XP SP3 and Vista SP1: DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 Patches Updated
Two security bulletins, from December 2007 and from June 2008 respectively, affecting the DirectX components of a wide range of Windows operating systems including Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, have been updated.
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17.7.2008 DirectX 9.L will be a DirectX 10 for Windows XP
We managed to glean a few facts about the upcoming DirectX 9.0 L we told you about here.
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17.10.2006 DirectX 10 vs. DirectX 9.0b
Microsoft made its very own DirectX 10 vs. DirectX 9.0b. Now, if the Redmond company's comparison won't convince you to switch to Vista, nothing will. DirectX 10 is the next generation graphics technology integrated exclusively into Windows Vista.
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23.8.2007 Forget about DirectX 10 - Introducing DirectX 10.1 Preview for Windows Vista SP1
Forget about Windows Vista's DirectX 10, Microsoft is delivering a preview of DirectX 10.1 associated with the first service pack for the operating system. The Direct3D 10.1 Tech Preview is an integer part of the August 2007, DirectX Software Development Kit, and is designed to provide the evolution of the current Direct3D 10.0.
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30.7.2007 DirectX 9.0c
The first three are for Developers, and the last one is for us lot to play our games with the latest version of DirectX 9.0c.
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3.2.2007 Microsoft announces a new DirectX Beta
Welcome to the Microsoft DirectX SDK October 2005 Update Beta Program!
This is the Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) Update for October 2005. This release includes a new SDK component Xinput, graphics samples, tools, documentation, and Pre-release components Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) and support for the 2.0 Common Language Runtime in Managed DirectX.
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DirectX 10 & the Future of Gaming
How is DirectX 10 and its Unified Architecture going to benefit gamers? What is the gamer going to need to take and advantage of it? We recently sat down with ATI and talked about DirectX 10 and how their next generation desktop GPU will benefit.
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2.5.2006 DirectX 11 coming to Vista
As with Windows Vista, the newest version of Windows brings with it a newer version of Microsoft's DirectX. Windows 7 was released with Direct X 11 support, and it was initially thought that Direct X 11 support would remain a 7-only technology.
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3.11.2009 Microsoft DirectX 10 & the Future of Gaming
Way back in the ?dark ages? of computer gaming there were few choices to achieve hardware acceleration for 3D. The two most notable methods were OpenGL and 3dfx? proprietary ?Glide.? Glide required the use of specific 3dfx hardware while OpenGL is an open platform that is supported by the community and can also run under a Linux operating environment. With Windows, Microsoft decided to capitalize on what they saw becoming the multimedia experience.
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7.5.2006 DirectX 11 at the Vanguard of the GPGPU Revolution
Microsoft's next iteration of DirectX is bound to be situated at the forefront of the general purpose graphics processing (GPGPU) revolution, according to the Redmond company.
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6.8.2008 DirectX 11 for Windows Vista SP2 Available
Microsoft is beginning to backport Windows 7 features to Windows Vista, and as an integral part of the process, the company is also upgrading Vista’s graphics technology to the level of Windows 7.
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12.9.2009 Intel integrated G35 supports DirectX 10
IT looks like Q3 2007 will be very exciting for the industry. A lot of people will be on their holidays, but never the less Intel plans to introduce its first DirectX 10 chipset then.
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19.12.2006 DirectX 10.1 in Windows Vista SP1 – The Evolution
As Windows Vista brought to the table the exclusive DirectX 10, the first service pack for the operating system will evolve Microsoft's graphics technology to version 10.1.
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31.10.2007 DirectX 10.1 in Windows Vista SP1 – The Evolution
As Windows Vista brought to the table the exclusive DirectX 10, the first service pack for the operating system will evolve Microsoft's graphics technology to version 10.1.
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19.11.2007 Windows 7 RC Immune to 0-Day DirectX Vulnerability
Windows 7 RC, as well as its precursor, Windows Vista, and the R2 and RTM/SP1 releases of Windows Server 2008 are immune to a zero-day vulnerability affecting DirectX on older versions of Windows.
