Anyone using an ADD2 card?

[smilingcrow]

The VGA output quality of my Gigabyte G33M-S2 is disappointing at 1680x1050 although the performance of the chipset seems fine. Therefore I’d like to use an ADD2 card with a DVI output with the board and Gigabyte confirm that it supports them provided it is PCI-E 1.1 compliant.
I’ve been looking at details on ADD2 cards but there’s not much out there so I hope someone here can help. Intel’s documentation isn’t that clear on whether cards have to be designed for a specific chipset; I’m currently under the impression that they don’t.

There’s also the issue of maximum supported resolution with some cards stating that 1600x1200 is their maximum but they also state that they have the full bandwidth of a single link connection which means they may support higher. An ADD2 card has a transmitter rather than a GPU so it’s possible that the 1600x1200 documented limit is just a hangover from when the first cards were designed when that was the typical maximum resolution in use by monitors with a DVI connection.

I’ve emailed Silicon Image and Gigabyte will contact Intel tomorrow; this just seems to be one of those grey areas that could do with clarifying so I’ll share the info here so that everyone can benefit.
There are so few Intel mATX boards with integrated graphics that include a DVI port that it’s a boost if they all can handle any standard ADD2 card.

[josephclemente]

I'm interested in ADD2 cards as well... I have a G33M-DS2R running my HTPC. Currently SVIDEO output is handled by an EVGA 7900GT video card. I'm thinking a combo ADD2 card with SVIDEO and HDMI output would help save some watts plus still be useful if I upgrade my TV in the future...

[jessekopelman]

The problem with ADD2 cards is that they tend to cost $30 or more. For about the same price you can get a passively cooled discrete card that will certainly give you better performance if you need any sort of 3D acceleration and maybe even for video too. Will it use more power? Probably, but certainly no more than 10W and probably less if the BIOS allows turning off the IGP. If ADD2 cards were $10-15 they would make a lot more sense, maybe that is why you don't see them on places like Newegg. I have one, but it came bundled with my Asrock motherboard.

[jojo4u]

I've got one for my Gigabyte 945GM board. Dont't have the manufacturer at hand. I only use them for 1280x1024. Wikipedia says, they are interoperable.
Btw, it's 15 EUR incl. tax plus shipping here in Germany. And it adds ~1 W to the setup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDVO
and from wikipedia: http://people.freedesktop.org/~anholt/i ... -list.html

[GnatGoSplat]

There's several on eBay around $10-11 shipped (search for "add2").

Although to add more confusion, some are Lane Reversed and Non-Lane Reversed, some have EEPROM, some don't! I think for a standard motherboard you need Non-Lane Reversed, not sure about the EEPROM. Also, some are described as "Dual Pad", what does that mean?

1680x1050 is actually fewer pixels than 1600x1200 so bandwidth shouldn't be a problem. At around $10-11 shipped, it might be worth a shot to try one.

[jessekopelman]

ADD2 supports the same resolutions as any single-link DVI connector -- up to 1920X1200@60Hz. I use mine with a Dell 2005W monitor at 1680X1050. The only thing that would limit resolution is the IGP you are using it with. The G3100 on a G33 motherboard certainly supports 1680X1050.

[Mikey]

Since ADD2 cards use the onboard graphics as their source, surely an ADD2 card wouldn't solve the issues of the OP ?

[jessekopelman]

Since ADD2 cards use the onboard graphics as their source, surely an ADD2 card wouldn't solve the issues of the OP ?

Sure it would. His motherboard only has a VGA/D-Sub output. He doesn't like its quality. The problem is not the IGP, as Intel's recent IGP are all known to be able to produce very nice quality 2D output. Therefore, the problem is the VGA connector itself. All the ADD2 card does is act as another connector for the IGP (generally DVI).

[smilingcrow]

I still don’t know what the official situation is with regard to compatibility but I’ve ordered a card anyway to see how it goes.
The response to my queries has been poor. Nothing from Intel or Silicon Image yet and the responses that I’ve had from Gigabyte have been vague and incorrect in places. They suggested the card needs to be PCIe 1.2 complaint which isn’t even a standard. The G33 PCIe port is actually compliant with the 1.1 spec but I’m not sure if it is backwardly compatible with the PCIe 1.0 spec which some older ADD2 cards may support.
Hopefully it will turn up tomorrow.

[Lensman]

I'd be interested in getting one of these ADD2 cards for my GA-G33M-DS2R if you're successful.

Does anyone know of a good place to get this card? As jessekopelman said, they don't carry them at the Egg.

BTW, the integrated audio on the HDMI port is what I'm looking for as well. This would be for my cheap HTPC and I'd love to be able to carry both audio and video on one cable - would also make it easier to switch.

[smilingcrow]

BTW, the integrated audio on the HDMI port is what I'm looking for as well. This would be for my cheap HTPC and I'd love to be able to carry both audio and video on one cable - would also make it easier to switch.

Check these links out: Prolink and AVSForum.

