Thursday, July 9th 2015
AMD Halts Optimizations for Mantle API
AMD has halted optimizations for its Mantle 3D graphics API, for current and future graphics cards. The cards will retain Mantle API support at the driver-level, to run existing Mantle applications, but will not receive any performance optimizations from AMD. Launched around 2013, Mantle had a short stint with AAA PC games, such as Battlefield 4, Thief, Sniper Elite III, and Star Citizen, offering noticeably higher performance than DirectX 11. The API improves the way the CPU-end of 3D graphics rendering is handled, particularly with today's multi-core/multi-threaded processors, bringing about significant increases to the number of draw-calls that can be parsed by a GPU.
AMD will now focus on DirectX 12 and Vulkan (OpenGL successor by Khronos Group). Why the company effectively killed its own 2-year old and promising 3D API is anyone's guess. We postulate that Mantle could have been used by AMD to steer Microsoft to introduce vital bare-metal optimizations it reserved for the console, to the PC ecosystem with DirectX 12. It appears to have served that purpose, and as if to hold up to its end of a bargain, AMD 'withdrew' Mantle. DirectX 12 will feature a super-efficient command-buffer that scales across any number of CPU cores, and will have huge increases in draw-calls over DirectX 11. The new API makes its official debut with Windows 10, later this month. AMD's Graphics CoreNext 1.1 and 1.2 GPUs support DirectX 12 (feature level 12_0), as do rival NVIDIA's "Maxwell" GPUs. The company will continue to nurture Mantle as an "innovation base" for its upcoming tech, such as LiquidVR.
Source:
PC Gamer
AMD will now focus on DirectX 12 and Vulkan (OpenGL successor by Khronos Group). Why the company effectively killed its own 2-year old and promising 3D API is anyone's guess. We postulate that Mantle could have been used by AMD to steer Microsoft to introduce vital bare-metal optimizations it reserved for the console, to the PC ecosystem with DirectX 12. It appears to have served that purpose, and as if to hold up to its end of a bargain, AMD 'withdrew' Mantle. DirectX 12 will feature a super-efficient command-buffer that scales across any number of CPU cores, and will have huge increases in draw-calls over DirectX 11. The new API makes its official debut with Windows 10, later this month. AMD's Graphics CoreNext 1.1 and 1.2 GPUs support DirectX 12 (feature level 12_0), as do rival NVIDIA's "Maxwell" GPUs. The company will continue to nurture Mantle as an "innovation base" for its upcoming tech, such as LiquidVR.
69 Comments on AMD Halts Optimizations for Mantle API
6:00+
Note: I'm expecting for ignorant dudes who translate this news into "AMD did bad as always, go die" to populate this thread. Just another day on TPU :)
www.pcworld.com/article/2894036/mantle-is-a-vulkan-amds-dead-graphics-api-rises-from-the-ashes-as-opengls-successor.html
It's called "news" recycling and those "news" are 90% based on 1+ year old references while AMD has clearly stated that Mantle is dead, start focusing on dx12(and vulkan)
Also, this...
cdn.overclock.net/4/4f/900x900px-LL-4f4007fd_CBBu9COWwAAPzZB.jpeg
And for the slow, phasing out Mantle and completely stopping driver optimizations ARE seperate issues for the media to report.
I think this will answer your question
are also the same people who tell you what a complete moron you are if you A: Owning an AMD product or B: Planning on buying an AMD product. :)
Edit: typo
you kinda invited any off topic reactions byt typing the "Note:" at the end of your contribution, wouldnt you say?
Mantle was great, it moved the industry forward, it is in Vulkan, but this decision it absolutely ridiculous. That's how you destroy your image.
Mantle was disappointing to be sure, but what hurts me more is that audio improvement that was promised.
A gaming experience is really determined by 2 factors, Video and Audio, yet the time effort and money goes 95% to video and 5% to audio....
I was hoping Mantle would bring the importance of good audio back but it seems like I need to dream on.
It doesn't matter mantle support is ending. It didn't reach a big enough section of gamers or games, I guess primarily because MS ran with DX 12 improvements.
This isn't bad news, its called progress.
Do we need DX12 coded games and how long before we see the benefits in the real world?
AMD is most likely counting on DX12 and Vulkan to take off, and for DX11 to die off soon. Look at the FuryX perfomrance in games for which AMD released fixes and/or Beta drivers. In FarCry4 for example, or AC Unity AMD does quite well:
I don't think there is any Mantle code in Direct3D 12; Microsoft just used the principle of it as a starting point. Vulkan, on the other hand, uses huge portions of Mantle code.Not dead yet: AMD’s Mantle powers new Vulkan API, VR effortsLong story short, AMD wants to see gaming on *nix survive and the only way to do that is with non-proprietary tech (e.g. OpenGL). OpenGL can't compete with Direct3D 12 and AMD knew that. At the same time, AMD can't be paying off developers to use Mantle (e.g. DICE) nor can they afford to keep updating it (they have enough difficulty supporting their own hardware drivers). AMD threw Mantle at Khronos to kickstart Vulkan development removing a financial burden from AMD as well as ensuring open standards stay relevant. It was win-win for AMD and Khronos.