# vertex shader 3.0



## [HEX]AKA-R32 (Nov 10, 2009)

Ive just purchased Call Of Duty Modern Warfare2 and its saying that my pc does not have vertex shader 3.0,at this moment im actually downloading the driver for this.
Will this solve my problem?
My pc is,
intel pent 4 640(3.2ghz 2m l2 800fsb)
1gb DDR memory
250gb sata hdd
ATI x300 256mb.
Hope that helps,any help is much appreciated.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Hi, welcome to TSF

Updating the driver won't solve this problem. The ATI X300 is a low-end graphics card, not suitable for games like Modern Warfare 2. It only supports pixel/vertex shaders 2.0, so you'll have to upgrade to a newer graphics card if you want to play this game.


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## Cuddles_Bear (Nov 10, 2009)

Hi there I'm in the same boat as him. I've just bought MW2 and my card also only supports vertex shader 2.0 while 3.0 needed.

My card is a Gigabyte 512MB RADEON X800 XL.

Will this one have updates or downloads that'll allow it to run 3.0 instead?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

You need a new graphics card to play MW2.

Also, if the new card requires more power from the computer than your current X800, you might have to upgrade the Power Supply Unit (PSU) as well, otherwise the computer might crash when put under stress from graphically-intensive programs like fullscreeen games.

If you would like some more advice about upgrading the graphics card, please post back with your motherboard and PSU specs. You can see the motherboard details by running *CPU-Z* (click the Mainboard tab). To see the PSU details, remove the side panel from your computer case and post back with the make/model and total watts from the label on the side of the PSU.


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Hi. It seems I'm also in a similar situation. I will need to update my graphics card (currently and ATI Radeon x800 128MB) and would like some advice. 

I ran CPU-Z. I'll list what it says for mother board.

Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Model: 0J3492
Chipset: Intel i925x Rev. B1
Southbridge: Intel 82801FB(ICH6)
LPCIO: SMSC SMSC

As for the PSU:
Make: Dell
Model: N350N-00
Total Watts: 350W

I'm also trying to run CoD: MW2. I'm on a college budget and am looking for a graphics card that will hopefully last 2-4 years before I'll be able to afford a new PC. I'd also prefer to not replace the PSU if at all possible. 

Thanks for your help.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Hi Snuzer. The 350W N350N Dell PSU has two +12V lines, 18 Amps each, giving a combined total of approx 25 Amps (70% efficiency). This is enough to power an old AGP card, but if you want a PCIE graphics card that will last another 2 years and is capable of playing games like Modern Warfare 2, you'll need a good quality 550-650W PSU with a minimum of 28 Amps/+12V.

Your motherboard has a PCIEx16 slot so, as long as you upgrade the PSU, you should be able to go for one of the low-to-mid range PCIE graphics cards within your budget. I can't find any detailed specs for the motherboard, so contact Dell to see if your motherboard supports PCIE 1.0, 1.0a, 1.1 or 2.0 (I think it's only 1.0). This will determine the type of PCIE graphics card you can install.


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Hi Koala. 

Thanks for helping me out. I think I'll try one of the AGI cards to hopefully avoid replacing PSU (budget's tight haha). After searching I found one that seems pretty good and I though I'd see what you think.

Ok the link's not working, but I found it on newegg. 

SAPPHIRE 288L Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit DDR2 AGP 8X HDCP Ready Video Card

One of the reviewers said he was running the card fine on 350W even though it recommends 400W. 

So what do you think?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

*You can only fit an AGP graphics card into a motherboard that has an AGP slot.* Your motherboard uses PCIE, not AGP, so the AGP HD4650 will not work. If you had a motherboard with an AGP slot, it would be fine for most games. It's not top of the range, but good enough to play at medium graphics settings.

I use a GeForce 8800GT PCIE card, which allows me to play games at 1440x900 resolution with most of the settings on high. This is quite an old card but still works well on today's games like Modern Warfare 2. If you want a card that is going to last for another 2 years, you'll need to be looking at this type of card as a starting point. Anything lower won't be able to cope with the demands of future games.

A 350W PSU won't be strong enough to power any PCIE card, so will need to be replaced. That's the problem with Dell computers. They install PSUs that are good enough to power the computer with its original components, but don't have enough headroom to allow the user to upgrade.

A 450W PSU would struggle (especially the cheaper ones with low power efficiency), so we usually recommend a good quality 550W as the absolute minimum, preferably 650W to allow for future upgrades.

When it comes to graphics cards and power supplies, the +12V amps are more important then the total watts. 28A is the minimum for PCIE cards. Anything lower will cause the computer to overheat and crash when put under stress from graphically-intensive programs like fullscreen games.

So you'll need a new PCIE graphics card and a higher quality PSU, otherwise you won't be able to play Modern Warfare 2 on this computer.


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Alright now we're getting somewhere haha. Thanks for clarifying. I'm a barely computer literate. I think finding a PCIEx16 card and new power supply should be within budget. 

How would this card do in your opinion? Also what's the deal with GDDR2 vs. GDDR3. There seems to be a big jump in price between the two. Is it important for me?

MSI N94GT-MD512 GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

As for power supply. I'm guessing that I need one that has a PCIE connector??? Again this seems to be a price jump. What do you think of this model?

COOLMAX CXI-600B 600W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Power Supply 

I could handle the cost of these but I'd like your opinion on whether these will work for my gaming needs. 

Thanks again. This has been a very helpful resource.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

GDDR3 is faster than GDDR2, but GDDR2 is perfectly acceptable as you don't have a high-end gaming computer.

The $45 GeForce 9400GT is a low quality card. I know the numbers can be very confusing, but basically this is lower quality than the 8800GT (or 9800 as it's now known) that you should be looking at as a minimum.

