GPU target?

Hi,

I didn’t know where to put this message as I see it more like a poll to give some info about the GPU targets of your current projects.

On my side, I’m not longer working on software development but research so I can target GeForce 8 only with all extensions possible to maximize fun. I’m also using Direct3D 9 in a very programmable way time to time. For my personal project it’s quite the same but + Direct3D 10.

1 year ago, I used to work on a software that was targeting OpenGL 1.1 … nVidia, ATI, Intel chips and even Windows software mode … The project is currently moving in two types of renderer: one based on the fixed pipeline for compatibility and one based on the programmable pipeline. Some feature were targeting GeForce 6 and Radeon X1*** but with compatibility patch until OpenGL 1.1.

personally i always target the fastest current gen(at the start of the project) since once it’s released there is a pretty decent amount of users with the right hardware.
Though i do stuff that generally requires a lot of power even at the lowest settings.
Some of my research prototypes use things that isn’t even possible to run decently on next gen hardware.
But that’s what i do.

GF8500 and RHD2400 minimum. ATi codepath uses gimped-down GLSL, if implemented at all. nV codepath uses NV_*_program4

For commercial apps (only 2D GUI, no fancy 3D): anything that supports basic FBO, basic ARB shaders, rectangle-textures. (R9550+, GF6100+, GMA X3100+)

Since almost a year ago, users can’t buy anything older than GF8x00 and RHD2x00. (well, there are some Rx1x00 sold for peanuts). And notebooks with older GMA - if things don’t run at all for them (as always), provide MESA (make a fake stub opengl32.dll) … Those old GMAs practically don’t do 3D anyway (be it DX or GL).

My target: basically GF8x00; but with the way the GL spec is quickly incorporating NV’s extensions as core and that AMD/ATI is devoting more to their GL implementation than before, in theory in a year or so ATI’s will also be on the target list via GL core only.

GEForce 8800, lowest supported cards are non-legacy ATI SM3 (X2xxx) and NVidia SM3 (GEForce 6xxx, I think?). But the GEForce 8 series is the first one with enough power to really use, so I wonder sometimes why I bother with SM3 cards.