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29.5.2009 Nvidia Launches DirectX 10 Graphics Card for $299
Partners of Nvidia Corp., the world’s largest supplier of standalone graphics processors, have unveiled a 320MB flavour of the GeForce 8800 GTS (the other flavour has 640MB memory onboard).
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13.2.2007 DirectX Redistributable 9.0c August 2007 for Windows Vista
Microsoft has made available fresh DirectX downloads for Windows Vista and Windows XP. The Redmond company offered since earlier this week the DirectX End-User Runtimes (August 2007) delivering the updated package of the DirectX end-user redistributable addressed at developers for direct implementation into their own software in order to leverage the graphics technology of the Windows platform.
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11.9.2007 New Hardware for Vista SP1 DirectX 10.1 - XP SP3 Too?
Microsoft is currently in the final stages of cooking both Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. In December 2007, the first public builds of Vista SP1 and XP SP3, namely the Release Candidates became available for download.
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15.1.2008 DirectX 9.0 and 10.1 Downloads for Vista SP1 and XP SP3
August 2008 has been synonymous with three separate releases of DirectX for a variety of Windows operating systems. The DirectX refreshes are tailored to Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP1, but also to Windows Server 2003.
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Windows 7 RTM Changes Disable DirectX Client-side Rendering over RDP 7
Changes implemented post-RC and ahead of the release to manufacturing deadline of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have stripped away the DirectX client-side rendering over RDP 7 from the operating systems, Microsoft has informed.
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22.6.2009 First Microsoft Genuine Office Validation Download on Download Center
Microsoft has posted the first Office download which has Genuine Office Validation (not required yet). It is sounds.exe the download enables sound in Office 2000,XP and 2003.
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28.4.2006 Download Windows 7 MUI Language Packs - Official 32-bit and 64-bit Direct Download Links
Microsoft has released MUI (Multilingual User Interface) language packs for Windows 7 RTM. The Windows 7 language packs is available via Windows Update as optional update for Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions only.
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28.8.2009 Download Firefox 1.0.7
Firefox 1.0.7 was just released today. It's said that the only updates for this minor version change are security related.
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Download Fasterfox 0.7.9
Prefetch Links - Dynamic speed increases can be obtained with Firefox's unique prefetching mechanism, which recycles idle bandwidth by silently loading and caching all of the links on the page you are browsing.
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Skype 2.0 download
Everybodys favourite free PC-calling software has just reached version 2.0. Skype now comes with free video calling (assuming two existing webcams) but also updates its older features.
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7.1.2006 WindowBlinds 5 download
Customize the look and feel of Windows XP with WindowBlinds. It's a Windows utility that enables users to personalize nearly every aspect of the Windows graphical user interface. It can "skin" your title bars, push buttons, Start bar, radio buttons, and nearly every other part of Windows.
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8.1.2006 IE 7 Beta 3 Now Download
Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) Beta 3 has been designed to make everyday tasks easier, provide dynamic security protection and improve the development platform and manageability.
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29.6.2006 MEMM 2.1 available for download now!
It's a Microsoft Excel Add-In with a collection of functions which can be useful in an Enterprise environment based on Microsoft Windows operating systems. The main functions are based on retrieving information from Active Directory, modifying Active Directory and getting information from computers through WMI. Although there are more free tools available nowadays (like ADModify), it can be quite convenient to perform certain tasks directly in Excel.
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20.7.2006 Safari 3.2.1 Download
The problem was almost instantly isolated and confirmed as incompatibility with third party software. Apple has now issued a new Safari update, for both Mac and Windows users, which delivers “stability improvements,” according to the Cupertino, Calif.-based Mac maker.
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25.11.2008 3 x DOWNLOAD Windows XP
DOWNLOAD Windows XP 9 IN ONE with service pack 2,
DOWNLOAD Windows XP Professional 64 Bit,
DOWNLOAD Windows XP Professional 32 Bit
This is Windows XP Unofficial Download page.
Windows XP is designed for businesses of all sizes and for home users who demand the most from their computing experience, Windows XP Professional delivers the new standard in reliability and performance.