The $45 Coolmax (two 19A +12V lines) is not a PSU we usually recommend, but if you're on a tight budget it would do the job. I can't guarantee it will still be running smoothly in a couple of years though.

The graphics card and PSU listed below will allow you to play modern games at reasonable graphics settings. You could go for cheaper, lower quality parts, but don't expect them to be suitable for games in 2 years time.

*MSI GeForce 9800GT 512mb 256bit GDDR3 PCIE 2.0* - $80 after rebate
(Contact Dell to make sure your motherboard supports PCIE 2.0 before purchasing. If not, you'll have to go for a lower quality PCIE 1.0 card like the *9400GT* from your last post that won't be suitable for Modern Warfare 2 or future games)

*550W Corsair PSU (41A/+12V)* - $80 after rebate
or
*650W Corsair PSU (52A/+12V)* - $80 after rebate, very good value for money, highly recommended

As you can see, upgrading a computer is about getting the balance right. If any of the components are holding back the upgrade, it can start to get expensive. In your case, where you just want a new graphics card for playing new games, you're being held back by the 350W PSU and PCIE 1.0 motherboard (again, please check with Dell to confirm this).


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Yes the numbers are confusing haha. So I'll have to wait until I get off work to find my service tag and talk to Dell about the motherboard. Assuming my motherboard can only support PCIE 1.0, will any PCIE 1.0 card work for MW2? Or am I screwed, bc I'm not about to replace the motherboard?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

PCIE 1.0 is not really designed for gaming graphics cards, and MW2 is quite a demanding game. The 9400GT is a good example of a typical PCIE 1.0 card in that it's ok for older games, but not MW2, Crysis, etc.

Unless you're prepared to upgrade the motherboard, PSU and graphics card, I wouldn't rely on this computer for current and future high-end games. It might be better to sell it and buy a newer, more suitable gaming computer.


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## [HEX]AKA-R32 (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks for your reply Koala,looks like i just wasted 585mb on my monthly allowence.
But lucky me i have a 2nd Pc which runs Vista and after the install it loaded and plays well,so thx.
Think it might be time to update the xp Pc because thats what i play all my games on.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

koala said:


> PCIE 1.0 is not really designed for gaming graphics cards, and MW2 is quite a demanding game. The 9400GT is a good example of a typical PCIE 1.0 card in that it's ok for older games, but not MW2, Crysis, etc.


The entire 9 series is 2.0 ....


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Well according to Dell, my motherboard is compatible with PCIE 2.0 so it looks like that should work out for me. Thanks for the help.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks for pointing out my mistake, emosun. My head was spinning with numbers. :smile:

Now that Dell has confirmed your motherboard supports PCIE 2.0 it means your choice of card is only limited by the PSU and your budget.

The 512mb 9800GT I linked to in post#10 is a good choice as a starting point (and will run MW2 at high settings), but if you want to spend a bit more or shop around for cheaper deals, there are better cards available. Let us know how you get on and if you need any more advice.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

His computer is only running a single pentium 4 , anything over an 8600 will just be completely bottle necked by the cpu...


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## Snuzer (Nov 11, 2009)

Alright, well would an 8600 card be good enough to run MW2? I'm not looking for high settings or anything. 

Again, this is meant to be a 'bandaid' fix so I can run some newer games while I save for a new system. 

How would this one do for my system?

PNY Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Emosun: I read your videocard page. Very helpful. Would the above card really suffer that much bc of the GDDR2 instead of GDDR3?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Even with a gpu upgrade your system's ram and cpu barely meets the minimum requirements for the game. You can get the 8600 if you want but I'm not going to guarantee it'll run well at all. And yes a ddr2 model is basically junk.


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## Slinger1337 (Nov 29, 2009)

I HAVE A SOLUTION! 
ok there's a product called
SWIFT SHADER!!
all you do is download it
then there should be two DLL files you need
they both begin with d and end with
8 or 9 err something
ok now what you do is
put those two into your bin folder
or in a place that has a lot of DLL files
in it and then start up your game
if it shows the Icon in the bottom left
of your screen
it worked!!
you now have enough pixel and vertex shader!


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

I doubt that it actually makes a old card run a game at a playable speed. There really wouldn't be a reason to not a get a low end model card that actually supported the game rather a software ban-aid.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Hi Slinger1337, thanks for your post. Have you used SwiftShader yourself on any new games? What are your system specs? What framerates did you get? If you've used the full product and not just the demo, can you tell us how much it is to buy?

http://www.transgaming.com/business/swiftshader/technology

As far as I can tell, their website only has a demo to download, but if you want the full version, you have to email them your personal details before they'll even tell you the price.

I can't find any legitimate reviews of SwiftShader online or any forum reviews from people who have used it to say it's anything better than 'average at best' (ie 15fps).


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

Not to mention that software won't fix a sub-standard hardware graphics card. :smile:


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## Slinger1337 (Nov 29, 2009)

Well i know you have to have a enough ram it run it
Im not sure how much
im guessing 512 MBs
and Swift shader is sort of like a beta 
so not really a full version
but it still works
thats the point
and swift shader is supposed to take your frames
down a few.
i put it on GTA sanandreas
FarCry 1
COD 4 
and NullDC emulator


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

It might work, but how well does it perform?

What were your framerates with and without this program, and what graphics device were you using?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

Slinger1337 said:


> i put it on GTA sanandreas
> FarCry 1
> COD 4
> and NullDC emulator


All of which can be played ob an old geforce 4 or 5 series anyway.


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## scottishboy (Jan 5, 2010)

I have the same problem  ! I have no idea what has happend. I have been able to play modern warfare 2 now for weeks but suddenly today it just stopped working and the vertex shader 3.0 announcment showed up. now i cant even start the game !!

Please help me !


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