PC-Gaming on a 3D TV?

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  • 02-19-2015, 08:32 AM
    Cr1chton
    PC-Gaming on a 3D TV?
    I was thinking of getting a passive 3D TV, and I realized that 3D gaming is a thing. Furthermore, in my Nvidia Control Panel I have the option for stereoscopic 3D.
    My question is, however, whether it impacts performance any more than just running a game in 1080p.
    Another thing I am uncertain of, is whether a special kind of TV needed for gaming; as in, other than passive 3D.

    I know it splits fps and resolution in two, so I am only going to play games that I am certain my system could run at 1080p, 60fps. Really looking forward to the old Crysis(-es) and Batman: Arkham Asylum/City.
    Prior to getting my hopes up though, I thought it a good idea to get some information from more advanced gamers.

    My rig is:

    Core 2 Duo E7300 2.67 GHz
    4GB RAM
    Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 1 GB GDDR3
    OS: Windows 7 64-bit


    Thanks
  • 02-19-2015, 10:19 AM
    Trunks
    That's a pretty outdated system to be honest, if I were you I'd invest in upgrading it first, there probably isn't very many newer games that you'll be able to run at 60 FPS on low settings.
  • 02-19-2015, 10:31 AM
    ROFLBRYCE
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Trunks View Post
    That's a pretty outdated system to be honest, if I were you I'd invest in upgrading it first, there probably isn't very many newer games that you'll be able to run at 60 FPS on low settings.

    Yeah, unfortunately what Trunks says is true. The minimum requirement for most games nowadays is about your card. The benchmarks I'm finding online are showing 30-45FPS for games like Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3 on high, and up to about 80 on low for those ones. If you're looking at 120+FPS (required to split in half for 3D) at 1080p, you'd need a fairly high end system to play todays games like that. My GTX 760 is dropping from 60 on medium-high settings on The Dying Light, I couldn't imagine hitting a stable 120 on anything but lowest settings on *some* games.

    I'd invest the money into a new PC, and then save up again for a new 3DTV, which will probably have come down in price at least a little bit by that time. Sorry friend :(
  • 02-19-2015, 12:24 PM
    Cr1chton
    Stating my system makes me feel like an ectomorph flexing in front of professional lifters :( I know it is severely outdated, but I am not looking at newer games. I'm thinking about titles south of 2010; after all, I'm not talking serious gaming here - just want the experience.

    Quote:

    I'd invest the money into a new PC, and then save up again for a new 3DTV
    The TV's main purpose will be experiencing movies at a whole new level - gaming would be an accessory. Not to mention I could still use it for 2D gaming.
    Also, a new PC would be entirely for myself, whereas a 3D TV is something for the whole household - so I'm taking the less selfish route.

    Quote:

    The benchmarks I'm finding online are showing 30-45FPS for games like Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3 on high, and up to about 80 on low for those ones
    Well that's odd. I remember playing those games (and many more) with a Geforce 9600 GSO 768 MB (which is objectively weaker than the GTS 250), and getting very smooth framerates at 1080p.
    While I can't be sure if it was over 120fps, as my monitor is 60Hz, I can guarantee that it was a solid 60 fps.
    And none of them were set to low. In fact, it used to run most games at max settings, with the exception of AA and shadows (and in later years, other fancy stuff).
    I was especially proud of Crysis (then) and Batman: Arkham Origins (now).
    So why should the GTS 250 be any less competent?

    btw, Is hitting 120fps an absolute necessity? If the computer can get up to 60, the TV will produce 30fps, right? - Which is still playable.
    Also, resolutions are tweakable; not to mention I am the absolute opposite of a graphics snob. (with my rig I better be, lol)

    What I really want to know is whether the 3D itself puts extra strain on the computer. And whether it works for framerates lower than 120fps.
  • 02-19-2015, 08:50 PM
    ROFLBRYCE
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Cr1chton View Post
    Well that's odd. I remember playing those games (and many more) with a Geforce 9600 GSO 768 MB (which is objectively weaker than the GTS 250), and getting very smooth framerates at 1080p. I was especially proud of Crysis (then) and Batman: Arkham Origins (now).
    So why should the GTS 250 be any less competent?

    The benchmarks I were looking at didn't specify the CPU used and at what speeds, but they did all show at 1080p resolution. There are many different things that could happen in performing them to change the performance, unfortunately I just have google on hand to try and find it out :( I'm not super great with hardware that hasn't come out in the last 2-3 years as I'm fairly new to PC gaming myself, just trying to find what I can!

