OpenGL

[chang2]

Hi,
Theres 2 cards that I want to buy. They are similar but ones says :
3D API
DirectX 10.1
OpenGL 2.0

the other :
DirectX 10.1
Open GL 3.0

Is OpenGL 3.0 an important upgrade from 2.0?

thanks

[MpG]

You'd have to say which cards they are. OpenGL 3.0 is basically synonymous with DX10, I believe (aside from not needing Vista), so I'd be a little surprised to see something that's DX10.1 compliant, but only supports OGL 2.0.

[JD]

I'm fairly sure OpenGL 3.0 was mainly just a driver update on most cards.

[rjbarker]

"Bob Zone question"...what exactly does "Open GL" mean..refer to...yes I know related to GPU Drivers but .....? Always wondered this..never asked.....oooops..

[JD]

Originally Posted by rjbarker

"Bob Zone question"...what exactly does "Open GL" mean..refer to...yes I know related to GPU Drivers but .....? Always wondered this..never asked.....oooops..

It's like DirectX, only...uhh...different? More used for rendering things I believe, not so much in gaming. Back in the ol' days games used it though.

[MpG]

You still see some indy games using it at times, I know.

[belgolas]

In translation it is Open Graphics Library. There is also OpenAL which is Open Audio Library. Those are the 2 main ones that you would see. OpenGL is just an API like DX but IMO behind DX especially DX11. That is probably why most games don't use it.

More on OpenGL OpenGL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The latest is OpenGL 3.2

[rjbarker]

Thnkas folks...I remember some of my old games had the option under video settings to choose OpenGL or DX....think one em was the original Quake...

Cheers