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What is DirectX 12?
DirectX 12 is the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX graphics API, which provides a low-level interface for developing games and multimedia applications. It was released in 2015 alongside Windows 10. Some key features of DirectX 12 include:
- Reduced driver overhead and more efficient resource utilization through parallel computation
- Support for multiple GPUs simultaneously, including mixed GPU setups from different vendors
- Advanced low-level programming APIs for Direct3D 12
- Real-time raytracing with DirectX Raytracing (DXR) introduced in 2018
- Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shaders, and Sampler Feedback introduced with DirectX 12 Ultimate in 2020
Benefits of DirectX 12
DirectX 12 provides several advantages over previous versions:
- Faster performance and higher frames per second
- Reduced latency
- Improved efficiency in rendering complex scenes
- Ability to fully utilize modern GPU hardware
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AMD claims DirectX 12 can provide up to 70% performance improvements on their GCN-based GPUs compared to DirectX 11. However, early DirectX 12 performance on Nvidia GPUs was mixed.
Using DirectX 12
To use DirectX 12 in your games and applications:- Make sure your system meets the hardware requirements. DirectX 12 is supported on Nvidia Fermi and later GPUs, AMD GCN-based chips, and Intel Haswell and later integrated graphics
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- Install the DirectX End-User Runtime from Microsoft
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- Utilize the new low-level programming APIs in Direct3D 12 to optimize your rendering pipeline
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- Take advantage of features like multi-GPU support, variable rate shading, raytracing, etc. to enhance your game's visuals and performance
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DirectX 12 is a powerful API that enables developers to squeeze maximum performance out of modern GPUs. However, it requires more low-level programming knowledge compared to previous versions. Proper optimization is key to realizing the full benefits of DirectX 12