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DirectX End-User Runtimes (August 2007) Available
This download provides the
DirectX end-user
multi-languaged
redistributable that
developers can include with
their product. The
redistributable license
agreement covers the terms
under which developers may use
the Redistributable. For full
details please review the
DirectX SDK EULA.txt and
DirectX Redist.txt files
located in the license
directory.
This package is localized
into Chinese (Simplified),
Chinese (Traditional), Czech,
Dutch, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Polish, Portuguese (Brazil),
Russian, Swedish, and
English.
Supported Operating
Systems: Windows 2000; Windows
XP; Windows Server 2003;
Windows Vista
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28.07.2007Vista Logo Requirements
Last weekend Microsoft held an
event for its partners to
increase its ready PC sales
this year, especially during
the traditionally profitable
Chrismas season. As you
remember, the release of
Windows Vista moved to January
2007 causes concerns as a key
reason for possible PC demand
drop this year.
At the moment the Vista Logo
Requirements are in their
version 0.8, expected to reach
the final version, according
to Microsoft, by the end of
June this year. As there are
three primary components that
dictate PC rating - CPU,
memory, graphics - there
supposed to be 3 logos in
whole:
*
Windows
Vista Capable (OS
can be installed and work with
some features disabled)
* Windows Vista
Ready (OS can work
with all the key features
enabled, including the Aero
interface)
*
Windows Vista
Compliant (premium
and most performing PCs).
Thanks
Jagz64
for the news
article!
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08.04.2006DirectX End-User Runtime November 2007 Available
Note: The Redistributable download link seems to be having issues at the moment however the Web Installer is fully available.
Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications
rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and rich audio. DirectX includes security and performance updates, along
with many new features across all technologies, which can be accessed by applications using the DirectX APIs.
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25.10.2007DirectX End-User Runtime & SDK Available (August 2008)
The Microsoft DirectX® End-User Runtime provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX the core Windows® technology that drives
high-speed multimedia and games on the PC.
This DirectX SDK release contains updates to tools, utilities, samples,
documentation, and runtime debug files for x64 and x86 platforms.
For additional information please see
Microsoft DirectX Developer Center along with reviewing the Readme for last-minute
updates.
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09.08.2008DirectX End-User Runtime & SDK Available (November 2008)
The Microsoft DirectX® End-User Runtime provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX the core Windows® technology that drives
high-speed multimedia and games on the PC.
This DirectX SDK release contains updates to tools, utilities, samples,
documentation, and runtime debug files for x64 and x86 platforms.
For additional information please see
Microsoft DirectX Developer Center along with reviewing the Readme for last-minute
updates.
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06.11.2008DirectX End-User Runtimes (March 2008)
This download provides the DirectX end-user multi-languaged redistributable that developers can include with their product. The redistributable
license agreement covers the terms under which developers may use the Redistributable. For full details please review the DirectX SDK EULA.txt and
DirectX Redist.txt files located in the license directory.
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08.03.2008DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2008)
This download provides the DirectX end-user multi-languaged redistributable that developers can include with their product. The redistributable
license agreement covers the terms under which developers may use the Redistributable. For full details please review the DirectX SDK EULA.txt and
DirectX Redist.txt files located in the license directory.
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07.06.2008DirectX Video Acceleration Specification for Windows Media Video Decoding
Defines extensions to DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA) to support decoding of Windows Media Video (WMV) 8, WMV 9, and SMPTE VC-1.
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15.12.2007Gaming in Vista with DX10 goodness?
Turns out that Vista's
DirectX 10 is not fully
backwards compatible with
DirectX 9, and Vista does not
ship with the components
required for all games that
utilize DirectX 9.. Therefore,
if you get any errors about
missing DLL files from games
when you try to run them in
Vista (such as Medieval 2:
Total War), then you'll have
to actually download and
install DirectX 9!
Just in case you need to do
so - here's the link as of
Feb 2007:
DirectX
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15.02.2007DirectX 11 to get announced this month
Microsoft will start talking about DirectX 11 in less than two weeks. Sources have confirmed that Microsoft game technology conference, previously
known as Meltdown and now renamed to Gamefest 2008, will be the place where Microsoft plans to officially announce DirectX 11.
