Starcraft 2 & Diablo 3 -- ati 4850 sufficient?

[NBPTL]

eventhough those games aren't out yet but just thinking out loud here.

figured 4850 would definitely affordable by that time.

I currently have q6600 dell system and not a gamer but those games I'll definitely play.

 

[Piano Man]

Well, everything is conjecture, but I will say yes with confidence because Blizzard is known for releasing games that can be played on some pretty old hardware.

 

[MarcVenice]

Sorry, but only if a blizzard developer in disguise is going to elaborate on this, then this will be more then pure speculation. Starcraft 2 wise you will most likely be fine, depending on how you want the game to run. But Diablo III hasn't even been announced yet, god knows what kind of system reqs it will have, if it's done in 2010 it might need something 10 times faster then a HD4850?

 

[soccerballtux]

I've got such a sore spot for wow even 6 months after giving up on the broken class system that I won't be buying sc2.

 

[ultra laser]

It's a very powerful card, and from what I've seen of SC2 it should be able to run it no problem. Graphically, it doesn't seem any more complicated than say World of Conflict.

 

[Foxery]

It is way too early to be asking, but in general, Blizzard games tend to run on hardware up to ~3 years old. Even if Starcraft 2 is pushed off until 2009, you'll be better off than half the population with a 4850.

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
I've got such a sore spot for wow even 6 months after giving up on the broken class system that I won't be buying sc2.

Is this a hardware forum, or your blog?

 

[Aberforth]

What Diablo 3?...They'll probably release World of Starcraft or something to start another mindless crap fest. But yeah, D3 would be nice, they'll make sure most of the gamers can play it- that's where money is you know, so I think 4850 will run it fine.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Originally posted by: NBPTL
eventhough those games aren't out yet but just thinking out loud here.

figured 4850 would definitely affordable by that time.

I currently have q6600 dell system and not a gamer but those games I'll definitely play.

A 4850 can be had for $150. How much more affordable can you get?

 

[bryanW1995]

integrated graphics is cheaper...

@op: don't buy a gpu until you have a clear need for one. upgrading your gpu for future games is a waste of money. by the time you need a gpu they could have 5850 or gtx 360 or something that is 50% + faster than the current offerings.

 

[NBPTL]

Originally posted by: ChronoReverse

Originally posted by: NBPTL
eventhough those games aren't out yet but just thinking out loud here.

figured 4850 would definitely affordable by that time.

I currently have q6600 dell system and not a gamer but those games I'll definitely play.

A 4850 can be had for $150. How much more affordable can you get?

by the time SC 2 is released toward end of yr, could we see 4850 under $100?

 

[bunnyfubbles]

I'd put money on the 4850 to be massive overkill for SC2. Can't say anything about D3 seeing as how there's almost no real info on it...

Havok is inconsequential, its only SC2 for crying out loud. All games today that use Havok don't need any special hardware acceleration...games like HL2/Orangebox...

The only surprise from SC2 would be possible high CPU demand. Given the nature of RTS games, if Blizzard stays true to their claim that SC2 is going to have large armies of units then I'd wager a faster CPU will be needed more than a fast GPU. However this is relative to WC3...so 'massive' to Blizzard might not end up meaning that much after all

But considering the OP has a Q6600 I doubt he'll be hurting for CPU performance. Just considering SC2, he could probably get away with a ~$50 3650...but we'll have to wait and see, who knows what new cards will be out (and how far prices have dropped on the older cards) by the time SC2 hits...the 4600 series should be available by then...

 

[nyker96]

when they making D3? haven't head about it. SC2 don't know but heard they not making it too demanding.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: NBPTL

Originally posted by: ChronoReverse

Originally posted by: NBPTL
eventhough those games aren't out yet but just thinking out loud here.

figured 4850 would definitely affordable by that time.

I currently have q6600 dell system and not a gamer but those games I'll definitely play.

A 4850 can be had for $150. How much more affordable can you get?

by the time SC 2 is released toward end of yr, could we see 4850 under $100?

Not a chance, the new 4600 and old 3800 series would fill that niche, there's no way the 4850s will drop by over $100

 

[chewietobbacca]

D3 supposedly might be announced this Saturday...

4850 should be fine

Supposedly Sc2 will support DX10.1 as Blizzard recently signed an agreement with ATI about it so that's an advantage

 

[chewietobbacca]

Intel is going into discrete GPU's as well with Larabee so they'll probably find a way to move Havok onto discrete GPU's as well, and ATI might follow suit since Intel seems to hate Nvidia a lot more than AMD right now.

