stuck at 75hz even tho it says 85
 

When I start x, either kde or gnome..l i can't get my monitor to go to 85 hz... kde even shows that is what it is set at.. but it just isn't It's obvious to me it isn't.

any ideas?

are you saying you can 'see' the difference between 75hz and 85hz ?
have you even been bitten by a radio active spider ?

r u confusing resolution with refresh rate ?

no the problem was that even though x indicated an 85 hz refresh rate.. it was only at 75 hz.

I installed the proprietary ati driver.. and that remedied it though.. thanks.