This
conference takes place on the 22 and 23 July in Seattle, Washington and it will set you back $550 if you register online. You can find some more
details about the conference here.
The big feature of DirectX 11 is Tessellation/Displacement while we also heard that Multithreaded
Rendering and Compute Shaders are part of it. DirectX 11 also brings Shader model 5.0 but we don’t know many details about it.
It looks
like DirectX 11 will stick to rasterization as there is no any mentioning of Ray tracing support.
Nvidia will also talk about DirectX 11
at its Nvision event / conference in late August 2008
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10.07.2008Microsoft DirectX 10.1 Version “ Final Update for DirectX 10, Says AMD Dev Rel.
Microsoft DirectX version 10.1 is projected to be the last and final update to the DirectX 10 application programming interface (API), the head of
developer relations of ATI, graphics product group of Advanced Micro Devices, recently said.
While Microsoft DirectX 9 had
several shader models, including versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0b and 3.0, the DirectX 10 will exist in two versions, 10.0 and 10.1, said Richard Huddy,
worldwide developer relations manager of AMDs graphics product group at a conference recently.
The DirectX 10.1 is a relatively
minor superset of DirectX 10, but it will last for quite a time, unlike the 2.0a or 2.0b versions of shader model 2.0 that were promoted back in 2003
and 2004 by Nvidia and ATI, which did not become popular due to availability of shader model 3.0.
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05.12.2007DirectX Redistributable December 2006
Microsoft DirectX is a group
of technologies designed to
make Windows-based computers
an ideal platform for running
and displaying applications
rich in multimedia elements
such as full-color graphics,
video, 3D animation, and rich
audio. It includes security
and performance updates, along
with many new features across
all technologies, which can be
accessed by applications using
the DirectX APIs.
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14.12.2006DirectX 10.1 in Windows Vista SP1 - The Evolution
As Windows Vista brought to the table the exclusive DirectX 10, the first service pack for the operating system will evolve Microsofts graphics
technology to version 10.1. DirectX 10.1 is already available to over 12,000 testers via the first beta of Vista Service Pack 1, concomitantly with
the official release of Build 6001.16659. Although the testing milestones of Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows XP SP3 Beta, are officially
limited in terms of access, a hack is available designed to permit the download of Windows Vista SP1 Beta Build 6001.16659 straight from Microsoft,
and simultaneously test drive DirectX 10.1.
However, Vista users have to understand that DirectX 10.1, as well as DirectX 10 is a
technology intimately connected with the underlying graphics card, such as the upcoming ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series. According to an AMD whitepaper
focused on the implementation of DirectX 10.1 in the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series, the latest application programming interface from Microsoft, manages
to "unlock the state of the art in GPU technology."
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31.10.2007DirectX 11 Details Emerge
Microsoft released a handful of details about DirectX 11 today and the folks at Shacknews have the scoop.
Similar to DirectX 10, the
software will be available only on Windows Vista and future versions of Microsoft's operating system. DirectX 11 will add new compute shader
technology that Microsoft says will allow GPUs to be used "for more than just 3D graphics," allowing developers to utilize video cards as parallel
processors.
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23.07.2008Microsoft Will Not Release
DirectX 10 for WinXP
Microsoft will not release
next-generation graphics
application programming
interface (API) called DirectX
10 for the currently shipping
Windows XP operating system
(OS), instead, the company
will keep the new API strictly
for the forthcoming Windows
Vista OS, despite earlier
assumptions about DirectX 10
for the XP.
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26.05.2006Gabe Newell: DirectX 10 for Vista was a mistake
According to an online survey by
Valve Software, only one in fifty players who access
download service Steam has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and Windows Vista installed. In an interview with heise online, Gabe Newell,
president of Valve Software, said that Microsoft made a terrible mistake releasing DirectX 10 for Vista only and excluding Windows XP. He said this
decision affected the whole industry as so far only a very small percentage of players can use DirectX 10.
