Windows Vista and Graphics Cards

[morulis]

I have a X800XL and I was wondering if will continue to play when the Windows Vista arrives. I mean that with the new DirectX10 and the new driver model our DirectX 9 cards will not play any longer? Is that true?

 

[lavaheadache]

yup, all directx 9 and lower cards will start smoking and spontaneously combust, just like my ti 4200 did when I installed doom III

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

Originally posted by: lavaheadache
yup, all directx 9 and lower cards will start smoking and spontaneously combust, just like my ti 4200 did when I installed doom III

oh yup. Like my mx440-se also.

 

[Lord Banshee]

lol

To answer your q, DirectX has always been backwards compadible, even though you have DX10 installed you can use the DX9 lib also... unless MS is truely saying HEY!! go buy new video cards... which would be a dumb move.

But if you try to play a DX10 game with your X800 card and the game developer decides to only write code for DX10 api then the game will tell you no way buddy!

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

DX10 IS NOT backwards compatible. That's why Vista is shipping with both DX9 version L as well as DX10

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: 1Dark1Sharigan1
DX10 IS NOT backwards compatible. That's why Vista is shipping with both DX9 version L as well as DX10

Is that true? Are you sure? DX9 was backwards compatible, but if you've got DX8 hardware it obviously won't support DX9 features.

Regardless, DX9 will still work fine in Vista and support Aero glass, etc.

Seeing as there's no DX10 cards right now, and if you're worried about DX10 (OP), your best bet is to wait for DX10 cards, and more importantly, DX10 games before worrying too much about that.

 

[CKXP]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024

Originally posted by: 1Dark1Sharigan1
DX10 IS NOT backwards compatible. That's why Vista is shipping with both DX9 version L as well as DX10

Is that true? Are you sure? DX9 was backwards compatible, but if you've got DX8 hardware it obviously won't support DX9 features.

Regardless, DX9 will still work fine in Vista and support Aero glass, etc.

Seeing as there's no DX10 cards right now, and if you're worried about DX10 (OP), your best bet is to wait for DX10 cards, and more importantly, DX10 games before worrying too much about that.

http://www.tweaksrus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=443&Itemid=43

Direct X 10. This version is not going to be backwards compatible. There will be an emulation software that will replace the backwards capabilities. Direct X 9 is gonna do all the job.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25902

The DirectX 10 API will have completely new and faster dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and is supposed to run much faster. The company decided to cut the backward compatibility with DirectX 9, 8, 7 and lower in this API but there will be a way to use games programmed for those APIs. Microsoft will enable support for DX 9 or lower games through a software layer, meaning it might run slower.

i'm

 

[firewolfsm]

damn, let me get this straight. With my DX9 card and Vista installed, Vista will run fine but any DX10 game using DX9 shaders will take a huge performance hit, or won't support 9 at all? Can i run the new crytek engine on my computer (don't care about frame rates right now) with DX9 tech?

Wait, and DX10 cards will need software to play DX9 games?

 

[Noema]

Originally posted by: unfalliblekrutch

Originally posted by: lavaheadache
yup, all directx 9 and lower cards will start smoking and spontaneously combust, just like my ti 4200 did when I installed doom III

oh yup. Like my mx440-se also.

Heck, even my RADEON 9600 would start melting if I played it on anything higher than 800x600

 

[dunno99]

Basically, as usual, if a game company wants to make a game that uses DX features, they'd have to probe for the presence of DX9 or DX10. If we hypothetically assume that some graphics card only supports DX10, then that card will not run DX9 games. However, since most, if not all, DX10 cards will support DX9 and10, then you don't need to worry about your DX10 hardware not being able to run DX9 games (and I don't think the performance hit will be that great...even if it is, it'll probably be masked by the faster video chip/memory anyways).

As for running a DX9 card in Vista, yes, it will work. You just don't get the Aeroglass look (or probably the transparency, I don't remember what exact you can't get), that's all. Of course, you can't run DX10 games (there's probably CPU emulation, but you don't want to go there), but you can still run DX9 (most likely also version L, if your gfx card hardware developer doesn't screw you) games, if your card already supports DX9.

The bottom line is, for game developers, they can't just probe for the highest level of DX and expand their code to take advantage of additional features. What they need to do is to determine if it's DX9L or less, run the appropriate amount of code, and run totally different (graphics) code for DX10.

 

[Auric]

The irony may be that a lot of folks with high-end cards (for a given generation) won't be too keen on their dinky OEM fans running at high speed all the time just for a bit of Windows eye candy. I'm just guessing here, but it seems more then ever it will be passive cooling FTW (or at least big-arse after-market coolers with low RPM fans). Anyhoo, I won't even consider Vista until at least a year after it goes to market and only then if it offers anything really compelling.