Steam survey, Nov 2009

[yacoub]

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

Don't let people BS you with how quickly they claim new DX11 GPUs are being adopted. In reality, most gamers are still running 8800 series NVidia and 4800 series AMD/ATI, and many older series as well.

Also, nearly half are still running WinXP and around a quarter are on Vista. Win7 is coming up quickly, though, as it is brand new and well received.

Once the November data gets added in you'll see a good percentage of Win7 users, and with DX11 GPUs, you'll see a handful have those but that isn't going to significantly change the development emphasis for a long time, especially in these market conditions.

So do you REALLY need a DX11 GPU right now? No. Barely half of gamers are even running DX10-capable cards, let alone on an OS that supports DX10. And especially not at above-MSRP prices. Discpline yourself to be patient - it's worth it in the long run and you'll be happy you waited out the price gouging and uncertainly as to what the other guy is going to bring to the table in January.

Besides, developers rely on data like this when they plan how they will build their next game. When so much of their potential audience is still on a DX9 OS and DX10 hardware, they are not going to drop DX9/10 support, nor put too much budget into heavy DX11 development when it's not going to be a useful selling point for the majority of their market.

DX11 will come, over time, just like DX10 has. But there's certainly no mad dash to get DX11 like the hype around here might tempt you to think.

 

[Elfear]

You make some good points but what about the extra horsepower that comes with the DX11 cards. Why wait around if you need the extra processing power?

 

[yacoub]

Considering there aren't any games* out yet that don't run just fine on a 4870/4890 or 275/285, imho, the "you need extra hp" thing is another misleading marketing claim at this point. Nothing is out before January that requires gamers to rush out and overpay today for a DX11 GPU.

*mainstream games that people actually play, not Crysis which we all know is the exception to the rule and not the norm

 

[GaiaHunter]

Don't let people BS you with how quickly they claim new DX11 GPUs are being adopted. In reality, most gamers are still running 8800 series NVidia and 4800 series AMD/ATI, and many older series as well.

Considering that there aren't enough DX11 cards to start with, I don't see how can someone claim how quick or less quick DX11 cards are being adopted.

Discpline yourself to be patient - it's worth it in the long run and you'll be happy you waited out the price gouging and uncertainly as to what the other guy is going to bring to the table in January.

So if I want to buy a 5870, with my money, you going to slap me in the wrist?

Nope, I'm not jumping on a 5870, as I don't value my want for a better graphic card as high as the price it is, but others that went and paid for, and are enjoying their cards now, are all dumb?

Considering there aren't any games* out yet that don't run just fine on a 4870/4890 or 275/285, imho, the "you need extra hp" thing is another misleading marketing claim at this point.

What if I want Eyefinity?

You going to slap me in the wrist because I don't need to play in 3x30" monitors?

GPUs are mostly for gaming - it is not a question of needing. You don't need to play games on the PC. You don't need a 30" monitor a 15" let you play as well. Etc, etc. It is a question of wanting. And it is a personal choice.

 

[dguy6789]

I do believe that people who bought current gen and last gen cards (58xx, 48xx, GT2xx,) will have their purchases last longer overall than most other generations. Most games being made today are being made for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Most games have been designed around them for a good while now. It's probably going to remain that way for another couple years at least. As a result, hardware requirements for games on the PC will probably not rise much for a while. The bottom line all of these games are made to run on isn't changing.

The maximum quality level of games will keep rising but I doubt anyone will find a game that will have problems running with the majority of details on high with the aforementioned cards for a number of years to come.

DX11 is coming and games will slowly come about but I don't think we'll see a really large surge of games until either the next gen consoles come out or a really versatile DX11 capable game engine comes about that companies can(and want to) use.

 

[Qbah]

Define fine? You can max AA at 1920x1200 with a HD5870 in many of today's games. Also, aiming for 60FPS+ minimum is also a nice experience. I can guarantee you my old HD4870 wasn't playing all my games sufficiently fine. So your statement is far from reality.

