ATI X800 Pro or XT = Shader 3.0

[kelvin1704]

I heard the major down side of ATI x800 series is the unavailablity of Shader 3.0....


but what i dun know is, is this a build in requirement or it can be upgraded by software or firmware?

 

[obeseotron]

hardware for sure

 

[Xernex]

I was under the impression it was hardware based, otherwise ATI would simply add it.

 

[Lonyo]

SM3.0 calls for 32-bit render IIRC< ATi simply can't create this on their 24-bit cards.
There are also other harware requirements.

Their next gen part will have SM3.0 support, but that's not going to be out for a while.

 

[CarrotStick]

ATI has fallen behind. There is no firmware upgrade for shader 3.0 as it is all hardware based. The X800XT is just last generation technology supercharged. I like ATI cards but as of now Nvidia is clearly in the lead....

 

[LTC8K6]

I would say it's a minor downside.

 

[Vee]

3.0 is a lot about removing programming limitations of 2.0. So it's definitly hardware.

 

[caz67]

Buy Nvidia all the way.

 

[fsstrike]

Its not a downside at all. ATI still manages to beat nVidia is FarCry when SM3.0 is enabled. If you dont belive me, go check out the benchmarks @ anandtech. nVidia does not position itself anywhere ahead of ATI even with the advantage of SM3.0, which to me is very pathetic. It is funny how, even though ATI is winning, people claim nVidia is best when the benchmarks clearly show the opposite.

Just in case you dont know how to browse Anandtech:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2102

And it isnt the fact that ATI wins 12 and nVidia wins 10, it is the fact that ATI wins at all. nVidia has a HUGE advantage of SM3.0, and they SHOULD be completely crushing ATI. But, this does not happen, which cleary means that ATI is better.

 

[dmw16]

fsstrike, have you seen nVidia schooling ATi in Doom3 benchies? In many, the X800XT PE is beat by the GT by 5fps. I know 5fps is nothing, but the XT is the Ultras competition in theory, but it cant even touch that card. And the X800Pro is way behind, getting beaten by 15fps or more in some cases when compared to the GT. I loved ATi cards too, but lets be honest here, the nVidia parts have a clear power advantage.

 

[Spamdini]

doom 3 is also MADE for Nvidia cards, we dont know who will be better with hl2 yet. so u cant really just say nvidia is better for doom 3 since doom 3 isnt all anyone will do, and i personally think that hl2 will have a larger player base.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Spamdini
doom 3 is also MADE for Nvidia cards, we dont know who will be better with hl2 yet. so u cant really just say nvidia is better for doom 3 since doom 3 isnt all anyone will do, and i personally think that hl2 will have a larger player base.

Ati is the big odds on favorite to be the leader in HL2, if nV trumps them, it's going to a huge debacle, so they have to win the performance crown there. Besides, Gabe knows who is helping with paying his bills, and it isn't nV As to player base, I too think HL2 will be the winner when the smoke clears, but more games are likely to show up down the road based off the D3 engine than HL2's, so that should be taken into consideration as well.

 

[SickBeast]

SM2.0b is just as good as SM3.0 for this generation of cards IMO. So long as the developers support ATi's shader path properly, the lack of SM3 shouldn't be a problem.

The R420 cards can run shaders with over 1500 instructions; that's more than enough at this point. The R300 cards could only do 96. They say that in Far Cry, the NV40 can do 4 lights per pass whereas the R420 can do 3. I suppose that *is* a slight limitation, but the benchmarks prove otherwise.

 

[fsstrike]

When HL2 and CS2 are released, ATI will be the card of choice for many gamers. If history repeats itself, then HL2 and its Mods will remain the most populated mp games, and many gamers will be choosing ATI as their card of choice.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: fsstrike
When HL2 and CS2 are released, ATI will be the card of choice for many gamers. If history repeats itself, then HL2 and its Mods will remain the most populated mp games, and many gamers will be choosing ATI as their card of choice.

Yeah, except there will be ~15 games running on the Doom3 engine.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: fsstrike
When HL2 and CS2 are released, ATI will be the card of choice for many gamers. If history repeats itself, then HL2 and its Mods will remain the most populated mp games, and many gamers will be choosing ATI as their card of choice.

Yeah, except there will be ~15 games running on the Doom3 engine.

That is why it's still a "6 of one, half dozen of the other" senario. All the nV/d3 vs ATi/hl2 nonsense is just rhetoric, there is no clear and compelling reason to choose based on the title one believes will be "better". It can be accurately stated that D3 devotees will be playing while HL2 worshipers are still staring at a voucher

 

[CarrotStick]

Quoting someone from a week ago "There is no reason to buy an x800pro while its priced the same as a 6800 GT."

I agree 100% and it IS true.

 

[Runner20]

Originally posted by: fsstrike
Its not a downside at all. ATI still manages to beat nVidia is FarCry when SM3.0 is enabled. If you dont belive me, go check out the benchmarks @ anandtech. nVidia does not position itself anywhere ahead of ATI even with the advantage of SM3.0, which to me is very pathetic. It is funny how, even though ATI is winning, people claim nVidia is best when the benchmarks clearly show the opposite.

Just in case you dont know how to browse Anandtech:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2102

And it isnt the fact that ATI wins 12 and nVidia wins 10, it is the fact that ATI wins at all. nVidia has a HUGE advantage of SM3.0, and they SHOULD be completely crushing ATI. But, this does not happen, which cleary means that ATI is better.

I am a ATI person and would recommend ATI cards to hardcore gamers and other non gamers as well.

Very reliable ..... i know the x800 xt doesnt have 3.0 support but it still beats the 6800 is raw speed in a lot of games

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: fsstrike
When HL2 and CS2 are released, ATI will be the card of choice for many gamers. If history repeats itself, then HL2 and its Mods will remain the most populated mp games, and many gamers will be choosing ATI as their card of choice.

no one knows who will win in HL2, the beta benchmarks points towards nvidia, but who knows, its beta. all im saying is, anything could go with a game that has not gone gold yet. Doom3's benchmarks are of the final shipping version, so we know nvidia is the winner there, the next battle will be HalfLife2.

 

[JBT]

Isn't like 60 million transisitors on the NVdia core soley for SM3.0???? I am pretty sure its all about hardware.

 

[coldpower27]

It isn't pathetic that the X800 XT, beat the Geforce 6800 Ultra, in some cases, it has 2.0 GPixel Advanatge in fillrate, it should be winning alot more then it is now. Shader Model 3.0 is a nice feature to have considering it costs 60 mill transistors to implement.

 

[dmw16]

I think it's great that nVidia is kickin a$$. Not just cuz I got the nVidia card, but ATi needed some competition. It has been sitting pretty for a while now and the newest card while a leap, is no where near the leap that nVidia has made. Competition like this can only benifit gamers.

 

[CarrotStick]

Originally posted by: fsstrike
When HL2 and CS2 are released, ATI will be the card of choice for many gamers. If history repeats itself, then HL2 and its Mods will remain the most populated mp games, and many gamers will be choosing ATI as their card of choice.

Not so. The benchmarks are out. The 6800 Ultra beats the X800XT in HL2 at all resolutions. Its now obvious that ATI has slacked off a bit. Nvidia is clealy in the lead now. The 6800 is technologically a step ahead of ATI and is shows.

 

[Selso2109]

Where are these benchmarks carrot stick? Post a link...

 

[CarrotStick]

Originally posted by: Selso2109
Where are these benchmarks carrot stick? Post a link...

LINK