The new low-level API easily outperforms DX11 in Star Swarm benchmark
The latest preview build of Windows 10 includes DirectX 12 and supports a new graphics driver model in the form of Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.0. Lest you take the new graphic driver architecture lightly, know that this is the most significant WDDM update yet and holds the key to enabling DX12. In fact, its dependence on the hard-to-backport WDDM 2.0 — backporting would require kernel-level changes — is one of the chief reasons DX12 won't be coming to Windows 8.1/8 and Windows 7. If you plan to stick to your current OS even when Windows 10 is available later this year, we have something that may force you to reconsider your decision.
Our friends over at AnandTech recently put DX12 through its paces using a new, DX12-compatible version of the Star Swarm demo, a benchmark designed by Oxide Games for AMD's Mantle API. (We used it last year for our DX11 and AMD Mantle comparison.) They tested the new API using a variety of GPUs from both Nvidia and AMD: GTX 980, GTX 750 Ti, GTX 680, R9 290X, R9 285, and R9 260X. On the CPU front, they used an Intel i7-4960X "with 3 different settings to roughly emulate high-end Core i7 (6 cores), i5 (4 cores) [Core i5-4670K], and i3 (2 cores) [Core i3-4370] processors."
The preview version of DirectX 12 included in Build 9926 got the better of its predecessor in almost each and every GPU and CPU benchmark test that the site ran, and by large margins at that. A large part of this is due to low-level API's ability to make optimal use of multiple CPU cores in preparing data for the GPU.
But things weren't at all one-sided whenever DX12 came up against Mantle — a low-level API designed to work exclusively with AMD cards — with the latter proving more than capable of holding its own. This isn't surprising considering how Mantle works at an even lower level than DX12, not to mention the fact that it is more mature as well.
The new low-level API easily outperforms DX11 in Star Swarm benchmark
