DirectX 11 Now Available for Windows Vista

DirectX 11 Now Available for Windows Vista

Jason Cross
Nov 2, 2009 12:00 pm


181164-directx_188.jpg



Microsoft has long said, and we have reminded users, that DirectX 11 is not just a Windows 7 technology. The company promised that DirectX 11 will be availalbe for Vista around the same time as the release of its latest and greatest operating system.

And so it has come to pass. Vista users who check Windows Update should see a rather generic "Platform Update" with the reference KB971644. The update is available for Windows Server 2008 as well. In addition to adding DirectX 11, this update adds and XPS document printing library, the Windows Automation API, and an update to the Windows Portable Devices Platform.

Note that DirectX 11 adds DirectCompute, which comes in three flavors - DirectCompute shader model 4.0, 4.1, and 5.0. The 4.0 version contains features allowing it to be run on most DirectX 10 graphics hardware. The 4.1 version is similar, but for DX 10.1 hardware. The 5.0 version of DirectCompute shaders requires DX11 hardware, and is far more robust.

My point is, this update could be useful for Vista users even if you don't have one of those nifty new Radeon 5000 series graphics cards that will run DirectX 11. You'll need it to run DirectCompute accelerated apps (when they start to appear) even on DX10 hardware, and the update contains some other nice updates.
By the way, the update is listed as "Recommended" and may not be automatically applied if you have Windows Update set only to apply critical updates. You may want to check manually.
Click to expand...

More at: DirectX 11 Now Available for Windows Vista - PC World
 
Click to expand...
Now I realize what is causing my FPS drops in Quake 3 Arena Excessive Plus. DX 11 must not be so great in dealing with older games.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    P4 3.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASrock ConRoe1333-D667 R2.0
    Memory
    4GB OCZ 667MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8500 GT
    Sound Card
    M-Audio Delta 44
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell E172fp
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
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    WD 500GB SATA
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    CoolerMaster Elite 330
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    Nexxtech
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder
    Internet Speed
    3mb DSL
i think it has more to do with the fact that your gpu is older and isn't doing well with the dx updates.... you need a faster card... haha
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer, Aspire M1201\Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Athlon X2 5000+ @ 2.6Ghz
    Motherboard
    Acer Micro-ATX Motherboard
    Memory
    2x2gb Patriot Viper DDR2 PC6400 @ 800mhz Dual Channel SLI Edition (4-4-4-12)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI HD3870 with 512mb GDDR4
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD 7.1 Onboard Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" Acer X223 Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1680 X 1050
    Hard Drives
    320gb Western Digital SATA II (Ubuntu 9.10)
    500gb Seagate SATA II
    1tb Seagate SATA II (Vista Home Premium)
    PSU
    ULTRA X3 600 Watt Modular
    Case
    NZXT Tempest (The Airflow King) 2x 140mm Fans, 4x 120mm Fans
    Cooling
    1x 135mm In PSU, 1x 70mm On CPU, And 1x 120mm On GPU
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Sidewinder X6
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X5
    Internet Speed
    6 Mbs Down 1 Mbs Up
    Other Info
    AVerMedia 1500MCE TV Tuner
    Logitech X540 5.1 Surround Sound
thepizzaman said:
i think it has more to do with the fact that your gpu is older and isn't doing well with the dx updates.... you need a faster card... haha
Click to expand...


yeah, you're probably right. but i don't play any new games anyway. at least not on this computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    P4 3.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASrock ConRoe1333-D667 R2.0
    Memory
    4GB OCZ 667MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8500 GT
    Sound Card
    M-Audio Delta 44
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell E172fp
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB SATA
    Case
    CoolerMaster Elite 330
    Keyboard
    Nexxtech
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder
    Internet Speed
    3mb DSL
well i'm pretty sure thats the problem ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer, Aspire M1201\Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Athlon X2 5000+ @ 2.6Ghz
    Motherboard
    Acer Micro-ATX Motherboard
    Memory
    2x2gb Patriot Viper DDR2 PC6400 @ 800mhz Dual Channel SLI Edition (4-4-4-12)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI HD3870 with 512mb GDDR4
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD 7.1 Onboard Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" Acer X223 Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1680 X 1050
    Hard Drives
    320gb Western Digital SATA II (Ubuntu 9.10)
    500gb Seagate SATA II
    1tb Seagate SATA II (Vista Home Premium)
    PSU
    ULTRA X3 600 Watt Modular
    Case
    NZXT Tempest (The Airflow King) 2x 140mm Fans, 4x 120mm Fans
    Cooling
    1x 135mm In PSU, 1x 70mm On CPU, And 1x 120mm On GPU
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Sidewinder X6
    Mouse
    Microsoft Sidewinder X5
    Internet Speed
    6 Mbs Down 1 Mbs Up
    Other Info
    AVerMedia 1500MCE TV Tuner
    Logitech X540 5.1 Surround Sound
Try dropping DX 9c on. Elements from that are needed for OpenGL support and other things when running older titles. The separate download for Vista mentioned there will be mainly for new titles coming out as well as any that require 10.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built desktops =2 Toshiba replace HP laptop
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb core 3.6ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X 1.5v DDR3 PC12800 1600mhz 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1tb
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio PCIe
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 19" HP 20" second lcd main HP 20" remote pc.
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900, 1600x900 main - 1600x900 2nd desktop
    Hard Drives
    WD Black Edition 1tb Sata II -2
    WD SAS "Heavy Duty" RE class 2tb - 2
    External usb/eSata WD Black 1tb main -1
    External usb only WD Green Power 1tb -1
    PSU
    Corsair 750w 750TX main - Corsair 600w remote
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible eSata ports 2 - NZXT Vulcan 2nd
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A cpu, twin front 120s, top 200cm, rear 120
    Keyboard
    AZIO Ilumminated keys gaming keyboard/volume control usb
    Mouse
    MSI Interceptor D200
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade
this come out last week via the vista platform update
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    intel core 2 quad Q9450
    Motherboard
    gigabyte EP45-DQ6
    Memory
    8gb Gskill PC6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    Visiontek Radeon 4870x2 2GB
    Sound Card
    X-FI fatality FPS 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2230wm
    Screen Resolution
    1680X1050
    Hard Drives
    VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM,
    WD CAVIAR black 750GB
    PSU
    Antec TruePower New TP-750 watt
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF932
    Cooling
    XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
    Internet Speed
    comcast 16mb\second

