Tablets set for big performance gains in DirectX 12 games

[Scorpus]

At SIGGRAPH this week, Intel demonstrated the benefits of DirectX 12 for thermally constrained devices, such as tablets. While the low-level graphics API will improve performance across all systems, it's with these thermally constrained devices that DirectX 12 will be especially effective.

The reason for this is that tablets have a certain power and thermal budget that constrains both the CPU and GPU. As a game begins to tax both components, it can easily reach the budget without using the maximum raw power of either component. With these types of devices, it's a careful balancing act of giving a fair share of the pie to the CPU and GPU as necessary.

However, DirectX 12 reduces CPU utilization through a reduction in API overhead. This means that a greater amount of the thermal and power budget can be given to the GPU, improving overall performance on the device by making better use of the resources available.

Intel's demonstration featured a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet, powered by an Intel 'Haswell' CPU, attempting to render a scene with 50,000 unique asteroids. In DirectX 11 mode, the scene renders at a measly 19 FPS, with the thermal budget split roughly equally between the CPU and GPU.

Switching to DirectX 12 sees the GPU consume more power at the expense of the CPU, thanks to a reduction in necessary CPU utilization. This sees the demo jump up to 33 FPS, equating to a 74% rise in performance. Essentially, if this were a game, it's gone from being unplayable to playable on a power-constrained tablet.

Andrew Lauritzen from Intel explains that power and performance are inseparably linked. "Conventional notions of 'CPU vs. GPU bound' are misleading on modern devices like the Surface Pro 3. An increase in CPU power efficiency can be used for more performance even if an application is not 'CPU bound'."

DirectX 12 will have a similar performance-improving effect on smartphones, laptops and even small form factor desktops, all of which are power or thermally constrained. Unfortunately DirectX 12 won't be ready until 2015, so there's a bit of a waiting game to play until we see the benefits first hand.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57732-tablets-set-for-big-performance-gains-in-directx-12-games.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Screw playing games on tablets, there are far better platforms available for that like the PC.

 

[tipstir]

Tablet with transparency will be a hit and by that time they'll be as good a laptop.

 

[treeski]

Screw playing games on tablets, there are far better platforms available for that like the PC.

In the same vein that laptops have become good enough at playing games for most people, so will tablets. I agree that using touch for games is weak, but I wouldn't mind at all being able to drop my tablet down on a dock and playing legit games.

 

[javierkaiser]

Well, sounds nice, but DX12 is limited to windows enviroments

 

[loading]

Because you know the gaming market is totally saturated with DX11 games... >_>

Most of the games released even today still run on DX9.

 

[Burty117]

Most of the games released even today still run on DX9.

Yeah although I'd guess this will change with the next gen consoles now here!

 

[yRaz]

Most of the games released even today still run on DX9.

Yeah although I'd guess this will change with the next gen consoles now here!

I guess we will have to wait another another 10 years for the next next gen consoles to come out for us to see any dx12 games

 

[Burty117]

I guess we will have to wait another another 10 years for the next next gen consoles to come out for us to see any dx12 games

Na, but DX13, probably xD

 

[VitalyT]

Andrew Lauritzen from Intel explains that power and performance are inseparably linked

ROFL, that's a good one. Try names like Obama or Donald Sterling, and you will see how power and performance can be inexorably separate

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

In the same vein that laptops have become good enough at playing games for most people, so will tablets. I agree that using touch for games is weak, but I wouldn't mind at all being able to drop my tablet down on a dock and playing legit games.

Don't blame me for that silly post. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing games on the platform of your choosing. All I was merely doing was muttering my thoughts out loud to myself, Google Now must have heard me and posted on my behalf, it's the only excuse I can think of.

 

[Guest]

Well, sounds nice, but DX12 is limited to windows enviroments

hmmm, no matter how I look at this statement I don't see a down side to this. Were you somehow expecting android to suddenly offer up a better gaming experience to a windows environment? Considering the article speaks of a Surface Pro 3, that is basically a full laptop in tablet guise, and now that it can play games, even better.

 

[wastedkill]

Boom tablets just gained graphics like Xbox one! whats next PS4 graphics!!!!

 

[Guest]

Could it be Intel doesn't like what AMD is doing with Mantle, so it's pushing for DX12?

 

[Guest]

Tetris will be 30% faster.

 

[Guest]

And games makers are still using DirectX 9

 

[Guest]

Could it be Intel doesn't like what AMD is doing with Mantle, so it's pushing for DX12?

No. There is no reason for Intel to be concerned about Mantle, they aren't a serious GPU player to begin wih. It's Nvidia who could be concerned, but even then I don't think they are, since Mantle will be short-lived exactly because of DirectX 12.
Actually, developers/publishers are mostly the ones pushing for a low-level API.

 

[Guest]

Agreed, I'd rather play games like BF4 on a tablet docked then build a pc, but then again I have alienware, hopefully down the track the surface 4 could be the next best thing.

 

[Guest]

Why would they wait until dx12 to be more efficient. They suddenly got genius coders?

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Agreed, I'd rather play games like BF4 on a tablet docked then build a pc, but then again I have alienware, hopefully down the track the surface 4 could be the next best thing.

I am confused. Why not just purchase a current gen console if you don't wanna build a PC? Are you wanting to play games on the toilet?

 

[Nero7]

Still nothing about the OS support? I'd like this for my Windows 7 tablet...

 

[Guest]

hmmm, no matter how I look at this statement I don't see a down side to this. Were you somehow expecting android to suddenly offer up a better gaming experience to a windows environment? Considering the article speaks of a Surface Pro 3, that is basically a full laptop in tablet guise, and now that it can play games, even better.

No his point was that it cannot be used on the Linux desktop. Which is gaining traction steadily in the gaming market. Doesn't matter now though considering OpenGL is beating DirectX in performance these days.