Falstaff Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Not specifically an issue.... But I couldn't post in the BCG discussion forum so this is the closest forum to my question. I am saving my money to upgrade my system in anticipation of BCG. I read the system requirements, but to be honest, I don't know enough about video cards to know what pixel and whatever shader is. What brand/make/model of video card fits the bill. Assuming money is no object, what would you put in your rig? Assuming you're a poor blue collar worker like me, what would you put in your rig? Endorsements anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spindoktor Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 I just put a 9800 Pro in mine and I'm very happy. Whether you go Nvidia or ATI just make sure its a dx9 card. And if you go Nvidia, make sure its not one of those early FX cards that were louder than a vaccuum cleaner. Unless you like the ambience of a vaccuum cleaner of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dambreville Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Look around... many cards actually have the pixel and vertex shader versions on them. I found a nicely priced GeForce (5000 something, not sure sorry) with 128MB and version 2.0 pixel and 2.0 vertex shaders compatibility for about $120 US. I almost got it right then, but BCG is not out yet and thats the first thing I will need a shader system for The actual technology and graphical development properties of pixel shader and vertex shaders are pretty cool though... definetly next generation stuff here. You can read about it on web sites and get alot better explanations of what they do. In short, it makes objects have more detail and not look as "flat" and more fluent. Up to this point, when you look at detail on some ship or detail on a character, its either flat but colored to make it look not flat, or its detailed in with bumps through lots of time by the designers and adding more polygons to be processed. A turret might be added on or maybe something sticking out, but for the most part, things that could be very detailed are kept flat so it does not kill the performance of the game and does not use alot of time on the developers part. Cue shaders... Here is another short blip using slightly more detailed words http://www.directx.com/shader/ Just thought I would add some video info to this video issue thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallion Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Wrong Forum Moving to more appropiate Forum TTFN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Cmdr Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Dambreville: The actual technology and graphical development properties of pixel shader and vertex shaders are pretty cool though... definetly next generation stuff here. heh, you have NO idea. Just wait until the demo comes out. Buying a card depends on what you can afford. If you are looking for ps/vs 2.0 support, get the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro. It comes with 128MB of memory and is wicked fast. The 9800 Pro which comes with 256MB of memory is only about 10% faster in some cases - and costs a lot more. The game - especially on the new PTE-III terrain engine - makes heavy use of vertex shaders; and the higher the version your card supports, the higher the visual quality. e.g. if your card only supports ps/vs 1.1, it will look OK and you will see a noticeable difference on a card running a higher version. Anyway, I had posted a chart before with pixel/shader versions, here it is again. Remember, the game requires a MINIMUM of ps 1.1 and vs 1.1 - which means all MX cards are out (as in, the game will quit once it doesn't find both of these supported on the card). quote: [DIRECTX SHADER VERSIONS] vertex shader 1.1 + pixel shader 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 (DX8.1 card) vertex shader 2.0 + pixel shader 2.0 (DX9 card) [CARD SHADER VERSIONS] nVidia GF3 class cards support vs 1.1 and ps 1.1 nVidia GF3 MX class cards support vs 1.1 and no ps support nVidia GF4 Ti cards support vs 1.1 and ps 1.3 nVidia GF4 MX class cards do NOT have a shader engine nVidia FX and higher class cards support vs 2.0 and ps 2.0 ATI Radeon 7x00 class cards do NOT have a shader engine ATI Radeon 8x00 and higher class cards support vs 1.1 and ps 1.4 ATI Radeon 9000 class cards support vs 1.1 and ps 1.4 ATI Radeon 9700 class cards support vs 2.0 and ps 2.0 ATI Radeon 9800 class cards support vs 2.0 and ps 2.0 Matrox Parhelia class cards support vs 2.0 and ps 2.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG MILLER Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Whatever card you get, just don't get a GForce 4 MX series of cards, they are DX7 parts, and will not get you anywhere fast in BCG. If your a gamer on a budget, I recommend an ATI Radeon 9500pro or 9600pro. If you want to spend around $100, and don't mind giving up some eyecandy, go with a DX8 card. You can find cheap GF3 or GF4 Ti cards at Newegg.com Good luck with your quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Elio Jason Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 or you could just go to the company sites and choose for yourself. ATI NVIDIA i have a 9700 Pro and i plan to keep it for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falstaff Posted August 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Many thanks, all. I will now start pinching pennys and mugging the school children for their lunch money.... No, wait. Scratch that..... I'll just work more overtime. Man... I just dig that dancing banana for some reason. Maybe it's the lack of sleep plus 100 degree+ weather I have to work in.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 ASUS never fails. Say that until you pass out and then buy it. Have used this brand of cards since '90 and have NEVER once had a single problem with them. And thats in comparison with my friend's ATI's and other brands which generally crap out after a year or 2 (fans cheap quality i think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epsilon 5 Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 I have a r9700 (oem though ) and I'm very happy with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattler Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro! Super card so far. No complaints on this end. Save lots of coins though if you want the 256MB version. Mine is only the 128. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Zwycky Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 So what is the (performance) difference between a Radeon 9000 and 9200? or between a 9200 and 9200SE? The 9200SE description on the shop website I looked at just linked me to the description of the 9200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spindoktor Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 quote:So what is the (performance) difference between a Radeon 9000 and 9200? or between a 9200 and 9200SE? Best thing to do is go to the source and read the product comparisons and specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Trotter Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 A couple of months ago I got a GeForce3Ti 128mgs at tigerdirect for 93.00 dollars shipped. Great card great price and no complaints. Thanks to Greg Miller and my ole buddy the Fox for thier sage cousel on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Trotter Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 Hehe, that was Newegg that I got the GeForce3 not tigerdirect. My mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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