AT DirectX 12 Preview

[darkewaffle]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8962/the-directx-12-performance-preview-amd-nvidia-star-swarm

Very well done article and some very promising results.

In short, Windows 10 is introducing DirectX 12 and it will not be ported to any previous versions of Windows at this time (offset by the fact that all current W7/W8/W8.1 users will have 12m free time with W10 - so it's planned currently). Using the current "not even beta" W10/drivers/WDDM (a core display driver component of Windows) and benchmark, some major performance gains are possible. However keep in mind that the benchmark being used is basically a best-case scenario for DX12/Mantle v DX11 as it purposefully bottlenecks the CPU with excessive draw calls, so a real world application will likely not see such significant improvements.

 

[Rhezuss]

Look promising and a good time to upgrade to Win10 for me. Great article!

 

[frozentundra123456]

Kind of sneaky of MS though to give Win 10 "free" for only a year. I cant imagine anyone reverting back after that. Kind of like the netflix and other "free trials". They are counting on people just continuing when the free period is over.

 

[Red Hawk]

Kind of sneaky of MS though to give Win 10 "free" for only a year. I cant imagine anyone reverting back after that. Kind of like the netflix and other "free trials". They are counting on people just continuing when the free period is over.

Why did you put "free" in quotation marks? You realize this isn't like a "free trial" where people have to pay afterwards, right? If you get Windows 10 in that first year, you have it for the supported lifetime of the device. Of course people will continue with it because there's going to be no cost to continuing with it.

 

[mizzou]

Why did you put "free" in quotation marks? You realize this isn't like a "free trial" where people have to pay afterwards, right? If you get Windows 10 in that first year, you have it for the supported lifetime of the device. Of course people will continue with it because there's going to be no cost to continuing with it.

Has microsoft officially announced the terms of giving win 10 for free?

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Kind of sneaky of MS though to give Win 10 "free" for only a year. I cant imagine anyone reverting back after that. Kind of like the netflix and other "free trials". They are counting on people just continuing when the free period is over.

Ummm...yeah. Dunno where you're getting that from, but it's not a trial.

Has microsoft officially announced the terms of giving win 10 for free?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/about

 

[Rhezuss]

Kind of sneaky of MS though to give Win 10 "free" for only a year. I cant imagine anyone reverting back after that. Kind of like the netflix and other "free trials". They are counting on people just continuing when the free period is over.

Free Upgrade Offer
Great news! We will offer a free upgrade to Windows 10 for qualified new or existing Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year!* And even better: once a qualified Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it up to date for the supported lifetime of the device, keeping it more secure, and introducing new features and functionality over time – for no additional charge. Sign up with your email today, and we will send you more information about Windows 10 and the upgrade offer in the coming months.

Sounds pretty clear to me! (emphasized mine)

 

[darkewaffle]

Huh, I was actually under the impression that the upgrade was like an extended free trial. It sounds like it's not a 12m trial but rather a 12m window during which you can get the upgrade for free permanently.

 

[Red Hawk]

Huh, I was actually under the impression that the upgrade was like an extended free trial. It sounds like it's not a 12m trial but rather a 12m window during which you can get the upgrade for free permanently.

Exactly. If people were actually paying attention when Microsoft announced it rather than jumping to conclusions, they'd know this. We had a thread right here on AT discussing it.

 

[preslove]

It's a 12 month window. People just misunderstood the wording

 

[frozentundra123456]

Why did you put "free" in quotation marks? You realize this isn't like a "free trial" where people have to pay afterwards, right? If you get Windows 10 in that first year, you have it for the supported lifetime of the device. Of course people will continue with it because there's going to be no cost to continuing with it.

Because it really isnt free. You are just borrowing it for a year, basically. It is a clever device from MS to push adoption of DX 12, but if I didnt game, I would be still satisfied with Win 7.

Edit: What I am trying to say, is that it is not really a free upgrade, as some are calling it, but actually a free trial of the product.

 

[Rhezuss]

Because it really isnt free. You are just borrowing it for a year, basically. It is a clever device from MS to push adoption of DX 12, but if I didnt game, I would be still satisfied with Win 7.

Please quote the information to back this statement up...never read anything that was supposing this.

 

[frozentundra123456]

It's a 12 month window. People just misunderstood the wording

Really? Then I stand corrected.

 

[GlacierFreeze]

It's a 12 month window. People didn't read the wording

Fixed.

 

[Red Hawk]

Because it really isnt free. You are just borrowing it for a year, basically. It is a clever device from MS to push adoption of DX 12, but if I didnt game, I would be still satisfied with Win 7.

Edit: What I am trying to say, is that it is not really a free upgrade, as some are calling it, but actually a free trial of the product.

You really need to pay attention to threads you post in.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2417764

Alright, let's clear this up, once and for all.

Straight out of the horse's mouth: it will be a free upgrade for those who choose to upgrade within a year of release. End of story. No additional fees, no subscription.
Sources:
http://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-windows-10-will-not-be-sold-as-a-subscription/
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next-generation-of-windows-windows-10/