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Cr1chton View Post
    btw, Is hitting 120fps an absolute necessity? If the computer can get up to 60, the TV will produce 30fps, right? - Which is still playable.
    Also, resolutions are tweakable; not to mention I am the absolute opposite of a graphics snob. (with my rig I better be, lol)

    The only reason I mentioned it hitting was because you said you'd like the games at 1080p 60FPS in the 3D, which would require 120FPS consistently. From what I could find scrounging around, you'd really be pushing on some of the games closer to 2010-2012 to be hitting that, but again I just have Google at hand to try and find the information.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Cr1chton View Post
    What I really want to know is whether the 3D itself puts extra strain on the computer. And whether it works for framerates lower than 120fps.

    The 3D itself shouldn't be any different from a regular display. It's not pushing the CPU/GPU to render/process anything faster than normal, it just splits the framerate.(Woops, this piece was wrong. It's like Trunks said, it will require more power but being NVIDIA it shouldn't be too much more.) If you're fine with 24/30FPS (what console games and movies are usually locked to) you only need to be able to get 48/60FPS on your desired graphic quality.Anything lower than 1080p would not look good when rendering the 3D, as the display itself is made to be used at that resolution when producing the 3D effect. This would be like plugging your subwoofer in to the wrong speaker on your home theatre. It would not be doing what it's supposed to and not be near as good. For regular gaming though, lower resolutions would work just fine.


    Hope this helped!
  • 02-19-2015, 10:13 PM
    Trunks
    I mean if you're planning on getting the TV anyway, might as well just get it and plug it in and try it. Only way to really know if games will be playable up to your standards. If it doesn't run smoothly, well you'll still be able to watch 3D movies and TV Shows and can always make upgrades to your PC if desired.

    In theory the way 3D rendering works for PC's is basically twice the frames, 1 set for each eye instead of 1 set for both eyes. This is why it cuts the FPS in half, because it requires twice as much work. The good thing is, you have Nvidia and I know that there 3D Vision is a lot better than what AMD cards have. It actually only cuts your power to 38 percent, instead of actually cutting the power in half. The bad thing is, when you use 3D, yes it does need more power from your other components such as Memory and your CPU, so everything plays into factor. I'm not familiar enough with 3D to know the requirements that you need to run games smoothly.

    Worst case scenario, you could always purchase a 3D tv that has the capability for simulated 3D (I'm sure most if not all of the new ones do by now.) This allows you to turn any game, movie or show you want into 3D. Does it look as good as the real thing? No, not at all. But you can tell a huge difference and is fun to experiment with while watching TV, some shows look really weird with it, others actually turn out quite nice. The Simulated 3D works better on Movies that were filmed with 3D, but you have the 2D version. Makes it easier for the TV to know what is supposed to pop out at you. I assume the same for games, those designed with 3D capabilities will look better than those without. I played MLB The Show 2015 on the PS4 with simulated 3D and it actually surprised me on how good it looked. Again, real 3D looks a lot better than simulated, just some things to keep in mind.
  • 02-21-2015, 12:03 PM
    Cr1chton
    Quote:

    The only reason I mentioned it hitting was because you said you'd like the games at 1080p 60FPS in the 3D
    No, not at all. What I meant was 'games that run at 1080p 60fps in 2D'. And consequently, whether the 3D would additionally burden the system - which I now learn that it does. Hopefully 38% will not be enough to incapacitate Batman: Arkham City to 30-. As I assume it is the type of game that looks best in 3D.


    Quote:

    Anything lower than 1080p would not look good when rendering the 3D
    There is a tutorial on Youtube on 'How to Play Games in Real 3D', and the guy plays at 1366x768. It still is 16:9 (as is the TV); so if the option is available, maybe something like 1600x900 wouldn't look too bad.

    Quote:

    The bad thing is, when you use 3D, yes it does need more power from your other components such as Memory and your CPU
    This concerns me. I need to know: Does it also impact the PSU? My PSU is as old as the computer (about 7 years), and it is not one of high quality. Is it at risk of burning out?


    Quote:

    if you're planning on getting the TV anyway, might as well just get it and plug it in and try it
    But doesn't Nvidia charge extra to unlock the option? I'm cautious as I don't want to blow $40 on a feature I could not use.


    Quote:

    you could always purchase a 3D tv that has the capability for simulated 3D
    Yes, that is very good news :D Although I really hope models don't appear as cardboard cutouts popping out of the screen. I believe about every 3D TV I have come across has the 2D to 3D conversion label stamped as a viable selling point. That is excellent news.
    Perhaps it would look good even with very old games; ones unoptimized for 3D. It would be a pleasure to honor the old Jedi Knight series in 3D :)


    Thanks for informative replies
  • 02-24-2015, 08:12 PM
    ROFLBRYCE
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Cr1chton View Post
    This concerns me. I need to know: Does it also impact the PSU? My PSU is as old as the computer (about 7 years), and it is not one of high quality. Is it at risk of burning out?