What about Stalker games for example? Crysis Warhead is a very enjoyable game too. And you need all the power you can get for it.

The biggest incentive imo is speed in current games. HD5850, HD5870 and HD5970 provide the highest possible speed in any game - you get excellent minimums, high level of AA and high resolution in any game you throw at those cards. Last generation cards don't come close in providing such comfort.

Another game? NFS:Shift.

 

[nOOky]

While my pc's run most of the games I play well enough, I still want more. Crysis is still shaky at 1920 x 1080 with everything maxed. Forgetting about DX11, the new ATI cards still bring major jumps in fps performance especially at higher resolutions. It might make an unplayable game on a 30" monitor more enjoyable with eye candy turned up. The only thing keeping me away from a new 5850/5870 is the price increase and availability. Obviously they are selling as fast as they can make them.
The problem is the slow adoption of newer technology like DX11 or even DX10.1. It only makes sense to include it in new gpu's as a selling point, despite the fact that most of us don't need it.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Right now I have a 4870 512MB. It's been a great card for me, but at 1920x1200 I think I run out of VRAM here and there. I'd like to upgrade, should I spend the money on a GTX285 when the 5850 (assuming I can find one) is nearly the same price and in my opinion will be the better card a year from now with DX11? DX11 is hardly the selling point right now, it's an added feature that doesn't hurt. Most people buying 58xx/5970 class cards are doing so because they do want the horsepwer for todays games. What is 'fine' for you might not be acceptable performance for the next person.

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

Don't let people BS you with how quickly they claim new DX11 GPUs are being adopted. In reality, most gamers are still running 8800 series NVidia and 4800 series AMD/ATI, and many older series as well.

...

So do you REALLY need a DX11 GPU right now? No. Barely half of gamers are even running DX10-capable cards, let alone on an OS that supports DX10. And especially not at above-MSRP prices. Discpline yourself to be patient - it's worth it in the long run and you'll be happy you waited out the price gouging and uncertainly as to what the other guy is going to bring to the table in January.

Besides, developers rely on data like this when they plan how they will build their next game. When so much of their potential audience is still on a DX9 OS and DX10 hardware, they are not going to drop DX9/10 support, nor put too much budget into heavy DX11 development when it's not going to be a useful selling point for the majority of their market.

DX11 will come, over time, just like DX10 has. But there's certainly no mad dash to get DX11 like the hype around here might tempt you to think.

I haven't seen ANYONE claim DX11 cards are being adopted like crazy. They CAN'T be given the supply issues in play. People buying cards now are hardware enthusiasts that want the extra performance out of their system or people building a new computer with an eye on not having to upgrade for the foreseeable future. DX11 is barely a factor in most of these decisions. (Where DX11 would be more likely to be a discussion point is in the 5700 series, where the performance of the cards is on par with what is out there now, but DX11, EyeFinity, lower power and heat, etc., might sway one towards the new stuff instead.)

I'm really not sure what "hype" you're referring to. By far the most recommended card on these boards is the 4890, because most people DON'T need a 5800 series (or can't find one anyway), and they perform better than the 5700s. This is a tech enthusiast site, and we're all stoked about a new toy to play with. You can't fault us for that.

 

[xboxist]

I make my computers last several years, but to achieve this I have to upgrade BIG. I'm sitting on a 6800GT, and next month I'm going to build a new system and get the 5970.

I feel that in the end, it's well worth the money. The card will last me 5+ years, so I look at it as being about a $125/yr. investment.

 

[lopri]

Considering there aren't any games* out yet that don't run just fine on a 4870/4890 or 275/285, imho, the "you need extra hp" thing is another misleading marketing claim at this point. Nothing is out before January that requires gamers to rush out and overpay today for a DX11 GPU.

