AMD Demonstrates Full Support for DirectX 12 at Game Developer Conference

[Cristian_25H]

Today, AMD announced support for Microsoft and its revamped graphics application programming interface, DirectX 12, a new "console-like" version of the graphics API that has inspired PC gaming for nearly two decades. During the Microsoft-sponsored panel, DirectX: Evolving Microsoft's Graphics Platform, AMD revealed that it will support DirectX 12 on all AMD Radeon GPUs that feature the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

AMD will support and collaborate with Microsoft on the development of the generational advancement of the API, to continue to improve the experience for both developers and end users.





"AMD strongly believes in the benefits gamers and game developers can realize from lower-overhead API development," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. "With the Mantle API, AMD has shown the world our commitment to incredible performance, and we look forward to enabling the same performance gains by supporting the industry-standard DirectX 12."

DirectX 12 will offer tantalizing opportunities for game developers to extract new performance from PC graphics cards with a newly-streamlined language that reduces API overhead. DirectX 12 will be the first generational leap for the platform since DirectX 11 made its debut in 2008.

"AMD has always been an essential partner in the development of DirectX," said Anuj Gosalia, Development Manager, Windows Graphics, Microsoft. "As we start the next chapter for our historic API, we look forward to continued great collaboration with AMD to bring gamers the best possible performance on AMD hardware."

A DirectX 12 support schedule for AMD Radeon GPUs will be published at a later date.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[R00kie]

HELL YES, GCN is getting it from day one!

 

[Nordic]

So quick? I know mantle and DX12 have similar goals. Does mantle = Dx12?

 

[Disruptor4]

Maybe they will be bringing some of Mantle's features etc over to DX12?

 

[HumanSmoke]

So quick? I know mantle and DX12 have similar goals. Does mantle = Dx12?

Same goal. Utilizing the in-place hardware.
Remember that MS's Xbone already uses a pared down DX11.x with a lot of the PC overhead removed, so it's reasonable to assume that some console features have been ported into the existing D3D framework, and viola, DX12
MS DirectX dev blog will explain it a little more completely, and with much more colour and lovely graphs

 

[xkche]

NVIDIA Fermi don't support DX 11.1 but DX12 yes?

 

[Slomo4shO]

NVIDIA Fermi don't support DX 11.1 but DX12 yes?

I wouldn't count on it... It will likely not be full support.

 

[erocker]

So quick? I know mantle and DX12 have similar goals. Does mantle = Dx12?

DX12 = DX11 with some added stuff.

 

[jabbadap]

I wouldn't count on it... It will likely not be full support.

http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2014/03/20/directx-12/

In addition, NVIDIA will match Microsoft OS support for DX12. Over 70% of gaming PCs are now DX11 based. NVIDIA will support the DX12 API on all the DX11-class GPUs it has shipped; these belong to the Fermi, Kepler and Maxwell architectural families. With more than 50% market share (65% for discrete graphics) among DX11-based gaming systems, NVIDIA alone will provide game developers the majority of the potential installed base.

 

[Xzibit]

There's currently no release date for DirectX 12, though it has been touted for holiday 2015, with a preview release this year.

Windows 9 'Threshold' release date April 2015

 

[Fluffmeister]

Good stuff, DX12 is shaping up nicely.

God bless vendor agnostic API's.

 

[Regenweald]

DX12 = DX11 with some added stuff.

No. DX12 = Mantle + DX11.

Do people seriously think that after MS announced that there were no major plans post DX11.xx , within the last handful of months, they made a 'close to the metal' development API, coincidentally after AMD released Mantle ?

Really?..........seriously?

 

[renz496]

so nvidia will have DX12 for Fermi and forward. why AMD make DX12 available to GCN based only? what happen to 5k and 6k series?

 

[darkangel0504]

What the hell ? Where is HD 5000 HD 6000 supported, AMD ? Meanwhile, Nividia will support all of DX 11 GPUs .
I hate you, AMD. why you always drop supporting old GPUs ? I will switch to Nvidia, soon.

 

[HumanSmoke]

No. DX12 = Mantle + DX11.

Seems at odds with the actual presentation

Do people seriously think that after MS announced that there were no major plans post DX11.xx

When did this happen? The only prediction of no further DirectX implementation I've seen came from a PR guy at AMD....quickly refuted by Microsoft.

within the last handful of months, they made a 'close to the metal' development API, coincidentally after AMD released Mantle ?

No doubt the timing is aimed squarely at Mantle, but the DirectX presentation also stated that Intel and Nvidia had been working with MS for a least a year in the latters case. If DX12 is a kneejerk reaction to Mantle then AMD need a smack upside the head - DX12 running on Nvidia hardware (the Forza 5 demo) just after AMD get some stability into BF4 and a patch for Thief, and just months after Mantle debuted. That's a damn fast response.

so nvidia will have DX12 for Fermi and forward. why AMD make DX12 available to GCN based only? what happen to 5k and 6k series?

It sounds as though AMD's VLIW4 and 5 architectures are too fixed in memory resource usage to effectively use DX12, although that isn't confirmed at this point.

