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[ToxicAdam]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20691

MAJORITY OF USERS don't care about a graphics card because this majority uses only 2D operations, or should I say they need it just to draw and show picture on displays.
Some will use the graphics card to accelerate video files or help decode DVD content. but that's about it. The big mass or users don't care about 3D games or any kind of shaders. This is about to change with Longhorn.

Longhorn will feature a graphics subset called WGF (Windows Graphic Foundation). Its goal is to unify 2D and 3D graphics operation in one and will bring 2D Windows drawing and 3D operations together. Nowadays, 3D is done using a Direct X subset with the current version 9.0c.

Longhorn will also use 3D menus and 3D interfaces and will require at least Shader 2.0 compliant cards, so it will make the graphics card an important part of your PC. Nowadays, Windows doesn’t care much about graphics until you play your DVD or start a 3D game. In such cases, Windows actually benefits from graphic card acceleration whether we talk about video or 3D acceleration.

Believe it or not, your Windows performance will depend on the quality of graphics card you have. A faster card might draw something faster than a slower mainstream or entry level card, meaning that even some Office software might perform better if you have a faster 3D card.

Still, you don’t have to worry much as Longhorn is not expected until late 2006 anyway, so take your time. I bet that graphic vendors adore Longhorn and cannot wait to see it.

I think this sucks. I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft gets in the Video Card business now, either.

Maybe, since all newer computers will have to have a good video card, this will make costs go down. I doubt it though.

I don't understand the advantage of "3D menu's". I am sure they will include "classic" modes with thier new software ... so maybe I am bitching about nothing, since every game released on the PC requires a 100 dollar video card anyways.

 

[Tenacious-V]

It's no big deal. Minimum GPU card you'll need will be ATi Radeon 9500 and up, or equivilent nVIDIA card. That's been out for like 2 years now basically, and you've still got a solid year plus to go before Longhorn comes out, and even then you're not required to use Longhorn so what's the fuss?

By then tons of ppl will want to or have already upgraded. Technology won't stop going just cause ppl don't wanna buy a new GFX card.

 

[human5892]

I think this is pretty old news that probably should've gone in the OT anyway.

And yeah, in all likelihood you'll have the option of toning down a lot of Longhorn's effects if you don't have the hardware to back it up. Then again, unless MS stops supporting XP, I'm not sure why you'd want to put Longhorn on your current system to begin with.

 

[Stinkles]

Plus, this is a games site. If you have a PC and no graphics card, this should really go under a Linux troll on Slashdot. 2D and 3D as graphics terminologies are irrelvant now. All display tech should include 3D capability.

 

[element]

it isn't 3D like Johnny Mnemonic or something. Pretty much the 3D desktop allows the unification of DirectX based apps and 2D apps. Like when you alt-tab out of a game to desktop the entire rendering pipeline has to 'reset', in longhorn the game could technically just fade to you desktop.

 

[teiresias]

It's been known for a while that the next Windows would require a 3D accelerator hasn't it? In any case, there are already embedded graphic solutions that meet the requirements. Intel just upgraded their mobo-embedded graphics chipset to meet the requirements, so it's not like you'll be forced to get a super-duper 3D accelerator or anything.

 

[wazoo]

they will also require a sound card.

 

[xsarien]

On one hand, it's stupid, as someone who just wants throw together a cheap, Longhorn box to act as some kind of uber-server will NEED to get a 3D card. On the other, it's getting a little hard to find dedicated 2D cards these days, so it may not be so much a requirement as it is an inevitability of where the video card industry is going.

they will also require a sound card.

Eh, you show me a motherboard that doesn't have SOME kind of onboard audio these days, and I'll show you a motherboard that was either manufactured before '95, or is probably a little too sketchy for its own good.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Eh, you show me a motherboard that doesn't have SOME kind of onboard sound these days, and I'll show you a motherboard that was either manufactured before '95, or is probably a little too sketchy for its own good.

considering most cheapo motherboards have onboard video chipsets instead of an AGP port it's not that big of a deal and like some one allready said intel allready updated their onboard chip to meet this and Im sure others will have too

it really isnt that big of a deal at all

 

[koam]

Yeah this is old, it's going to suck for my laptop though.