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    intel core 2 quad Q9450
    Motherboard
    gigabyte EP45-DQ6
    Memory
    8gb Gskill PC6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    Visiontek Radeon 4870x2 2GB
    Sound Card
    X-FI fatality FPS 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2230wm
    Screen Resolution
    1680X1050
    Hard Drives
    VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM,
    WD CAVIAR black 750GB
    PSU
    Antec TruePower New TP-750 watt
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF932
    Cooling
    XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
    Internet Speed
    comcast 16mb\second
I haven't seen any Vista updates for months now first running Vista on the new Virtual PC along with the 7 RCs and now have the retail 7 as the primary OS while still running the 64bit RC on a second drive in order to make comparisons there.

This will be good if I decide to see a Vista reference install go back on at some time however since Vista won't be seen on the next build coming up there. But seeing this made available as a separate download for those still running Vista should be a help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built desktops =2 Toshiba replace HP laptop
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb core 3.6ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X 1.5v DDR3 PC12800 1600mhz 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1tb
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio PCIe
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 19" HP 20" second lcd main HP 20" remote pc.
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900, 1600x900 main - 1600x900 2nd desktop
    Hard Drives
    WD Black Edition 1tb Sata II -2
    WD SAS "Heavy Duty" RE class 2tb - 2
    External usb/eSata WD Black 1tb main -1
    External usb only WD Green Power 1tb -1
    PSU
    Corsair 750w 750TX main - Corsair 600w remote
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible eSata ports 2 - NZXT Vulcan 2nd
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A cpu, twin front 120s, top 200cm, rear 120
    Keyboard
    AZIO Ilumminated keys gaming keyboard/volume control usb
    Mouse
    MSI Interceptor D200
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade
yeah.. i kind of blindly updated. i need a new desktop altogether.. maybe i should sell this new macbook pro i have to get 1. xD
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    P4 3.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASrock ConRoe1333-D667 R2.0
    Memory
    4GB OCZ 667MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8500 GT
    Sound Card
    M-Audio Delta 44
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell E172fp
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB SATA
    Case
    CoolerMaster Elite 330
    Keyboard
    Nexxtech
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder
    Internet Speed
    3mb DSL

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    P4 3.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASrock ConRoe1333-D667 R2.0
    Memory
    4GB OCZ 667MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8500 GT
    Sound Card
    M-Audio Delta 44
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell E172fp
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    WD 500GB SATA
    Case
    CoolerMaster Elite 330
    Keyboard
    Nexxtech
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder
    Internet Speed
    3mb DSL
Nor will DX 11 work with Everquest, their servers are set up to use DX 9c. There were posts to Sony Online Entertainment's official forums this past weekend about it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X1700
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1 gig GeForce 210
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Vizio 21" tv
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 resolution
    Hard Drives
    1 terabyte sata in 1 partition
    Cooling
    fans that came with it
    Keyboard
    basic USB
    Mouse
    basic USB
    Internet Speed
    3 megabits on a cable modem, wired
JimJoe said:
Nor will DX 11 work with Everquest, their servers are set up to use DX 9c. There were posts to Sony Online Entertainment's official forums this past weekend about it.
Click to expand...
DirectX is a client technology. Not a Server one. It only works for PC's where you install the game on. If the game doesn't support it, it steps down to use the old stuff.
 

My Computer

System One

Not at Everquest. Their servers check for DX 9c, if it is not on your home computer, the game wont run.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X1700
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1 gig GeForce 210
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Vizio 21" tv
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 resolution
    Hard Drives
    1 terabyte sata in 1 partition
    Cooling
    fans that came with it
    Keyboard
    basic USB
    Mouse
    basic USB
    Internet Speed
    3 megabits on a cable modem, wired
SOE has a file check program that runs when you log in. It not only checks, and then patches, any of their files, it also checks to see which version of directx is on your computer.

