The purpose of this thread is to compile the information from the many video card related threads. The video requirements has lead to a good deal of confusion, especially concerning the elusive T+L item. Hopefully this thread will provide quick answers. Thanks to all contributors.
Requirements
T+L = Transform and lighting for future reference.
Minimum Requirements: Video 64MB T+L (GeForce2/Radeon7500 or better)
Recommended Requirements: Video 128MB pixel & vertex shaders
Civ4 uses a true 3d engine (Gamebryo), hence the additional requirements over Civ3.
How to Check
To identify your current card: Control Panel/ Display/ Settings/ Advanced/ Adaper/ Properties. You should see a model number at least. There may also be details for resolutions, graphic chip family, memory, and location. You may not actually have a seperate video card if the chips are on the main board (on-board graphics).
There is an online tool here that is associated with GameSpy. This may simply be a lookup using information available from your system, as opposed to a real diagnostic.
Once you know your card specifics then you can check it here: Video Card Specs
These properties are equivalent to T+L:
Vertex shader version (best) = Not Null (-)
Overall DirectX level = 7 (or better)
Some intel chipsets are not listed. You can find more on those here. Unfortunately, NO Intel graphics supports T+L.
Also you can compare to the games you know you can run, especially 3d real-time games. The 3d engine is reported to be the same as in Pirates, so that is a dead giveaway. Any recent 3d game where you can change perspective and zoom in with detail should be a good sign, though not proof that your video card is doing all the work.
Your dxdiag includes some 3d diagnostics. Simply run the command 'dxdiag', go to the Display tab and click Test Direct3D. If you don't see a spinning cube then you have problems. Also, the first dxdiag page will show your main board make and model, which is good for looking up docs.
AGP users - you may not be getting the benefit of the AGP slot if the main board AGP drivers are not installed. Look in your device manager under system devices for something like 'processor to AGP controller'.
Picking a New Card
Be advised there is a good chance you can play Civ4 without T+L, assuming you pass the other requirements. You may simply have slower gameplay and/or less graphic details. There are Pirates players who are getting by without a T+L enabled video card.
To upgrade, the first thing you need to know is what card your main board can handle. The vendor documentation is the definitive source. Getting details on your current card is useful for reference. Also, it is a good idea to open your case.
If you open your case and do not see that your monitor cable plugged into a card then you have on-board chips. You may not be able to use a new card, especially if it's a laptop or there is no available slot. Check your docs.
There are 3 types of slots - AGP, PCI, and PCIe. PCIe is the latest, so if you have a PCIe card then your are fine. You probably have an AGP and several PCI slots. The AGP is shorter that the PCI slots, and there will be only one. There are versions of PCI, but it looks to be stable at 2.0.
AGP version is the next consideration. AGP 2 takes 2x/4x cards and AGP 3 takes 4x/8x cards. They are suppose to be backward compatible, but you may not want to pay for 8x when you only can use 2x. Your doc is the best and last source. If you have details on your current card then you know what works. Top of the line AGP cards need 4x minimum.
Once you know your slot (and AGP version when AGP) then it is a matter of matching cards to these and the game requirements.
Recommended Cards
There are many video card vendors, but they all use special graphic processor chips (GPU). Here is an excellent reference for all makes group by GPU type.
Video Card Specs
These properties are equivalent to T+L:
Vertex shader version (best) = Not Null (-)
Overall DirectX level = 7 (or better)
Buying a Card
Choose your favorite pc hardware store and decide how much you want to spend. Find the card that fits your PC, has 32MB+ and T+L, and not too expensive.
Online vendors: NewEgg, Frys, CompUSA
Proof that it can be cheap: $40 for ATI Radeon 8500 - AGPx2/x4, 64M, DirectX8
Edits: Many edits as needed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Requirements
T+L = Transform and lighting for future reference.
Minimum Requirements: Video 64MB T+L (GeForce2/Radeon7500 or better)
Recommended Requirements: Video 128MB pixel & vertex shaders
Civ4 uses a true 3d engine (Gamebryo), hence the additional requirements over Civ3.
How to Check
To identify your current card: Control Panel/ Display/ Settings/ Advanced/ Adaper/ Properties. You should see a model number at least. There may also be details for resolutions, graphic chip family, memory, and location. You may not actually have a seperate video card if the chips are on the main board (on-board graphics).
There is an online tool here that is associated with GameSpy. This may simply be a lookup using information available from your system, as opposed to a real diagnostic.
Once you know your card specifics then you can check it here: Video Card Specs
These properties are equivalent to T+L:
Vertex shader version (best) = Not Null (-)
Overall DirectX level = 7 (or better)
Some intel chipsets are not listed. You can find more on those here. Unfortunately, NO Intel graphics supports T+L.
Also you can compare to the games you know you can run, especially 3d real-time games. The 3d engine is reported to be the same as in Pirates, so that is a dead giveaway. Any recent 3d game where you can change perspective and zoom in with detail should be a good sign, though not proof that your video card is doing all the work.
Your dxdiag includes some 3d diagnostics. Simply run the command 'dxdiag', go to the Display tab and click Test Direct3D. If you don't see a spinning cube then you have problems. Also, the first dxdiag page will show your main board make and model, which is good for looking up docs.
AGP users - you may not be getting the benefit of the AGP slot if the main board AGP drivers are not installed. Look in your device manager under system devices for something like 'processor to AGP controller'.
Picking a New Card
Be advised there is a good chance you can play Civ4 without T+L, assuming you pass the other requirements. You may simply have slower gameplay and/or less graphic details. There are Pirates players who are getting by without a T+L enabled video card.
To upgrade, the first thing you need to know is what card your main board can handle. The vendor documentation is the definitive source. Getting details on your current card is useful for reference. Also, it is a good idea to open your case.
If you open your case and do not see that your monitor cable plugged into a card then you have on-board chips. You may not be able to use a new card, especially if it's a laptop or there is no available slot. Check your docs.
There are 3 types of slots - AGP, PCI, and PCIe. PCIe is the latest, so if you have a PCIe card then your are fine. You probably have an AGP and several PCI slots. The AGP is shorter that the PCI slots, and there will be only one. There are versions of PCI, but it looks to be stable at 2.0.
AGP version is the next consideration. AGP 2 takes 2x/4x cards and AGP 3 takes 4x/8x cards. They are suppose to be backward compatible, but you may not want to pay for 8x when you only can use 2x. Your doc is the best and last source. If you have details on your current card then you know what works. Top of the line AGP cards need 4x minimum.
Once you know your slot (and AGP version when AGP) then it is a matter of matching cards to these and the game requirements.
Recommended Cards
There are many video card vendors, but they all use special graphic processor chips (GPU). Here is an excellent reference for all makes group by GPU type.
Video Card Specs
These properties are equivalent to T+L:
Vertex shader version (best) = Not Null (-)
Overall DirectX level = 7 (or better)
Buying a Card
Choose your favorite pc hardware store and decide how much you want to spend. Find the card that fits your PC, has 32MB+ and T+L, and not too expensive.
Online vendors: NewEgg, Frys, CompUSA
Proof that it can be cheap: $40 for ATI Radeon 8500 - AGPx2/x4, 64M, DirectX8
Edits: Many edits as needed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