 

[borghe]

so wait a minute... when longhorn comes out we will be FORCED to use 3D accelerator cards that are at most 4 years old at that time and will probably sell for under $20 and included in all new PCs minimum!?!?!?!?!?!?

bastards.

seriously.. Raedon 9500 level of performance is like $80 right now.. in 2006, $40 will likely get you a card twice as fast as a Raedon 9500... this is a moot point.

Yeah this is old, it's going to suck for my laptop though.

but that is like worrying that your laptop from 1999 is unable to run Windows XP... with laptops, at somepoint you just need to move on.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Oh crap .. it looks like I made a "junior member post".


::hangs his head in shame::

 

[koam]

but that is like worrying that your laptop from 1999 is unable to run Windows XP... with laptops, at somepoint you just need to move on.

Except that I bought my laptop 2 weeks ago and it's new, you'd think it would last a few years. I hope longhorn has a 2d clascic shell.

 

[tedtropy]

Longhorn is quite a ways off. By the point that it actually comes out, if your computer doesn't have a basic, cheap DX9-compatible 3D accelerator, it's either time for a definite upgrade or time to switch to Linux. It's not really a big deal.

 

[Brofist]

Longhorn is quite a ways off. By the point that it actually comes out, if your computer doesn't have a basic, cheap DX9-compatible 3D accelerator, it's either time for a definite upgrade or time to switch to Linux. It's not really a big deal.

yeah really. my circa 1998 PC would probably have run Longhorn, probably would have needed more than 128MB of memory though hehe.

 

[Tiktaalik]

OS X users to Windows users: Welcome to the year 2000. Oh wait Longhorn isn't due until 2006 at the earliest. :lol

 

[rahxephon03x]

I remember reading that there would be two versions of Longhorn. One for low end cards support and another for high end cards such PCI Express.

 

[tedtropy]

OS X users to Windows users: Welcome to the year 2000. Oh wait Longhorn isn't due until 2006 at the earliest. :lol

Shut up and go play Half Life 2 already. Oh, wait, god, I'm so sorry. Troll elsewhere, see the thread title, it says 'Winders'. WINNNNDERS.

 

[akascream]

I don't see the point.

 

[KeithFranklin]

Except that I bought my laptop 2 weeks ago and it's new, you'd think it would last a few years. I hope longhorn has a 2d clascic shell.

And your laptop doesnt have a 3D chipset?

 

[Tiktaalik]

In case anyone is wondering why Longhorn needs a 3d accellerator, the movie (click where it says on the main image) on this webpage shows alot of the graphical features that are possible if the OS uses the GPU.

 

[borghe]

Except that I bought my laptop 2 weeks ago and it's new, you'd think it would last a few years. I hope longhorn has a 2d clascic shell.

your two week old laptop doesn't have a 3d chipset in it?? wtf? did we warp back to 1998???

 

[borghe]

In case anyone is wondering why Longhorn needs a 3d accellerator, the movie (click where it says on the main image) on this webpage shows alot of the graphical features that are possible if the OS uses the GPU.

windowned!!!!

:lol

 

[Zilch]

it isn't 3D like Johnny Mnemonic or something. Pretty much the 3D desktop allows the unification of DirectX based apps and 2D apps. Like when you alt-tab out of a game to desktop the entire rendering pipeline has to 'reset', in longhorn the game could technically just fade to you desktop.

Whoa, that sounds sweet. I had been wondering what the advantage was too.

 

[wazoo]

Download DesktopX for XP and you will have all of these tonight on Windows.

I have all of these kind of widgets (and more) running on my PC.

And you are pretty naive to consider that Quartz Extreme is at the same level as Avalon (the 3D GDI of LH).

EDIT : this is not a critic of Tiger, considering LH will not be available before 2006.

 

[Rahul]

I don't see the point.

The point, as far as I can tell and have read up on, is that high-intensity graphics operations will no longer be handled by the CPU, as the OS will just send a request for any OS-related image data to the video card, which will return the calculated image to the CPU for display. That way you don't suffer performance from, say, having a lot of graphic memory being used in Photoshop, etc. I think that's a cool (and by now, necessary) improvement for an OS to have. It's stupid that drawing windows and interfaces becomes such an abysmally slow thing in XP after you have a bunch of shit open for a while, and hopefully Longhorn will solve that.

As far as I know, OS X already has solved that, but there you go.

 

[wazoo]

As far as I know, OS X already has solved that, but there you go.

OSX is ahead of XP in that category, but there still so much more to do, as you will see in LH and maybe the next releases (after Tiger) of OSX.