My Vista computer came with dx10. Specs in my profile.

When I ran the SOE game patcher, it checked and said I didn't have dx9c on my computer.

When I went to MS site and downloaded and installed dx9c, then ran the login for Everquest, I was able to play.

Evidently they had it hard wired into their checking program to look for dx9c, if it isn't there no game play.

This gets mentioned often on their official forums on tech support. No dx9c, the game wont run.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X1700
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1 gig GeForce 210
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Vizio 21" tv
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 resolution
    Hard Drives
    1 terabyte sata in 1 partition
    Cooling
    fans that came with it
    Keyboard
    basic USB
    Mouse
    basic USB
    Internet Speed
    3 megabits on a cable modem, wired
JimJoe said:
SOE has a file check program that runs when you log in. It not only checks, and then patches, any of their files, it also checks to see which version of directx is on your computer.

My Vista computer came with dx10. Specs in my profile.

When I ran the SOE game patcher, it checked and said I didn't have dx9c on my computer.

When I went to MS site and downloaded and installed dx9c, then ran the login for Everquest, I was able to play.

Evidently they had it hard wired into their checking program to look for dx9c, if it isn't there no game play.

This gets mentioned often on their official forums on tech support. No dx9c, the game wont run.
Click to expand...

OIC. I guess it must be a really old spec that MS decided to drop entirely from default setups. That's actually EQ's fault. They should patch it to use the available downgrades from the Vista / 7 installs.
 

My Computer

System One

You'll find that a lot of older game titles will require elements from 9c for OpenGL support mainly. Try some older 98-XP compatible games on the newer versions of Windows including the 64bit as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built desktops =2 Toshiba replace HP laptop
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb core 3.6ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X 1.5v DDR3 PC12800 1600mhz 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1tb
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio PCIe
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 19" HP 20" second lcd main HP 20" remote pc.
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900, 1600x900 main - 1600x900 2nd desktop
    Hard Drives
    WD Black Edition 1tb Sata II -2
    WD SAS "Heavy Duty" RE class 2tb - 2
    External usb/eSata WD Black 1tb main -1
    External usb only WD Green Power 1tb -1
    PSU
    Corsair 750w 750TX main - Corsair 600w remote
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible eSata ports 2 - NZXT Vulcan 2nd
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A cpu, twin front 120s, top 200cm, rear 120
    Keyboard
    AZIO Ilumminated keys gaming keyboard/volume control usb
    Mouse
    MSI Interceptor D200
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade
SOE has mentioned they are upgrading to dx10, but not right now.

Evidently they didn't specify a dx version in the early years. They added lots of graphics, and peopel complained of their view of the game becoming a slide show instead of steady continuous video.

Around that time SOE found out many players had older versions of dx and so SOE pretty much forced people to upgrade. They spent lots of money on making the graphics for some zones much better, and it was making the enjoyment drop off. They still support the WinXP server drivers, so when MS drops support for those drivers, probably SOE will up grade to dx10.

Most of that is from hints and mentions by the developers over the past 2-3 years.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X1700
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1 gig GeForce 210
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Vizio 21" tv
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 resolution
    Hard Drives
    1 terabyte sata in 1 partition
    Cooling
    fans that came with it
    Keyboard
    basic USB
    Mouse
    basic USB
    Internet Speed
    3 megabits on a cable modem, wired
As newer game titles are released requiring DX10 or above you'll have to expect they will also be moving on and no longer supporting the older titles on their servers. I wouldn't plan on XP support only lasting much longer anyways once the next version of Windows that follows 7 is being readied.

XP will be dropped just like previous versions after a certain period of time. It will upto inddividual gaming sites to keep XP servers running once MS does drop their own support. Once work begins on the 3rd version of Windows to follow any particular version the first has become too far outdated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built desktops =2 Toshiba replace HP laptop
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 975 Deneb core 3.6ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4
    Memory
    Kingston Hyper X 1.5v DDR3 PC12800 1600mhz 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon HD 5750 1tb
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi XtremeAudio PCIe
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 19" HP 20" second lcd main HP 20" remote pc.
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900, 1600x900 main - 1600x900 2nd desktop
    Hard Drives
    WD Black Edition 1tb Sata II -2
    WD SAS "Heavy Duty" RE class 2tb - 2
    External usb/eSata WD Black 1tb main -1
    External usb only WD Green Power 1tb -1
    PSU
    Corsair 750w 750TX main - Corsair 600w remote
    Case
    Antec 900-2 - SSD compatible eSata ports 2 - NZXT Vulcan 2nd
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900A cpu, twin front 120s, top 200cm, rear 120
    Keyboard
    AZIO Ilumminated keys gaming keyboard/volume control usb
    Mouse
    MSI Interceptor D200
    Internet Speed
    30mbps upgrade
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