    But doesn't Nvidia charge extra to unlock the option? I'm cautious as I don't want to blow $40 on a feature I could not use.

    As long as your GPU can handle the CPU/GPU under load, this won't be any different. What wattage is your PSU?

    After looking in to it it looks like you need to purchase "Nvidia 3D Vision" bundle, it's the first I've heard of it. It's required to play 3D games on an Nvidia GPU as it comes with a camera thingy that keeps the glasses in sync with the games refresh rate. So that kind of sucks :/ I've got no idea what AMD does/offers for 3D gaming however.



    edit: Also, it looks like it requires a GEForce GPU, with the bottom line of support being a GT 720. It looks like your card won't be supported for 3D gaming, friend :(

    3DTV System Requirements | NVIDIA
  • 02-25-2015, 10:14 PM
    Trunks
    I didn't realize that a 3DTV was different from 3D vision, guess I need to keep up with the times. Just to be clear though or rather cause more confusion, the requirements fro 3D vision: 3D Vision System Requirements | NVIDIA This is free and doesn't cost any money, I can turn it on my card now ( just tried to make sure ). I'm not quite sure on the specifics for 3D vision, it says it requires a 120Hz 3D display. I would assume that would also mean a TV as well? I would ask on geforce forums, you'll get better responses from people who have actually used it before.

    What I found is 3DTV is the newer version of 3D vision, probably looks a lot better as well. If you look at the GPU's required for 3DTV you'll notice that none of them are on 3D vision, so I'm guessing the support for 3D vision was dropped, but is definitely still usable. I do believe you need the Nvidia 3D glasses for both 3D vision and 3DTV, I don't think 3rd party ones will work. I've honestly been scratching my head at this for 30 minutes now. Not finding a whole lot of answers anywhere. When ever I search 3D vision on 3D TV's, pages come up talking about the 3DTV software and not that actual 3D TV's. It's driving me crazy and I'm giving up.

    What I would do if I were you is once you get the TV, I'd to plug it in to your GPU and turn on your 3D vision (It's under "stereoscopic 3D" in the nvidia Control Panel, It should bring up a setup wizard) and just see what happens. Remember not all games are supported with 3D, so be sure to check that. Start up a game that supports 3D and if it gets fuzzy and the game is still running smooth enough to play, it's working time to get some glasses. Sorry I can't be much help, people on GeForce forums can probably give you some solid answers.

    To answer your other question, your PSU should be fine. It may pull some extra watts from it since you're GPU is going to be running a little harder than normal, I wouldn't worry about it though.

    And as for the card board cut out part of the simulated 3D, I've never played a game in 3D before, so my mind was pretty blown when I saw it and we only played a few games. So my memory could be exagerated, but I thought it looked good for not actually being 3D
  • 02-27-2015, 02:40 PM
    Cr1chton
    Quote:

    Also, it looks like it requires a GEForce GPU, with the bottom line of support being a GT 720
    As best exclaimed by James Rofle: Now That's Bull****. The GT 720 is not even better than the GTS 250. They have an inferior card that is compatible simply because it is newer >:(

    Quote:

    It looks like your card won't be supported for 3D gaming, friend
    Not quite, though. I do have the option for stereoscopic 3D in my Nvidia Control Panel, and the GTS 250 was/is advertised as viable for stereoscopic 3D gaming - it is compatible with 3D Vision.


    PSU specifications are not always reliable - not with ****brand units, that is. I was worried because I remember upon upgrading from the 9600 GSO to the GTS 250, my computer got slower at startup. Everyone mentioned the PSU as a possible culprit; I just didn't give a **** back then. Hopefully it won't give me any now.


    Yes, I will probably head for the Nvidia forums. Especially as I had no idea about any extra hardware (special glasses included); I just thought it was the ones that came with the TV. It seems to work for this guy (and it looks so simple):

    How to play games in real 3D with Nvidia GFX card+any 3D TV monitor - YouTube


    Anyway, there is always simulated 3D. As well as 1080p 2D on a big screen. I think I'll manage gamingwise :)
    Thanks for the help.


    ps: How the frell is Dead Space not compatible with 3D?! And Road to Hell: Retribution offers Exceptional Quality - wtf :shocked:

    pps: I hadn't repped anyone because I was unaware of the feature's meaning. My, my look at the time *it's rep o'clock*

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