I am using a AOC 19" LCD on a system with an on board Nvidia GeForce 4 MX and I cannot get X to start with 1280x1024, the max for the monitor.

Here is the sections for xorg.conf

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
DisplaySize 376 301
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 30-80
VertRefresh 55-75
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "nVidia Corporation NV18 [GeForce4 MX - nForce GPU]"
Driver "nv"
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation NV18 [GeForce4 MX - nForce GPU]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
EndSection

It always defaults to 160x1200, which the monitor proclaims "Out of Range" and I have to in through Display Setings to set to 1280x1024.

What do I need to put in xorg.conf to default to 1280x1024.

wufo

You are using the nv driver. Get the driver for your specific hardware from nvidia.com and install that.

Installing the Nvidia driver solved the resolution problem and it now fires up in 1280x1024.

But, it is 50Hz and things like the characters in a terminal window are not crisp with washout, especially the vertical.

Can it be forced to use 60Hz. 1280x1024@60Hz looked much better using the nv driver.

wufo

Check

You can set a defined refresh rate under the monitor section. If you know for a fact that your monitor can handle higher settings than are currently present you shouldn't have any problems in changing them. I'm assuming you got your supported resolution and refresh rate from the monitor manual since you know the specific numbers which means that your manufacturer is saying that it is safe to use those settings. If you got them from another source I would verify it with the manual or by calling the manufacturer first just to be on the safe side. Though 60Hz isn't that high it's still better to be sure.

I'll take a guess the problem is xrandr. I ran into a similar problem some time ago. The problem might be a conflict between X and the proprietary nivida driver. See this thread for a possible solution.

Bingo, using nvidia-settings didn't fix it, but adding the
Option "DynamicTwinView" "false"
along with what nvidia-settings added fixed it.

Thanks to all.

wufo