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Why Can GTX 750 Ti Run Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but RX 570 Cannot?
Let’s break this down in detail, starting with DirectX and its Feature Levels.
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1. What Are Feature Levels?
Feature Level (FL) is a set of capabilities that a GPU must support for a game to work.
Important: Even if a GPU supports DirectX 12 API, it does not necessarily support Feature Level 12.1.
Games rely on Feature Level, not just the DirectX version.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 strictly requires Feature Level 12.1, or it won’t launch.
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2. What Feature Levels Do GTX 750 Ti and RX 570 Support?
GTX 750 Ti → Maxwell 1.0 → DirectX 12.0 API → Feature Level 11.0 (BUT with a workaround)
GTX 900 series and newer → Maxwell 2.0+ → DirectX 12.1 API → Feature Level 12.1
RX 570 → Polaris → DirectX 12.0 API → Feature Level 12.0
⚠ At first glance, it seems like GTX 750 Ti shouldn’t run the game either, but here’s the catch!
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3. Why Does GTX 750 Ti Run the Game?
GTX 750 Ti is built on Maxwell 1.0, which officially supports Feature Level 11.0, not 12.1.
But NVIDIA has a unique driver feature:
They partially implemented FL 12.1 via the driver, even for Maxwell 1.0.
This means that some FL 12.1 features are present, even if the hardware is not officially certified for 12.1.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does not use all FL 12.1 features but only some, which are partially emulated in Maxwell 1.0’s driver.
As a result, the game accepts GTX 750 Ti as "good enough" to launch.
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4. Why Doesn’t RX 570 Run the Game?
RX 570 is based on the Polaris architecture, which is locked to FL 12.0 and has no FL 12.1 support at all.
AMD does not add driver-level workarounds like NVIDIA.
If a card does not officially support FL 12.1, there is no workaround – the game just crashes.
The game expects FL 12.1, but RX 570 cannot provide it – instant crash.
Testers and the AVX2 bypass developer already tried running the game on RX 570/580:
Even with an AVX2 bypass, the game does not work.
At best, you get 2 seconds of gameplay before a crash.
The developer confirmed: the game requires FL 12.1, and this cannot be bypassed.
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5. Why Did NVIDIA Provide a Workaround but AMD Did Not?
NVIDIA supports older GPUs longer and uses flexible driver solutions to extend compatibility.
AMD strictly follows official hardware limits – if FL 12.1 is missing on hardware, it won’t be in the driver either.
This is partly because AMD designs GPUs for consoles, where there is no need to support older PC hardware, while NVIDIA prioritizes long-term PC gaming support.
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6. Conclusion: Why Can GTX 750 Ti Run Spider-Man 2, but RX 570 Cannot?
1. GTX 750 Ti officially supports FL 11.0, but NVIDIA added partial FL 12.1 support in drivers.
→ This was enough to make the game launch.
2. RX 570 is locked to FL 12.0 and has zero FL 12.1 features.
→ The game requires FL 12.1, and RX 570 cannot provide it – crash.
NVIDIA "tricked" the system via drivers, but AMD did not. That’s why the ancient GTX 750 Ti can launch the game, while the more powerful RX 570 cannot.
