Windows 7 in 3 weeks & Next Generation Graphics Cards now. What can we expect?

The following is a copy of a Live Chat session I just had:

Thank you for contacting Second Life Live Chat support! An agent will be with you in a moment.

Junko: Hello Elli_Beliveau Beliveau, thank you for contacting Linden Lab Support. How can I help you today?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Hi there. My last computer finally fried so I need to buy a new computer ASAP. But I know that Windows 7 is coming out in 3 weeks. Also, all the graphics cards available in teh Dell Series I was considering -appear- to far exceed even recommended specs. Will SL be supported on Windows & and higher graphics cards?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Here's the link to the Dell's I was looking at: http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desktops/desktop -studioxps-435mt/pd.aspx?refid=desktop-studioxps-435mt&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=mn

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: on Windows 7*

Junko: If it's too advanced then it's still in testing and it may not work Elli. We can't gurantee that.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: might not work at all?

Junko: Might not work, if it's not listed on the system requirements we can't gurantee.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Well, you haven't updated the system prequirements in a long time.

Junko: You can try it but we can't gurantee anything if it's not listed there.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: And Windows 7 has been coming for a long time now. Are you saying that you haven't been planning for it?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: When people first changed to Vista, were they unable to run SL for a while?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Is it in the loop of fixes to come?

Junko: It's not officially supported yet. We are working on it but I can't tell you when it will be supported.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: meanwhile, your system requirements for graphics cards are several generations behind now.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: you don't even have GeForce 9000 series there.. and they have moved on to a whole new naming system now

Junko: As I have mentioned before those ones are the ones that work with Second Life at this moment and it will be updated when it changes.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: I am not even looking at "gaming" computers now.. this is just the mid-range

Junko: Elli, all I can say is that we can't gurantee anything if it's not listed on the system requirements.

Junko: If you would like to put your comment about this to Lindens you will have to submit a ticket and Lindens will review this issue.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: What I am asking is... You are the tech support guy, right? Is this in the "known issues" or not?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: So you are not a Linden tech?

Junko: We are working on it but it's not official yet so I can't say much about it ok>

Junko: ?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Very disappointing. I find it hard to believe that I am suddenly going from being the least technically up to date to being the first to even discuss the impending upgrade necessity.

Junko: We are Linden tech but if you would like to put this comment on this issue it will be escalated to our senior technicians who are working on this issue.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: May I post this on the forums?

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: I will do that too, I guess. That is not something you can do? Sure would be helpful. Seems the sort of thing that is usually done when talking to customer service elsewhere.. i.e. "I'll make sure our technicians get this information." etc.

Elli_Beliveau Beliveau: Thank you for your help anyway though. I will see what I can do myself to make sure this gets the attention it apparently needs. Have a nice night.

I'm running Windows7x64-RC on an Nvidia GTX295... When I first set up, I was seeing crashes and one BSOD due to the beta drivers I was running. (>_<

Now that the final Nvidia forceware drivers have come out, what I see so far is stability to perfection and no lag on me. (^_^)

Not only will SL run on Win7... But, it will run VERY well on Win7x64 in spades. (^_^)y

Yes, some of them. That's how you tell the pioneers. By the arrows stuck in them.

I was able to do this:



On my old 8600GT cards with a decent FPS for each window... If I tried that in XP, it would have locked up by window #4. (^_^)y

SL runs great under the Windows 7 x64 RC for me.

All I'd say is if you're going to spend the bucks for a really good computer, get a really good Nvidia graphics adapter to go with it. A GTS250 at least, or any of the GTX200 series.

I'm running an Nvidia GTX 260m on a quadcore laptop with Win7 64 bit. Works great. Vista required a whole new driver architecture, which led to many incompatibility issues. Win7 drivers are not very different from Vista, so existing drivers work. This should be a much smoother transition.

Windows 7 is little more than "Vista Fixed".

To the OP. I see where the Live Chat tech you spoke to would be hesitant about telling you that Windows 7 would work with any graphics card not already tested by LL on that operating system. That OS is not even officially released yet. And all the new cards coming out almost daily from the video card manufacturers take time to be tested. If you think any company can keep up with that you're dreaming.

I can see the uproar if that tech had told you "Yeah, absolutely that computer and the card would work beautifully for SL.........go for it". Then you have problems.......driver, setup, borked dll's, failed network connectiong. All sorts of problems due to almost anything.........and you would hold him responsible. Or, at least, the tech thinks that's a possibility..........and it is.

As far as I can tell you shouldn't have any problems. But..........there is always a but. It's a new operating system (prone to the same problems as any new software.......bugs), the video card is new (also prone to the same problems). Asking Linden Lab to put their stamp of approval on it is asking too much. If you are the pioneering type the go for it.......if not stick to the tried and proven.

CPU: AMD (Unknown model) (3000 MHz)
Memory: 8192 MB
OS Version: Professional (Build 7100)
Graphics Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 295/PCI/SSE2
OpenGL Version: 3.1.0

Gets the Immy Seal Of Approval©®™ from me. (^_^)y

LOL, no wonder you can't work out who's alt's are yours

I'd skip Vista, although SL was the only program that did run sucessfully on Vista for me, before I got the sh&ts with it and got rid of it.

Windows 7 development was pushed hard in the very early days of Vista, so I suspect MS realised they couldn't fix Vista and it was going to be a Lemon.

Hi Eli,

Like you, I've noticed that that System Specification hasn't changed in the 2.5 years I've been in SL. And fwiw, last year, after I upgraded my video card with disappointing results, I had virtually the same response from both live support and I have submitted tickets and gotten the virtually that same response again. I'm sure that someone at Linden is directing this canned reponse and it is really frustrating.

******

I'm not technically savvy about gaming computers, but I'd like to buy a Dell XPS 360 with Intel 2 core E8400 (3.0 ghz) with 2gb mem. I'll settle for Vista until Linden supports Win 7. Here are my choices for video card:
* nVidia GeForce GTS240 1024mb
* CrossFireX, dual ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024mb (i'm partial against ATI)

******

Can anyone tell me if either Dell configuration will work with Second Life?

Skip the dual graphic card setup unless you have a top shelf sytem running top shelf applications, you won't pick the difference running something like SL vs just a good single graphics card. the more oddball you get from staying similar to what 80% of users are using the more problems you will have.
A 240 will be a really common graphics card around for a long time though it may be a bit overkill for that system, a 1Gb 9800 would probably perform just as good, especially on SL.
I'm not overly fond of Dells myself. But if you get good specs maybe it will be ok, from what I've seen Dells aren't good long term computers, work replace a lot of them regularly that are just doing office tasks.

The GTS240 is pretty much a 9800GT.

Thanks guys,

I feel much more confident with your replies.

Knowing that the GTS240 has been "around for awhile" is very good to know, especially when you explain that it is basically a 9800GT.

The two vid cards i listed are the only ones that come "stock" with the Dells, and I really perfer to get the Dell support package. I'm not in love with Dell, but I have a lot of Dell stuff including a new monitor.

I still wish the Lindens would make this whole selection process easier. I couldn't even get the tech support to advise me. /me shakes her head and roles her eyes.

Thanks once again guys