA DVD-RW drive
- USB multi-card reader
- PS/2 keyboard
- PS/2 mouse
- Gateway EV700 CRT monitor
Regards,
fpgahardwareengineer