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Does the 5200 have shader model 2 ?

D

dagon11985

Gawd
Joined
Jul 21, 2005
Messages
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My dad has a 5200 - he likes the game Neverwinter Nights , NwN 2 is coming out in early 06, it requires a video card that has atleast shader 2 ( preferably shader 3 according to the devs ) ? Does this card make the cut or no ?
 
Well it does have shader model 2 but I dout that you will be able to play the game with that card.
 
Brent_Justice said:
it has the support, but does it have the performance is the question
Click to expand...


shouldnt even be a question. its not going to have the performance.
 
Its not a matter of the amount of memory but how well it processes and uses that memory. Tell him to get the GT version. Its a BIG upgrade in speed and it comes with 256mb of memory. It should only be a $30-50 difference and it will last a WHOLE lot longer than the vanila 6800. This card is so mainstream and such a popular card that the games for the next 4-5 years will be able run with this card. The normal 6800 is a good card too, but you will find yourself upgrading again much sooner compaired to the awesome 6800gt.
 
I played the original NWN on a 5200 and for the most part it played
flawlessly with all the bells and whistles turned on. But when I was playing one of the expansions, and got to a level with alot of lava/fire/heat, it slowed down so much I was probably getting 5 FPS. After I turned all the settings to low, it was playable, but
still laggy in that one part.

So, since NWN 2 will no doubt have better graphics, I'd be really hesitant to play
it on a 5200.
 
Keep in mind, as an RPG, NWN 2 will likely need MASSIVE texture storage and not much (relative) polygon-pushing or shader power.

We aren't talking about a shooter, here - the 256mb cards MIGHT actually make a fair amount of sense for it even if you needed to take a slightly slower core (6600GT, for example).

Of course, the 6800GT would definitely be the BEST choice overall...
 
A 6600 is probably all you really need for NWN2 but if he doesn't need to upgrade urgently, wait until the game is actually out. You will likely be able to purchase a much nicer card for the same money in 4-6 months.
 
Not sure about all his system specs, I just know he has a giga-byte mobo and a 3200+ ( 754 pin, not sure of its core ) and he has 512 ram.

his mobo doesn't support pci-e. Shader 3 is recommended for NwN 2 according the devs of the game, so I am guessing the game is going to making more usage of shading stuff then one might initially think.
 
You might think of moving up to 1gb of ram also. His processor is good for another 3 years or so though.
 
dagon11985 said:
his mobo doesn't support pci-e. Shader 3 is recommended for NwN 2 according the devs of the game, so I am guessing the game is going to making more usage of shading stuff then one might initially think.
Click to expand...
There is a substantial difference between using SM3.0 for some special effects here or there and texturing the whole world with it.

NWN2 is an RPG - you can BET on SM3.0 being primarily used for some exotic lighting effects and spells - maybe some higher-level monster 'textures'.

That's a world of difference from 3dMark05, for example, where every damn surface in the application is 'textured' by shaders running on them.

Tribes: Vengeance, for example, can take advantage of SM2.0 effects, and runs GREAT on even a GeForceFX 5200. This is pretty rare for a program, but T:V doesn't use the shaders much at all - just for some SFX here and there.
 
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