Crawlerz246 Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 ...yes whoever here is a Simpsons maniac will get that reference. for the actual PC junkies I have a question. what is DX11 and why the new generation of "DX11 capable cards"? the 5870 (for example) says the YES INDEED it is DX11. my 4890 says it's DX10 capable. does that mean... what exactly? that it will run games using previous DX support? I mean DiRT2 still runs. oh and why in the world does my dxdiag say it's DX11? as I understand (please correct me if I'm wrong) directX is a part of windows and is updated as such (you have little choice but give in). furthermore, isn't dx11 built-in to windows 7 (I'm running Ultimate for obvious reasons)? thank you for any help here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hosnappp Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) ...yes whoever here is a Simpsons maniac will get that reference. for the actual PC junkies I have a question. what is DX11 and why the new generation of "DX11 capable cards"? the 5870 (for example) says the YES INDEED it is DX11. my 4890 says it's DX10 capable. does that mean... what exactly? that it will run games using previous DX support? I mean DiRT2 still runs. oh and why in the world does my dxdiag say it's DX11? as I understand (please correct me if I'm wrong) directX is a part of windows and is updated as such (you have little choice but give in). furthermore, isn't dx11 built-in to windows 7 (I'm running Ultimate for obvious reasons)? thank you for any help here. DirectX(DX) is a language/driver that basically gives game developers a toolbox of capabilities to make games look and feel nicer. Anything from the sounds, controls and graphics of the games you play are driven by DirectX. I was only aware of it back in DX7. So here's what I know from there. DirectX9 was revolutionary. It was used for the original Halo, the Half-Life 2 chronicles and really revolutionized the way games look. Then Direct X 10 came along and the only game that supported it initially was the world famous Crysis. Even today, not many games utilize it as DX9 is plenty efficient for most game graphics. DirectX11 is simply the next generation of game eye-candy. Every time a new one comes out, it becomes easier and more simple for game developers to create visuals and atmospheres using graphics. And as for having a 'choice', it'd be foolish to uninstall or downgrade your DirectX version. Every game coming out now requires at LEAST 9.0c. DirectX 10 is the most common engine as of now and is only available on Vista and 7, not XP. Though DirectX11 is ONLY available on 7. And DirectX9.x is available on all platforms after XP and up. 7 introduced DirectX11 which, again, is just the newest thing. If you want the new eyecandy in games, you need DirectX11. As of now? It isn't a must-have for most people. But as games become more and more advanced, the lack of DX11 graphics additions will become more and more obvious if your card doesn't support them. So while you CAN play all games as long as you have DX9.0c, it's just going to look better if you have a card that supports the newest DX architecture and you're running Windows 7. Most people are still enjoying the capabilities of DX10 and don't see a need for a DX11 card or anything. Which brings us to the cards. Since DirectX is a type of architecture, it's not just software-based, you have to have supporting hardware as well. DirectX11 cards are just cards that support and utilize the features of DX11. Same with all of the versions. All modern cards support DX10, however. If you're buying a new graphics card right now, don't go for anything that doesn't support DX11 as it's no difference in the price of the card and it's newer technology. The ATI Radeon 5XXX series supports and utilizes it and currently, that's the only available means of obtaining DX11 ability. Though, if you can wait until March, NVIDIA is rumoured to finally release their 'Fermi' G100 chipset that also features DX11 acceleration. ____________________________ Beyond DirectX is something called OpenGL acceleration. It was popular among the Quake games more than anything else and was supposed to be the alternative to DirectX if you had a very old card or running a Mac. But, I'd like to add, no one with self-respect uses OpenGL. Hope this helped. -Dylan (headbangerbuggy, hosnappp) Edited January 21, 2010 by headbangerbuggy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowKing Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 Though DirectX11 is ONLY available on 7.-Dylan (headbangerbuggy, hosnappp) not true. vista got support for DX11 in SP2 read here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjloki Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 not true. vista got support for DX11 in SP2read here ok but he did do a great job of breaking it down so a bobo like me can understand the thing. good job headbangerB...thanx B:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savan Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) dx11 runs on dx9, 10, 10.1 and 11 hardware. but it simulates the dx environment on hardware that isnt native 11. I have 7 and 7 does indeed run dx11. but I have a 4870 which is 10.1, so if I were to buy dirt2 and play it, it would run in dx10.1 even though 11 is installed. it just wont do the dx11 specific functions because my hardware doesnt support it Edited January 21, 2010 by Savan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurosen Posted January 21, 2010 Posted January 21, 2010 dx11 runs on dx9, 10, 10.1 and 11 hardware. but it simulates the dx environment on hardware that isnt native 11. I have 7 and 7 does indeed run dx11. but I have a 4870 which is 10.1, so if I were to buy dirt2 and play it, it would run in dx10.1 even though 11 is installed. it just wont do the dx11 specific functions because my hardware doesnt support it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
00stevo Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 dx11 runs on dx9, 10, 10.1 and 11 hardware. but it simulates the dx environment on hardware that isnt native 11. I have 7 and 7 does indeed run dx11. but I have a 4870 which is 10.1, so if I were to buy dirt2 and play it, it would run in dx10.1 even though 11 is installed. it just wont do the dx11 specific functions because my hardware doesnt support it Dirt 2 is dx9.0c or DX11 only.Do your homework. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrow21 Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Dirt 2 is dx9.0c or DX11 only.Do your homework. This is true. His card would run in DX9. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatochobit Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 cant you turn tessalation off in dirt? so I guess you are emulating dx10 I think that counts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardnrg Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Savan has done his homework. DirectX 11 implements scaling for the DX versions he mentioned, so you could run a DX11 game on a DX10.1 card, with possible emulated/missing features. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee422086(VS.85).aspx It wouldn't run in DX9 mode... unless Codemasters suck... and given I used to buy Codemasters games on TAPE... I think that isn't the case Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
00stevo Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 I used to buy Codemasters games on TAPE... Haha,yeah good times! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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