DirectX and video card confusion

[Rhonda85]

I am confused when it comes to directX support and video cards. I am running an old Geforce4 mx440. I see that it only has DX7 support. What happens if I try to play a directx 8.1 game? I was going to get a Radeon 8500 for $15.00 but I see that it only supports DX8.1 and I may want to play a game that runs under DX9 so I guess that $15 radeon 8500 is also useless. Is it best to buy a brand new card with every release of direct X?

 

[jayanath]

before u buy anything dont buy anything
if u already have a geforce 4 it means that u have a vga slot unless they made a pci express edition.

i dont know much about direct x. i think its software and the level of Direct X indicates the level of eyecandy u see in games. u can still install direct x 9 in ur geforce 4 (i know this because i have a pretty old onboard card with DX 9 installed) but the detail of graphics is at the level of dx7. Techies and nerds am i right

 

[McArra]

15$ 8500 is not bad. Is not that the game can't be run, it's that you won't see some effects. Well, sometimes you need minimum specs for some game. The most restrictive games nowadays are the ones that won't run in anything less than a DX8 card (just because they need shaders and DX7 gen doesn't have them).

 

[jayanath]

Originally posted by: McArra
15$ 8500 is not bad. Is not that the game can't be run, it's that you won't see some effects. Well, sometimes you need minimum specs for some game. The most restrictive games nowadays are the ones that won't run in anything less than a DX8 card (just because they need shaders and DX7 gen doesn't have them).

so basically AM I RIGHT

 

[jayanath]

Originally posted by: McArra
15$ 8500 is not bad. Is not that the game can't be run, it's that you won't see some effects. Well, sometimes you need minimum specs for some game. The most restrictive games nowadays are the ones that won't run in anything less than a DX8 card (just because they need shaders and DX7 gen doesn't have them).

staying in the topic name some of these "just because they need shaders "
im thinking of upgrading too (vga 4x) before i get a new PC just so that i can play some LAN with friends

 

[Vinnybcfc]

Originally posted by: Rhonda85
I am confused when it comes to directX support and video cards. I am running an old Geforce4 mx440. I see that it only has DX7 support. What happens if I try to play a directx 8.1 game? I was going to get a Radeon 8500 for $15.00 but I see that it only supports DX8.1 and I may want to play a game that runs under DX9 so I guess that $15 radeon 8500 is also useless. Is it best to buy a brand new card with every release of direct X?

Normally you can run Direct X 9 games on even a Direct X 7 card (Call Of Duty 2 or Half-Life 2) but some games require a version of Direct X like Battlefield 2 (Direct X 8.1)

It depends what games you want to play and at what speeds and detail levels (a FX5200 could play anything just at awful speeds or detail levels)

 

[amenx]

Even if you've got a directx 7 card, you should be able to play DX9 games simply by installing DX9. You wont experience the effects or the eye candy of DX9 (or DX8) because the card is not equipped for it, you'll just be able to play the game. However, I think some recent demanding games may not even work with the card, dont know for sure.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: Rhonda85
I am confused when it comes to directX support and video cards. I am running an old Geforce4 mx440. I see that it only has DX7 support. What happens if I try to play a directx 8.1 game? I was going to get a Radeon 8500 for $15.00 but I see that it only supports DX8.1 and I may want to play a game that runs under DX9 so I guess that $15 radeon 8500 is also useless. Is it best to buy a brand new card with every release of direct X?

If you've gotten along for three years or so, maybe four, on that little MX card, you don't have to be in a rush to upgrade. The reason it's only Dx7 is related to the fact that technically the MX series is all based on the same pair of GF2 MX's, the MX200 and MX400, from over five years ago.

dX9 is the latest "3D" software driver system, hooked tightly into the OS. It has nothing to do with 2D, and whether you ever use it or not may help define your use of a PC. Chances are good that you won't be buying games for Dx8 and Dx9, if you haven't noticed you had a limited-3D VGA until now. Why not wait until the card fails, or the PC itself need to be replaced to start considering anything more capable than the MX video is?