When developing
cross-platform games which are also released fo Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, developers look for the smallest common denominator. And since neither
Microsoft's nor Sony's new consoles support Shader Model 4.0 for DirectX 10, only few games use it, he said.
In addition,
Newell bemoaned the increasing lack of input device diversity in PC gaming culture. He would like to see controllers like the Wiimote or the Guitar
Hero guitar, but since DirectX support for devices like these had increasingly been reduced over the last few years, developers didn't dare implement
these expensive innovations.
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26.08.2007Microsoft DirectX 10.1 Version - Final Update for DirectX 10
Microsoft DirectX version 10.1 is projected to be the last and final update to the DirectX 10 application programming interface (API), the head of
developer relations of ATI, graphics product group of Advanced Micro Devices, recently said. While Microsoft DirectX 9 had several shader models,
including versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0b and 3.0, the DirectX 10 will exist in two versions, 10.0 and 10.1, said Richard Huddy, worldwide developer
relations manager of AMD’s graphics product group at a conference recently.
The DirectX 10.1 is a relatively minor superset of
DirectX 10, but it will last for quite a time, unlike the 2.0a or 2.0b versions of shader model 2.0 that were promoted back in 2003 and 2004 by Nvidia
and ATI, which did not become popular due to availability of shader model 3.0. If Microsoft does not have plans to develop its DirectX 10 further and
will concentrate on the DirectX 11 instead, developers of graphics processing units (GPUs) will not need to add any new functionality to their
products and will therefore have to focus on performance, rather than on innovation of functionality.
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05.12.2007ATI to Ship DirectX 11 Capable Cards This Summer
Guru3D: We already reported that ATI is going to ship DirectX 11 capable graphic cards this year, but German magazine heise
revealed today that according
to some well-informed internal sources ATI is planning to ship their first cards supporting DirectX 11 as early as late July or early August.
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22.04.2009BioShock Frame Rates: DirectX 9 Vs. DirectX 10
Want a serious performance boost in BioShock? Play it on DirectX 9. Sad, but true. As DirectX 9/10 hybrid games have trickled to market, we've been
testing them to see whether the newer, Vista-only API library is worth its salt. We've done it with Company of Heroes, Lost Planet, and more. In
every case, DirectX 9 performance was far better than that of DirectX 10.
Add another game to the pile. Using FRAPS to measure
frame rates, we've discovered that BioShock plays much more smoothly on DirectX 9. We ran the informal test on a Vista machine with an AMD ATI Radeon
HD 2900 XT graphics card, an Intel QX6700 CPU overclocked to 3.19 GHz, and 4GB of memory.
Playing through five very similar
minutes of the game with FRAPS and timing the frames per second, we shot up a batch of splicers in DX10 and then in DX9, with all other settings being
equal (high quality defaults at 1680x1050). In DirectX 10, FRAPS showed an average of 61.658 fps; in DirectX 9, the average was 80.300 fps.
The game looks pretty much the same in either mode. You certainly don't notice a difference in graphical splendor when you're running
breakneck through the Rapture, dodging grenades thrown by splicers while looking for the telekinesis upgrade.
While we continue
to wait for a game built upon DirectX 10 from the ground up to wow us with its performance, evidence mounts that DirectX 10 just isn't all it's
cracked up to be compared with its predecessor.
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23.08.2007DirectX 10 is Dying
We've seen games with the new API suite spliced in; now we're going to be able to play games that were built for DirectX 10. Will they change our
perception as the only Windows Vista feature gamers really care about? Probably not.
Microsoft spells it out clearly, as it has
for many months, right on its own
website:
DirectX 10 features heavily enhanced 3-D graphics-rendering capabilities and helps noticeably
improve your computer's performance in games and high-end 3-D applications.
To the writer of that blurb I say: Are you high?
I haven't noticed much of a performance improvement, or the promised visual splendor, that Microsoft seems to think DirectX 10
provides. So far, in most games, engaging DirectX 10 mode cripples them on all but the most powerful computers. To be fair, we've been working with
early DirectX 10 games on premature drivers, and as the drivers have taken shape, the performance has improved.
A change is
hopefully in the wind.
winbeta.org -
31.10.2007