 

[darkangel0504]

It sounds as though AMD's VLIW4 and 5 architectures are too fixed in memory resource usage to effectively use DX12, although that isn't confirmed at this point.

It means that DX 12 needs a large amount of VRAM ?

 

[HumanSmoke]

It means that DX 12 needs a large amount of VRAM ?

No. The architecture needs to be compliant with the API's usage of memory resources from the sound of it, and the VLIW architecture may not be supportive.
Speculation at this point.

 

[Xzibit]

No doubt the timing is aimed squarely at Mantle, but the DirectX presentation also stated that Intel and Nvidia had been working with MS for a least a year in the latters case. If DX12 is a kneejerk reaction to Mantle then AMD need a smack upside the head - DX12 running on Nvidia hardware (the Forza 5 demo) just after AMD get some stability into BF4 and a patch for Thief, and just months after Mantle debuted. That's a damn fast response.

All they demonstrated there is a successful demo port to PC by a Microsoft Studio (Turn 10).

X-Box One already runs Forza 5 at 1080p 60fps without the need of a Nvidia Titan Black.

Comparable benchmarks would have been better between DX 11 & DX 12 or atleast Forza 5 doing 1080p 60fps on a less powerful windows tablet or phone.

+1 in-house porting skills.
-2 for needing much more powerful hardware to showcase the PC port demo.

 

[erocker]

No. DX12 = Mantle + DX11.

Do people seriously think that after MS announced that there were no major plans post DX11.xx , within the last handful of months, they made a 'close to the metal' development API, coincidentally after AMD released Mantle ?

Really?..........seriously?

Until we have applications that actually use it and it's not just talk, I really don't care. If Mantle fails as an API and only becomes a catalyst for Direct X getting back in line it's a win.

 

[HumanSmoke]

X-Box One already runs Forza 5 at 1080p 60fps without the need of a Nvidia Titan Black

Really. I thought the demonstration just used a Titan Black rather than needing a Titan Black.
It's not totally unheard of for a vendor to use their flagship card at a PR gig.


What I'm actually seeing is that it took four man-months (equivalent of four people working for one month, or one person working four months*) to get to the demo stage of porting a game to DX12. Assuming, MS and Nvidia were going from a standing start and Mantle caught them cold - as some people here are saying, and DX12 is just DX11+Mantle as some are also saying, it makes you wonder how long AMD and EA DICE sat around with their collective thumbs up their asses to go from a September 2013 presentation of Mantle (and presumably some work prior to the announcement) to actually getting Mantle out the door four months later...unless of course the Mantle team consists of a single person*

 

[rav]

"Microsoft adopts Mantle but calls it DX12
GDC 2014: Completely different because it is not called Mantle, just ask MS PR"

http://semiaccurate.com/2014/03/18/microsoft-adopts-mantle-calls-dx12/

How else can AMD announce full support for an API that does not exist yet?

 

[dwade]

So now that Mantle is dead before arrival...

 

[HumanSmoke]

How else can AMD announce full support for an API that does not exist yet?

If that's the case, why was the first demonstration using Nvidia hardware?
Thanks for the Charlie Chuckles link....but no thanks - it's the same joke repeated over and over, and over, and over...
Full support? Seems as though full support means GCN only

AMD revealed that it will support DirectX 12 on all AMD Radeon GPUs that feature the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture

So as far as "full support" goes how is it any different from Nvidia's?

NVIDIA will support the DX12 API on all the DX11-class GPUs it has shipped; these belong to the Fermi, Kepler and Maxwell architectural families

 

[Xzibit]

Really. I thought the demonstration just used a Titan Black rather than needing a Titan Black.
It's not totally unheard of for a vendor to use their flagship card at a PR gig.
What I'm actually seeing is that it took four man-months (equivalent of four people working for one month, or one person working four months*) to get to the demo stage of porting a game to DX12. Assuming, MS and Nvidia were going from a standing start and Mantle caught them cold - as some people here are saying, and DX12 is just DX11+Mantle as some are also saying, it makes you wonder how long AMD and EA DICE sat around with their collective thumbs up their asses to go from a September 2013 presentation of Mantle (and presumably some work prior to the announcement) to actually getting Mantle out the door four months later...unless of course the Mantle team consists of a single person*

Well they did a good job. Since they were able to port a lot of the FPS drops aswell on to more powerful hardware.

 

[rav]

If that's the case, why was the first demonstration using Nvidia hardware?
Thanks for the Charlie Chuckles link....but no thanks - it's the same joke repeated over and over, and over, and over...
Full support? Seems as though full support means GCN only

So as far as "full support" goes how is it any different from Nvidia's?

If that's the case, why was the first demonstration using Nvidia hardware?
Thanks for the Charlie Chuckles link....but no thanks - it's the same joke repeated over and over, and over, and over...
Full support? Seems as though full support means GCN only

So as far as "full support" goes how is it any different from Nvidia's?

Hmmm.... I think that a careful read of what you posted would answer your own question. All that NVidia said was 'they WILL support Mantle...oops DirectX 12..." they didn't say they could support it NOW.

A very big difference but what else would you expect them to say? Fuhgettabowddit?

Furthermore how can they support an API designed to run on GCN hardware? That is the real head scratcher!