- Feb 12, 2013
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Though minimal in quantity compared to the grand scheme of things we want to test with, the results we are showing here today paint a very positive picture about the future of DirectX 12. Since the announcement of Mantle from AMD and its subsequent release in a couple of key titles, the move to an API with less overhead and higher efficiency has been clamored for by enthusiasts, developers and even hardware vendors. Microsoft stepped up the plate, willing to sacrifice so much of what made DirectX a success the past to pave a new trail with DirectX 12.
Futuremark's new 3DMark API Overhead Feature Test proves that something as fundamental as draw calls can be drastically improved upon with forward thinking and a large dose of effort. We saw improvements in API efficiency as high as 18-19x with the Radeon R9 290X when comparing DX12 and DX11 results and while we definitely won't see that same kind of outright gaming performance with the new API, it gives developers a completely new outlook on engine development and integration. Processor bottlenecks that users didn't even know existed can now be pushed aside to stretch the bounds of what games can accomplish. It might not turn the world on it's head day one, but I truly think that APIs like DX12 and Vulkan (what Mantle has become for Khronos) will alter gaming more than anyone previous thought...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_6PxugCBa0
source: http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/3DMark-API-Overhead-Feature-Test-Early-DX12-Performance