April 21, 2025
This summary is based on the original post by Calamity, found at Geedorah Forums — CRT Emudriver: Installation and Supported Cards.
For those seeking to output true 15 kHz video modes on a PC, whether for arcade monitors, CRT TVs, or professional video monitors, CRT Emudriver offers one of the most faithful and flexible solutions. Originally developed by Calamity, CRT Emudriver is a modified version of AMD’s Catalyst drivers tailored specifically for low-resolution, analog video output.
But not every graphics card is compatible, and understanding what is supported—and why—can save hours of frustration.
Modern operating systems and GPU drivers are increasingly detached from legacy display standards. They rarely allow full control over video timings, resolutions, or sync polarities—particularly below 31 kHz horizontal refresh rates. CRT Emudriver circumvents these limitations by unlocking low-level access to hardware features that support true 15 kHz video modes, which are essential for classic arcade and console emulation.
CRT Emudriver supports specific generations of ATI/AMD Radeon cards, mostly from the legacy pre-RDNA era. These include:
These cards offer the required level of control over analog outputs, especially via VGA (D-Sub) or DVI-I/DVI-A ports.
Current AMD GPUs using RDNA or RDNA2 architectures are not supported. These include the RX 5000 and RX 6000 series, as well as anything newer. These cards lack the necessary driver-level flexibility and often omit analog outputs altogether.
If you’re building a dedicated emulation or video output system, stick to the known working GPUs. A full list of tested and compatible models is available on the CRT Emudriver download page.
You’ll need:
Installation involves replacing the stock AMD driver with a modified CRT Emudriver package and using VMMaker and Arcade OSD to generate and manage video modes.
Despite the dominance of flat panels, CRT displays remain the only way to truly replicate the visual experience of original arcade and console hardware. Emulating not just the software but also the hardware characteristics—scanlines, response time, and variable resolutions—is only possible with a genuine analog display and a card that can output native 15 kHz.
CRT Emudriver is what bridges the modern PC world and that analog legacy.
CRT Emudriver is a modified set of Catalyst drivers (versions 6.5, 9.3, and 13.1) made by Calamity for use with ATI and AMD graphics cards. It supports Windows XP (32 and 64-bit), Windows 7 (64-bit), and Windows 10 (64-bit) through CRT Emudriver 2.0 beta builds. These drivers expand the original Catalyst functionality to allow true low-resolution output on CRT monitors using RGB signals—the kind once standard across arcade systems and vintage home computers. The goal is to display emulated games on Windows exactly as they appeared on original hardware, free from scaling artifacts or timing inaccuracies.
Though originally created with emulators like MAME in mind, CRT Emudriver also unlocks full control over high-resolution modes, making it valuable beyond just retro gaming.
To use low-res video modes, you’ll need:
CRT Emudriver supports a variety of ATI Radeon video cards, depending on your operating system and GPU model. Different versions of the driver are available, each tailored to specific card families.
If your card has both VGA and DVI-I outputs, ensure the primary output is selected. A DVI-I-to-VGA adapter is required if you’re using the DVI-I output for the analog signal.
CRT Emudriver substitutes the official driver for your ATI/AMD graphic card. This installation guide assumes you’re using a standard PC monitor or a 31-kHz-capable monitor for preliminary steps. Before beginning, it’s recommended to clean up the OS by uninstalling any previous ATI drivers, including Microsoft’s pre-installed ATI drivers in Windows XP via Catalyst Uninstaller.
Download the latest CRT Emudriver version that matches your video card and OS from the download section. Extract the files to a folder on your PC’s hard drive, ensuring the folder path isn’t too long to avoid installation issues. CRT Emudriver comes with Video Mode Maker and Arcade OSD, utility programs to help you optimize the driver. Ensure these programs are updated, replacing older versions if needed.
Run Setup: In the extracted Driver folder, double-click Setup.exe to install the driver. Your PC will be set to output 15-kHz low-resolution modes. Before rebooting with a 15-kHz monitor, set your desktop resolution to 640x480 @ 60 for proper output. This resolution is defined as a 15-kHz interlaced mode by default, ensuring compatibility.
After installation, use Video Mode Maker to adjust the mode list for your specific monitor type.
Important: Installing ATI/AMD’s Catalyst Control Center (CCC) may conflict with CRT Emudriver settings. If you need CCC for desktop rotation functionality on vertically-mounted monitors, we recommend using EnTech’s iRotate instead.
If you still need to install CCC, make sure it matches your version of Catalyst. You can find these versions here:
C:\ATI\Support\6-11-pre-r300_xp-2k_dd_ccc_wdm_38185\ACE to locate CCC.CRT Emudriver enables your PC to display non-interlaced 15-kHz modes (low resolutions) regardless of resolution or vertical refresh rates. It also allows for generating custom high-resolution modes (e.g., 512 x 512) and provides precise vertical frequency synchronization for games requiring it. Many low-resolution PC games will benefit, as they won’t need to double-scan for full-screen display. Bi- or tri-sync monitors can be used to switch between different frequencies directly in Windows.
Video Mode Maker and Arcade OSD are highly recommended for modeline generation and display configuration before using CRT Emudriver for gaming. CRT Emudriver also includes pre-installed 15-kHz modes suitable for Groovy MAME users.