Well, HD 4870/4890 and GTX 275/285 aren't exactly cheap now compared to HD 5000 series cards. I assume this comment was intended for current owners of RV790/GT200 class video cards? I'd agree with that for the most part, except that it doesn't apply to me unfortunately (2560x1600..).

Personally I'm finally at the stage of "This is good enough" with an HD 5870. It's the first time I felt this way since I got my 30" LCD like 3 years ago. The GTX 280 came close, but unfortunately that card doesn't handle AA very well so I had to settle for less most of the time.

 

[jimhsu]

I've been whining about this for a while, but people need to start paying attention to minimum FPS. I don't have the 5xxx cards, but I imagine that the extra computational horsepower on those will significantly increase minimum FPS values (most games already bottleneck at average FPS values on these new cards). Personally I find minimum FPS values above 20 (maximum frame time 50ms) to constitute a "smooth" gaming experience, but people have different tolerances. For FRAPS ... the frametime.csv file is extremely useful.

 

[Wreckage]

So do you REALLY need a DX11 GPU right now? No. Barely half of gamers are even running DX10-capable cards, let alone on an OS that supports DX10.

We may all have to wait until DX12. I think it all now depends on what the next Xbox supports. As it's not video cards holding us back, it's consoles.

 

[KeithP]

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

Don't let people BS you with how quickly they claim new DX11 GPUs are being adopted. In reality, most STEAM USERS are still running 8800 series NVidia and 4800 series AMD/ATI, and many older series as well.

Also, nearly half are still running WinXP and around a quarter are on Vista. Win7 is coming up quickly, though, as it is brand new and well received.

Once the November data gets added in you'll see a good percentage of Win7 users, and with DX11 GPUs, you'll see a handful have those but that isn't going to significantly change the development emphasis for a long time, especially in these market conditions.

So do you REALLY need a DX11 GPU right now? No. Barely half of gamers are even running DX10-capable cards, let alone on an OS that supports DX10. And especially not at above-MSRP prices. Discpline yourself to be patient - it's worth it in the long run and you'll be happy you waited out the price gouging and uncertainly as to what the other guy is going to bring to the table in January.

Besides, developers rely on data like this when they plan how they will build their next game. When so much of their potential audience is still on a DX9 OS and DX10 hardware, they are not going to drop DX9/10 support, nor put too much budget into heavy DX11 development when it's not going to be a useful selling point for the majority of their market.

DX11 will come, over time, just like DX10 has. But there's certainly no mad dash to get DX11 like the hype around here might tempt you to think.

Just wanted to correct that for you.

-KeithP

 

[waffleironhead]

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/videocard/

Is there even a listing for the 5000 series on the chart?

 

[Udgnim]

imo, people buying 5850s & 5870s are doing it more for performance boost, eyefinity, or both. DX11 support is peace of mind just in case.

 

[Genx87]

WinXp is going to start really getting hammered over the next 12 months. Win7 already has a 14% share. And WinXp has lost 7% since June.

 

[yh125d]

Pretty much nobody is harping that yopu need to go DX11 ASAP or your head will explode. In fact almost every mention of DX11 has a subnote that it's nice to have for the future but unutilized today. This thread is addressing a problem that doesn't exist :\

 

[yacoub]

Just wanted to correct that for you.

-KeithP

No Keith, I specifically used the word gamers because Steam users are PC gamers and since gamers, almost to a person, tend to play more than one game, and with most popular games available on Steam, almost all gamers today run Steam regardless of what else they run (D2D, Impulse, etc) or might play offline.

In other words, Steam users and gamers are safely synonymous terms in the context of this current-gen PC gaming discussion. They are very much the majority of the audience that matters when discussing gaming-class GPUs. People who only play Solitaire and Mine Sweeper aren't even in the context of this thread. Pirates are irrelevant.

A: Steam users
B: PC Gamers

A is near enough to being equal to B that we can safely substitute A for B in this specific context.
All (99.9x% because there is always some random exception) Steam users are PC gamers and almost all PC gamers have Steam installed because they have purchased/play at least one game through Steam.