[jessekopelman]

Does anyone know of a good place to get this card?

eBay seems to have a good selection.

[smilingcrow]

My Silicon Image Orion ADD2-N Dual Pad x16 PCI-Express DVI arrived today; it uses the Silicon Image SiI1364 chip. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work. I’ve tried playing around with the BIOS settings but no combination gives an image from the DVI port. I then booted into Windows which found a new device and prompted me to reboot. On rebooting I still can’t use the DVI output although the Information tab on the Intel GMA Driver shows this information:

* SDVO Encoder Report *

** Encoder 1 **
Vendor ID: Silicon Image
Device ID: 170
Device Revision: 2
Major Version: 1
Minor Version: 0

It’s not looking promising but I’ll try it on a 945GM board over the weekend to see if that works.

Added. The 945GM doesn't support ADD2 cards so I can't try that out.

[GnatGoSplat]

Added. The 945GM doesn't support ADD2 cards so I can't try that out.

4th post down, jojo4u says he is using an ADD2 with the 945GM.

[smilingcrow]

Added. The 945GM doesn't support ADD2 cards so I can't try that out.

4th post down, jojo4u says he is using an ADD2 with the 945GM.

That’s curious as the 945GM chipset documentation makes no reference to supporting ADD2 or MEC which isn’t surprising as it was designed for laptops, not a lot of space for add in cards there. You can buy laptops with a DVI output but I’m not sure if they are driven by an IGP or a discrete card!

I just received a response from Silicon Image stating:

“Yes, SiI1364 is supported by the Intel G33 chipset.â€

[mx-5]

My Asrock Conroe945G-DVI motherboard came with an ADD2 card that I am happily using with my Dell 2407 at 1920x1200.

[smilingcrow]

I misunderstood the Intel naming for SDVO/ADD2/MEC. SDVO is the umbrella name with ADD2 being only one type of adaptor card. The 945GM supports SDVO therefore it should support ADD2 but Intel didn’t reference it specifically in the documentation because it’s a mobile chipset. Things are getting a bit clearer.

My Asrock Conroe945G-DVI motherboard came with an ADD2 card that I am happily using with my Dell 2407 at 1920x1200.

That’s good to hear; do you know what chip the card uses?

I've got one for my Gigabyte 945GM board. Don’t have the manufacturer at hand.

If you get a chance to get the board name or chip name that would be useful. You can get some details on the chip by looking at the Information tab on the Intel GMA Driver. Not a lot though, you need to look at it to get that.

[GnatGoSplat]

Just curious, but have you tried running dual monitor on it, with a monitor on VGA and another on DVI? I wonder if it's thinking the DVI is a secondary port instead of the primary port.

[smilingcrow]

Just curious, but have you tried running dual monitor on it, with a monitor on VGA and another on DVI? I wonder if it's thinking the DVI is a secondary port instead of the primary port.

I tried that with no joy.

[jessekopelman]

My Asrock Conroe945G-DVI motherboard came with an ADD2 card that I am happily using with my Dell 2407 at 1920x1200.

That’s good to hear; do you know what chip the card uses?

I've got that same motherboard and ADD2/SVDO card. Here is what the GMA's information tab had to say:

* SDVO Encoder Report *

** Encoder 1 **
Vendor ID: Silicon Image
Device ID: 170
Device Revision: 3
Major Version: 1
Minor Version: 1

[jessekopelman]

Just curious, but have you tried running dual monitor on it, with a monitor on VGA and another on DVI? I wonder if it's thinking the DVI is a secondary port instead of the primary port.

That's not how these things work. Everything is controlled by the Intel GMA. You tell it whether you want to use one port or the other or both. If you use both, you can control whether the desktop is cloned or each on is independent. There are even more layers of options. Actually pretty impressive for a "free" GPU. The default port is the DVI, BTW.

smilingcrow, it occurs to me that your problem may be with your GMA settings, especially since you've been using it configured for just VGA previously. If you've got the ability to use both outputs simultaneously, try this setup (it works for me): Under Display Devices, select the Multiple Display choice of Intel(R) Dual Display Clone and make "Monitor" the Primary Device and "Digital Display" the Secondary Device.

[smilingcrow]

I've got that same motherboard and ADD2/SVDO card. Here is what the GMA's information tab had to say:

* SDVO Encoder Report *

** Encoder 1 **
Vendor ID: Silicon Image
Device ID: 170
Device Revision: 3
Major Version: 1
Minor Version: 1

Thanks for that. It’s showing the same Device ID as mine but Revision 3.1.1 whereas mine is 2.1.0. It might just be that I have a board with an outdated spec for the G33 chipset, I’ll ask Silicon Image.

smilingcrow, it occurs to me that your problem may be with your GMA settings, especially since you've been using it configured for just VGA previously. If you've got the ability to use both outputs simultaneously, try this setup (it works for me): Under Display Devices, select the Multiple Display choice of Intel(R) Dual Display Clone and make "Monitor" the Primary Device and "Digital Display" the Secondary Device.

