Even if you have big computer with huge amounts of RAM and CPU power you might not be able to play demanding 3D games if you have an Intel 900 GMA graphics with 192 MB of memory or 950 GMA graphics with 256 MB of memory. Memory is only one thing, there are few more things that your graphic chip or graphic card must have.
Features of a graphics chip and card
* 3D Accelaration
* Video Memory
* Pixel Shader
* Vertex Shader; either Software Vertex Shaders or Hardware Vertex Shaders
* Hardware Transform And Lighting
* Hardware Rasterizing
The features of the 900 GMA (915 motherboard) and 950 GMA (945 motherboard) graphics chipsets
* 3D Acceralation: Yes
* Video Memory: 192 MB For 900 GMA And 256 MB For 950 GMA
* Pixel Shader: 2.0
* Vertex Shader: 3.0 (It features a Software Vertex Shader)
* Hardware Rasterising: Yes
* Hardware Transform & Lighting: No ( Usually provided by the CPU or 3D Analyze could be used)
So all in all the requiered features are satisfied for the games Of 2006-2008 era, except one where 915 or 945 fails. These games require hardware Vertex Shaders and the 915 Or 945 Chipsets only features Software Vertex Shaders.
List of games support by Intel GMA 900, GMA 950, 915 or 945 GL/GV/GM Based Chipsets and workaround solutions in order to get the games working using Intel GMA 900, GMA 950, 915 or 945 GL/GV/GM hardware.
Most of the solutions requires 3D Analyze, which is a powerful application that allows to play many DirectX based games using video hardware officially unsupported and theoretically unable to run these.
3D Analyze can be downloaded here.
Some solutions require a software based shader. One solution was to use swShader, which was the precursor to TransGaming’s SwiftShader software 3D rasterizer. However it is no longer available from SourceForge, since it moved into a commercial product. Please see http://www.transgaming.com/products/swiftshader/ for additional info.
Guide to remove annoying logo from Shiftshader.
- Age of empires III + the warchiefs + the asian dynasties
- Age of empires II + The conquerors expansion
- Age of mythology + Titans expansion
- Aggression : Reign Over Europe (Using 3D Analyze, All textures work, but too slow)
- Area 51 (with version 1.2 patch)
- Audiosurf
- Battlefield 1942(full series)
- Beyond good and evil
- Big Mutha Truckers 2
- Blitzkrieg 2 Demo (But NOT the full version of game!)
- Blitzkrieg + All Expansions
- Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
- Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 (3D Analyze)
- Broken Sword: The sleeping Dragon
- Call of Duty
- Call of duty 2 (Windows Vista/7 With 1545 Drivers and Registry Mod)
- Call of Duty: United Offensive
- C&C Generals Zero Hour
- C&C Red Alert 3 (too slow with normal driver, with modded drivers much better)
- Ceasar IV
- Championship Manager 2006
- Championship Manager 2007
- Championship Manager 2008
- Civilization IV
- Clive Barker’s Undying
- Code of honour 2 :conspiracy island (2008)
- Colin Mcrae Rally 04 (update to latest patch for removing graphical issues)
- Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 ( CM 2004 should run, but its seem have black giltches, but its seem a game problem, try a patch).
- Commandos All Versions
- Company of Heros ( laggy even at very low settings )
- Counter-Strike 1.6
- Counter-Strike: Source
- Cricket 2005
- Cricket 2007
- Crysis demo ( 3D Analyze v2.34 by emulating HW T n L)
- Crysis v1.0 ( can run on Vista without 3D Analyze )
- Crysis Warhead(950-modded driver with reg. tweak also works on 3-d analyze)
- Crysis Wars Trial (950 – Modded driver 1554 with registry of “1″ on crysis.exe)
- CSI: 3 Dimensions of murder
- Delta Force: Black Hawk Down
- Delta Force: Team Sabre
- Diablo
- Diablo II (DirectDraw Mode Gives Best Performance)
- Diablo II Lord of Destruction (DirectDraw Mode Gives Best Performance)
- Disciples II
- Divine Divinity
- Doom 3
- Dungeon Lords (with 3D Analyzer, force SW TnL, emulate HW TnL caps)
- Dungeon siege I
- Dungeon Siege II
- Dynasty Warrior 6 : Hyper (Slow but not laggy, haven’t used Swhader or 3D Analyze)
- Earth 2160 (with 3D Analyze, force SW TnL, emulate HW TnL caps)
- Empire Earth II
- Empire Earth III Demo (Shaders set to Medium)
- Enter the matrix
- Europa Universalis 3 (Using Swshader 2.01, need further experiment in config)
- Evil Dead: regeneration
- Fable: The lost chapters
- Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
- Far Cry
- F.E.A.R. Combat (Free multiplayer version)
- F.E.A.R. (patch v1.01 to v1.08 required)
- FIFA 2003
- FIFA 2005
- FIFA 2006
- FIFA 2006 Road to world cup
- FIFA 2007
- FIFA 2008
- FIFA 2009
- FIFA Manager 2006
- FIFA Manager2007
- FIFA Manager 2008
- Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy VIII (If it seems bad or creepy, dont think is the card, this game only run at 640x 480 with bad quality texture)
- Flatout
- FlatOut 2 (With low resolution, it runs without lag)
- Football Manager 2007
- Football Manager 2008
- Football Manager 2009
- Freedom Fighters
- Garry’s Mod
- Grim Fandango (Old, fun game, but requires newest patch, or it will run in hyperspeed.)
