X800 and Shader Model 3.0

[etherealgrifter]

I want to play the new Splinter Cell game, but it uses Shader Model 3.0, which my ATI X800 doesn't support. How does SM work? Why can't I just 'update' my video card? I don't really want to buy a $200 X1900 that won't support DX10, and I don't want to spend $400 on an nVidia 8800 either (which supports DX10)... Will it not be possible to update a X1900 to support DirectX 10 later?
Best plan?
Thanks.

 

[thilanliyan]

Your card doesn't have the hardware needed for SM3 so you're out of luck with that one.

Best plan would be to wait a couple of months. R600 will be out, G81 might be out, midrange G80 will be out, and prices on current G80 products will probably have dropeed by then.

Wait till about late Feb./March timeframe. You'll have more choice then.

 

[etherealgrifter]

I added an edit above... Is it the same deal with DX10 support: hardware?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: etherealgrifter
I added an edit above... Is it the same deal with DX10 support: hardware?

Yes. You can't magically make the hardware capable of things it can't normally do. Well, you can by faking it in the drivers (like Intel does for their GMA900 with vertex shaders), but it will perform like crap.

SC: DA doesn't have an SM2.0 fallback path?

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
SC: DA doesn't have an SM2.0 fallback path?

Yeah apparently not. You need a minimum SM3 card to play it.

 

[Nightmare225]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: etherealgrifter
I added an edit above... Is it the same deal with DX10 support: hardware?

Yes. You can't magically make the hardware capable of things it can't normally do. Well, you can by faking it in the drivers (like Intel does for their GMA900 with vertex shaders), but it will perform like crap.

SC: DA doesn't have an SM2.0 fallback path?

Nope. SM 3 only. It's a minimum system requirement on the box, which the OP and everyone else should have read if they didn't. (Not accusing the OP of doing so, just pointing something out.)

 

[etherealgrifter]

Yea I guess they went all out with the skin shaders for Double Agent. Am I even going to want DX10 support right away? Won't most games support 9 and 10 for a while?

I don't have the box...

 

[aka1nas]

DirectX 10 is Vista only, so it will be a while before they will be requiring a Dx10 card to actually play a game.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I guess this shows the end of the S.M 2.0 and below.

 

[evolucion8]

I guess that it is more of a marketing plan than a technological limitation. Is like it happened in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, SM 3.0 or SM 1.1. Then later a Patch appear (Correct me if I'm wrong) allowing you to use SM 2.0b on ATi cards, it allowed you to output the same graphics as the SM 3.0. The only difference is that the HDR in SM 3.0 was a bit more bright.

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Matthias99
SC: DA doesn't have an SM2.0 fallback path?

Yeah apparently not. You need a minimum SM3 card to play it.

same with Rainbow Six Las Vegas

 

[Munky]

They'll either release a patch that includes a SM2 path, or Ati will make another Chuck patch to make it run in SM2. I wonder what exactly was the reason the devs made this a SM3 exclusive game? Surely it can't be because of dynamic branching, else half the SM3 cards would get worse performace than without it. I'm guessing it was a marketing desicion.

 

[geokilla]

I have a Geforce MX4000 AGP for my other computer. I heard it supports only DX7 but I'm running DX9 on that card. If the card doesn't support DX9 shouldn't my video card like stop working or something like that? Sorry for the bad explanation but I'm tired from homeworking...(14 here)

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: geokilla
I have a Geforce MX4000 AGP for my other computer. I heard it supports only DX7 but I'm running DX9 on that card. If the card doesn't support DX9 shouldn't my video card like stop working or something like that? Sorry for the bad explanation but I'm tired from homeworking...(14 here)

DX9 != SM3.0.

You can install DX9, and you can run programs that were written on DX9, but you can't run a program that requires the DX9-only features. If you try to run a game that uses pixel/vertex shaders on your card, it'll crash and burn.