Whenever I start the game, it lets me know that I have Direct3D9 & I need to switch to Direct3D11. I am using the video on the motherboard rather than a dedicated video card. Do I have to purchase a new video card or is this a preferences switch in-game but still using my old hardware?
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You should be able to look in your device manager and see what type of video card/chip you're using. If you can post that information then it will be a lot easier to answer your question.
They have just recently added the warnings to the game so that folks have a heads-up about the changes coming.
And yes you might have to upgrade to a newer vid-card by that time.
If you know them, post your current vid-card stats in this thread...
http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1225790/updated-system-requirements-for-star-trek-online/p1
... and somebody there will let ya know if you do need an upgrade.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
DAC Type is Integrated RAMDAC
4069 Mb video memory
Direct3D accelerators enabled
Please advise if I need a stand-alone card or will I be unable to play after March?
What is your budget? In the USA, for $115-120 you can get a GTX 1050 that is much much much much much faster than that GTS 250. If you make sure to get a normal one it does not need an extra power connector (no 6-pin connection).
This assumes you have a motherboard from this decade that has a PCI-E slot, and that your case has room for the graphics card. Check that before buying! Also even though this is a low-power card you should have a decent 300 watt power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125919&cm_re=gtx_1050-_-14-125-919-_-Product
Other options would be something like a used nvidia 750ti
That's a nice card, but does require a better power supply with the extra power connectors for video cards.
If the system is really old it might just be time to replace it all. That will cost a lot more than a used 750ti of course.
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
You will not need a new Graphics Card, no.
You could get a performance boost by upgrading, but it is not required to keep playing STO.
Having said that, if you want to use the Light 2.0 effects in the game then you will need to upgrade to a modern GPU that supports DirectX 11 since I believe DirectX 11 is a requirement to use those effects.
DirectX 10 was kinda like an orphaned child, not many game developers adopted it for their games.
That's right people. Before you get too far into upgrading your computer, make sure you have the game set to run on Direct3D 11 in the Video tab of Options.
Good point, I got that warning too and I have a GTX 980ti from last year.
The lighting effects are supported by Direct X 10. Direct X 11 is only available with Windows 10, so if the lighting options required Direct X 11 then they would only work for users running Windows 10. There are currently no games outside of XBox Play Anywhere games that require Direct X 11.
What the game uses is Direct 3D 11 which is different from Direct X. Direct 3D 11 should not require most people to upgrade Video Cards, but it does require Windows 7 or newer. The pop up message telling players to upgrade Video Cards is somewhat inaccurate since the user could simply need to change settings as mentioned before. I have a GTX 1080, if I launch the game in Direct 3D 9 mode, it will pop up and tell me that my $700 graphics card needs to be upgraded. You would honestly have a very hard time finding a Video Card, even an on board chip that was made in the last 6 years that won't run Direct 3D 11. Direct 3D 11 has been in use since 2011.
As long as the OP is running Win 7 or later, he can use all the lighting effects on his current card. The card is a little dated, but honestly should be fine for most content that STO has to offer. STO isn't all that hard on the GPU.
I'm hoping to upgrade to GTX 750 when I get my tax return in January 2017.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
While it's always a good idea to keep your video card drivers up to date, you shouldn't have to, no.
As for the GTX 1050, it's a solid card, but I would consider going just a few bucks more on the 1050Ti. Either one is a significant upgrade. And yes, all newer cards like the GTX 1050 work in the PCI-E x16 slot. You should be able to just plug it in, install your driver and enjoy.
That's a great deal, congrats!
The GTX 970 is a stellar card, that should last quite a few years.
STO is 6 years old and doesn't do anything overly fancy in terms of graphics. Depends if you play anything else and want those games to have good settings also.
If all you play is STO and a few oldish MMO's i'd not recommend buying a massive $200+ card as it's utterly excessive for what you need.
Remember a super powerful card will potentially need a better power supply and it'll also need mobo that can support it plus a case with room & cooling suitable for the heat, so if you're not careful you could end up with costs spiraling out of control
That said my card will run Skyrim on max, and GTA V pretty darned high as well, so you can go quite high in terms of settings without anything too pricey.
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
The pop-up window could be more helpful in this instance, as it simply tells you D3D9 will no longer be supported and you won't be able to play the game. Panic mode ensues, and they fail to mention that if you simply go in game and change one setting FROM WHAT IT WAS SET TO AS DEFAULT your issues may be over.
This is great advice, the pop up window is misleading. It automatically assumes that the problem is your video card when it could be as simple as changing one drop down box in your settings.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your new PC.
Either that or the option to choose between DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 will be removed. Players with only DirectX 10 GPUs will simply not have the ability to activate Lighting 2.0
As I said before, you don't need a new card.
The problem here is people are muddying things up by confusing terminology.
Direct X is not the same as Direct 3D. These are two entirely different applications and Direct X has nothing to do with this issue.*
The game currently offers 2 options Direct 3D 9 and Direct 3D 11. They are dropping support for Direct 3D version 9. Again, this has nothing to do with Direct X, this is not the same thing.
While the game runs on Direct X 11, you're fine running a DX10 card. DX11 offers a few little extra options that aren't really all that significant anyway. If you run the game on a DX10 card it simply won't use the DX11 options. They are not changing the games Direct X version, if your card can run it now, you can run it in March. They are changing the Direct 3D version which is something different. The only real concern is to people running Operating Systems older then Windows 7 since Direct 3D version 11 requires Windows 7 or later.
Again, your card is fine. You may upgrade if you wish, but it's purely optional.
*Disclaimer: There are actually relations between Direct 3D and DirectX but they aren't relevant to this particular issue.
ummm you'd need a new OS... your OS doesnt do DX10 or higher. Might just buy a new PC with Win10... it should have a better vid card or chipset than what you have now.
edit: your using win7 so you should be fine and not get any message about dx9... is your drivers current and do you have dx11 selected? you shouldnt see that message if your set up right.
Direct3D is a subset of DirectX. Direct3D refers specifically to the graphics portion of DirectX. Therefore, when speaking about graphics, stating "DirectX 11" is synomous with stating "Direct3D 11". When shopping around for a graphics card, if you look at the specifications it will state "DirectX" instead of "Direct3D". For example, according to the specs of the following GTX 1060 desktop GPU, it is listed as "DirectX 12" under the 3D API section, not "Direct3D 12".
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261
From a consumer / average person perspective the terms are interchangeable. From a programming prespective , yes you need to be specific if you are focusing on a specific aspect of the program.
DirectX is basically a collection of APIs (application program interface) which includes the following:
Direct3D
DirectDraw
DirectMusic
DirectPlay
DirectSound
I'm aware of all that, but using the two terms interchangeably muddies the waters. Especially in this case where the Direct 3D version is changing and not the Direct X version. The only thing that's being changed in this case is the drop in support for Direct 3D version 9, there is nothing changing with Direct X.
I put in the 'disclaimer' because I had a feeling someone would say something like this. The fact is though that in this case it's irrelivant. The only thing that's being 'changed' is dropping support for D3D version 9. There is no change in the Direct X Version and nothing that requires most people to get a new graphics card.
The bottom line is that the OP does not need a new graphics card. He is of course, free to upgrade if he wishes, but it's not required and won't be required for the vast majority of the games player base.