New 3D Graphics Card Features in 2006

riles9262 · Jan 11, 2006, 04:46 PM

"Shader effects on water surfaces become astounding with DirectX 8. One of the earliest graphics cards to attempt to make use of them were the Geforce 4 and Radeon 9600 in the game Morrowind. For the first time, the water realistically reflected the 3D landscapes in the waves. Even better, the effects on the water were there to admire throughout the entire game. Running or swimming through water even created displacement, causing waves on the reflective surface.

After this, however, the paths of shader versions diverged. NVIDIA stayed with Version 2, while ATI upgraded its new graphics boards to support PixelShader 2.1. Since the introduction of Geforce 6, DirectX 9 effects with the PixelShader 3 have become mainstream. The new richness was first seen in the game Splinter Cell 3 - Chaos Theory."
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Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide

deekey777 · Jan 11, 2006, 06:10 PM

This article is BS.
"After this, however, the paths of shader versions diverged. NVIDIA stayed with Version 2, while ATI upgraded its new graphics boards to support PixelShader 2.1. Since the introduction of Geforce 6, DirectX 9 effects with the PixelShader 3 have become mainstream. The new richness was first seen in the game Splinter Cell 3 - Chaos Theory."

nVidia's FX series use SM2.a and not SM2.0 like R300. ATi's X800s support SM2.b, but it doesn't include all features of SM2.a. Don't read this article, it's a horror and wrong.

Jan 11, 2006, 04:46 PM	#1
riles9262 Driverheaven brewmaster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 4,842 Rep Power: 72 System Specs	New 3D Graphics Card Features in 2006 @ THG "Shader effects on water surfaces become astounding with DirectX 8. One of the earliest graphics cards to attempt to make use of them were the Geforce 4 and Radeon 9600 in the game Morrowind. For the first time, the water realistically reflected the 3D landscapes in the waves. Even better, the effects on the water were there to admire throughout the entire game. Running or swimming through water even created displacement, causing waves on the reflective surface. After this, however, the paths of shader versions diverged. NVIDIA stayed with Version 2, while ATI upgraded its new graphics boards to support PixelShader 2.1. Since the introduction of Geforce 6, DirectX 9 effects with the PixelShader 3 have become mainstream. The new richness was first seen in the game Splinter Cell 3 - Chaos Theory." _________ Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide __________________ A beer a day keeps the doctor away. Last edited by Vikingod; Jan 11, 2006 at 05:34 PM.

Jan 11, 2006, 06:10 PM	#2
deekey777 Grünschnabel Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Good Old Germany Posts: 285 Rep Power: 0	This article is BS. "After this, however, the paths of shader versions diverged. NVIDIA stayed with Version 2, while ATI upgraded its new graphics boards to support PixelShader 2.1. Since the introduction of Geforce 6, DirectX 9 effects with the PixelShader 3 have become mainstream. The new richness was first seen in the game Splinter Cell 3 - Chaos Theory." nVidia's FX series use SM2.a and not SM2.0 like R300. ATi's X800s support SM2.b, but it doesn't include all features of SM2.a. Don't read this article, it's a horror and wrong. __________________ I know, my english is terrible.