- GTA Liberty City
- GTA San Andreas
- GTA Vice city
- Guild Wars
- Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (3D Analyzer v3.25?, v1.3 patch)
- Gun
- Half-Life
- Half-Life 2
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two (950 gma-Vista)
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Halo Custom Edition
- Harry Potter: The Goblet of fire
- Hellgate: London
- Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
- Hitman 3: Contracts
- Hitman 4: Blood Money ( 3D Analyze emulating HW TnL)
- Homeworld 2
- Hulk
- Indigo prophecy (In europe it’s called “Fahrenheit”)
- International Cricket Captain 2008
- Ironman
- Just Cause(3d analyze force htnl antidetect shaders)
- Kill.Switch
- Kohan 2
- Kohan : All the first Kohan
- Land of the Dead: Road to fiddlers green
- Lego Indiana Jones
- Lego Star Wars 2
- Lego Star Wars (With 3D Analyze, emulate HW TnL caps, emulate Pixel Shader Caps)
- Madagascar
- Mafia
- Manhunt
- Matt Hoffman Pro BMX.
- Max Payne 2
- Max Payne ( patch 1.05 to work in xp sp2 )
- Medieval II: Total War
- Megaman X8
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Deluxe version tested)
- Monster Truck Madness 2
- MotoGP 3
- Myst 4: Revelations
- Myst 5: End of ages
- Nancy Drew: The white wolf of icicle creek
- NBA Live 06
- Need for Speed: Carbon ( vista)
- Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Need for Speed Porsche
- Need for Speed: Underground
- Need for Speed: Underground 2
- Neverwinter Nigths 2 ( 3D Analyzer v2.36 by emulating HW TnL – but too low fps on my 192mb 915gl)
- Neverwinter Nigths Diamond Editon
- NHL 2002.
- NiBiRu: Age of secrets
- No One Lives Forever
- No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in a Harms Way
- Onimusha 3 : Demon Siege
- Overlord demo (3D Analyzer v2.34 by emulating HW TnL)
- Overspeed: High performance street racing
- Painkiller ( 3D Analyzer v2.36 by emulating HW TnL)
- Pathologic ( 3D Analyzer v2.36 by emulating HW TnL)
- Perfect World (works on lowest quality for vista.will update if works on xp)
- Pool of Radiance:Ruins of Myth Drannor
- Portal (works without swiftshader using modded driver in vista. Check this video on youtube: Portal on GMA 950
- Prey
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ( 3D Analyzer v2.34 by emulating HW TnL)
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
- Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
- Project IGI 2: Covert Strike
- PSI-OPS: The mindgate conspiracy
- Rayman 2.
- Red Alert 3
- Red Faction 2.
- Rise of Nations 2 Rise of legends
- Rise of Nations + Thrones and Patriots
- Rogue Trooper
- Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 + Expansions
- Rome: Total War
- Runescape: HD (All settings lowered for best performance)
- Sacred
- Sam & Max season 1 and 2
- Serious Sam II
- Ship Simulator 2006 and add on
- Shogun: Total War
- Sid Meier’s Railroad
- Silent hill 4: The room (with 3D Analyze, emulate HW TnL)
- Silent Hunter 3 (Lags when looking out in the horizont)
- Silent Storm
- SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition
- Sins of solar empire
- Sniper Elite
- Soul reaver 2
- Space Ranger
- Space Ranger 2 : Reboot (The Original Dominator is Playable)
- Spider Man 2
- Splinter Cell 1 (having problems with thermal vision .. when i use it the game crashes)
- Splinter cell chaos theory
- Splinter cell pandaro tommorrow
- SPORE™
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadows of Chernobyl (for tweaking http://www.tweakguides.com/STALKER_1.html)
- Star Wars: Empire at war
- Star Wars republic commando
- Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D
- Street Fighter Alpha 2.
- Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People Ep. 1 – 5
- Sudeki
- Supreme Ruler
- Supreme Ruler : Global Crisis
- SWAT 4
- Team Fortress 2 (must use either vista and modded driver or the vertices 1024 console command to obtain playable FPS)
- The Elder Scrolls – Morrowind + All Expansions
- The Fall – Last Days of Gaia
- The Godfather The Lord of the rings and the fellowship of the ring
- The Guild 2
- The Guild and Its Expansions
- The lord of the rings and the battle for middle earth
- The lord of the rings and the battle for middle earth IIThe Typing of The Dead
- The lord of the rings and the return of the king ( help provided by intel site and also works with 3D Analyzer )
- The Sims 2 + Expansions
- The Suffering: Ties that Bind
- The Thing
- Thief : Deadly shadows
- Toca Race Driver 2.
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary
- Tomb Raider: Legend
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon
- Tom clancy’s Rainbow six: Lockdown (with 3D Analyze, emulate HW TnL, force SW TnL)
- Tom clancy’s Rainbow six: Raven Shield
- Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2.
- Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
- Total Overdose
- Transformers : The Game
- Trials 2 SE
- Unreal Tournament 2004
- Unreal Tournament GoTY (OpenGL works best in some cases)
- Urban Street Soccer.
- Vampire the Masquerade – Redemption
- Virtua Tennis 3(update to latest patch.Works smoothly on 1024×768 all low)
- VtM – Bloodlines (Systems with 2 gb ram or more must use 3D Analyzer v2.26 or game will crash. HW TnL emulation was enough for my 192mb 915gl)
- Warcraft III Reign of Chaos
- Warcraft III The Frozen Throne
- Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War
- Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War – Winter Assault
- Warriors Orochi
- World in Conflict (version 1.0 with Pixel Shaders set to high)
- World of Warcraft
- World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
- World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
- Worms 3D
- Worms 4: Mayhem
- Worms: Forts Under Siege
- WWE RAW
- X3:Reunion(Update to the latest patch and do the registry tweak)
- XIII (Thirteen)
- X Men The official game (3D Analyze Hw TnL)
- Zeus
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