DirectX 10.1 Requires No New GPU

[dafloppyone]

Microsoft has announced the details of its new DirectX version - to ensure full support one need not only to install Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista but may also need to replace a graphics card. Contemporary graphics accelerators from Nvidia GeForce 8800 and AMD/ATI Radeon 2900 may not support all the new features added to Direct3D 10.1. The features of DirectX 10.1 include incremental improvements to 3D rendering quality. As for the innovations, among them are 32-bit floating-point operations (instead of 16-bit ones, used today by default) and obligatory support of 4x FSAA.

Microsoft's Sam Glassenberg did however note that "DirectX 10.1 fully supports DirectX 10 hardware. No hardware support is being removed. It's strictly a superset. It's basically an update to DirectX 10 that extends the hardware functionality slightly." Glassenberg says DirectX 10.1 will be fully compatible with all graphics cards supporting DirectX 10. All the company wants to do now is to increase the API life cycle. Sam confirmed that existing graphics cards may still not be able to use all the new features of DirectX 10.1 but also stressed that applications designed specifically for DirectX 10.1 are very unlikely to appear, because overall, the updates aren't that critical.

 

[tamalero]

Microsoft has announced the details of its new DirectX version - to ensure full support one need not only to install Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista but may also need to replace a graphics card. Contemporary graphics accelerators from Nvidia GeForce 8800 and AMD/ATI Radeon 2900 may not support all the new features added to Direct3D 10.1. The features of DirectX 10.1 include incremental improvements to 3D rendering quality. As for the innovations, among them are 32-bit floating-point operations (instead of 16-bit ones, used today by default) and obligatory support of 4x FSAA.

Microsoft's Sam Glassenberg did however note that "DirectX 10.1 fully supports DirectX 10 hardware. No hardware support is being removed. It's strictly a superset. It's basically an update to DirectX 10 that extends the hardware functionality slightly." Glassenberg says DirectX 10.1 will be fully compatible with all graphics cards supporting DirectX 10. All the company wants to do now is to increase the API life cycle. Sam confirmed that existing graphics cards may still not be able to use all the new features of DirectX 10.1 but also stressed that applications designed specifically for DirectX 10.1 are very unlikely to appear, because overall, the updates aren't that critical.

wasnt this already discussed and posted?
this new is like... 1 week and half ago?

 

[Flammy]

Would be slightly ridiculous if Dx10.1 DID require a new GPU!!

 

[martin9887]

The existing cards just can't use the features of DX10.1 like the 32 bit rendering for an example.

DX10.1 supports the cards fine but the cards won't be able to use all the new features of it.

 

[Sinny]

wasnt this already discussed and posted?
this new is like... 1 week and half ago?

Find the search button so we can check, k?

Reposts happen all the time now, also i wonder how 10.1 will perform on 8xxx series.

 

[eyetrip]

Search wasw not even actually required for this one - it's only about half way down the page

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Would be slightly ridiculous if Dx10.1 DID require a new GPU!!

It does require a new GPU though, current cards do not support Dx10.1, this is just saying if a games got Dx10.1 it will still work on your 8800 etc... only in Dx10, you won't get the Dx10.1 features as your card doesn't support them, its just like getting a Dx10 game, and running it on an x1950, it will work in Dx9, just you wont get the Dx10 features as you card doesn't support it.

Well thats what it sounds like to me, so i dont know why the big panic over 10.1, not like Dx10.1 games are gona come flooding out anyway is it, we've had Dx10 cards since last November, and the very first game is due next week, a whole 9 months later.

 

[dafloppyone]

no the other one says it does require, mine says it doesnt

 

[ACESHIGH]

It does require a new GPU though, current cards do not support Dx10.1, this is just saying if a games got Dx10.1 it will still work on your 8800 etc... only in Dx10, you won't get the Dx10.1 features as your card doesn't support them, its just like getting a Dx10 game, and running it on an x1950, it will work in Dx9, just you wont get the Dx10 features as you card doesn't support it.

Well thats what it sounds like to me, so i dont know why the big panic over 10.1, not like Dx10.1 games are gona come flooding out anyway is it, we've had Dx10 cards since last November, and the very first game is due next week, a whole 9 months later.

Thats exactly how i read it, sure a 8800GTS will run the game in DX 10 mode, but so will my 7800GTX by running it in DX9 mode.



I like this part of the statement....

also stressed that applications designed specifically for DirectX 10.1 are very unlikely to appear, because overall, the updates aren't that critical

Then why bother? Include the updates as part of DX 11 whenver that comes out.

 

[HEADRAT]

Oh well, I bought my 8800GTX for top end DX9 performance, so glad I didn't wait for ATI to come up with a card to beat the GTX (I would still be waiting).

HEADRAT

 

[chaparral]

Who would want DX10.1 with the mandatory 4xAA anyway...

This mandatory 4xAA sounds very stupid to me,as what happens if you try buying a mid range DX10.1 card to play the lastest games with 4xAA..

Even now my 8800gtx has problems with playing some games fast enough with 4xAA and high detail settings at 1920x1200..(EG dirt , lost planet)

 

[clocka]

the other topic says that you will need a new gpu in order to use dx10.1 which is still correct to be able to use the new features you need a new gpu, if you dont have a new gpu you will be playing those games in dx10 mode. so this topic is pointless, you should have just posted at the end of the 1 i already made even though everyone already knew this as the link i gave if you bothered reading it said that.

 

[gareth170]

its just like getting a Dx10 game, and running it on an x1950, it will work in Dx9, just you wont get the Dx10 features as you card doesn't support it.

if the game is dx10 it won't work on a x1950 (dx9 cards)....

but dx10.1 games will be backwards compatible to dx10 cards

 

[LoadsaMoney]

No games will be Dx10 only though, not for years and years yet so not worth worring about, look at how long after SM3.0 appeared did the first SM 3.0 only game appear, was only last year or summit, and the 6 series was the first SM3.0 cards.

 

[buachille]

technology is a laugh isn't it

 

[RoachycaL]

technology is a laugh isn't it

Oh yes its very fun too Im still pondering over whether to get a 2900XT or to wait a few months to see if anything new hits the market. (Im using an X850XT PE at the moment)

 

[Talrinys]

No games will be Dx10 only though, not for years and years yet so not worth worring about, look at how long after SM3.0 appeared did the first SM 3.0 only game appear, was only last year or summit, and the 6 series was the first SM3.0 cards.

Exactly
Let's all relax a bit, DX9 is going to be sufficient for a long time, so is DX10, and DX10.1, DX11 after that will reign for long time, etc., there is no stress at all yet?

 

[mrthingyx]

You know what? I'm going to skip this round of upgrades and wait for Nvidia/ATi to start using raytracing as the method for 3D graphics.

DX9/9b/9c all required 'new' hardware from the POV that existing cards couldn't be patched to support the later variant, so why is this any different? Enjoy your cards for what they can do rather than what they cannot officially do. Remember the X800 series was faster than the 6800 series even though they didn't have 9.0c support?