And even if there was some segment of PC gamers who do not have Steam installed, and aren't pirates, but are playing current-gen PC games, that still wouldn't invalidate this data which covers the majority of PC gamers.

 

[SlowSpyder]

No Keith, I specifically used the word gamers because Steam users are PC gamers and since gamers, almost to a person, tend to play more than one game, and with most popular games available on Steam, almost all gamers today run Steam regardless of what else they run (D2D, Impulse, etc) or might play offline.

In other words, Steam users and gamers are safely synonymous terms in the context of this current-gen PC gaming discussion. They are very much the majority of the audience that matters when discussing gaming-class GPUs. People who only play Solitaire and Mine Sweeper aren't even in the context of this thread. Pirates are irrelevant.

A: Steam users
B: PC Gamers

A is near enough to being equal to B that we can safely substitute A for B in this specific context.
All (99.9x% because there is always some random exception) Steam users are PC gamers and almost all PC gamers have Steam installed because they have purchased/play at least one game through Steam.

I game quite often, I do not have Steam installed (I used to, but have not had it installed in the last year or so).

 

[Mem]

DX11 has only been around for a few months, both Vista and Win7 DX11 is very new and we are still waiting for Nvidia's DX11 hardware,throw in the time it takes to make a good PC game let alone DX11 standard and you can see we'll have to wait a bit longer ,however ask the same question about DX11 in a year or two and it'll probably be a whole new ball game.

I have yet to see anybody say DX11 has been adopted fast, give it time for both hardware and software companies to get their act together.

Ask the same question in a year or so.

And even if there was some segment of PC gamers who do not have Steam installed, and aren't pirates, but are playing current-gen PC games, that still wouldn't invalidate this data which covers the majority of PC gamers.

I have Steam installed but not played a Steam game for quite awhile,basically I prefer retail version with box contents etc...I don't think Steam stats reflect the real figures in anyway,there are so many different types of PC gamers out there.

 

[Painman]

I bought a 5850 for the performance, not the API support, but it was a plus. I'm in the same spot as Lopri. A 5850 drives my 1920*1200 display very well, looks great and doesn't get labored very easily. It's the "This is good enough" card for me and my target resolution.

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

A: Steam users
B: PC Gamers

A is near enough to being equal to B that we can safely substitute A for B in this specific context.
All (99.9x% because there is always some random exception) Steam users are PC gamers and almost all PC gamers have Steam installed because they have purchased/play at least one game through Steam.

And even if there was some segment of PC gamers who do not have Steam installed, and aren't pirates, but are playing current-gen PC games, that still wouldn't invalidate this data which covers the majority of PC gamers.

I wouldn't have Steam installed on my computer if I didn't play Valve games. I prefer having a box and disc with my games, especially since downloaded copies aren't usually cheaper than their boxed counter parts. Given that most (all?) of Valve's titles are FPS games, it would surprise me if gamers that played RPGs, RTSs, sims, etc, as their main genre would have Steam on their computer.

To say Steam users represent a majority of computer gamers is a stretch to me without some data to back that up. A sizeable sub-set, yes.

 

[Barfo]

Considering there aren't any games* out yet that don't run just fine on a 4870/4890 or 275/285, imho, the "you need extra hp" thing is another misleading marketing claim at this point. Nothing is out before January that requires gamers to rush out and overpay today for a DX11 GPU.

*mainstream games that people actually play, not Crysis which we all know is the exception to the rule and not the norm

Some people like to play with high details, AA, AF and res.

 

[Schmide]

The BS is expecting any marginal change in statistics over a 1-2 month period. You're looking at years of data and expecting immediate results. FFS the whole GT200 class has barely reached 5% and it's been out nearly 2 years. The uptake on the 4800 series probably follows a similar line being only 3% higher.

I'm actually astonished to see near half percentage point increases for the 9800gt and 4800 series.