The PC doesn’t see the monitor over DVI before it boots into Windows which is a clear sign that something is wrong; this is with the D-Sub disconnected.
I’ve looked in the GMA settings whilst having one monitor connected simultaneously via D-SUB and DVI to the board and it only shows the one connection. In this situation you usually have both connections showing. I’ll hook it up to a second ‘discrete’ monitor via D-Sub and see how that goes.

I think I’m just feeling defeatist about this which is why I haven’t tried all options.

[jessekopelman]

I’ve looked in the GMA settings whilst having one monitor connected simultaneously via D-SUB and DVI to the board and it only shows the one connection. In this situation you usually have both connections showing. I’ll hook it up to a second ‘discrete’ monitor via D-Sub and see how that goes.

The single monitor using both inputs should work. That is my setup -- the VGA is needed for a KVM connection, but I find DVI looks slightly better so I like to switch to that when I am only using the one computer. In my setup the DVI (via SVDO) is detected fine during boot. Indeed it is detected better than the onboard VGA which is sometimes wonky. Have you tried playing around with your BIOS settings? I know the GMA950 has some options related to memory utilization and such, but I have no idea what settings your GMA3100 might have. Maybe SVDO is something that needs to be enabled? Maybe you even need a BIOS update to support this. You said you e-mailed Gigabyte, what did they have to say about ADD2?

[smilingcrow]

Have you tried playing around with your BIOS settings? I know the GMA950 has some options related to memory utilization and such, but I have no idea what settings your GMA3100 might have. Maybe SVDO is something that needs to be enabled? Maybe you even need a BIOS update to support this. You said you e-mailed Gigabyte, what did they have to say about ADD2?

I’ve tried all the obvious things and have the latest BIOS; read my previous posts which will answer your other questions.

I got a response from Intel today which was that they’re not interested in helping me. I did reply to silicon Image’s email so maybe they’ll give me a more definitive response; my expectations aren’t high as so far technical support has been very disappointing.
I also tried using a second monitor and as I expected it didn’t help. I will hook up the card to a 945GM system later in the week as well.

[smilingcrow]

I installed the card in a Gigabyte S479 MODT board (945GM chipset) and had exactly the same result as with the G33 board.

If anyone has a working ADD2 card in their system and would be prepared to test my card then please send me a PM with details of what setup you have.
It would be good to determine what the issue is here for anyone looking to purchase an ADD2 card.

[smilingcrow]

It turns out that the ADD2 card that I have does work in my G33M-S2 board but for some reason my monitor (Viewsonic VA2012W) isn’t recognised. I tested a neighbours monitor (Hyundai N220W) and it was recognised. Strange!

I also tested both monitors with a Gigabyte G33M-S2H and used its integrated DVI with the same result. Both DVI outputs use a Silicon Image DVI transmitter so this may be where the incompatibility is, unless it’s my monitor.

[Lensman]

It turns out that the ADD2 card that I have does work in my G33M-S2 board but for some reason my monitor (Viewsonic VA2012W) isn’t recognised. I tested a neighbours monitor (Hyundai N220W) and it was recognised. Strange!

I also tested both monitors with a Gigabyte G33M-S2H and used its integrated DVI with the same result. Both DVI outputs use a Silicon Image DVI transmitter so this may be where the incompatibility is, unless it’s my monitor.

Could it have to do with HDCP compliance?

[smilingcrow]

Could it have to do with HDCP compliance?

Neither the monitor nor the ADD2 card support HDCP so this can’t be the issue.
As far as I’m aware HDCP only comes into play with protected content anyway.

[GnatGoSplat]

It turns out that the ADD2 card that I have does work in my G33M-S2 board but for some reason my monitor (Viewsonic VA2012W) isn’t recognised. I tested a neighbours monitor (Hyundai N220W) and it was recognised. Strange!

I also tested both monitors with a Gigabyte G33M-S2H and used its integrated DVI with the same result. Both DVI outputs use a Silicon Image DVI transmitter so this may be where the incompatibility is, unless it’s my monitor.

Perhaps just coincidence, but I used to have an Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard that had the same problem. It wouldn't recognize my Planar PL-191M LCD monitor at all, but it had no trouble detecting my Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" plasma. The fix for the Asus board was to add a resistor. Details here:
http://www.omcentre.com.au/Asus-M2NPV-V ... .85.0.html

Might work for the ADD2?

[smilingcrow]

Perhaps just coincidence, but I used to have an Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard that had the same problem. It wouldn't recognize my Planar PL-191M LCD monitor at all, but it had no trouble detecting my Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" plasma. The fix for the Asus board was to add a resistor. Details here:
http://www.omcentre.com.au/Asus-M2NPV-V ... .85.0.html

Might work for the ADD2?

Thanks for that. I took a look at the link but unfortunately I wouldn’t know how to duplicate that procedure on my ADD2 card.