hi -

i bought my computer by just grabbing it off the shelf
basically. i since learned i have a sis760 chipset.
i own a hp pavilion.

i learned that i may have problems with sis760 if i dont
have dedicated memory for video. i just looked in bios
and saw that i have 64mb allocated for onboard memory.
would boosting that to 128 help so i may be able to use
a 1024 X 768 resolution for suse? i usually have to
go right into a settings program in suse and tell the
pc right away to pick a lower resolution in suse than
i run in windows. it then works without freezing up.
could another 64 allocated to shared help in theory?
this isnt cool as it makes images look bloated and some
applications lack visual features at this lower resolution.

also with the sis760 i want to put a sata 300 in as this
is what is out there now. i have sata 150 but they are expensive
for what you get. they say i have 3 options:
1) get a sata 150 drive
2) get a 300 and if you run into problems set a jumper
so it works with 1.5gb/s mode
3) get an updated sata controller rom.

i wonder how hard it is to find a sata controller rom
or set the jumper. it least if i set the jumper it wouldnt
be as fast but the drive would be cheaper probably and bigger.

i appreciate any insight into either/or of these issues if you
know about this kind of stuff. i try to read up on stuff but
i never really worked on the machines except to drop in some
RAM.

i hope to do a little more research on my next pc purchase
so i can get one that works good with linux as well as windows.
the problems like sticky hp keys with ubuntu are the type of
things i'd like to find out ahead of time. the hp a1007w
otherwise works good with suse.

thanks,
jim

hi again-

"On systems with both shared and local video memory, the drivers will only use the local memory part. You may likewise disable the shared memory in the BIOS."

ok. so before i disable it, how can i tell if i have local video memory
as well as shared? if i do have local video memory, maybe disabling the shared
memory in BIOS will help?

thanks,
jim

Hi-

i asked if i had integrated video memory.

Graham B: Thank you for providing the information. Your computer has been shipped with SiS760 Integrated Video which shares the physical memory installed in your computer.
Graham B: For systems with 512 MB installed, a 128MB option will be displayed in BIOS.

i decided i like this link that tells me to get a dedicated video card
instead of an integrated video card next time. at least going forward,
i am starting to realize what to look for on my next purchase.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/333wsp

no more sharing and no more integrated video! can't even use a good
resolution :-(

is there a way to disable this integrated video and put in a dedicated video card?

thanks,
jim

hi-

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5p3cp

it seems it is as simple as putting in a new card
IF it detects it. i think it is time to call
in a pc tech when i go to upgrade in a few months.
i am not 100% sure on these.

i dont have any more questions.
i decided there is no settings i can adjust for
the monitor. the tech will put in a new video card.
they can answer the sis760 sata drive issue too.

thanks.
sorry for the confusion.
jim