And IIRC, it was stated that SC2 will run on any 7-series / X1Kseries or higher cards so SM3.0 and higher I believe. But DX10.1 supposdly offers significant performacne boosts in the games in devleopment right now for DX10.1 (look at the xbitlabs review, they mention it) and if they indeed snagged a Blizzard title, it can only help PR.

 

[Obsoleet]

Starcraft 2 using DX10.1? That settles it, I can't imagine spending money on any of Nvidia's cards right now. Too expensive for outdated standards and not even that great of bang for buck compared to the 4800 series.

 

[dingetje]

it will be some time beore diablo 3 will be out...at least mythos will be out pretty soon

 

[bunnyfubbles]

keep your pants on about DX10 or even 10.1 for that matter...

http://www.starcraft2.com/faq.xml

from the very bottom...

Q: Will StarCraft II take advantage of DirectX 10? What other graphical goodies are included?

A: The game will be compatible with DirectX 10, and we're still considering whether there will be exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects, but the graphics engine will also be very scalable to ensure that a wide range of different systems will be capable of running StarCraft II. The new engine is also capable of rendering very large units, as well as large numbers of units on screen together. Havok physics have been integrated into the engine for added realism as well.

Originally posted by: chewietobbacca
And IIRC, it was stated that SC2 will run on any 7-series / X1Kseries or higher cards so SM3.0 and higher I believe. But DX10.1 supposdly offers significant performacne boosts in the games in devleopment right now for DX10.1 (look at the xbitlabs review, they mention it) and if they indeed snagged a Blizzard title, it can only help PR.

Last I knew it was was going to be DX9 SM2.0, which opens up a much wider range of cards. Wouldn't be surprised if a 9700Pro could run the game beautifully as long as the CPU isn't a dog.

 

[chewietobbacca]

Well Blizzard has always had a legacy of supporting numerous cards, so I have no doubt DX10 is not exclusive since that would alienate a ton of users. DX9 is fine.

As far as which SM they support, your right it is SM2.0 although they have only tested it on the X1k series and 7-series GPU's so that might be the minimum requirements. I actually found this from the unlikeliest of sources: a Blizzard employee working on the Mac section.

Link: http://forums.macrumors.com/sh...p=5499745&postcount=35

You're completely off, as it turns out.

The SC2 engine is brand new, completely shader based, and requires Shader Model 2.0 GPU hardware. On that basis alone it is not comparable to the WC3 engine.

While the systems I listed at top of page are not an official minimum spec for SC2 on Mac, they are an excellent starting point to consider if you are considering buying a new machine and want it to be able to run SC2 well. When we have a frozen minimum spec to publish we will do that, and I am 100% confident it will include the systems listed (Intel Mac with NVIDIA or ATI graphics).

earlier in that thread:

Blizzard has not released final specs for the game yet.

That said we are actively developing and testing on all the Intel Mac systems using AMD/ATI X1600,X1900,HD2400/HD2600, and also NVIDIA 7300/7600/8600/8800. So we're confident that it will be playable on any dual core Intel Mac with an AMD or NVIDIA GPU when it ships.

 

[Aberforth]

Weeeee, they just announced Diablo III: http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/ will pre-order it

 

[bryanW1995]

intel correctly recognizes that nvidia is weak in graphics right now so they're piling on. they also recognize that huge advantage the tesla enjoys right now so you can bet they're going full bore on larrabee development, too.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Diablo 3 has already been announced and it does not look that demanding to me

Note it may take a wile to load the site

 

[chewietobbacca]

Diablo3 -> DX10.1

http://www.planetdiablo.com/fe.../articles/d3-04012008/

Using the latest graphics technology including DirectX® 10.1, its next-generation 3D engine helps create a thrilling, immersive role-playing experience.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: chewietobbacca
Diablo3 -> DX10.1

http://www.planetdiablo.com/fe.../articles/d3-04012008/

Using the latest graphics technology including DirectX® 10.1, its next-generation 3D engine helps create a thrilling, immersive role-playing experience.

If Diablo 3 is anything like Warcraft 3 (announced September 1999...released 3 years later in July 2002) then we will be waiting a while until Diablo 3 comes out and most of us will have upgraded our videocard several times before that....not to mention DX11 will probably be out.

 

[NBPTL]

Originally posted by: HOOfan 1

Originally posted by: chewietobbacca
Diablo3 -> DX10.1

http://www.planetdiablo.com/fe.../articles/d3-04012008/

Using the latest graphics technology including DirectX® 10.1, its next-generation 3D engine helps create a thrilling, immersive role-playing experience.

If Diablo 3 is anything like Warcraft 3 (announced September 1999...released 3 years later in July 2002) then we will be waiting a while until Diablo 3 comes out and most of us will have upgraded our videocard several times before that....not to mention DX11 will probably be out.

yes therefore this thread is irrelevant.