DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Shader Model 3 v Shader Model 2

9 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/shader-model-3-v-shader-model-2.27230/

sychomayniac
sychomayniac Original post #1
Apr 26, 2006 at 10:21 AM
I m in confusion i wanna know if i use ATI X800 GTO which has shader model 2 and i m using onboard shader model 3 mobo, so i wanna know will i able to use vista or any shader model 3 effects in the game.
tarey_g
tarey_g #2
Apr 26, 2006 at 10:47 AM
vista only needs sm 2.0, i dont know which onboard u have , but i think its certainly is not better than x800 GTO. Few games use sm3 features like splinter cell chaos th. and age of empires 3 . so u wud be missing some effects with a sm 2 card.
sychomayniac
Apr 26, 2006 at 11:11 AM
I m using MSI K8NGM2 IL which has onboard 6100 SM3
tarey_g
tarey_g #4
Apr 26, 2006 at 12:12 PM
i suggest u go fo x800 gto . (crap crap crap , i had to write this as i am not allowed to post in less than 50 words, what the hell !!!, my orignal msg ended after the fullstop, and i think it was sufficient, huh)
Ethan_Hunt
Apr 26, 2006 at 1:17 PM
No problems whatsoever.Go with the X800GTO as it will have a larger bandwidth compared to that Pityful onboard which only boasts of the newer 6 series onboard implementation and can't give decent frame rates with latest games @1024x768 resolutions.If you are so skeptical with the X800GTO being SM 2.0 compliant then select the 6600GT which is almost on par with the X800GTO and is SM 3.0 compliant.Very few games like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,Far Cry,Black and White 2 support SM 3.0 in their full glory.
tiblu
tiblu #6
Apr 26, 2006 at 4:55 PM
I agree with allwyndlima go for 6600 Gt, it will cost u around 8000( not sure)
Ankur Gupta
Apr 26, 2006 at 8:19 PM
well i too have the same board and have set the video memory size to 64MB and vista is running absolutely smoothly!
Ankur Gupta
Apr 26, 2006 at 8:25 PM
well i too have the same board and have set the video memory size to 64MB and vista is running absolutely smoothly!
samrulez
Apr 26, 2006 at 10:43 PM
Vista requires shader model 2.0 with 64 MB of v ram.Games require more