AMD Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs currently lack DirectX 11.2 support

Scorpus

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amd radeon gpus directx amd radeon gpu graphics card driver support direct3d directx 11.2 hd 7000 series

AMD's graphics cards based on their first-generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, the Radeon HD 7000 series and the OEM-rebadged HD 8000 series, aren't currently compatible with DirectX 11.2. Speaking at GDC, AMD engineer Laylah Mah revealed that the current range of AMD GPUs will be incompatible with Microsoft's new API when it launches alongside Windows 8.1.

However, this incompatibility is only at the driver level according to Mah; the actual hardware of the HD 7000 series can support DirectX 11.2. When Microsoft finalized the specification, it ended up slightly different to what AMD was anticipating, causing the incompatibility. Mah says that this issue could be solved with a driver update in the future.

Direct3D 11.2, the 3D graphics API component of DirectX 11.2, includes a number of useful new features that game developers can implement. Tiled resources is one such feature, which allows the storage of high-resolution textures in both graphics memory and system RAM, keeping the GPU from being overburdened. This could ultimately lead to an unprecedented amount of detail that won’t appear fuzzy or blurred when viewed close up.

DirectX 11.2 will be exclusive to Windows 8.1, which launches October 18, as well as the Xbox One. AMD says that the CPU-GPU combination chips that they've provided for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are compatible with DirectX 11.2, although at this stage it looks like only Microsoft's console will use the API.

Nvidia's latest range of GPUs, the GeForce 700 series, only partially support the features of DirectX 11.1 and above. Considering the relatively slow adoption of Windows 8, and how it took developers several years to implement DirectX 11 features in the latest games, we don't expect to see many DirectX 11.2 titles any time soon.

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When you say partially, you mean the GTX 780 won't support 11.1 / 11.2 or they do? I'm confused, how can something "partially" support an API? I wonder why as well, I thought the Titan / 780 were pretty advanced cards?!
 
There's quite a bit of difference to the hardware not supporting DX11.2 and the hardware just needing a driver update to support DX11.2, don't you think? I will be amazed if any DX11.2 PC games are released before ATi fix the drivers.
 
When you say partially, you mean the GTX 780 won't support 11.1 / 11.2 or they do? I'm confused, how can something "partially" support an API?

I believe the hardware only supports some functions of the Direct3D 11.1 and 11.2 APIs, so it may get partial support or no support at all in the future
 
Why's this matter if its exclusive to Windows 8.1? That means a whole 3 people can use it.
<Engage flaming>

<flaming DISengaged>
so only my three 'computers' with windows 8 (which will be upgraded to 8.1) can use it? ;)
 
I'm annoyed that Microsoft is making 11.2 exclusive to Windows 8. I can understand why XP is stuck at DX9 on the grounds of a new driver system and the implementation of the new Windows UI render pipline... but W8 and 7 must be much similar. They are just trying to get people to move over to Windows 8. I can an cannot blame them for trying...

But this is still lame. The only thing they are stopping is the developer adoption of what on the surface seems to be a point release, but could be much more positive for the PC gaming market. Perhaps in doing this, they give XBox One a leg up (because AMD has been working close with MS obviously this time around) and give NVidia breathing room to catch up. NVidia, focused on speeding up what developers are doing now, at the expence of implement newer versions of DirectX. From things I've read, it sounds like NVidia is struggling (a little) with a mixed memory or virtualized memory implementation.
 
I find the title somewhat misleading, anyway

as an owner of a 7770 I can say: "AMD Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs currently lack games/apps that support DirectX 10+"
 
11.2 might not be a big deal but have MS said any future DX updates will be anything but Windows 8.1 exclusives? I'm assuming it's a case of "sorry you don't have the latest OS, you won't have the latest DX". and go take a running jump you XP and 7 users.
 
To be fair developers managed to get quite a lot of use out of DX9, I bet DX11 will be the new 9 this gen and hopefully devs will get quite a lot out of it. I don't think 11.1 or 11.2 will be a developers main focus, especially when you look at the steam hardware survey and realize most people are on Windows 7.
 
It's almost set in stone that 11.2 will be the next 10.0. Making it exclusive to an infamous OS is not effective.
 
Get over it. If you still have XP or Vista you are just a hater. If you have Win 7, why do you hate the fact that you did not need to upgrade?
 
When you say partially, you mean the GTX 780 won't support 11.1 / 11.2 or they do? I'm confused, how can something "partially" support an API? I wonder why as well, I thought the Titan / 780 were pretty advanced cards?!
Well like web standards, ideally you check for support for the feature rather than checking version numbers of support.

E.g. "do you support AES instruction sets?" Rather than "are you a GTX 7xx card?"

That way you aren't guessing or hardcoding instruction support and in the case of GTX cards, they can implement the best bang-for-buck 11.x instructions. Or as per AMD's issue, MS moved the goal posts on some items, so some things in their support may work fine and can be used while others are not supported.

You'd want to also complement that ideology with corresponding software checks in games. I.e. don't make a game ask "Do you support DX 11.2?". Rather "do you support all these instructions that I need?".
 
To be fair developers managed to get quite a lot of use out of DX9, I bet DX11 will be the new 9 this gen and hopefully devs will get quite a lot out of it. I don't think 11.1 or 11.2 will be a developers main focus, especially when you look at the steam hardware survey and realize most people are on Windows 7.

Yeah I agree, this probably won't be a focus for developers since a majority still use windows 7 and since only the Xbox and not ps4 will have it. These limitations just make it a gamble for developers which means they might not be willing to make the jump.
 
Partial support means they don't support all the... parts. There are many features offered by the API and the cards will just support some of them.
 
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